State Glance
PHOENIX — The roof of a Phoenix skating rink has partially collapsed.
The Rollero Family Skating Center posted on its Facebook page that the rink will be closed “until further notice” as a result of the damage sustained Tuesday night after the ring had closed.
Phoenix Fire Department Cpt. Larry Subervi says the cause of the collapse is not yet known, although authorities say early speculation points toward the age of the building being a contributing factor.
Subervi says no firefighters or civilians were injured in the collapse.
He said the structure was built with a bowstringtype roof that were popular before the 1960s. he said these types of buildings pose a threat to firefighters because they fail rapidly under fire conditions. He pointed to the 2010 death of two Chicago firefighters when the inside of a bowstring building collapsed.
Arizona police chief fired after verbal exchange with mayor
SOUTH TUCSON — South Tucson Police Chief Michael Ford was fired a day after Mayor Ildefonso Green publicly blamed him for being a source in a series of negative news articles.
The Arizona Daily Star reports Green lashed out at the media during the city council’s meeting Monday night, saying recent articles focused too heavily on proposed cuts to police and fire staffing and not on other budget proposals.
Green accused Ford, who was fired Tuesday after being chief since December 2014, and other staffers of leaking information after the city’s budget problems became known.
Ford was called on by Green to give his thoughts. Ford said the information in news stories came from public discussions, not leaks.
The two argued back and forth for several minutes before Ford left the room.
Arpaio makes last-ditch effort to delay contempt trial
PHOENIX — Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio is asking a judge to delay his criminal trial that’s scheduled to start Monday.
His lawyers say in court papers that a delay is needed until the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether it will take up Arpaio’s request to have a jury, rather than a judge, decide whether he’s guilty of criminal contempt-of-court.
Arpaio faces the charge for defiance of a 2011 court order to stop his immigration patrols.
He acknowledged prolonging his patrols, but insists his disobedience wasn’t intentional.
His attorneys also heavily criticized prosecutors making a court filing that mentioned attorney-client communications between the sheriff and his thenlawyer about the 2011 order.
They say if the presiding judge has read the filing, then a mistrial should be declared and the judge should be recused.
Power outages on Tucson’s northwest side in 115-degree heat
TUCSON — Tucson Electric Power says about 6,000 of its customers on the city’s northwest side are without electricity due to outages.
Company officials say crews are working on the outages and no time was immediately given Wednesday evening on when power will be restored.
TEP is one of Tucson’s largest power companies.
It’s unclear if the outages are weather-related. Tucson had a record high of 115 degrees Wednesday.
Winds close I-10 at New Mexico-Arizona border
LORDSBURG, N.M. — A section of Interstate 10 near the New Mexico-Arizona border is closed due to high winds and blowing dust in the Lordsburg area.
New Mexico Department of Transportation officials say all traffic currently is being diverted onto U.S. 70 and visibility is low in the Lordsburg area.
A sudden dust storm Monday evening in the Lordsburg area resulted in a 25-vehicle pileup that left six people dead including a Phoenix couple and their 9-month-old daughter.
The high winds and limited visibility caused 18 commercial trucks and seven passenger cars to crash on westbound Interstate 10.
The stretch of highway near rural Lordsburg has seen other deadly crashes and closures due to similar conditions stemming from the desert landscape and a dry lakebed.