Arizona
Coyotes’ Gutierrez, Keller, NHL commissioner react to arena denial
The Arizona Coyotes were denied by Tempe voters on Tuesday in their quest to build a new arena complex near Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway.
The franchise’s future in the Valley is now uncertain, as the team does not have a place to play once the deal at its temporary home at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena expires following the 2024-25 season, with a mutual option for the 2025-26 campaign.
The Tempe vote to approve a new Coyotes arena fell far behind, and president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said what’s next for the franchise has yet to be evaluated, putting the team’s future in Arizona in jeopardy. pic.twitter.com/tCe57LhM7v
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 17, 2023
“We are very disappointed Tempe voters did not approve Propositions 301, 302 and 303,” Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said in a statement. “As Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said, it was the best sports deal in Arizona history. The Coyotes wish to thank everyone who supported our efforts and voted yes. So many community leaders stepped up and became our advocates and for that we are truly grateful.
“We also wish to thank the countless volunteers who worked so hard to try and make the Tempe Entertainment District a reality and the Tempe City Council for their support as well. While we wanted a different outcome, we remain grateful to all those who volunteered their time and talent. What is next for the franchise will be evaluated by our owners and the National Hockey League over the coming weeks.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman also issued a statement that expressed his disappointment in the results on behalf of the league.
“The National Hockey League is terribly disappointed by the results of the public referenda regarding the Coyotes’ arena project in Tempe. We are going to review with the Coyotes what the options might be going forward.”
One of the Coyotes’ captains and a face of the franchise Clayton Keller made his reaction felt with one simple emoji.
😔
— Clayton Keller (@ClaytonKeller37) May 17, 2023
The hockey world also poured in with their thoughts and feelings as the news of the election results came in:
If you see a coyotes fan, give them a hug.
— ⚜️ z -Ben B 🌵 (@WhoDatBenny) May 17, 2023
Oof. 😔
My heart breaks for everyone with the Yotes and their loyal fans. They have so much love for their team and it’s crazy how this has all spiraled.
A sad day for AZ sports. https://t.co/yMAufK6Cq5
— Courtney Baker (@CBake93) May 17, 2023
Gutted for Coyotes fans and those who work in the Coyotes organization. A tough night all around.
— H. José Bosch 🇵🇷 (@HJBosch21) May 17, 2023
sending lots of love to my @ArizonaCoyotes fam 🫶
— Mallory Schnell (@mallory_schnell) May 17, 2023
Pain :/ https://t.co/ggVL3Vf5KX
— Cowboy Timotheé (@timmyhustle25) May 17, 2023
Poor coyotes – this is just brutal https://t.co/HKMvDrwpyO
— Nikolas Dobies (@NdWarrior95) May 17, 2023
Shane Doan and Luke Lapinski deserve better https://t.co/KgaeXsFVmS
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) May 17, 2023
I feel bad for Coyotes fans. Just gut punch after gut punch.
— Cody Fincher (@Cody__Fincher) May 17, 2023
Hey people in Seattle/Montreal/Atlanta/etc., what’s it feel like to lose a professional sports franchise?
— Danny Shapiro (@DannyShapiro13) May 17, 2023
Heartbreaking… For the players, longtime staff that have been so loyal to the franchise, and us fans who grew up loving this team. We NEED hockey in the Valley. https://t.co/y8ofOo3nZu
— Ashley Brewer (@ESPNAshley) May 17, 2023
Arizona
Newest Arizona members of Congress sworn in during opening day in DC
Gary Farmer is an actor, musician, and activist whose made a career in indigenous media. His performances in television and film have received rave reviews. The1989 film “Powwow Highway”, in which he stars, was just inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.
Arizona
Yassamin Ansari, Abe Hamadeh set to become Arizona’s newest members of Congress
Arizona District 3 Congresswoman elect Yassamin Ansari talks victory
Congresswoman elect Yassamin Ansari gives victory speech on Nov. 5, 2024, after being elected to represent Arizona’s 3rd district in Congress.
Arizona’s two newest U.S. House members are set to get sworn into their posts as the 119th Congress gets underway.
Republican Abe Hamadeh, a lawyer, and Democrat Yassamin Ansari, a former Phoenix vice mayor, are expected to take their oaths of office on Friday, shortly after the House resumes session.
Hamadeh will replace Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., who is retiring from Congress to serve on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
He will represent Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, an overwhelmingly Republican area that covers parts of Maricopa and Yavapai counties, including Glendale, Peoria, Sun City West and New River.
Propelled by an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, Hamadeh defeated a crowded field of other Republicans in Arizona’s July 30 primary election and sailed to an easy victory in the Nov. 5 general election.
Hamadeh, a self-described “America First warrior,” largely echoed Trump’s positions on the campaign trail. He will serve on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee.
Ansari will represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, a stretch of Maricopa County that includes parts of Phoenix and Glendale. She is replacing Democrat Ruben Gallego, who has swapped his House seat for a U.S. Senate seat. Her House committee assignments have not been announced.
During the primary election, Ansari hewed closer to the political center than her opponent, former state Sen. Raquel Terán of Phoenix. Ansari ran on a progressive platform but staked out more centrist turf on issues like policing and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel.
She beat out Terán by just 39 votes, and, like Hamadeh, won her November election in a landslide.
Ansari plans to join the House’s Progressive Caucus, the Democrats’ most left-leaning faction on Capitol Hill.
Arizona
3 arrested in connection with good Samaritan's killing in Arizona
Three people were arrested this week in connection with the death of a good Samaritan in Arizona last month, officials said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department identified two of the three people arrested Monday as Jack Upchurch, 40, and Elmer Smith, 19. The third person is 16 years old. NBC News does not typically identify minors accused of crimes.
The trio were arrested in connection with the death of Paul Clifford, 53, whose body was found near a smoldering car northeast of Tucson last month.
Sabrina Vining, a woman who identified herself as Clifford’s daughter in an online fundraiser, said her father disappeared after he left his house at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 23 to help a “stranger with a stranded vehicle.”
NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported that Clifford’s family reported him missing after, they said, a strange man knocked on Clifford’s door and asked for help with his car.
He was later found dead, the sheriff’s department said. It did not provide a cause or manner of death.
Officials said they received information Monday about a possible location for the three suspects.
Detectives searched the area and obtained a search warrant for a property, which the Pima Regional SWAT team carried out.
The suspects barricaded themselves inside a home and eventually called 911 to negotiate a surrender, the sheriff’s department said. They left the residence and were taken into custody.
The sheriff’s department did not release any information about a motive or how it connected the suspects to Clifford’s killing.
The three suspects were booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on felony arrest warrants, officials said.
It was not immediately clear whether they have legal representation. Jail records do not list attorneys for any of the three.
Upchurch was being held on a $1 million bond, Smith on $1.025 million bail and the minor on a half-million-dollar bond, according to jail records.
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