KOLD News 13 live, local and late breaking-This Hour: Latest Arizona news, sports, business and entertainment:
Member Center:
Associated Press - November 20, 2009 3:14 PM ET
NEW: 1 dead, 3 injured in Maricopa mobile home fire
PHOENIX (AP) - Authorities say a 2-year-old boy dragged a 1-year-old girl from a mobile home fire this morning in the community of Maricopa south of Phoenix.
Maricopa Fire Department spokesman Brad Pitassi said fire crews found the girl's mother, identified as 22-year-old Michelle Mariano, lying dead near a doorway of the mobile home.
Pinal County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Lt. Tamatha Villar (VEE'-ar) said officials believe the boy is the girl's brother but haven't confirmed that.
Michelle Mariano's 28-year-old sister, Marion Mariano, was severely burned.
Patassi said she and the little girl were airlifted to Maricopa Medical Center's burn unit in Phoenix.
Villar said the little girl had facial and torso burns covering nearly 40 percent of her body and Marion Mariano had burns over 70 percent of her body and was in extremely critical condition.
A fourth victim, a man in his 40's or 50's, received superficial injuries.
Authorities haven't said what caused the fire which completely destroyed the mobile home.
NEW: 6 arrested in Flagstaff-area burglaries
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - Six people have been arrested in connection with a string of burglaries around the Flagstaff area.
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office said three homes were burglarized between September and early November.
Sheriff's investigators joined forced with the U.S. Forest Service and were led to a home in Payson.
The home was full of merchandise from 2 of the burglaries.
A subsequent search warrant turned up a large amount of property stolen from other area burglaries.
Law enforcement recovered a stolen all-terrain vehicle, a large-screen TV, a handgun, DVD players, outdoor gear, personal clothing and tools.
NEW: Freedom exec: Buyer still sought for EV Tribune
MESA, Ariz. (AP) - A Freedom Communications executive says the company still hopes someone will buy the East Valley Tribune in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.
Chief financial officer Mark McEachen told Freedom reporters and editors in a conference call Thursday that the company remains on track to close the Tribune on Dec. 31 as planned.
Freedom put the newspaper up for sale shortly after the company filed for bankruptcy protection in September. McEachen says the company got an offer but the potential buyer wanted Freedom to pay him to take over the business. Freedom announced on Nov. 2 that the paper would close and 140 people would lose their jobs.
Freedom Communications, based in Irvine, Calif., operates 33 daily and 77 weekly newspapers, including the Orange County (Calif.) Register and two dailies in Arizona, the Daily Sun-News in Sun City and The Sun in Yuma.
NEW: Control of Pac-10 at stake for Oregon, Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The Oregon Ducks remember what happened on their last trip to Arizona Stadium two years ago.
Wildcats fans rushed the field after Arizona's 34-24 upset victory over the then second-ranked Ducks, which scuttled Oregon's national title hopes.
No. 11 Oregon isn't in the national title picture this time. But the Ducks are in the hunt for a Rose Bowl berth - and so are the Wildcats, who were picked to finish eighth in a preseason poll of media assigned to the conference.
Thieves steal box containing Peoria baby's ashes
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) - A Peoria family hit by burglars are pleading with the thieves to return a shiny box containing a baby's ashes.
The baby's mother, Lindsay Grannis, said the theft makes her feel like she's losing her son all over again.
When the Peoria family returned home Thursday afternoon, they found the garage door wide open and the house ransacked. Robbers stole electronics and a wooden music box from a cabinet.
Inside the box were the ashes of 5-month-old Tyler Ross.
The family said the box has no monetary value for anyone but them and they're willing to make a deal.
If the ashes are returned to any Peoria or Phoenix fire station, the burglars can keep the rest of the stolen items.
Police said they believe the burglars got inside the Grannis' home by using a universal garage door remote.
Tucson home invader sentenced to prison
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - For robbing seven University of Arizona students during a March home invasion, a 20-year-old man has been sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison.
Prosecutors asked Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard Fields to sentence Diamond J. Taylor to 7 1/2 years.
Defense attorney Richard Bock said the judge found mitigating factors existed.
Tucson police say Taylor and three other men walked in through the unlocked back door of a home in the 1200 block of East Grant Road just after midnight March 24.
6 of the seven residents were held at gunpoint while their home was ransacked. The suspects fled the house with a TV, laptop computers, cash and jewelry.
Earlier, the judge sentenced 18-year-old Alex Peter Lopez and 25-year-old Ronnie J. Anderson to three years in prison. A fourth man, 24-year-old Albert Bell, is serving two years.
Owner of day-labor center puts it up for sale
PHOENIX (AP) - The economy is forcing the owner of a northeast Phoenix day-labor center to sell the facility.
The Macehuali Day Labor Center has faced criticism, controversy and financial problems since its opening seven years ago.
Center operator Salvador Reza said they're unable to pay the mortgage on the facility.
The center was intended to keep day laborers from hanging around street corners while providing a safe place for workers and employers to negotiate work terms.
The facility was built with $120,000 in Phoenix funds. State law now prohibits any further financial involvement with the center.
NEW: ADOT opens new stretch of I-17 in north Phoenix
PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Department of Transportation has opened new northbound lanes on Interstate 17 north of Phoenix just in time for next week's Thanksgiving travel crush.
The two new northbound lanes between Jomax Road and the Carefree Highway include a carpool lane.
ADOT said the roadway opening is the latest milestone for a $142 million project to add much-needed traffic capacity between Loop 101 and Carefree Highway.
ADOT previously opened two new northbound lanes between Loop 101 and Jomax Road on Nov. 9 and two new southbound lanes between Happy Valley Road and Loop 101 on October 29.
On The Net:
http://www.valleyfreeways.com.
Recall: Fresh & Easy pumpkin cheesecake pies
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) - Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has recalled some pumpkin cheesecake pies because they may contain pecans that were not declared on the products' packaging.
The El Segundo-based company announced the voluntary recall Thursday. People with allergies to pecans run the risk of serious or life-threatening reactions if they consume the products.
Fresh & Easy says the pies were mislabeled with a sticker that does not declare that the product has a crumb topping containing pecans.
The mislabeled pies have an expiration date of Nov. 21 and were sold at stores in California, Arizona and Nevada.
No illnesses have been reported.
By Mark Carlson
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
