AZ Briefing: Phoenix community reacts to cafe owner’s jailing

May 19, 2025
by RJ Hamster

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AZ Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Mon May 19 2025

Lorenzino Estrada | Digital Producer

Good morning, Arizona. Here’s what our reporters are working on and what you should know about what’s happening across the state before you start your day.

A favorite metro Phoenix cafe and roastery shuttered after its owner was sentenced to a year in jail for attempted child sex trafficking.

Former business partners, staff and friends spoke out on the impact of how Xanadu’s closure affects everybody.’

Metro Phoenix town home prices jump 53%

Carefree is leading the Valley for the biggest jump in home prices

Patrick Breen/The Republic

Famous people have lived in Carefree and driven its Easy Street, Ho Hum Road and Lazy Lane. Homes in this town are now a hot commodity.

If you like our work, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Today in history

Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.

•	On this day in 1864: Mary Booth, a Black widow of a Union soldier, met with President Abraham Lincoln at the White House to advocate for widows and orphans of formerly enslaved soldiers who had died in the Civil War. Slaves were not allowed to marry, and so formerly enslaved couples were less likely to have documentation needed for widows and orphans to qualify for benefits and pensions. Lincoln was moved to write a letter to Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts about the obstacle, and before summer was out, Congress had passed legislation to allow for alternative proof of marriage to compensate dependents of the Black soldiers who had died in the war.
•	In 1965: Patricia Harris became the first Black woman to become an ambassador for the United States, serving as ambassador to Luxembourg. She later became the first Black woman on the presidential Cabinet, being appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1977-1979, and Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (later renamed Health and Human Services) from 1979-1981.
•	In 1987: Chet Fleming was issued a patent for a device meant to keep a severed head alive. It was a “prophetic patent,” for a device not yet built or tested.
•	In 2015: A leak in an oil pipeline resulted in about 142,800 gallons of oil being spilled near Refugio State Beach in California.
•	In 2018: England’s Prince Harry married American actor Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel, incorporating aspects of African American culture into a royal wedding ceremony for the first time to honor Markle’s multiracial background.
•	In 2022: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine boosters for those ages 5-11, as well as a second booster for those 50 and older and those 12 and older who are immunocompromised.

— William Cain, USA TODAY Network

Trump cuts to energy aid programs threaten Arizonans

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Man sentenced for wife’s drowning in Goodyear lake

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Here’s how Pope Leo XIV helped AZ’s faithful, friend

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Social media posts report beam of light seen in the sky

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Legal woes worsen for developers facing fraud charges

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AZ Briefing: Phoenix community reacts to cafe owner’s jailing

AZ Briefing: Phoenix community reacts to cafe owner’s jailing

AZ Briefing

Lorenzino Estrada | Digital Producer

Other big stories

Metro Phoenix town home prices jump 53%

Today in history

TOP STORIES

Trump cuts to energy aid programs threaten Arizonans

Man sentenced for wife’s drowning in Goodyear lake

Here’s how Pope Leo XIV helped AZ’s faithful, friend

Social media posts report beam of light seen in the sky

Legal woes worsen for developers facing fraud charges

Get world news FREE

Like this:

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AZ Briefing: Phoenix community reacts to cafe owner’s jailing

AZ Briefing: Phoenix community reacts to cafe owner’s jailing

AZ Briefing

Lorenzino Estrada | Digital Producer

Other big stories

Metro Phoenix town home prices jump 53%

Today in history

TOP STORIES

Trump cuts to energy aid programs threaten Arizonans

Man sentenced for wife’s drowning in Goodyear lake

Here’s how Pope Leo XIV helped AZ’s faithful, friend

Social media posts report beam of light seen in the sky

Legal woes worsen for developers facing fraud charges

Get world news FREE

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Like this:

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