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Pandemic keeping Europeans from Arizona tourism

Travel to and from Europe remains restricted in the United States, and guidelines in place since the COVID-19 pandemic began has affected tourism in just about every state in the nation, including …

Coalition of West Valley municipalities formed to fight homelessness

A coalition of West Valley cities and towns are coming together to fight homelessness.

Health clubs disobey Arizona's gym closure order

PHOENIX (AP) — For the third straight day, two dozen health clubs in metro Phoenix were defying Gov. Doug Ducey's order Thursday to close gyms, raising questions about whether officials who have been criticized for responding indecisively to the pandemic will be effective in shutting down the clubs.

Peoria officer dies after crashing at Liberty High School

Peoria police said an officer has died after crashing his motorcycle while leaving a youth citizen academy demonstration at Liberty High School.

COVID-19

Arizona earmarks $9 million in virus funds for election

COVID-19

Arizona earmarks $9 million in virus funds for election

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NEWS ACROSS THE VALLEY

Valley and State

The Latest: India adds 20,000 virus cases, over 370 deaths

NEW DELHI — India reported another single-day record high of new virus cases Friday while its monuments like the Taj Mahal will reopen for tourists next week. The 20,903 new cases took the …

Gunfight at the Circle K: 2 dead in Arizona store shootout

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A man robbing a gas station convenience store fatally shot a bystander before being killed in a wild shootout with another bystander, police in suburban Phoenix said Friday …

More fireworks in Americans' hands for July 4 raises risks

ATLANTA (AP) — For many Americans, the Fourth of July will be more intimate this year. It also could be riskier. Saturday will be unlike any Independence Day in recent memory. From Atlanta to …

McSally wants fair treatment for lost sailors

U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) on Tuesday, June 30 introduced legislation to guarantee that survivors of American service members killed at sea receive fair treatment under the law.

Senate approves veterans support act

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sgt. Daniel Somers Veterans Network of Support Act, moving the bill one step closer to becoming law.

Agencies to patrol Arizona lakes over holiday weekend

The Arizona Game and Fish Department and partner agencies are patrolling the state’s lakes this Fourth of July weekend to provide heightened enforcement and awareness about the dangers of …

No highway closures scheduled over holiday weekend

No construction or maintenance closures are scheduled along state highways, including Phoenix-area freeways, over the Independence Day weekend, according to the Arizona Department of …

The Latest: India virus count tops 600,000 amid recent surge

NEW DELHI — The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in India has topped 600,000, with health authorities reporting 19,148 new cases in the past 24 hours. As of Thursday, India's virus …

Website provides resources for military veterans

Arizona’s Be Connected program is linking military members, veterans and their families to help, support and resources. “The stressors that people are experiencing as a result of the …

Arizona business leaders have high hopes as USMCA takes effect

WASHINGTON — There’s often not much agreement on news out of Washington, but Arizona business leaders were hard-pressed this week to come up with negatives about the United …

First responders

Suspect dead after armed robberies in Scottsdale, Mesa

Police say a suspect is dead after several armed robberies and a shooting at convenience stores in Scottsdale and Mesa. Scottsdale police say a shooting broke out around 3 a.m. Friday, July 3 near …

Glendale man accused in fatal stabbing of a former co-worker

GLENDALE (AP) — A man suspected in a fatal stabbing of a former co-worker last week has been arrested, Glendale police said Tuesday. They said 59-year-old Charles James Lopez was taken into …

Glendale police continue search for Alicia Navarro

Glendale police continue to search for a high-functioning autistic girl who left home in September and has not been seen since.

Most recent

Union: Colorado officer fired in Elijah McClain photo probe

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A suburban Denver officer has been fired amid an internal investigation into photos showing police near where Elijah McClain was put in a chokehold and later died, a police …

Jimmie Johnson 1st NASCAR driver to test positive for virus

California surgeon charged in $52M sober living fraud

Shooting reported at Alabama shopping mall

4.9-magnitude quake hits near Puerto Rico; house damaged

Alabama health officials can't verify 'COVID party' reports

7-time champion Jimmie Johnson becomes first NASCAR driver to test positive for the coronavirus

Inmate's attorneys seek execution delay due to pandemic

Top sports story

Paint schemes go political as NASCAR season heats up

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Many a fan is quick to insist they do not like politics in their sports — no kneeling, no raised fists, no T-shirt messages. Just the game or event, please and thank …

Bucks, Lakers look to shed rust or rest for playoffs?

