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Rafaela Vasquez was watching television on her smartphone in March 2018 when the Uber self-driving vehicle fatally struck Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was crossing a road in Tempe, Arizona, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The Uber-employed safety driver behind the wheel of the car was meant to monitor the car’s performance and intervene if the autonomous driving software failed, as previously reported by CNN. But the National Transportation Safety Board’s 2019 investigation found that Vasquez was looking away from the road for over a third of the trip. The board concluded that the crash was “avoidable” if the safety driver had been alert and also found that an inadequate safety culture at Uber contributed to the crash. The company’s self-driving software wasn’t designed to expect that pedestrians outside crosswalks may be crossing the street, according to the investigation.

Persons: Rafaela Vasquez, Elaine Herzberg, Vasquez, Uber, Rachel Mitchell, “, ” Mitchell, Motional, Albert Jaynes Morrison Organizations: CNN, National Transportation Safety Board, Transportation Safety Locations: Tempe , Arizona, Superior, Maricopa, Maricopa County

☆ Backup driver in 2018 Uber self-driving crash pleads guilty
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Uber Technologies Inc FollowJuly 28 (Reuters) - The backup safety driver behind the wheel of a self-driving Uber Technologies (UBER.N) test vehicle that struck and killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018 pleaded guilty on Friday and was sentenced to probation, prosecutors said. The first recorded death involving a self-driving vehicle prompted significant safety concerns about the nascent autonomous vehicle industry. Police said previously the crash was "entirely avoidable" and that Vasquez was streaming "The Voice" TV program at the time of the crash. In 2019, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) faulted Vasquez's inactions and Uber for inadequate attention to safety and decisions in the company's autonomous vehicle development. In 2020, Uber announced the sale of its autonomous driving unit to self-driving car startup Aurora for $4 billion.

Persons: Rafaela Vasquez, Uber, Vasquez, Elaine Herzberg, Rachel Mitchell, Vasquez's inactions, Herzberg, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: Uber Technologies, Technologies, Prosecutors, Police, National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, Volvo, Aurora, Thomson Locations: Tempe , Arizona, Maricopa County, Tempe

☆ A 72-year-old woman in Phoenix got her power cut over a $51 bill when it was 107 degrees — and she died. Her memory is behind efforts to stop future deaths.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stephanie Pullman, 72, died after her power was shut off over a $51 late bill. Pullman's death in 2018 led to changes in how power companies deal with overdue bills in the summer. A recent heatwave in Arizona has the governor asking power companies to put policies in writing. The medical examiner's office said Pullman died from "environmental heat exposure " combined with cardiovascular disease after the shutoff. Electric utilities can choose to pause disconnections from June 1 through October 15 or pause them on days forecasted to be above 95 degrees Fahrenheit or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Persons: Stephanie Pullman, Stacey Champion, Pullman, Patrick T, Fallon, Katie Hobbs Organizations: Service, Arizona Public Service, Getty, Arizona Corporation Commission, APS, Tucson Electric Power, ACC, National Weather Service, Gov Locations: Arizona, Wall, Silicon, sweltering Arizona, Phoenix, Mohave, Santa Cruz, Maricopa County, shutoffs

☆ It’s so hot in Arizona, doctors are treating a spike of patients who were burned by falling on the ground
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It is so hot in Maricopa County, Arizona, that people are being brought into the emergency room with significant, sometimes life-threatening burns. For the past three or four weeks of this record heatwave, people have been burned just by falling on the ground. There are also burn patients in the ICU, and about half of those patients are people burned after falls. Despite the extreme heat, most places aren’t seeing burn injuries right now. Pets face injuries, tooAnimals can also get burned walking on hot concrete or asphalt, said Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Persons: “ Summers, ”, Kevin Foster, ” Foster, Foster, Dr, Cecilia Sorensen, hasn’t, Sorensen, ” Dr, Frank LoVecchio, ” LoVecchio, LoVecchio, Rena Carlson, ” Carlson, Sanjay Gupta, Carlson, “, CNN’s Monica Garrett, Jason Kravarik, Stephanie Elam Organizations: CNN, Arizona Burn, Valleywise Health, Phoenix, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Global, Health Education, Columbia University, “, Health Medical Center, American Veterinary Medical Association, Get CNN, CNN Health Locations: Maricopa County , Arizona, Arizona, United States, South Florida, Colorado, Pacific, Phoenix, ”

☆ We can’t air-condition our way out of America’s heat crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Extreme heat in the summer has become America’s brutal new reality. It would also include building code changes that require multi-family homes provide cooling the same way they do heating. Heat waves and mirage create an impressionistic scene on Sierra Highway during a scorching day on Saturday, July 15, 2023. Cities are warmer than their surrounding areas, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, and they need to be better designed to keep people cool, researchers say. They were designed 40 years ago when summer temperatures were much cooler,” Mark Wolfe said.

