As we approach January 1, 2025, a quarter-century springs forth before us, breathing new life and narratives into the Arizona story. Like a bedrock of the state’s history, The Arizona Republic has been faithfully recording the happenings in this area ever since the rugged, dusty times in 1890 right up to today’s stature as a crucial semiconductor manufacturing hub and a political weather vane.
The year 2024 was one of significant events, a potpourri of high-stakes elections and extreme weather patterns. Without a doubt, the most contentious point was the lengthy ballot-counting process, with Maricopa County proving to be a particular hotspot for these queries.
Adding to the election-night drama were close races, while early ballots submitted on Election Day further contributed to these delays. Peculiarly enough, the crowd-pulling power of Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris became another point of scrutiny in the state.
In a political face-off, both candidates held rallies at Glendale’s Desert Diamond Arena a fortnight apart. According to reports, the Harris’ rally pulled a sizable but somewhat underwhelming crowd of around 15,000, whereas Trump’s rally, orchestrated by Turning Point Action, was significant with a 17,000-strong crowd.
On a more ominous note, October of this year saw 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly apprehended near his Ahwatukee Foothills residence by Tempe police. The arrest occurred following allegations of shots fired at a local Democratic Party campaign office. Shockingly, federal agents discovered an arsenal over 120 firearms, including machine guns, in his home.
From Arizona’s judiciary, 69 judges and justices were up for retention in the Nov. 5 election. This group included two Supreme Court justices, and 67 Appeals Court and Superior Court judges, all were deemed to have met the performance standards for their posts. Yet their performance somehow didn’t translate into major headline news.
A divisive ruling came in April when the Arizona Supreme Court gave its stamp of approval to a controversial 160-year-old law banning abortions. The law posits sanctions for doctors performing the procedure, a ban that lingered before Arizona achieved statehood. According to this archaic law, prison awaits anyone aiding in an abortion unless it is to save the life of the mother.
The draconian regulation was eventually overturned in May by the Legislature, and protections for abortion were added to the state Constitution after the November election. However, the fact that such a law could be upheld in the modern age drew disbelief among many.
Regarding business wrongdoings, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge slapped a fine of $902,508 on Matthew Willes alongside his companies, which include Valley Delivery LLC, My Home Services LLC, Next Day Delivery LLC, and Next Day Holdings LLC. They allegedly misled the public by delivering thousands of nonexistent ‘Sorry We Missed You’ slips.
In the aviation sector, a grave calamity occurred in November when a six-passenger jet came crashing down in Mesa. According to witnesses, the plane never even got its wheels off the ground. The terrible catastrophe unfolded as it ploughed through a field at the Falcon Field Airport, rammed into a fence, skidded onto Greenfield Road, collided with a vehicle, and finally came to a destructive halt in an orchard.
This disastrous accident saw the loss of a 12-year-old boy and his father along with three other individuals on the plane and the driver of the vehicle. Such ghastly incidents spark significant conversation about the state of the nation’s safety standards.
On the educational front, Robert Robbins decided in April to step down as the president of the University of Arizona amid the school’s struggle with a $77 million budget shortfall. However, his decision simply brought more scrutiny to the university’s fiscal challenges without offering a viable solution.
The spike in temperatures was palpable, particularly one week in Phoenix where daytime temperatures consistently hovered around 110 degrees. This culminated in the shocking revelation that by mid-August of the year, 114 people succumbed to the extreme heat, with investigations ongoing for another 465 potential heat-related deaths.
One glaring case of Arizona’s prioritization of business over climate change concerns is the greenlighting of a $65 billion project by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. This industrial titan, which accounts for about 7% of Taiwan’s GDP and 13% of its exports, is building the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world in north Phoenix.
This construction plan marks the most substantial foreign direct investment in a U.S. greenfield project in history. Despite its potential economic benefits, questions surround the wisdom of such significant industrial growth in light of the continual increase in heat-related deaths.