THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1934, a defective oil furnace in Tucson's Hotel Congress started a fire that caused $100,000 in damage and took all of the city's 34 firefighters three hours to extinguish. Here’s a photo.

We hope you’re enjoying The Arizona Flyover! For readers interested in our state's colorful history, here’s a story detailing how the Hotel Congress fire led to the capture of “most-wanted” bank robber John Dillinger and his gang in Tucson.

Speaking of the Old West, check out today’s Et Cetera section for details about a free, upcoming Old West show in Tombstone.

If you are looking for a way to improve your metabolism and boost your digestive health check out today's sponsor Pendulum Metabolic Daily.

U.S. Troops Deploy to Border

President Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations progressed yesterday as the Pentagon announced it would deploy 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

One day earlier at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, border agents were seen continuing their policy of releasing illegal immigrants into Mexico.

On Monday, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, calling the immigration crisis a "disastrous invasion of our country."

Tucson was at the forefront of illegal crossings in 2024, where border patrol agents made more than 250,000 apprehensions. Sixty percent of all apprehensions in 2024 occurred in Tucson and San Diego.

TikTok Prank Earns Indictment

A TikTok user who filmed himself spraying pesticide on produce at a Mesa Walmart was indicted by a grand jury this week.

Charles Smith, 27, was arrested last month after he uploaded the video to social media. After receiving backlash from the online community, he turned himself in to police, claiming he'd thrown away all of the contaminated food after making the video.

The investigation showed that Smith only removed some of the food after returning to the store, giving shoppers enough time to potentially purchase the affected produce.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced Smith was charged with one count of burglary and two counts of poisoning — both felonies. He was also charged with endangerment and criminal damage.

List: Ranking Arizona Hospitals

The Arizona Mayo Clinic is the best hospital in the state, according to a 2024-2025 ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

The study included 119 Arizona hospitals and used a ranking system that considered the facility's specialty, condition and procedures.

Rounding out the rest of the top five were Banner Boswell (Sun City), Banner-University (Tucson), Banner University (Phoenix), and Chandler Regional Medical Center. You can see the full list here.

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*Commissioned by Pendulum, Talker Research surveyed 2,000 general population Americans between Dec. 10 and Dec. 16, 2024.

➤ Statewide: Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs filed a statement of interest to run for governor in 2026. (More)

➤ Statewide: A cold blast has forecasters reminding Arizonans of the “4 P's”—people, pets, plants, and pipes. (See Details)

➤ Flagstaff: Forestry officials began highly-visible prescribed burns yesterday in Flagstaff. The burns will last until the end of day today. (See Details)

➤ Yuma: One of the city's longest-serving heart surgeons announced his retirement at 70 years old. (See Video)

➤ Tucson: Pima Joint Technical Education District will showcase more than 30 educational programs on Saturday, including healthcare and robotics. (See Details)

➤ Phoenix: Sting canceled his Jan. 24 Phoenix show due to illness and rescheduled it for June 1. (See Details)

➤ All-NBA forward Jimmy Butler wore purple and orange sneakers in his latest game with the Miami Heat after publicly saying he would like to be traded to the Phoenix Suns. (More)

➤ Arizona State men's basketball earned their first ranked win of the season on Tuesday with a 65-57 win over No. 23 West Virginia. (More)

➤ The Arizona Cardinals will see two key starters enter free agency in the 2025 offseason. (More)

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➤ Amazon paused all drone deliveries in Arizona on Tuesday after a drone accident occurred at the company's test site in Pendleton, Oregon. (See Details)

➤ The popular Hot Ones show, where celebrities eat increasingly spicy food while being interviewed, is coming to Tempe after starting a pop-up restaurant this month with Tucson's Barrio Brewing Co. (See Show)

➤ Asian restaurant Ricemill will open three new locations in metro Phoenix this year: one downtown, one in the West Valley, and one in the East Valley. (See Details)

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➤ US 60 between Superior and Miami temporarily reopened on Tuesday after workers finished cleaning debris from rock blasting the area. Closures are still planned for today between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (See Details)

➤ An Arizona transportation dispatcher helped reunite a 4-year-old Yorkie with its Canadian owners after the dog went missing for 12 days. (More)

➤ The Vigilantes and Vigilettes in downtown Tombstone offer free, family-friendly reenactment skits beginning at 12:30 p.m. every second and fourth Sunday. (See Details)

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