Persons: haven’t, ”, Mark Wolfe, hasn’t, ” Wolfe, Myung J, Chun, Rushad Nanavatty, National Weather Service hasn’t, Kelly Turner, “, Turner Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Energy Assistance, ’ Association, Southland, Los Angeles Times, RMI, Cool Coalition, United, US Department of Energy, Centers for Disease Control, Low Income, Energy Assistance, nonpayment, LIHEAP, CDC, National Weather Service, Solutions, UCLA, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, United Nations, Washington, DC, Arizona, Maricopa, Yuma, York City, Miami, Dade County

☆ When will the heat wave end? For places like Phoenix and Texas, there's no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Jennifer Gray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —As an unrelenting heat wave enters its 39th consecutive day, millions of people from California to Florida are asking: When will it end? El Paso, Texas, has been in the triple digits for 32 consecutive days. In Miami, the record warm sea surface temperatures, combined with light winds are causing stifling heat: The heat index there topped 100 degrees or more for a record 37 consecutive days. The heat will remain until a shift in the weather pattern occurs and either breaks apart the heat dome or moves it out of the country completely. No end in sight for hardest-hit areasThis graphic shows which areas should continue to experience heat through the rest of July.

Persons: ” Frank LoVecchio, K.C, Griffin, Megan Mendoza, That’s Organizations: CNN, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Health Medical Center, National Weather Service, USA, Network, Reuters, . Oklahoma Locations: California, Florida, South Texas, Arizona, South Florida, El Paso , Texas, Miami, Maricopa County, Maricopa, Phoenix, Phoenix , Arizona, Texas, Coast, what’s, Southern Plains, Gulf, Rock , Arkansas, Mexico

On Tuesday, Phoenix was poised to break its own record for consecutive days of high temperatures of at least 110 degrees. “We see people passing out from full-blown heat stroke with a core body temperature of 104 degrees,” he said. The persistent heat in the Southwest is the result of a high-pressure system that has been parked over the region for weeks. Credit... Go Nakamura/ReutersIn Texas, the heat this year has prompted cotton plants, especially in the southern parts of the state, to bloom early. The spot where he stood was already under a heat advisory, with heat indexes forecast to reach around 110 degrees on Tuesday.

Persons: Phoenix, ”, Mazey Christensen, Matt Salerno, “ We’re, Alex Guerrero, Adriana Zehbrauskas, Ramsay de, Charles Outen, Zach Stone, Rocky Martinez, Rebecca Noble, Dee Lee, Brandon Bell, Jerald Moser, Moser, Michael Crimmins, Go Nakamura, “, Josh McGinty, Mr, McGinty, Ralph Horton, Horton, Maggie Miles, Jack Healy, Sheryl Kornman Organizations: Sweet Republic, Phoenix . Business, National Weather Service, Phoenix Fire Department, The New York Times, Weather Service, Demuth Community Center, Salvation Army Tucson Hospitality House, Tucson Medical, University of Arizona, Houston ., Reuters, Texas Locations: Phoenix, Phoenix ., Santa Fe, New Mexico, Arizona, Northern, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Palm Springs, Calif, Southern California, Tucson, Ariz ., Ariz, Maricopa County, Ironwood, Marana, Houston, Reuters In Texas, Corpus Christi, Southern, Jackson, Miss, Montgomery, Ala, Tallahassee, Fla, Vicksburg, Texas, Mississippi

On Tuesday, Phoenix was poised to break its own record for consecutive days of high temperatures of at least 110 degrees. The temperatures are “very extreme,” said Matt Salerno, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We see people passing out from full-blown heat stroke with a core body temperature of 104 degrees,” he said. Credit... Go Nakamura/ReutersIn Texas, the heat this year has prompted cotton plants, especially in the southern parts of the state, to bloom early. The spot where he stood was already under a heat advisory, with heat indexes forecast to reach around 110 degrees on Tuesday.

