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.
Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency for Apache Countyon May 17 and toured the site of the Greer Fire, which has scorched thousands of acres in eastern Arizona.
➤ For the past few days, Greer has seen a drop in visitors due to the nearby wildfire. Now, business owners are hoping for a rebound in tourism.
➤ The chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party has suspended a top party official from her duties for potential violations of the party’s code of conduct.
➤ Salt River Project continues to move forward with a proposed solar and hydropower project east of Mesa that could generate enough electricity to power up to 450,000 homes in the coming decades.
➤ A 24-year-old Guatemalan woman who gave birth shortly after crossing the border into Arizona unintentionally became a high-profile example of the national debate over birthright citizenship.
➤ Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a utility bill she says will help ratepayers and clean energy progress. Opponents say it mostly benefits APS.
➤ The Phoenix Mercury opened their season at home with an 81-59 win over the Seattle Storm on May 17 at PHX Arena in Phoenix. See the photos.
➤ Today, you can expect it to be sunny to partly cloudy with a high near 88 degrees. Expect it to be clear at night with a low near 67 degrees. Get the full forecast here.
Open for touring
This home on West Thomas Road is part of the North Encanto home tour.
Provided by Sherry Rampy of Brokers Hub Realty and D.J. Cordero of Cordero Photography
Twenty central Phoenix homes for sale in almost a dozen historic neighborhoods will be open for touring on May 18.
Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.
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On this day in 1917: Needing to raise a force larger than the army of volunteers the United States had, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Selective Service Act to build the American armed forces through conscription to aid the Allies during World War I.
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1933: As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority as a utility and regional economic development agency.
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1953: Piloting a borrowed Canadair F-86 jet, trailblazing aviator Jacqueline Cochran added to her list of records and firsts by becoming the first woman to break the sound barrier.
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1980: After nearly two months of activity, Mount St. Helens erupted in southern Washington. The eruption killed 57 people, destroyed or damaged 200 homes and two bridges, and deposited immeasurable amounts of ash across 11 states.
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1989: Protests in China that had started in April to seek a more democratic government escalated, with an estimated 1 million people demonstrating in Beijing. The protests continued into early June, when martial law was declared, and the ensuing clash between military and protesters was immortalized by a photo of a lone protester standing in front of a column of tanks on June 5.
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2012: Facebook became a publicly traded company, its initial public offering setting a record with more than 460 million shares traded in its debut. The IPO raised $16 billion for Facebook, one of the largest first-day hauls in U.S. history.
After the Wallow Fire, I thought things wouldn’t be the same. But my daughter helped me find hope again. Now I’m facing the Greer Fire with resilience.