Arizona

Judge rejects Arizona prisoner’s bid to delay execution

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2022

Judge rejects Arizona prisoner’s bid to delay execution

PHOENIX — A federal choose has denied an Arizona prisoner’s bid to delay his execution within the 1984 killing of an 8-year-old woman, in response to the ruling posted Sunday.

U.S. District Decide Michael Liburdi’s choice retains on observe Wednesday’s scheduled execution of Frank Atwood, who argued the state’s demise penalty procedures would violate his constitutional proper towards merciless and weird punishment by subjecting him to unimaginable ache.

His legal professionals mentioned Atwood, who has a degenerative spinal situation that has left him in a wheelchair, would bear excruciating struggling if he have been strapped to a gurney whereas mendacity on his again throughout his deadly injection execution.

Liburdi mentioned within the ruling made Saturday that he wouldn’t block the execution primarily based on Atwood’s declare, noting that the state will present Atwood with a medical wedge that can relieve strain on his backbone and may tilt the execution desk. He mentioned these lodging “will decrease the ache Plaintiff experiences when he lies on his again.”

The structure, Liburdi wrote, “doesn’t require a pain-free execution,” and that Atwood’s place might be just like what he usually assumes in his cell to restrict ache.

Liburdi additionally rejected challenges to the drug the state plans to make use of and dismissed Atwood’s declare over the Arizona’s use of the fuel chamber, saying it was irrelevant as a result of he might be executed utilizing deadly injection.

Atwood’s legal professional instantly filed an enchantment to the ninth U.S. Circuit Court docket of Appeals, asking for his execution to be delayed. They argued that whereas he has the flexibility to decide on between deadly injection and deadly fuel, that selection is admittedly no selection in any respect.

That’s as a result of the state’s use of cyanide fuel would additionally trigger excruciating ache, leaving him to decide on between two “torturous” executions strategies. And, they are saying, he’s not allowed to problem the usage of cyanide except he chooses that technique.

Atwood was convicted of homicide within the 1984 killing of Vicki Hoskinson.

Authorities have mentioned Atwood kidnapped Hoskinson, whose stays have been found within the desert northwest of Tucson almost seven months after her disappearance. Consultants couldn’t decide the reason for demise from the stays that have been discovered, in response to court docket data.

Atwood maintains that he’s harmless of the crimes.

Till final month, Arizona went nearly eight years with out finishing up an execution. The hiatus has been attributed to the issue of securing deadly injection medicine as producers refuse to provide them and to issues encountered throughout the July 2014 execution of Joseph Wooden, who was given 15 doses of a two-drug mixture over almost two hours. Wooden snorted repeatedly and gasped earlier than he died. His legal professional mentioned the execution had been botched.

The hiatus ended on Might 11 when the state executed prisoner Clarence Dixon for his homicide conviction within the 1978 killing of Deana Bowdoin, a 21-year-old Arizona State College pupil.

As a part of Atwood’s argument to get his execution delayed, his legal professionals questioned whether or not the compounded pentobarbital for use within the execution meets pharmaceutical requirements and whether or not the state has met a requirement that the drug’s expiration date falls after the execution date.

Prosecutors say Atwood was attempting to indefinitely postpone his execution by way of authorized maneuvers.

Two weeks in the past, Atwood declined to decide on between deadly injection or the fuel chamber, leaving him to be put to demise by deadly injection, the state’s default execution technique.

Arizona, California, Missouri and Wyoming are the one states with decades-old lethal-gas execution legal guidelines nonetheless on the books. Arizona, which carried out the final fuel chamber execution in the USA greater than twenty years in the past, is the one state to nonetheless have a working fuel chamber.

In recent times, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Alabama have handed legal guidelines permitting executions with nitrogen fuel, at the very least in some circumstances, although consultants say it’s by no means been accomplished and no state has established a protocol that will enable it.

Atwood’s legal professionals additionally mentioned Arizona may take up executions by firing squad — a way of execution not used within the state.

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Arizona

Jaguar in southern Arizona named by Tohono O'odham Nation

Published

6 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Press Room

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.)

Footage of newly spotted jaguar in Arizona released

“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.

Jaguar in Arizona named by Tohono O’odham Nation

“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.

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Arizona

Phoenix restaurant group to expand Slim Chickens locations, plans to hire 500 new workers in Arizona

Published

13 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Press Room

Phoenix restaurant group to expand Slim Chickens locations, plans to hire 500 new workers in Arizona

Barnett Management Co. said it plans to hire about 500 restaurant employees in Arizona over the next few months as the family-owned, Phoenix-based business ramps up to open three new Slim Chickens restaurants.

The first location will open about mid-June near 35th Avenue and Happy Valley Road in Glendale, followed by another Glendale restaurant opening during the summer near Loop 101 and Northern Avenue. A third restaurant will open later this year in Yuma at Fourth Avenue and 16th Street. Each location will feature about 4,200 square feet of restaurant space including patios, seating for about 90 customers, and will employ about 100 people.

Slim Chickens restaurants sell chicken tenders, wings and sandwiches.

Barnett already operates a Slim Chickens restaurant in Maricopa, with plans to have 32 locations open in the state in about a decade. The company is the exclusive Slim Chickens franchise operator in Arizona.

Barnett, founded in 1979, also operates roughly 55 Burger King franchises in Arizona.

Prospective applicants may visit AZSlims.com to learn more about the company and job opportunities. Open positions include shift leaders, assistant general managers and general managers.

Arkansas-based Slim Chickens has opened more than 265 restaurants since the company’s founding in 2003.

It’s complicated: Why doesn’t Phoenix area have any Michelin star restaurants?

Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.

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Arizona

These are the 5 luckiest casinos in Arizona. See where players win the most money

Published

20 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Press Room

These are the 5 luckiest casinos in Arizona. See where players win the most money

Whether you are trying your hand at the slot machines or at a table, you need luck to hit the jackpot or win big. But, if you don’t feel particularly lucky, maybe being at the right casino can help out.

Casinos.com, a casino review site, ranked the most popular casinos in Arizona to find the “luckiest” place to spend a night out. This ranking is based on previous players’ ability to win big.

Arizona has 25 casinos and one might be the best spot to hit the jackpot. Here’s what to know before planning your trip to a casino.

Arizona has 25 casinos. Here’s where they are and which casino is the biggest

The 5 luckiest casinos in Arizona

To rank these casinos on “luck,” Casinos.com analyzed Tripadvisor reviews and tracked keywords like “lucky,” “won,” “jackpot” and “success.” The site only looked at Arizona casinos with a minimum of 5,000 reviews as of April 30. Based on its analysis, here is its ranking of Arizona’s five luckiest casinos.

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino
Talking Stick Resort Casino
Casino Del Sol
Cliff Castle Casino
Havasu Landing Casino

Why Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino is the luckiest casino in Arizona

Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, located in Maricopa, has a 4.5-star rating on Tripadvisor and more than 8,000 reviews. Casinos.com found frequent mentions of its keywords, “luck” and “winning.” According to the site, players also included “jackpot” in nearly a dozen reviews.

Talking Stick Resort Casino also ranked high on the website’s list. As the largest casino in the state, the casino near Scottsdale has a 3.5-star rating on Tripadvisor. Keywords like “bonus” and “winner” were commonly mentioned in its reviews.

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