It has been a heat wave that has given pause to many Phoenix residents, even to summer-tested veterans like Shields, who says he's been avoiding news reports about it. REUTERS/Liliana Salgado/File PhotoDespite the trend toward more very hot days, Phoenix residents have tended to shrug off the heat, he said. Phoenix is getting some of the worst of it, as the air mass is centered right over the Southwest. "This is not your typical summer heat." Asphalt temperatures can reach 160 degrees F (71 C) in the summer, the Arizona Humane Society wrote on its blog.

Persons: Michael Shields, Shields, he's, David Hondula, Adam Waltz, Waltz, Liliana Salgado, Zack Taylor, Taylor, Phoenix, It's, Emily Luberto, Cooper Burton, Sharon Bernstein, Rachel Nostrant, Rich McKay, Aurora Ellis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: National Weather Service, Phoenix, Phoenix Parks, REUTERS, Center, Northern Arizona University, Arizona Humane Society, Thomson Locations: Phoenix, Arizona, Maricopa, Piestewa, Phoenix , Arizona, U.S, Oregon, West Coast, Texas, Alabama, College Park , Maryland, Vegas, Mesa, Flagstaff

It has been a heat wave that has given pause to many Phoenix residents, even to summer-tested veterans like Shields, who says he's been avoiding news reports about it. By 2050, they estimated, Phoenix residents are expected to see an average of 44 days per year over that temperature. REUTERS/Liliana SalgadoDespite the trend toward more very hot days, Phoenix residents have tended to shrug off the heat, he said. "This is not your typical summer heat." Asphalt temperatures can reach 160 degrees F (71 C) in the summer, the Arizona Humane Society wrote on its blog.

☆ Heat wave could push temperatures as high as 130 degrees this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Eric Zerkel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An already dangerous weeks-long heat wave will only worsen this weekend as a heat dome intensifies and reaches peak strength over parts of the Western United States. Around 100 million people are under heat alerts after the heat dome expanded into places like California, which is now experiencing its first extreme heat wave of the year. This shows how hot areas are compared to average with darker shades indicating more extreme heat. That’s only happened a handful of times, one of which is the all-time global record high temperature of 134 degrees. Before this latest wave, heat has already killed at least 12 people in Phoenix’s Maricopa County this year, and killed 425 people last year.

Persons: It’s, That’s, Dr, Matthew Levy, Levy Organizations: CNN, Western, Phoenix, National Weather Service, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Las Vegas . Locations: Western United States, California, Texas , Florida, Arizona, Las Vegas, Florida, North, Beijing, China, Texas, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Southern California, Southwest, South

☆ Summer has become a survival test as heat gets more extreme
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But lately, as extreme temperature records pile up, she said the heat has made her work more unbearable. Outdoor workers, particularly those in the farming and construction industries, are just one of the groups for which summer is now a survival test. Even desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking the Southwest this week. “When it comes to protecting the health of outdoor workers during extreme heat events, there are really just three fundamental pieces — water, shade and rest,” Dahl told CNN. Then they need to start early again.”People who work outdoors have a much higher risk of becoming ill or dying because of extreme heat, experts say.

Persons: CNN — Estela Martinez, ” Martinez, “, Martinez, It’s, Matt York, David Hondula, Phoenix’s, —, we’ve, ” Hondula, ” Kristina Dahl, ” Dahl, Concerningly, Dahl, she’s, Pablo Ortiz, ” Ortiz, Brandon Bell, Vivek Shandas, Shandas, ” Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Phoenix, Union of Concerned, ”, Portland State University Locations: Florida, Texas, Arizona, Rio, Pacific Northwest, Phoenix, Maricopa County, White

“That’s pretty significant for us,” Mr. Smith said. “Even for Phoenix standards.”“People certainly need to be taking precautions to protect themselves from the heat,” Mr. Smith added. “People need to keep in mind that heat is the No. More than half of the heat-associated deaths occurred in the month of July, according to the report, and 107 of the deaths occurred on days with an excessive heat warning. Still, throughout the region, people are finding ways to make do and assessing how much of the heat this year is extraordinary, and how much just feels like summer in the South and the Southwest.

