ARIZONA NEWS

Weekend Wrap-Up: Here are the biggest Phoenix news stories from June 7-9

Jun 9, 2024, 6:00 PM

A man piloting a small aircraft was killed when it crashed near the top of Picacho Peak on Saturday...

A man piloting a small aircraft was killed when it crashed near the top of Picacho Peak on Saturday morning. (Pexels stock photos)

(Pexels stock photos)

PHOENIX — From a Tucson woman trafficking large volumes of fentanyl to a man crashing an aircraft in Picacho Peak State Park, here are some of the biggest news stories in the Valley over the weekend.


Tucson woman sentenced for trafficking 453,000 fentanyl-laced pills

A Tucson woman was sentenced on Tuesday to 60 months in prison for trafficking approximately 453,000 fentanyl-laced pills and one kilogram of fentanyl powder.

Alegria Pompeya Mendoza-Castro, 30, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on Nov. 16, 2023.


Massive Bank of America campus next to Sky Harbor airport sold to Texas buyer

A five-building office campus fully leased to one of the country’s largest banks has traded hands.

Located at Sky Harbor Center in the city of Phoenix, Bank of America’s 534,849-square-foot office campus at 1825 E. Buckeye Road has been acquired by PHX West LLC for $44.3 million, according to Cushman & Wakefield, which brokered the deal.

Bank of America has occupied its campus since 1989 and is located on 37 acres on a long-term ground lease with the city of Phoenix.


Officials approve amendment for target shooting in Sonoran Desert National Monument

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved an amendment for dispersed recreational target shooting in the Sonoran Desert National Monument Resource Management Plan.

The amendment makes recreational target shooting available on 5,295 acres of the monument and unavailable on the other 480,496 acres.

Officials say the amendment seeks to protect human health, safety and important resources by adjusting where target shooting is available in the monument.


4-year-old dead after crash involving drunk driver in Queen Creek

A 4-year-old girl died after the vehicle she was traveling in was hit by a drunk driver in Queen Creek on Wednesday, authorities said.

The crash occurred when the victims’ vehicle, which included an adult and another child, was rear-ended by the suspect at nearly 60 mph with no braking at the intersection of Power Road and Hunt Highway, according to the Queen Creek Police Department.

The adult and other child suffered minor injuries, but the 4-year-old was taken to a hospital for her injuries. She died there on Thursday.


Pilot of small aircraft killed in crash at Picacho Peak State Park

A man piloting a small aircraft was killed when it crashed near the top of Picacho Peak on Saturday morning.

According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, police received a 911 call at 7:25 a.m. from a hiker who witnessed the crash.

Only the pilot, whom police identified as 68-year-old James Galvin of Oro Valley, was in the aircraft at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the site of the crash.

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Weekend Wrap-Up: Here are the biggest Phoenix news stories from June 7-9