Tucson And Phoenix Place In Top Ten For Worst Drivers

Tucson And Phoenix Place In Top Ten For Worst Drivers

By Elizabeth Troutman |

Two Arizona cities ranked in the top 10 for cities with the worst drivers. 

Tucson ranks fourth and Phoenix ranks eighth among the cities with the worst drivers, according to a Forbes Advisor ranking

This ranking is particularly notable with fatal car accidents increasing across the country, with the number of deadly crashes climbing by nearly 10% from 2020 to 2022, according to Forbes. 

In honor of Aggressive Driving Awareness Month, Forbes Advisor compared the 50 most populated cities across five key metrics, including the number of fatal car accidents involving drunk drivers, distracted drivers, and speeding, to determine which cities have the worst drivers.

Tucson has the fourth highest total number of fatal car accidents, with 16.21 per 100,000 city residents, and the fourth highest number of people killed in fatal crashes — 17.02 per 100,000 city residents.

Phoenix has the 10th highest number of fatal car accidents involving speeding, with 3.86 per 100,000 city residents, and the 11th highest total number of fatal car accidents — 13.85 per 100,000 city residents.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, is first on the list of cities with the worst drivers, followed by Memphis, Tennessee; Detroit, Michigan; Tucson, Arizona; and Kansas City, Missouri.

Three of the top 15 cities with the worst drivers are in Texas, including Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Additionally, three of the top 10 cities with the best drivers can be found in California, including San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego.

More dangerous driving leads to increased risk and higher insurance rates, according to Forbes. 

“Getting speeding tickets, running red lights, texting while driving and other reckless behaviors all raise your chances of accidents and damage claims,” the finance advice site wrote. “This makes you a greater liability in the eyes of insurers.”

Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.

Boxer Mike Tyson Launches Phoenix Middle And High School

Boxer Mike Tyson Launches Phoenix Middle And High School

By Elizabeth Troutman |

Former boxing champion Mike Tyson recently launched a middle and high school in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Tyson Transformational Technologies Academy is a Cognia Accredited Micro-School in Arizona for grades six to 12. 

The world Champion boxer, entertainer, and entrepreneur partnered with the Foundations Academies School System and undefeated MMA fighter Daniel Puder to start the school.

“It’s important to me that I am able to share my life experiences to inspire the next generation,” Tyson said. “This new educational institution will build core values that I am honored and grateful to be part of the Arizona community. I was thrilled to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony and meeting some of the students.”

The price of tuition is covered through the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) and internal school scholarships. 

Since late 2022, all Arizona students have been eligible for an ESA as a K-12 student or as a preschool student with a disability. Families with qualifying students enrolled in the ESA program can use their ESA funds for expenses including educational services, education providers, curriculum, and other educational expenses.

Tyson’s school aims to “redefine learning by combining innovation, financial literacy, mentorship, and community engagement.” The academy will provide quality education and opportunities for personal growth to every youth regardless of their academic challenges, ethnicity, or socio-economic status, the Feb. 15 news release says. 

“As a society, we get to build our youths for the next generation,” Puder said. “We are so blessed to have Mike Tyson part of our school system. He inspires our students.”

To enroll their child, parents can contact (480) 448-5181. 

Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.

Burglaries From South American Theft Group Are Plaguing The Valley

Burglaries From South American Theft Group Are Plaguing The Valley

By Corinne Murdock |

Transnational organized crime is on the rise in the Valley; South American Theft Groups (SATGs) are the suspected culprits behind a string of burglaries in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Chandler, Gilbert, Peoria, and unincorporated areas of Maricopa County. 

SATGs, also known as “crime tourists,” are nationals from Chile and other South American countries that exploit tourist visas in order to obtain and transport stolen goods internationally. Up until recent years, SATGs were known to operate mainly in Los Angeles and New York City.

Federal agents have offered different estimates on the emergence of SATGs. An FBI special agent told Vanity Fair in 2022 that California’s troubles with SATGs began in 2016; in that same spate of interviews, another special agent claimed that the SATG plague began in 2014 after Chile joined the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program. Chile is the only South American country in the program. 

