TEMPE, AZ — The domino effect of the Arizona Coyotes’ departure from the desert comes with some silver lining for hockey fans. There will still be hockey in the Valley as the Tucson Roadrunners are reportedly moving to Tempe to play at Mullett Arena. Alex Meruelo, who still owns the minor league hockey team, confirmed the move to Arizona Sports Thursday.

The NHL confirmed Thursday that Meruelo has sold the Arizona Coyotes and the team is moving to Salt Lake City, Utah.

However, there’s also still a chance that in five years, Meruelo and his group of partners could be granted an NHL expansion team that would bring the Coyotes name back to Arizona.

Meruelo says he remains committed to winning the north Phoenix public land auction in June to build a new stadium as part of a massive entertainment complex.

While Meruelo sold the right to the NHL franchise, he keeps the intellectual rights to the Coyotes name. He also retains ownership of the Roadrunners, who have played in Tucson in recent years. Meruelo tells Arizona Sports that he intends to move the Roadrunners to Tempe and have them play at Mullett Arena, where the Coyotes had recently played.

The Roadrunners’ move to Tempe is part of an effort to keep Valley youth hockey programs alive until an expansion NHL franchise could hopefully return to Phoenix.

The Roadrunners bring their own line of history to the Valley as many natives will remember the Phoenix Roadrunners. The team played on and off in Phoenix from 1967 to 2009 in different league levels before ceasing operations.

In 2016, the Coyotes announced it purchased its American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate that played in Springfield, Illinois, and moved the team to Tucson.

The team picked up the Roadrunners nickname and has played in Tucson since then.

On Wednesday night, during the Coyotes’ last game of the season, ABC15 was there when the team received a standing ovation following their win against the Oilers. Watch the emotional moment in the player below.

Emotional standing ovation for the Arizona Coyotes last game

The Coyotes started playing at Mullett Arena last season after the City of Glendale did not renew its agreement with the team for them to play at what is now Desert Diamond Arena.

At least nine beavers and a vole have been found dead across Utah after an unusual outbreak of tularemia, a disease that can also infect and kill humans, cats and dogs. Local wildlife experts are concerned by the unprecedented spread of the disease and have warned people to take precautions.

Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, is a bacterial disease that most commonly affects rabbits, hares, beavers, as well as other rodents, mammals and livestock. However, the bacteria, Francisella tularensis, has also been reported in fish, cats and dogs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The disease has a high mortality rate, especially among wild animals.

Tularemia is also a zoonotic disease, meaning that it can jump between animals and humans. People can be infected with tularemia through several different pathways, including tick and deerfly bites, physical contact with infected animals, eating undercooked meat and by drinking contaminated water. Humans can die from the disease if the infection is not treated promptly with antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of tularemia across species include fever, swollen glands, lethargy, and poor appetite. 

11 (sometimes) deadly diseases that hopped across species

Between March 23 and April 10, nine otherwise healthy-looking North American beavers (Castor canadensis) and a vole from an unnamed species were found dead, according to a statement by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR). 

The first five beavers were found at Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter near Park City and are all believed to have shared the same den. The other animals were subsequently found at three other locations: near Midway, near the Jordanelle Dam and in the Birdseye area of Utah County.

Four of the beaver carcasses from three separate locations — Swaner preserve, Midway and Birdseye — were sent for testing at Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the Utah Public Health Lab, and three of the specimens (one from each location) tested positive for tularemia, according to UDWR. There is therefore a high chance that the others also died from the disease.

Cases of tularemia are occasionally reported in animals and in humans across the U.S. but are normally isolated to a single animal or location. The last reported case of the disease killing wildlife in Utah was in 2017, when a single rabbit was found dead.

“It is unusual to see this many animals die from it at once,” UDWR veterinarian Ginger Stout, said in the statement.

It is unclear why the disease has spread so quickly and widely but it may be linked to the start of the tick season, which normally begins in April.

The CDC recommends that people use insect repellent, frequently check themselves and their pets for tick or insect bites and try to avoid mowing over dead animals with lawnmowers, which can disperse the bacteria into the air. UDWR representatives also warned people to not pick up any dead animals they find and instead report them to the nearest UDWR office.

By Railfan & Railroad Staff

A Western Pacific GP35 has been restored to its as-delivered appearance in Utah and will soon be put on display at Ogden Union Station. 

Last week, volunteers put the finishing touches on WP 3002, one of 22 GP35s owned by the railroad and only the sixth of its type to be preserved. The locomotive was built in 1963 and worked for the WP, Union Pacific, Kyle Railroad, Arkansas Midland and finally Genesee & Wyoming. The locomotive was donated to Ogden Union Station two years ago thanks to the efforts of Derrick Klarr of Klarr Locomotive Works. 

The locomotive was cosmetically restored at UTA FrontRunner’s shop in Salt Lake City. The mostly volunteer effort was spearheaded by Klarr, his brother Kerry Klarr and fellow UTA employee Schon Norris. UTA shop crews also donated their time to get the job done. Volunteers, including members of the Promontory Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, spent nearly 800 man-hours removing parts for sandblasting, sanding four previous paint layers, welding, and applying primer before paint work could begin. The locomotive made its debut last week in stunning WP orange, black and silver. To ensure longevity, an anti-graffiti and UV-protectant clear coat was also applied during the restoration. 

The locomotive will soon join others on display at Ogden Union Station, including a UP 4-8-4, Utah Railway RSD-15, a Rio Grande SD4T-2 and a Southern Pacific SD45R.

Western Pacific 3002 being repainted in Salt Lake City. Photo by Derrick Klarr.