Arizona
Bird flu found in Arizona milk suggests another spillover from birds to cows
It appears that there may have been another spillover of H5N1 bird flu virus from wild birds into dairy cattle. The Arizona Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it had found the virus in milk from a herd of cows in Maricopa County, which contains the state capital, Phoenix.
This is the first detection of H5N1 in dairy cows in Arizona, making it the 17th state in which affected cows have been found. Nearly 970 herds have tested positive since the outbreak was first identified in late March 2024.
The Arizona detection occurred as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Milk Testing Strategy, which samples bulk milk looking for presence of H5N1 viruses. Last week, USDA and Nevada’s Department of Agriculture announced a detection there of H5N1 in dairy herds.
Since it was first discovered that bird flu viruses were infecting cows and spreading among herds, it was thought that all of the detections were connected — that there had been a single jump of the H5N1 virus into cows, in either late 2023 or early 2024, likely in Texas. That assessment was based on ongoing analysis of the genetic sequences of the viruses, which belong to a family of H5N1 known as clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.13.
But the discovery of the virus in milk from Nevada herds in early January — results that were only released last week — showed that a different version of the virus was responsible for those infections. That virus belonged to the same clade, but was of the D1.1 genotype, a version of the virus responsible for a severe infection of a teenager in British Columbia, Canada, in November, and the death of a person who owned a backyard poultry flock in Louisiana in January.
The virus isolated from the milk of the Arizona herd was also a D1.1 virus, but apparently a different version of it.
“This detection of avian influenza is consistent with a D1.1 genotype and unrelated to the recent Nevada detection of this virus,” the Arizona statement said. “This D1.1 genotype bears no features that would make it more likely to infect humans.”
When the Nevada detection was made public, flu scientists warned that more spillovers into cows were likely, given how prevalent H5N1 is in wild birds across the country. But Arizona’s announcement still came as a surprise.
“I definitely thought there would be more jumps found through milk testing. But I have to confess I did not think it would happen quite so fast, nor in my own backyard as I looked north, over Maricopa County, to what’s happening in Nevada!” Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, told STAT by text.
Prior to the outbreak in cows, the United States had only ever detected one human H5N1 infection, in an individual who was involved in culling infected poultry in Colorado. That infection occurred in 2022.
But over the past year, there have been 68 confirmed human cases, and a number more where state laboratories have seen a positive result but additional testing done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could not confirm the case, often because of low levels of viral material or degradation of the sample during transport. The majority of these cases have occurred in people with direct contact with dairy cows or poultry flocks, which are also susceptible to contracting the virus from wild birds.
GLENDALE, AZ — A Glendale Police Department traffic enforcement operation is targeting red-light runners, putting a spotlight on the split-second decisions that can lead to life-altering crashes.
Arizona continues to be one of the worst states in the country for red-light running.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, nearly 6,000 drivers were involved in red light crashes at intersections, resulting in more than 60 deaths.
Officer Schlingman from the Glendale Police Department said the two most common excuses he hears from drivers cited for the violation are that they thought the light was still yellow, or that they were running late.
Watch in the player above as ABC15 gets a front-row seat inside the traffic enforcement operation as part of Operation Safe Roads.
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PHOENIX — Happy Wednesday!
We’re staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Wednesday, July 15; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
The monsoon is not done with us yet. A few scattered storms could pop up in the Valley later today. Until then, partly cloudy, hot, and humid with a high of 108º. Better storm chances arrive tomorrow.
The mother of a 21-year-old woman who was found dead near Lake Pleasant over the weekend is speaking about her daughter’s death to ABC15.
Arianna Jones, 21, was last known to be at her apartment near 59th and Northern avenues. When her family went to check on her, they said they found damage to her front door, and she was not there. Her family has had no contact with her since July 5.
A friend told police that she had planned to meet “an acquaintance” for a movie. Evidence shows the man, identified by police as Domonic Rodolico, had picked Jones up from her apartment and never returned.
On Saturday, July 11, officials located “decomposing human remains in this area along with additional evidence,” including movie theater cups and clothes.
Glendale police confirmed Monday that Rodolico was taken into custody on charges including first-degree murder. Police say he is being held on a $2 million cash bond.
Mother of Glendale woman found dead near Lake Pleasant speaks to ABC15
One person is dead, and four others are hurt after a multi-vehicle crash in Scottsdale.
Police say they were called to the crash at Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard around 4:45 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found six vehicles involved in the crash.
All told, Scottsdale police say five people were taken to the hospital for their injuries.
One person later died of their injuries. That person has not yet been identified.
abc15
Arizona’s 1st Congressional District has become one of the most watched races in the country, with political experts calling it a toss-up ahead of the primary election.
CD1 is among a small number of truly competitive House races, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
“We only have 16 tossups in the House in our Crystal Ball House ratings. Two of them are Arizona One and Arizona Six, so they’re really, really important,” Kondik said.
CD1 is home to about 820,000 people. The district includes northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, and Cave Creek. Because the race is so competitive, campaigns are spending heavily to reach voters.
“There are a lot of people who live in the Phoenix area who don’t live in Arizona One. But they’re going to be seeing those ads for Arizona One anyway,” Kondik said.
Arizona’s 1st Congressional District race is one of the most competitive in the country
In a world where headlines often focus on what teenagers are doing wrong, one Valley band is giving people a reason to turn up the volume.
Anthem-based rock band The Deadline, made up of local teenagers, recently returned from a remarkable trip to Poland, where they performed for U.S. and NATO troops stationed near the Ukraine border.
The opportunity came after the young musicians caught the attention of Polish officials and continued building a reputation through Alice Cooper’s Proof Is in the Pudding competition.
What followed was a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to use their music to boost morale for troops serving far from home.
Arizona teens bring musical talent to audience of troops near Ukraine
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Maricopa County, Ariz., asked the court to affirm its determination that the location was a 30-auditorium mixed used movie theater worth nearly $29 million in full cash value and $12.5 million in limited value.
However, AMC’s expert appraiser didn’t err when he limited the property’s valuation to the 17 auditoriums the theater currently uses to show films, the court determined in an unsigned opinion posted Tuesday. …
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