PHOENIX — From progress in fighting a wildfire to a Valley shelter waiving kitten adoption fees and everything in between, here are some of the top Arizona news stories from Fourth of July weekend.
American Airlines announces new Phoenix route to winter skiing destination
American Airlines is slated to launch a seasonal, nonstop service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Sun Valley, Idaho (SUN) at the end of 2025.
Flights will launch Dec. 18 and will run through April 6, 2026, allowing Arizona travelers to experience winter activities into the spring. The small Idaho mountain town is “where wilderness meets community and culture,” according to VisitSunValley.
The vacation destination is well-known for its winter sports activities such as skiing, snowboarding and ice skating, even hailed as “Nordic Town, USA” for its commendable Nordic ski terrain. The area is also popular for mountain biking and fly fishing.
Death toll in central Texas flash floods rises to 78, sheriff says 10 campers remain missing
Families sifted through waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 78 people in central Texas.
Rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain continued their desperate search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from the camp. For the first time since the storms began pounding the Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.
In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said in the afternoon.
Evacuation orders remain in effect as Arizona’s Oak Ridge Fire nearly at 50% containment
Residents near a wildfire on tribal land in eastern Arizona remained under evacuation orders Saturday evening as the blaze is slowing, authorities said.
The Oak Ridge Fire covered 10,814 acres with 42% containment as of 8:30 p.m., according to the Navajo Department of Emergency Management. The reported size as of Fourth of July morning had been 10,787 acres, a response crew of 599 seeing little growth.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said Saturday on Facebook that “no further growth is expected” but community members should expect “a noticeable increase in smoke” due to the ongoing response crew efforts.
Valley shelter waiving kitten adoption fees this month
The Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL) is waiving kitten adoption fees for the month of July.
The Valley shelter is teaming up with Bissell Pet Foundation to offer $50 adoptions and waiving adoption fees for pets (ages 1 year and older) at its main shelter in Phoenix and its adoption center at Chandler Fashion Center. The event will run from July 5-19.
Trump signs his tax and spending cut bill at the White House July 4 picnic
President Donald Trump signed his package of tax breaks and spending cuts into law Friday after his cajoling produced almost unanimous Republican support in Congress for the domestic priority that could cement his second-term legacy.
Flanked by Republican legislators and members of his Cabinet, Trump signed the multitrillion-dollar legislation outside the White House, and then banged down the gavel that House Speaker Mike Johnson gifted him that was used during the bill’s final passage Thursday.
Against odds that at times seemed improbable, Trump achieved his goal of celebrating a historic — and divisive — legislative victory in time for the nation’s birthday. Fighter jets and a stealth bomber streaked through the sky over the annual White House Fourth of July picnic as Trump and first lady Melania Trump stepped out onto the White House balcony.
The post Weekend wrap: Here are the biggest Arizona news stories from 4th of July weekend appeared first on KTAR.