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have all but guaranteed themselves the top two playoff seeds and face a balancing act when the NBA returns to action. While other …

31 MLB players, 7 staff test positive for COVID-19, or 1.2%

NEW YORK (AP) — Thirty-one Major League Baseball players and seven staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during intake for the resumption of training, a rate of 1.2%. MLB and the players' …

More sports

Column: Some more appropriate names for Washington NFL team

Now that Washington’s NFL has taken a long-overdue step toward changing its name, it’s time to start lining up some possible replacements. Washington Generals, anyone? to change its …

Top prospect Maker picks Howard over UCLA, Kentucky, Memphis

WASHINGTON (AP) — Highly touted prospect Makur Maker verbally committed to Howard University on Friday, picking the Bison over college basketball powerhouses UCLA, Kentucky and Memphis. The …

MLS players balance health history with virus risk

SEATTLE (AP) — Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Andy Rose needed to have a lot of conversations and make hard decisions when Major League Soccer first started moving toward returning to action with a …

NBA shutdown allowed many in league unexpected time to heal

Portland guard Damian Lillard was in the gym a few days ago and took notice of what injured Trail Blazers big men Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins were doing during their individual …

Daily Independent

Nation

Former world leaders warn against Israel annexation plan

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A group of former world leaders urged European leaders on Friday to keep pressuring Israel against annexation of parts of the West Bank, warning against complacency after …

Trump's Rushmore trip draws real and figurative fireworks

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump will begin his Independence Day weekend on Friday with a patriotic display of fireworks at Mount Rushmore before a crowd of thousands, but even in a …

Mountain lion seen roaming San Francisco killed on Highway 1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A young mountain lion that was captured last month after roaming the streets of San Francisco and then released into a wilderness preserve was found dead Friday on the shoulder …

Religious leaders to invoke Frederick Douglass on July 4th

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — About 150 preachers, rabbis and imams are promising to invoke Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass on July 4th as they call for the U.S. to tackle racism and …

Epstein cohort's arrest becomes new test for plea deal

NEW YORK (AP) — Before Jeffrey Epstein’s jailhouse suicide last year, his defense hinged on a 2008 deal with federal prosecutors in Florida over his alleged sexual abuse of multiple teenage …

July 4th military flyovers to go over DC, 4 other cities

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's July Fourth celebration will feature an extensive U.S. military air show over Washington, D.C., but four other cities will get mini-versions of the air …

World

Mexican army kills 12 gunmen in city along Texas border

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican army soldiers said Friday they came under fire from drug cartel gunmen in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, and returned fire, killing …

US victims of FARC rebels win claim to Venezuelan's fortune

MIAMI (AP) — Three American defense contractors held for five years by leftist rebels in Colombia moved closer to collecting on a $318 million judgment against their former captors after a U.S. …

Man who crashed gate where Trudeau lives had several weapons

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian police said Friday an armed man who this week crashed his truck through a gate on the grounds where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lives had several weapons. Police earlier …

Virus-hammered Air France discussing thousands of job cuts

PARIS (AP) — Air France is meeting with personnel representatives Friday to discuss thousands of job cuts after the virus pandemic grounded most flights and darkened prospects for future air …

Group opposed to 5G networks targets Cyprus' mobile antennas

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A small group of people who oppose 5G mobile telephone technology is likely responsible for arson attacks against four mobile telephone antenna installations in Cyprus' …

Russian FM hosts speaker of Libya's east-based parliament

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's top diplomat met Friday with the speaker of the parliament based in eastern Libya to discuss a political settlement for the conflict-stricken country. Foreign Minister …

Entertainment

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows: ABC's “This Week" — Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and …

FILE - In this July 4, 2006, file photo, Willie Nelson addresses fans attending his Fourth of July Picnic in Ft. Worth, Texas. Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July Picnic is going ahead this year, but to reduce concerns about the coronavirus the event will be virtual. Fans can tune in to the nearly 50-year-old music bash Saturday via livestream. (AP Photo/Rex C. Curry, File)

