Connect with us

Utah

Tucson Roadrunners moving to Tempe as Coyotes move to Utah

Published

on

Tucson Roadrunners moving to Tempe as Coyotes move to Utah


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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement





Source link

Utah

Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon

Published

on

Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon


A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.

He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.

MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche

In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.

Advertisement

“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.

A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

_____

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas

Published

on

911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas


CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.

LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.

Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.

The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.

Advertisement

MORE | Murder-Suicide

Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.

10:33 a.m. — Call 1

After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.

Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.

“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”

11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3

As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.

Advertisement

“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”

11:26 a.m. — Call 4

Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.

“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”

She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.

Police indicated officers were on the way.

Advertisement

2:26 p.m. — Call 5

Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.

Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.

“They found a note on the door.”

2:35 p.m. — Call 6

Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.

“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”

Advertisement

A dispatcher responded:

“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”

2:36 p.m. — Call 7

Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:

“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”

2:39 p.m. — Call 8

Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.

Advertisement

“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”

He repeats the details he knows for the second time.

3:13 p.m. — Call 9

Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.

“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”

Dispatch responded:

Advertisement

“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”

4:05 p.m. — Call 10

More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.

“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”

The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.

Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.

Advertisement

The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.

5:23 p.m. — Call 11

Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.

“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”

She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.

Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference

Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.

Advertisement

The investigation remains ongoing.

______



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing

Published

on

Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing


AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”

Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.

“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.

Advertisement

Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.

“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.

2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:

  • Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
  • Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
  • Does it support a ban from classrooms?

Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.

“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.

MORE | Utah State Legislature:

Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.

Advertisement

“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.

“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.

The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Advertisement

___



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending