Arizona
Jaguar in southern Arizona named by Tohono O'odham Nation
A wild jaguar first seen crossing into southern Arizona last year has a new name chosen by the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The jaguar will now be called O:had Ñu:kudam, which means “jaguar protector” in the O’odham language.
O:had was first spotted back in 2023 on the ancestral land of the Tohono O’odham people. The Center for Biological Diversity reached out to the nation’s leaders to ask if they wanted to name the jaguar.
(O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam is pronounced OH-shahd NOO-KOO-dum.)
“It’s only fair that they have a say in naming jaguars that return to their traditional lands,” Russ McSpadden with the Center for Biological Diversity said.
Who decided the name?
“There was a two-week period, we sent an email request for people to also vote, indicate if they were O’odham, Native American, or non-Native American. Tabulated results and that’s where O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam came about,” said Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The Center for Biological Diversity says the wild jaguar is a sign that conservation efforts are working in southern Arizona.
They hope more of the animals will migrate into the state in the coming years.
“The return of jaguars to our land is a source of immense pride and profound hope. Since time immemorial, the Tohono O’odham have shared our homelands with the jaguar,” Chairman Nunez said. “As O’odham we view jaguars as protectors of our people and the environment. O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam’s presence serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of nature and the importance of ongoing conservation efforts. We are committed to working to ensure a safe and thriving future for O:ṣhad and, one day hope to see the return of a breeding population of jaguars to this region.”
O:ṣhad is thought to have been born somewhere in Mexico and traveled into Arizona after leaving his mother in early 2023.
You can read more about O:had Ñu:kudam by clicking here.
Arizona
Post-holiday rush has Arizona shoppers returning gifts, spending holiday cash
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Christmas is over, but the stores and malls are busy one day later—shoppers either returning gifts that weren’t quite right or spending some of that holiday cash.
“A lot of the stores we went to, you had to wait in lines just to get from one store to the other,” said Jeannie Mac. “It was pretty busy.”
When you think of holiday shopping, you often think of items flying off the shelves.
“There are a lot of discounts at target, 50% off all decorations. You’d be surprised. The shelves are a little empty,” said shopper Joseph Caruana.
But the day after Christmas, many of those items end up back in-store. This year, returns are expected to add up to 17% of all merchandise sales, according to a recent report by the National Retail Federation. It’s about $890 billion in returned unneeded or unwanted gifts.
However, not everyone was there for returns or exchanges.
“Everyone enjoyed the presents, so didn’t have to return anything, thankfully,” said Max Miely.
Many people Arizona’s Family spoke with were mainly there looking to spend their holiday money, including Jenn Neild, who was visiting from Canada.
“We’re just looking around for some post Christmas deals, Boxing Day deals,” she said.
Boxing Day is traditionally a holiday similar to Black Friday, celebrated in the U.K. and Canada.
It was a good opportunity for shoppers who came out ready to use their holiday gift cards or, in other cases, to claim their Christmas gifts.
“We just went to go get my cousins ear pierced for her Christmas present and we’re going to be shopping for pajamas and different things,” said Morgan Uperesa, another shopper.
Because Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 are historically the busiest days for returns, the Better Business Bureau advises you to bring any receipts to the store.
If you don’t have one, they say you should know the rules on returns without it.
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Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
Arizona
Cardinals RB James Conner Gets Encouraging Update
ARIZONA — Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon says the progress of running back James Conner has been “good” this week as the team prepares to battle the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.
Gannon, however, wouldn’t elaborate more on Conner and didn’t reveal if he’d play in Saturday night’s primetime battle.
Conner is dealing with a knee injury suffered in the second half of Week 16’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, a 36-30 overtime defeat that saw Arizona’s postseason dreams officially end.
Conner was a limited participant in the two prior practice days for Arizona and if he is again the same for Thursday, it’s likely he’ll officially be ruled questionable when the injury report drops later today.
“We’ll see how he goes throughout the week. I know he wants to play, so we’ll do what’s best for him first and then what’s best for the team,” Gannon said of Conner earlier this week.
Once again, Conner has been one of Arizona’s top players throughout the course of the season, once again eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing mark as the engine of the Cardinals’ offense.
The ink just dried on Conner’s two-year extension to stay in Arizona, as the running back was set to test the free agent market before the Cardinals re-signed him earlier in the year.
If he can go, Conner hopes to help play the role of spoiler in Los Angeles, as the Rams can win the NFC West with a victory over Arizona and a little help.
Arizona
Report of shots fired at Phoenix Sky Harbor prompts heavy police presence
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Gunshots reportedly rang out at Terminal 4 of Phoenix Sky Harbor on Christmas night.
Airport officials tell Arizona’s Family that police responded to reports of gunfire around 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday.
One security checkpoint and the PHX Sky Train was temporarily closed as part of the investigation, however the areas have since reopened.
At this time, police have not confirmed if anyone is injured or if anyone has been taken into custody in connection with the shooting.
Arizona’s Family has a crew on scene. Check back for updates
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Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
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