State Glance
Police: deaths of woman and child was tragic accident
TEMPE — Police in Tempe have identified a woman and her infant son who were both found dead in their home.
They say the deaths appear to stem from a tragic accident.
Police say 38-year-old Larinique Meadows was using her cellphone to search for symptoms of chest pain before she fell on top of her 4-month-old son, Denari.
They say the woman had some sort of heart condition.
Police say the boy likely suffocated, but the Maricopa County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
The child’s father told police he saw him and Meadows around 11 a.m. Saturday before going to sleep.
The man woke up around 5 p.m. to get ready for work and found the two dead bodies.
Tucson to be site of Raytheon missiles/defense unit
TUCSON — Raytheon, the largest employer of Southern Arizona, has chosen Tucson for the headquarters of a new missiles and defense unit.
Raytheon Missile Systems’ parent company is finalizing a merger with United Technologies Corp., the Arizona Daily Star reported Monday.
John Patterson, a Raytheon spokesman, said the new consolidated business will be named Raytheon Missiles & Defense and Raytheon Intelligence & Space. Missiles & Defense will be rooted in Tucson. Intelligence & Space will be based in Arlington, Virginia.
The merger is expected to receive federal anti-trust approval. The joint venture could bring in as much as $74 billion in annual revenues, making it second only to Boeing in the aerospace and defense industry, experts said.
Raytheon employs around 13,000 workers in the Tucson area. It’s also expanding its campus at Tucson International Airport, which would add another 2,000 jobs.
The company is known for building defense systems like the Tomahawk cruise missile. It’s also working on laser weapons to take down drones and other threats.
Flags on Navajo Nation lowered to honor Code Talker
WINDOW ROCK — Flags on the Navajo Nation have been lowered to to honor a revered Navajo Code Talker who died in New Mexico last week.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement that all flags will fly at half-staff through Thursday as a tribute to Joe Vandever, Sr.
Vandever died Friday of health complications in Haystack, according to his family. He was 96.
Vandever was among hundreds of Navajos who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, transmitting messages using a code based on the Navajo language. The code developed by an original group of 29 Navajos was used to confound Japanese forces. It was never broken.