MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1918, Arizona flour mills began making extra barley and corn flour to conserve wheat after Washington D.C. officials urged the country to save food to help win World War I. Here’s a photo of the Eagle Mills company in Tucson during that time period.

Speaking of food, a ranking of Arizona’s top-five favorite pizza toppings shows plain cheese at number one, and sausage at five. Do you think pineapple made the list? See for yourself here.

We’re sponsored today by GoldCo, offering a free IRS Loophole guide for Flyover readers.

Couple Pleads Guilty to $1.2B in Fraud

A Phoenix couple pleaded guilty to a health care fraud scheme that conned Medicare and other insurance providers out of more than a billion dollars in less than two years.

The U.S. Department of Justice said the couple—Alexandra Gehrke, 39, and husband Jeffrey King, 46—submitted false claims for expensive amniotic wound grafts, and then pressured nurses to utilize them on elderly and terminally ill patients that didn’t need them.

Gehrke reportedly instructed sales representatives within her two companies to locate wounded hospice patients and then order grafts for them, for which she received almost $300 million in kickbacks. Simultaneously, her husband used his company to fraudulently bill Medicare and other insurance providers for the same grafts.

The couple submitted $1.2 billion in fake claims to health insurance providers between 2022 and 2024. They each agreed to pay more than $600 million in restitution, and both face up to 20 years in prison. Gehrke is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 11, while King still awaits his sentencing date.

Audit Shows 200K Non-Citizens Could Vote

An audit report released by Gov. Katie Hobbs on Friday announced the discovery of a 20-year-old problem that allowed more than 200,000 people to register to vote without ever providing proof of citizenship.

Hobbs, who began an investigation when the problems were made public pre-2024 election, said the issues leading to the error were twofold. First, the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) made policy decisions that affected how driver’s licenses were being classified, and secondly, a design error existed in the state’s voter registration system.

The MVD investigation showed a loophole that allowed U.S. nationals who were not citizens to get passports, which could then be used as voter identification at polling locations. Another problem stemmed from a 2020 decision in which the MVD updated its driver’s license database to classify anyone with a driver’s license issued before October 1996 as a U.S. citizen.

The audit resurrects reports dating back to 2017, when Arizona Secretary of State staffers discovered a computer miscoding that allowed noncitizens to register to vote, countering state law. The latest findings have stirred some finger-pointing between Hobbs and current Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.

Nonprofit Uses K9s for School Security

An Arizona nonprofit is continuing its push to use trained K9s for security on school campuses around the state.

Caitlin Malone started Kids Best Friend in 2022, and since then she’s seen an increased need for working dogs on school campuses—not only as a security measure, but to provide emotional support and peace of mind for staff and students.

Malone’s business uses experienced dog handlers to put the animals through an 18-24 month training program in Phoenix and Colorado Springs, and the dogs are then paired with a handler who also receives training—usually a member of law enforcement, a veteran, or a security specialist.

Each K9 is trained to detect unauthorized weapons and intercept possible threats. The program offers full-time placements at schools in Arizona, California, and Utah, and pro-bono services at special events.

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➤ Chandler: Five staff members in the Chandler Unified School District could have their state certificates suspended after a committee determined they didn’t make reasonable efforts to protect students following complaints of a teacher who showed grooming behavior in 2021. (See Video)

➤ Yavapai County: Scammers pretending to be part of a bank security team cost unsuspecting residents $100,000 over a single weekend. (See Details)

➤ Flagstaff: Fire crews rescued a person trapped in a semi-truck following a rollover crash on Saturday morning on eastbound I-40. (See Video)

➤ Rio Rico: The Santa Cruz County Sheriff removed deputies from a program where they worked alongside border patrol for immigration enforcement, saying he doesn’t want there to be “fear or tension” between the heavily-Hispanic community members and the sheriff’s office. (More)

➤ Douglas: The Douglas City Council voted 3-2 to declare a state of emergency in response to President Donald Trump’s border policies, citing a potential loss of revenue for local businesses. (More)

➤ Tucson: The University of Arizona hired new audit executive Bill Harrison to oversee finances as the college attempts to recover from a major financial deficit from 2024. (See Details)

➤ Gilbert: Town officials said residents may see temporary changes in their water clarity as the Public Works Department continues overhauling large water pipelines during improvement projects. (More)

➤ A rivalry game between the ASU Sun Devils and UA Wildcats men’s basketball teams escalated when ASU’s BJ Freeman headbutted UA’s Caleb Love in the final minutes, resulting in both of their ejections. ASU coach Bobby Hurley refused to shake hands with UA coach Tommy Lloyd following his team’s 81-72 loss. (See Video)

➤ The Phoenix Suns, coming off a 25-point win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday, dropped a game to the surging Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, 127-108. The Suns sit at 25-23 on the season, good for ninth in the Western Conference. (See Highlights)

➤ The Arizona Cardinals hired Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye. The news comes one day after former offensive line coach Klayton Adams left the Cardinals to become the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. (See Details)

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➤ Tucson Medical Center received three new Da Vinci robots that will help perform precision surgeries. Often used in bariatrics, gynocology, and colorectal procedures, a surgeon can control the robot’s movements from a console. (See Video)

➤ A Chicago real estate developer closed on 4.5 acres of land for Atvia, an 88-unit luxury condominium development in North Scottsdale near Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road. The sale price was $13.2 million. (See Image)

➤ A coffee shop and a restaurant will move into the space formerly occupied by the popular Flora’s Market Run in Tucson, which abruptly closed last month. Sonoran House coffee shop and Redbird Scratch Kitchen will share the 12,000-square-foot space. (More)

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Dear Fellow Americans: Dennis Quaid Has a Serious Warning “The future doesn’t wait, and neither should you. As someone who’s seen how quickly life can change, I believe preparation is everything. Your retirement is more than numbers on a page – it’s your legacy, your dreams, your peace of mind. Take the first step today, because your future deserves nothing less than your full attention.” – Dennis Quaid

➤ The Western Monarch Butterfly population declined to a near-record low after researchers counted only 9,119 of the butterflies returning from migration this year. Experts estimate that any annual population count below 30,000 places the species at risk of extinction. (See Details)

➤ A list of the top-eight spots to view Arizona’s night skies includes Sedona and the Grand Canyon. See which other popular spots made the list. (See List)

➤ A rare 1958 Chevy Corvette is headed to the Mecum Auctions in Glendale on March 22. The Corvette went through a multiyear restoration and features a 290-horsepower, fuel-injected motor with a four-speed transmission. (See Photos)

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