Persons: Mr, Lojero, Isaac Smith, “, ” Mr, Smith Organizations: National Weather Service, Weather Service, Phoenix, Maricopa County Department of Public Health Locations: Arizona, U.S, Maricopa

☆ Justice Department charges 78 people with $2.5 billion in health-care fraud
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has recently charged 78 people with $2.5 billion in separate health-care fraud and opioid abuse schemes. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs used to take care of elderly and disabled people, and in some cases used the ill-gotten money to buy exotic cars, jewelry, and yachts, the DOJ said. Among those charged are 11 defendants accused of submitting $2 billion in fraudulent claims through telemedicine, as well as 10 defendants charged in connection with fraudulent prescription drug claims. In all, prosecutors filed charges against people in 16 states in cases that were lodged or unsealed in the past two weeks as part of the coordinated crackdown. In the scheme cited by Garland, executives of supposed software and services companies submitted $1.9 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare for items that were not eligible for reimbursement, according to the DOJ.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Garland, Brett Blackman, Gregory Schreck, Johnson, Gary Cox Organizations: of Justice, DOJ, Justice Department, Southern, Southern District of Locations: telemedicine, Johnson County , Kansas, Maricopa County , Arizona, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Florida

☆ Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs revokes authority of counties to pursue abortion-related prosecutions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Katie Hobbs signed an order blocking county attorneys from prosecuting abortion-related cases. Hobbs has shifted the authority of such cases to the Arizona attorney general's office. Katie Hobbs of Arizona on Friday signed an executive order that bars local prosecutors from pursuing abortion-related crimes, a move that seeks to fortify abortion rights in the politically-competitive swing state. In the executive order, the Democratic governor has stripped the authority of prosecutors and subsequently shifted powers to the state's attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes. The Arizona legislature is still controlled by Republicans, with Hobbs serving as a check on any conservative legislation that comes to her desk.

Persons: Katie Hobbs, Hobbs, —, Kris Mayes, Wade, Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer, Rachel Mitchell Organizations: Local, Service, Democratic, Republican, Pinal County Attorney, New York Times, The Times, Republicans Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, Maricopa County

☆ A Puzzle in Arizona’s Boom Towns: How to Keep Growing With Less Water
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Jack Healy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He trusts the city will have enough water to brew his coffee and fill his faucets. Buckeye’s affordability has attracted growing numbers of Black and Latino families from California, the Midwest and other corners of Arizona over the past 20 years. On the far western reaches of the city, the realities of limited groundwater will soon start coming into focus. The development, which is owned by the Howard Hughes Corporation, has gotten approval from state water authorities to build 7,000 homes. The limits mean that cities on the outer edges of Maricopa County, home to 4.5 million people, must redouble their hunt for new sources of water.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: Howard Hughes Corporation Locations: California, Midwest, Arizona, Buckeye, Maricopa County, Mexico

☆ Arizona Limits New Construction in Phoenix Area, Citing Shrinking Water Supply
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | Jack Healy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Arizona has determined that there is not enough groundwater for all of the future housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, and will stop developers from building some new subdivisions, a sign of looming trouble in the West and other places where overuse, drought and climate change are straining water supplies. The decision by state officials marks the beginning of the end to the explosive development that has made the Phoenix metropolitan region the fastest growing in the country. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its suburbs, gets more than half its water supply from groundwater; most of the rest comes from rivers and aqueducts as well as recycled wastewater. In practical terms, groundwater is a finite resource; it can take thousands of years or longer to be replenished. The announcement of a groundwater shortage — what the state calls “unmet demand” for water over the next hundred years — means Arizona would no longer give developers in areas of Maricopa County new permits to construct homes that rely on wells for water.

Persons: “ Locations: Arizona, Phoenix, Maricopa County

☆ Half of Phoenix, Arizona, would end up in the ER if the city has a blackout during a heat wave, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Half of Phoenix, Arizona, would go to the ER if there's a blackout during a heatwave, a new study says. The research, published today, estimated that around 800,000 residents would need emergency care for heat-related conditions like heat stroke. If a blackout left citizens without those systems, a heat wave would have dire consequences, the researchers found. The study involved modeling outdoor and indoor temperatures and daily activity patterns for residents, as well as looking back at historical heat wave events in Phoenix. The city saw record-breaking temperatures in April of this year, according to local weather reports.