Willie Nelson's July Fourth picnic is virtual in virus era

SPICEWOOD, Texas (AP) — Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July Picnic is going ahead this year, but to reduce concerns about the …

Kacey Musgraves performs during the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park on Oct. 6, 2019, in Austin, Texas, left, and Ruston Kelly performs at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on June 15, 2019, in Manchester, Tenn. Musgraves and Kelly have filed for divorce. In a joint statement, Musgraves and Kelly said “we’ve made this painful decision together." Musgraves and Kelly, both 31, were married in 2017. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Reps: Singers Kacey Musgraves, Ruston Kelly file for divorce

NEW YORK (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Kacey Musgraves and her musician-husband, Ruston Kelly, have filed for …

This undated photo provided by Robert Hayes McNeill shows Christian Garrison, a filmmaker and author of children's books and crime novels who died Thursday, July 2, 2020, at the age of 78 in Winston-Salem, N.C. (Robert Hayes McNeill via AP)

Christian Garrison, author, filmmaker, dies in NC at age 78

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Christian Garrison, an author and filmmaker who displayed an unfiltered slice of 1960s Mississippi hill …

FILE - In this March 7, 2015, file photo, singing "We Shall Overcome," President Barack Obama, third from left, walks holding hands with Amelia Boynton, who was beaten during "Bloody Sunday," as they and the first family and others including Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga, left of Obama, walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., for the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," a landmark event of the civil rights movement. Some residents in the landmark civil rights city of Selma, Ala., are among the critics of a bid to rename the historic bridge where voting rights marchers were beaten in 1965. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Move to rename 'Bloody Sunday' bridge has critics in Selma

SELMA, Ala. (AP) — Thousands gathered in this river city in 1940 to dedicate a new bridge in honor of white supremacist Edmund …

Business

As Texas reverses course on masks, GOP digs in on convention

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — As Texas began mandating face coverings Friday on the orders of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, his party charged ahead with plans for a massive convention this month in Houston, …

California governor urges mask-wearing as virus cases rise

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Californians should wear masks and skip Fourth of July family gatherings, Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded as the state’s coronavirus tally surged. But the governor stopped …

Venezuela sanctions set off fight for 'plundered' oil cargo

MIAMI (AP) — For two months, the Malta-flagged oil tanker Alkimos has been quietly floating off the Gulf Coast of Texas, undisturbed by the high-stakes legal fight playing out in a federal …

July Fourth weekend will test Americans' discipline

The U.S. headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of …

Travel

Quarantine-free travel from U.K. to Cyprus to start Aug. 1

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ beleaguered tourism sector got some good news after the government announced on Friday that travelers from the U.K. will be allowed entry into the east …

Virus concerns grow — as do crowds flocking to Jersey Shore

BELMAR, N.J. (AP) — As coronavirus-related restrictions are eased and temperatures climb, people are flocking back to the Jersey Shore. And with the July Fourth holiday weekend upon us, that's …

Holidays to test Thailand's easing of virus restrictions

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities urged vigilance Friday as the country celebrates its first long holiday weekend after lifting most restrictions imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus. No …

Botswana investigates 'mysterious deaths' of 275 elephants

GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — Botswana says it is investigating a staggeringly high number of elephant carcasses — 275 — found in the popular Okavango Delta area of the southern African nation in …

Things to do

Free Fishing Day in Arizona is June 6

The Arizona Game and Fish Department invites you to fish at the state's waters for free Saturday, June 6, according to a release. Arizona’s Free Fishing Day is celebrated as part of National …

Desert Diamond casinos are reopening June 5

The Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise will resume gaming operations at 1 p.m. Friday, June 5 at all four of its Desert Diamond Casinos near Glendale, Tucson, Sahuarita and Why (Ajo). The TOGE …

Fort McDowell Casino plans to reopen May 15

Fort McDowell Casino and the Wekopa Resort and Conference Center will tentatively have a reopening day of May 15. Casino doors will open at 10 a.m., according to the casino's website.

Gila River Hotels & Casinos reopening its locations May 15

Gila River Hotels & Casinos announced Monday that it will reopen its doors Friday, May 15. The Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiva properties will open at noon to the public, according to a release.

Opinion

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