The ESTA program automatically grants 90-day visas to South American countries’ citizens with clean background checks. These program authorizations are valid for multiple trips over a period of two years. 

As agents told Vanity Fair, these SATG criminals likely have “clean” background checks because they use “fictitious documents, IDs, residency cards” to claim legal presence. As a result, SATG members generally register no criminal record. 

Scottsdale Councilwoman Tammy Caputi advised in a press release last week that law enforcement agencies across the cities and towns are running surveillance operations to apprehend the SATGs including cameras, fixed and moving positions, aircraft, and K9 units. 

The agencies also plan to convene for further coordination efforts on Wednesday, with the possibility of a multi-agency burglary task force. 

Further, the FBI assigned an agent to coordinate response efforts to the crime trend.

In December, the FBI testified on SATGs at a congressional hearing regarding the uptick in organized retail crime. In order to address SATGs, the FBI leads task forces through its Major Theft Program (MTP). 

In last week’s press release, Scottsdale Police estimated that this recent string of robberies began around last October. Police estimated at least 22 burglaries were the result of SATGs, with the latest occurring last week. 

Scottsdale Police reported that it had conducted seven surveillance operations to apprehend the burglars, with an eighth planned for Tuesday night. Law enforcement also disclosed that they obtained physical evidence as well as camera footage from several of the burglaries. 

Law enforcement noted that the burglaries were usually occurring Thursdays through Saturdays from 5-10 p.m. The burglars have primarily targeted homes adjacent to a wash.

One of the earliest to speak out on the burglary spree was Scottsdale City Council candidate Jan Dubauskas. On Monday, Dubauskas issued a press release warning of the import of the sudden uptick in crime. 

“This is a crime spree and it’s not happening in a far-off blue city like San Francisco. It’s in our own backyard,” said Dubauskas. “Scottsdale is being targeted. We chose to live here because of the sense of safety and protection and that has been shattered.”

Dubauskas further urged the community to engage in neighborhood watches, and expressed confidence in local police’s ability to apprehend the perpetrators. 

“We need to come together to protect our homes and ensure these thieves are caught and brought to justice,” said Dubauskas. “Thankfully, we have an all-star Police Department here in Scottsdale that is bringing the community in and making this a top priority. They’re some of the best in the country.”

Valley law enforcement are becoming more familiar with recognizing and catching SATGs. Around this time last year, 12 News reported on Scottsdale investigators prosecuting a crime syndicate that reportedly hit homes in Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada, and Utah in 2022. 

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Female Athletes To Rally To ‘Save Women’s Sports’ At 2024 NCAA Convention In Phoenix

Female Athletes To Rally To ‘Save Women’s Sports’ At 2024 NCAA Convention In Phoenix

By Elizabeth Troutman |

Female athletes will rally to “save women’s sports” from biological male athletes on Thursday. 

Current and former NCAA female athletes, coaches, and parents will bring signs and chants outside the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, to ask the organization to stop discriminating against female athletes by allowing males to compete in women and girls’ sports.

“Female athletes work our entire lives to compete in sports, only to have the NCAA destroy our even playing field. This devalues female athletes and women in general,” said former NCAA swimming champion and Independent Women’s Forum ambassador Riley Gaines. “Sex-based categories are important for competitive sports just like age classifications and weight categories. We are asking very little of the NCAA. Maintain the fairness necessary for competition and safety.”

The theme of this year’s rally, sponsored by Our Bodies, Our Sports, is “We Won’t Back Down,” reflecting the group’s determination to compel the NCAA to revoke its Transgender Student-Athlete Participation Policy. 

The policy allows transgender student-athlete participation for each sport to be determined by the national governing body of that sport. As a result, males who identify as females can participate in women’s sports if they suppress their testosterone for at least one year and achieve levels set by the governing bodies of their particular sport. 

Hormone injections do not eliminate the male athletic advantage over females, according to a review of the scientific literature by the Independent Women’s Law Center and the Independent Women’s Forum. Without any male athletic advantage, the participation of males in women’s sports takes away opportunities for women to compete, IWF and IWLC say. 

