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Turf Paradise may relocate under new owner over land issues

The horse track's new owner may need to find a new location as his predecessor seeks to sell the land.

News

Turf Paradise is under new ownership, and in a few years it&#x27;ll likely have a new location as well.Why it matters: Moving Turf Paradise would bring the end of a long era for that region of north Phoenix, which has been home to the racetrack for generations.

Sneak peek: Phoenix gets a smaller Ikea store

Arizona&#x27;s newest Ikea will have the meatballs, the iconic showroom and a grab-and-go marketplace, but it won&#x27;t take you an hour to peruse.What it matters: Phoenix residents have been clamoring for another, more central Ikea for decades.

Clean energy team prevails in SRP board election

Clean energy advocates won  a majority on SRP's board.

Clean energy advocates won a majority of the seats in Tuesday&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="election" data-vars-click-url="https://media.srpnet.com/srp-announces-2026-board-and-council-election-results/" data-vars-content-id="98b7216f-a310-4140-877a-8845cbb373b2" data-vars-headline="Clean energy team prevails in SRP board election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://media.srpnet.com/srp-announces-2026-board-and-council-election-results/" target="_blank">election</a> for the Salt River Project power board, prevailing over the side heavily <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="backed by the conservative organization Turning Point" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/02/24/srp-election-clean-energy-business-slate-turning-point" data-vars-content-id="98b7216f-a310-4140-877a-8845cbb373b2" data-vars-headline="Clean energy team prevails in SRP board election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/02/24/srp-election-clean-energy-business-slate-turning-point" target="_self">backed by the conservative organization Turning Point</a>.Why it matters: SRP provides energy for about 1.1 million Phoenix-area customers, and the district board sets the utility&#x27;s electricity rate and power generation policy.

Arizona bartender heads to national speedy cocktail contest

Gilbert bartender Krissy Shelberg will compete in a national speed cocktail contest

One of Arizona&#x27;s speediest bartenders is heading to New Orleans this summer to compete in a national cocktail-making competition.Why it matters: The only thing better than a stiff drink is someone making it for you — quickly.

Study shows downtown Phoenix foot traffic recovering well, but not fully since pandemic

Downtown Phoenix Inc. says the recovery is much stronger than the study indicates

COVID

Downtown Phoenix foot traffic still lags behind its pre-pandemic levels, but its recovery is better than most other major North American cities.State of play: From March to May, downtown Phoenix saw 72% of the foot traffic it had during that period in 2019, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="study from the School of Cities at the University of Toronto" data-vars-click-url="https://downtownrecovery.com/charts/rankings" data-vars-content-id="4be0d9b2-c4c5-481d-8549-5cb941762525" data-vars-headline="Study shows downtown Phoenix foot traffic recovering well, but not fully since pandemic" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://downtownrecovery.com/charts/rankings" target="_blank">study from the School of Cities at the University of Toronto</a>.

COVID hospitalizations fell in Arizona, but signs point to late summer wave nationally

Signs point to a late summer wave of new COVID infections across the U.S.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona fell 4% between June and July, though state health officials noticed a slight increase at the beginning of August.By the numbers: Arizona saw about 2.2 COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 people in July, down from about 2.3 in June.

Arizona had the highest COVID-19 death rate in U.S.

Arizona's COVID-19 death rate was about the same as the world's hardest-hit countries.

Arizona experienced the highest adjusted death rate in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis published in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Lancet" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00461-0/fulltext" data-vars-content-id="a23771b8-4d92-4490-9693-ad5aaeb08be3" data-vars-headline="Arizona had the highest COVID-19 death rate in U.S." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00461-0/fulltext" target="_blank">The Lancet</a>.What they found: Arizona&#x27;s COVID death rate was 581 deaths per 100,000 people, when adjusting the data to account for age and comorbidities. The District of Columbia (526 per 100,000) and New Mexico (521 per 100,000) were the second and third worst.

CDC estimates 84% of Arizona kids have had COVID-19

Relatively few Arizona parents have chosen to get their young children vaccinated against COVID-19.

About 84% of Arizona children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years have been infected with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to recent <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="estimates" data-vars-click-url="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pediatric-seroprevalence" data-vars-content-id="85b51e2e-e55a-482e-8ad8-3f69e6429211" data-vars-headline="CDC estimates 84% of Arizona kids have had COVID-19" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pediatric-seroprevalence" target="_blank">estimates</a> from the CDC.<ul><li>The national estimate is 80%.</li></ul>

Downtown Phoenix foot traffic recovery

Data: University of Toronto; Note: Seasons are March-May (spring), June-Aug. (summer), Sept.-Nov. (fall) and Dec.-Feb. (winter); Visitors determined by counting unique mobile phones in ZIP codes with high employee density; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

COVID 🦠

Study shows downtown Phoenix foot traffic recovering well, but not fully since pandemic

COVID hospitalizations fell in Arizona, but signs point to late summer wave nationally

Arizona had the highest COVID-19 death rate in U.S.

CDC estimates 84% of Arizona kids have had COVID-19