PHOENIX — Happy Tuesday!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Tuesday, April 21; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Winds picking up across Arizona
Heat and wind are the story today in the Valley. Highs reach the mid-90s under mostly sunny skies, with afternoon gusts climbing to 25 miles per hour. A little relief arrives tomorrow as highs in the upper 80s are on the way.
Does this Valley surgeon deserve to go to prison?
Kris Johnson doesn’t want to remember that night.
It was an almost pitch-black night almost four years ago, when he fired a warning shot straight into the hot desert air of his west Phoenix neighborhood.
But that night, and what will happen in the coming weeks, will shape the rest of his life.
“I don't want to. I don't want to remember this anymore,” said Kris, a trauma surgeon, during an interview in his kitchen ahead of his upcoming trial. “I don't want to remember that night. It's like a nightmare.”
A nightmare that’s almost impossible to describe.
Valley mobile home parks closing, high moving costs force residents to abandon homes
Owners of dozens of mobile homes are being forced to leave their mobile home parks due to shutdowns.
To make matters worse, high moving estimates are forcing many residents to leave their homes behind and start over, as quotes to move are thousands of dollars more than what the state’s relocation fund covers.
Earlier this month, we introduced you to Felicia Donnelly, who put her heart into making her 1970s double-wide her home.
Then, an eviction notice showed up with a 180-day notice for everyone to pack up before the end of April.
In this case, residents have two options: relocate or abandon their homes.
The Arizona Department of Housing has a relocation fund that was increased in 2023. It provides $12,500 to move a single-wide or up to $20,000 for a double-wide, both paid directly to the contractor.
For those abandoning their homes, they could receive $5,000 for a single-wide or $8,000 for a double-wide.
Gilbert leaders work to transform the Heritage District into a place to live, work, and build community
For years, Gilbert’s Heritage District has been known as a destination where people come to eat and hang out. Now, town leaders are working to turn the area into a place where people live, work, and build community.
On any given day, the sidewalks in the Heritage District are packed. Mesa resident Cassandra Corral said she notices the appeal.
"Mesa doesn't have anything but maybe moving to Gilbert for me one day and be able to actually live in walking distance of new restaurants, retail," Corral said.
That energy is showing up in the town's numbers. Town leaders say that, since 2018, Gilbert has added more than 33,000 square feet of new office space and 44,000 square feet of retail. Sales tax revenue in the district is up 92 percent.
Liberty Market owner David Traina has witnessed the transformation firsthand.
"Over the last 16 years, the growth has been amazing. You can hear the traffic behind me, and in 2008, that didn't exist. You could sit out in the middle of the intersection at times, and you know, have a nice cup of coffee," Traina said.
Scottsdale students learn the power of giving through Snack Shack
At Scottsdale Country Day School, sixth graders are getting a crash course in entrepreneurship by running their own Snack Shack. They handle everything from marketing to money, but this year, they’re also learning the power of giving.
After seeing our Uplifting Arizona story on Smiles 4 Sick Children, students chose the nonprofit as their beneficiary.
Smiles 4 Sick Children collects stray golf balls around the Valley from donors and sells them to purchase toys for kids in the hospital. It also donates hats and other items.
The students are now raising money, collecting golf balls, and even crocheting hats for kids in hospitals.
