Thursday, July 3, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1928, the Tucson City Council proposed cutting police shifts from 10 hours to eight hours to match other Arizona cities. This circa 1931 photo shows Tucson Police Chief Jack Dyer with officers.

Are your plans for the Fourth of July set? We’d love to hear about them! If you’re still deciding, we’ve got you covered with this list of 22 events across the state.

You’re now one of more than 50,000 Arizonans starting the day with The Arizona Flyover! We expect that number to keep climbing fast. Thanks for reading!

Yesterday, we let you know about our editor-in-chief, David, who underwent surgery on Monday, and your response was unbelievable. So many of you responded with prayers, hugs, and heartfelt messages. That outpouring of love must’ve helped: David was released from the hospital last night and is resting at home now. We will be sharing your wishes with David when he is better. We’re so grateful for your kindness, and so lucky you are a part of The Arizona Flyover family.

Today, the language learning software Babbel is sponsoring us and offering a special Fourth of July sale to our readers.

Don’t feel like reading the national edition of The Flyover? Tune in to The Flyover Podcast! New episodes drop daily. Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, all in under 15 minutes.

Bloodhound Finds Missing 5-Year-Old

A K-9 bloodhound with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department found a missing boy in less than three hours after the child wandered off with his dog in Buckeye.

Zayden, a nonverbal 5-year-old with autism, went missing last week while chasing after his dog. He was last seen near Tonopah Salome Highway.

His parents called the police, who brought in a K-9 bloodhound named Piper to track the boy’s scent using the boy’s sock and car seat.

Despite the heat complicating scent tracking, Piper found Zayden after about 45 minutes and two miles of searching. The boy was reunited with his family soon after.

7 Charged As Part of Medicaid Fraud Sweep

Seven defendants in Arizona were charged as part of a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent Medicaid payments involving more than $14 billion in false claims and $2.9 billion in actual losses.

One Arizona defendant resides overseas, while six others are from the Phoenix metro area.

Nationally, more than 320 people, including nearly 100 medical professionals, face charges in what the U.S. Department of Justice says is the largest coordinated health care fraud bust in U.S. history.

Memory Care Safety Rules Toughened

New safety rules for Arizona assisted living and memory care facilities took effect Tuesday, aimed at preventing dementia patients from wandering off due to inadequate staff training.

The new rules require dementia-specific training for memory care staff and managers, stricter monitoring and enforcement, and new procedures to prevent those with dementia from walking out.

The changes follow reports of dementia patients wandering away from facilities and suffering injuries, including blisters from being barefoot in the desert heat.

In one case, an 85-year-old man was found dead in a wash days later. His family responded with a lawsuit and called for reforms in the memory care industry.

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➤ Flagstaff: Wespac Construction and Habitat for Humanity unveiled 10 new starter homes as part of an affordable housing project. (More)

➤ Wickenburg/Morristown: A two-vehicle crash on U.S. 60 on Tuesday ignited the brush fires that grew into the Monarch Fire, which has led some residents to prepare for evacuation. (Watch)

➤ Apache County: State officials advised against fishing at Becker and Luna lakes, citing poor water quality and fish dying off due to below-average rainfall. (Details)

➤ Tucson: Court records show Dr. Dung T. Nguyen, who was indicted in May for alleged sexual abuse and assault, has been charged with 12 more counts. (More)

➤ Pinetop: The Pinetop Fire District seeks a fire chief to succeed Jim Morgan, who’s led the department since 2015. (More)

➤ Scottsdale: An investigation continued into the deaths of two people with gunshot wounds found in a crashed car Monday night. Police say the incident was isolated and posed no threat to the public. (Watch)

➤ Arizona basketball landed a commitment from 18-year-old Ivan Kharchenkov, who’s played professional basketball in Europe since he was 15. (More)

➤ The Arizona Diamondbacks fan who interfered with a would-be home run on Monday has been banned from games for the rest of the season. The fan has committed “multiple offenses” at other games, the team says. (More)

➤ The Phoenix Suns signed 2025 Euroleague Finals MVP Nigel Hayes-Davis to a one-year contract. The former Wisconsin standout figures to compete with rookie Rasheer Fleming for minutes at power forward. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ The city of Phoenix’s sales tax hike took effect Tuesday, increasing to 2.8% from 2.3%, with city leaders saying the increase will prevent cuts to services. (Watch)

➤ Sedona Organic Taco in Sedona and Tres Amigos in Flagstaff rank among Yelp’s top 100 food trucks nationwide. (Details)

➤ The Hub Grill and Bar in Mesa reopened after closing due to a fire on June 20. (More)

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➤ Arizona ranked second in the nation for parental control over children’s education, according to a survey that considered factors such as school choice, innovation, and charter school availability. (Details)

➤ Two friends provide free weekly meals and companionship to homeless residents at Reid Park in Tucson. (Watch)

➤ Dan Butler was sworn in as police chief in Mesa. The 25-year department veteran succeeds retired chief Ken Cost. (Watch)

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