Read this week’s top stories about the state of Arizona. There’s an article on how the unemployment rate dropped to 3.3% in March, COVID cases in the state are decreasing, firefighters in Scottsdale save five dogs from a fire, and Phoenix police are investigating the homicide of a 23-year-old man. You’ll also be interested in this week’s business and economy news. This week’s top stories about Arizona are a mixture of local and national.
Unemployment rate dropped to 3.3% in March
The unemployment rate in Arizona fell to 3.3% in March from its record high of 4.8 percent in February. The BLS released the national unemployment rate this week, but it isn’t known yet whether it will fall below that level again. According to Andrew Sugrue, assistant director of policy for the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, the state’s employment situation has improved steadily in the past two years, largely due to aggressive federal economic relief during the recession. CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress helped boost the economy.
COVID cases decline in Arizona
COVID-19 cases in Arizona have fallen significantly this week. The CDC’s case-case ratio, which measures the number of new cases per 100,000 residents, has fallen below 50 cases per 100K residents for the first time since July 2021. The state is now ranked second in the nation for COVID deaths. The CDC recently announced that the number of new cases in Arizona will be under 30 per 100K residents next week.
Firefighters save five dogs from a house fire in Scottsdale
Rescue crews were called to a home in Scottsdale when a fire broke out. They quickly discovered a mother dog and her five puppies, which included a blue-nose pit bull named Lilly. Firefighters rescued the puppies using a nearby dog bowl. They reunited the mother with her pups at a neighbor’s house. The rescue team was not able to determine the cause of the fire.
Phoenix police investigating homicide that left a 23-year-old man dead
In late April, Phoenix police responded to a shooting, where they found a 23-year-old man with gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later died of his injuries. Phoenix police are still looking for a suspect in the case, and are urging the public to come forward with any information. The investigation is ongoing, but anyone with information can call the Phoenix Police Department at 480-WITNESS (480-Testigo).
State’s largest newspaper endorsed Democratic candidates in 2016
When Arizona’s largest newspaper endorsed Democratic candidates for president in 2016, it did so in the face of backlash from many conservative readers. The editorial board acknowledged the dread that many Republican voters felt when a Clinton was nominated for the presidency and for Supreme Court appointments. The newspaper posted its article to Facebook, where angry comments flooded the page. Many threatened to cancel their subscriptions. The article received nearly 2,000 shares and was commented on more than 1,000 times.
University of Arizona ranked among nation’s top 50 public universities in research expenditures
The University of Arizona has been named one of the nation’s top research universities, with $761 million in total research activity in fiscal year 2020, according to data from the National Science Foundation. The survey, which ranks more than 900 colleges and universities across the United States, is considered the primary source of information regarding research and development expenditures in U.S. colleges. According to the rankings, the University of Arizona’s research activity increased by about seven percent in the last fiscal year.
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Three Republican candidates have been invited for interviews for Maricopa County attorney. The unemployment rate for Arizona fell to 3.3% in March, the lowest level in nearly 45 years. In other Arizona news, cancer survivor Jacky Hunt-Broersma is running the marathon despite the loss of her leg two decades ago. She is covering the classic 26-mile marathon distance, mainly on streets near her home in Gilbert. And Arizona police chief is angry about the rise in violence against law enforcement, a trend that may have influenced her decision.