Gaines will be joined by fellow swimmers Paula Scanlan and Kaylee Alons, and volleyball player Macy Petty, to continue to call on NCAA President Charlie Baker to meet with them to hear how they were hurt by men in women’s sports.

“Shame on Charlie Baker for continuing to enforce this discriminatory policy,” said Jennifer C. Braceras, vice president for Legal Policy at Independent Women’s Form and founder of Independent Women’s Law Center. “The NCAA may not be bound by Title IX, but the schools that make up its membership are, and the NCAA has an obligation to help its member schools comply with equal opportunity mandates, not subvert them.”

The athletes, coaches, parents, and sponsor organizations will deliver a new demand letter and petition to the NCAA signed by thousands of female athletes from across the country after the rally. 

This event is the fourth Our Bodies, Our Sports event. Previous events include the 2022 rally in Washington, D.C., to mark the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the 2023 rally at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio, TX, and the 2023 rally at the USA Cycling National Championships in Knoxville, TN.

The Tennessee rally succeeded in pushing Union Cycliste Internationale to bar biological male athletes from competing in the women’s cycling division.

Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.

Judge Orders City Of Phoenix To Pay $221K In Attorney’s Fees Over The Homeless Zone

Judge Orders City Of Phoenix To Pay $221K In Attorney’s Fees Over The Homeless Zone

By Corinne Murdock |

In addition to being found at fault for the notorious homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix known as “The Zone,” the city of Phoenix must also pay over $221,000 in attorney’s fees and costs.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney issued the order for attorney’s fees on Monday. This latest order followed his September ruling which determined that city of Phoenix officials had not only failed to abate the public nuisance known as The Zone but had maintained it.

“The City of Phoenix shall maintain its public property in the Zone in a condition free of: (a) tents and other makeshift structures in the public rights of way; (b) biohazardous materials including human feces and urine, drug paraphernalia, and other trash; (c) individuals committing offenses against the public order. The Court will employ a reasonableness standard to future allegations of violation of (b) and/or (c). The Court does not intend this order to create a private cause of action for every non-pervasive violation of subsection (b) and/or (c). Further, the Court will require evidence of a substantive, good faith attempt to address any future violations of this order with the City before seeking court involvement.”

As reported previously, the city cleaned up The Zone several days in advance of the court-ordered deadline. This resulted in an over 82 percent success rate in admittance of the area’s homeless into shelters. The city also installed signs prohibiting encampments and other criminal activities around the area that formerly housed The Zone. 

Blaney’s September ruling found the city to be at complete fault for The Zone. Blaney declared that the city had displayed an utter disregard for law-abiding citizens and tolerated crime by the homeless. 

“The City’s refusal to meaningfully enforce statutes and ordinances in the Zone has created a classic siren song to certain individuals that are enticed at their peril by the Zone’s drugs, sex, and lack of societal rules.”

Additionally, Blaney found that the city intentionally stopped or materially reduced enforcement of laws in The Zone, as well as transported the homeless using taxpayer-funded “courtesy rides” from police officers and community organizations.

All in all, Blaney found unequivocally the city to blame for the increase in violent and organized crimes such as assaults and murders, drug usage and sales, public defecation and urination, rape and prostitution, and property damage and theft. City officials admitted to decriminalizing these behaviors.

Despite what city officials have indicated, it is unknown how many of the homeless population in Phoenix are homeless by choice. City representatives admitted that determinations of involuntary homelessness have been based on self reporting, not investigatory efforts into that individual’s case. They also admitted to being stumped by “service resistant” homeless: those who refused services like shelter because they didn’t want to adhere to any rules imposed, such as leaving behind contrabands like drugs or weapons. About 20 percent of homeless were “service resistant” according to a survey.

Despite the mass encampment cleanup, some community members have noted that homelessness persists in the area.

Cleanup efforts began back in May after the city unsuccessfully petitioned against a court injunction.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.