☆ Old trailer parks are being torn down, driving up homelessness as one of the last options for low-income renters fades away
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Anita Snow | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Residents of mobile home parks in Arizona are being asked to leave, so student housing can be built. Mobile homes, not always mobile, are hard to repair so they're being razed. "We are in the deepest affordable housing crisis we've ever experienced," said Joanna Carr, acting head of the Arizona Housing Coalition. Efforts under way to revitalize old mobile homes have limits. Many park residents are Spanish-speaking immigrants earning minimum wage as landscapers or restaurant workers.

☆ Elon Musk says Tucker Carlson will be subject to Twitter's fact-checking force, Community Notes. This might be a problem for a TV host whose record on Snopes isn't exactly the cleanest.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Elon Musk responded by saying anything misleading would be flagged by community notes. Tucker Carlson is moving his show from a traditional broadcasting outlet to Twitter where he will be subject to the social media platform's fact-checking force, Community Notes. The TV host's history of making untrue statements is well documented on third-party fact-checking sites such as Politifact and Snopes. Not every piece of misleading or false information on the platform is publicly marked by a Community Note. When enough people from different points of view rate a note as "helpful," the Community Note will appear, according to Twitter.

☆ Phoenix to Start Clearing Sprawling Downtown Homeless Encampment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It’s an existence,” Shina Sepulveda, who is homeless and lives in the Zone, told The New York Times recently. City leaders across the West have grappled with how to handle homeless camps when they do not have enough space at shelters or in supportive housing. Patience has worn thin in some communities with significant homeless populations, and residents and business owners have asked their city officials to do more to move people off the streets. BackgroundThe number of unsheltered Phoenix residents has risen dramatically, from 771 in 2014 to 3,096 in 2022, according to the city. The city contended that it had discretion over how to address homelessness, including how best to move people out of camps.

☆ Phoenix homeless camp to be cleared after neighbors sued. What happens to vulnerable residents remains unclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Gabe Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Rayann Denny lives in a tent in a homeless encampment in Phoenix. So for now, the crew of helpers has stepped up its years-old effort to try to get residents off the streets. Katie Hobbs this year vetoed one such bill, saying it only served to make homelessness “less visible.”Debbie and Joe Faillace own the Old Station Sub Shop near where a homeless encampment developed. A person walks through a homeless encampment on April 18 in Phoenix. “I think we have a lot of work to do.”Stefanie Powell, right, lives in a tent at a homeless encampment in Phoenix.

☆ An Arizona GOP official relentlessly threatened by election deniers after the 2020 presidential race says he has PTSD
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates now has PTSD after relentless attacks during the 2020 election. Election deniers upset about the 2020 presidential results harassed Gates, per The Washington Post. Gates, a longtime Republican, became withdrawn and angry as a result of the campaign against him and his family. A longtime Republican, Gates said he backed former President Donald Trump in the 2016 election and was an elected official in what was a longtime redoubt of the GOP. And after now-President Joe Biden won both Maricopa County and Arizona in November 2020, Trump-aligned Republicans sought to stop the certification of Biden's victory.

☆ Trump operatives considered using breached voting data to decertify Georgia's Senate runoff in 2021, text messages show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It’s unclear what if any evidence he has in his possession related to the Coffee County breach. Penrose and Logan were also named in a state-level criminal investigation in Michigan alleging they participated in a conspiracy to seize voting machines there. A local election official helped them gain access to sensitive voting data which they downloaded onto a portable hard drive. Bundren was part of the team enlisted by Trump’s lawyers to find evidence of widespread voter fraud after the 2020 election. Bundren helped oversee the multi-state push to access voting machines on behalf of the Trump legal team, according to several documents obtained by CNN.

☆ A man had $40,000 cash seized by police at Phoenix airport and had to go to court to get it back
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A man who had $40,000 cash seized by police had to wait almost three years to get it back. Jerry Johnson arrived at Phoenix Airport in August 2020 when detectives took his savings. The nonprofit represented Johnson in his appeal after a trial court ruled that he could not even contest the forfeiture of his money. Johnson, who proved ownership of the money according to the court documents, was not charged with any crime. Insider previously reported that the FBI seized $40,000 a couple held in a deposit box more than two years ago but refused to say why or return their cash.

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