Executions set to resume in early 2025

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The death penalty is controversial in itself, but the man Gov. Hobbs put in charge of reviewing the execution process, retired federal judge David Duncan, recommended the state start using the firing squad. On Tuesday, he was fired.

“Post my tenure at the Arizona Department of Corrections, they did have a couple of issues,” said Barrett Marson, the former spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

He’s referring to an execution in 2014 that took two hours to complete. That resulted in a state review of the lethal injection cocktail the ADCRR was using.

Hobbs hired Duncan to lead that review board.

He wrote a letter to the Governor’s Office and shared it with Arizona’s Family.

In the letter, he called the lethal injection unreliable and said drug manufacturers don’t allow states to use the appropriate drugs.

In 2015, the state of Arizona tried to illegally import an anesthetic that had been used to carry out executions because it was no longer manufactured by companies approved by the FDA.

Federal agents ended up stopping that shipment at the airport.

Arizona officials eventually changed the drug used in the lethal injection after finding a new supplier.

Barrett Marson, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, believes employees there have fixed the issue.

“They have worked to get that drug combination correct so that future executions go out without a hitch,” he said.

But in the letter to Hobbs, Duncan advised against using lethal injections or lethal gas, another legal execution method in Arizona.

Instead, he made the recommendation that Arizona adopt the firing squad, saying, “it has the lowest botch rate.”

“Inmates convicted in the early 90s or before actually have the option of using the gas chamber. Very few would take that because it’s very painful and extended death time,” said Marson.

Arizona is on track to resume the execution of death row inmates in 2025.

Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered a temporary stop to executions nearly two years ago when she first took office and ordered a review of the process.

The first death row inmate set to be executed will be Aaron Gunches, who kidnapped and murdered a man in 2002 and was sentenced to death by a jury in 2013.

“We may see quite a few executions over the next couple of years because there is such a backlog now,” said Marson.

Duncan says the state told him they wanted his recommendations on improving procedures and practices under existing laws.

However, he still plans to submit his final report on his findings to the Governor’s Office.

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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Dozens of families are left scrambling this Thanksgiving weekend after a senior living facility informed them their loved ones must move out soon, which means finding movers and a new place two days after a holiday.

Arizona’s Family Investigates found it legal under state law, as assisted living facilities must only give residents 30 days’ notice.

“We were in here thinking we would stay here as long as we lived,” John Mehagian said.

The 88-year-old and his wife of 60 years, Margerie, are packing up.

“It turns out that’s not the way it was,” they explained in a cell phone video. Their five kids are trying their best to help.

The Mehagians called The Palazzo off 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix home for almost three years.

“We were notified we were to move out by Dec. 1 with no consideration of our feelings,” Mehagian said. “It’s not humanitarian as far as I’m concerned.”

The Mehagians said the facility was recently sold to a new company. Soon after, a memo dated Oct. 1 came out, stating that while they hadn’t been given “official notice” that they “will need to move out.”

It said “an official 90-day notice” would be sent out soon. Two weeks later, another notice came.

“We anticipate completing all moves by the beginning of December,” it said, meaning they now had even less time to get out.

“It’s been really stressful because they haven’t given a lot of information,” said Mary Kumble, their daughter who flew in from Los Angeles to help. “The lack of compassion, the lack of just common decency in the whole situation has just gone entirely missing.”

After the facility didn’t respond to Arizona’s Family by phone and email, investigative reporter Amy Cutler stopped by the Palazzo.

The facility’s executive director, Chuck Kerby, said he’d messaged the corporate offices.

“I don’t work with them or work for them. So, I’d have to message them to get a statement or any information that way,” Kerby said.

But nearly a week later, there has been no response.

“It is unlikely they have any recourse that will give them satisfaction,” attorney Martin Solomon said.

Solomon has dealt with situations like this for 25 years. By state law, facilities are required to give just 30 days’ notice.

“There is no recourse by and large if they wish to have the families remove the resident if they provide the 30 days’ notice,” Solomon said.

Fortunately, the Mehagians have found a new facility to move to, but it’s further away in Peoria.

“To what end, is it necessary to have elderly folks kicked out of their home two days after Thanksgiving,” Kumble said.

The Mehagians weren’t able to find movers until Sunday, Dec. 1. While the Palazzo is letting them stay for the extra night, it is charging them for the courtesy.

Solomon said there’s a lesson for others here: Read the contract before entering into an agreement with a facility.

It will likely say to move out with 30 days’ notice, but he urges people to ask for more time; that’s usually negotiable.

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Microchip Technology Inc. said Monday it intends to shut down its Tempe computer chip factory as it tries to curtail costs amid an anticipated slowdown in sales.

In a regulatory filing released after the markets closed, Microchip (Nasdaq: MCHP) CEO Steve Sanghi – who moved back into the company's top job at the end of November – said that after he did a deep dive into the Chandler-based company's operations, he "determined that certain actions are necessary," according to a statement emailed to the Business Journal.

Those actions include shutting down the company's silicon wafer fabrication facility in Tempe, affecting some 500 workers. The closure is expected to occur between July and September 2025, which coincides with the company's fiscal year 2026 second quarter. Microchip anticipates saving roughly $90 million annually by shutting down its Tempe fab, according to a Dec. 2 filing with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

A Microchip spokesman would not comment Monday on the exact number of workers who would be impacted by the decision.

Microchip had already shut down the Tempe factory temporarily for two weeks earlier this year, along with its two other factories in Oregon and Colorado, in an effort to cut costs. The company expects that after shuttering the Tempe factory, manufacturing will be transitioned "as needed" to other facilities, according to the SEC filing.

The Tempe fab produces 8-inch silicon wafers and supports various manufacturing process technologies, according to the filing, signed by J. Eric Bjornholt, Microchip’s senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Microchip on Dec. 2 also restated its revenue guidance for the three-month period ending in December – the third quarter of Microchip's fiscal year 2025 – to the low end of its previously stated projection of $1.025 billion.

The news sent Microchip's shares lower in after-hours trading, with the stock down $2.45, or 3.5%, to $67.86, wiping out its gains during Monday's regular trading session on Wall Street.

Microchip recently reported fiscal second quarter financial resorts that exceeded Wall Street expectations, reaching $1.16 billion in net sales. That figure was still down 48.4% year-over-year, pointing to wider concerns in the semiconductor industry as customers manage their inventories and adjust purchasing plans due to an uncertain business outlook.

It's unclear what impact the Tempe shutdown might have on the company's federal CHIPS Act funding. Former Microchip CEO Ganesh Moorthy in early November suggested the company was "making progress" toward a final agreement with federal officials.

The company's preliminary agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce called for $162 million in CHIPS Act incentives, according to prior Phoenix Business Journal reporting.

"With inventory levels high and having ample capacity in place, we have decided to shut down our Tempe wafer fabrication facility that we refer to as Fab 2. Many of the process technologies that run in Fab 2 also run in our Oregon and Colorado factories, which both have ample clean room space for expansion," Sanghi said in a statement.

"We expect that the Fab 2 closure will begin to help us moderate our inventory levels beginning in the March 2025 quarter. We anticipate near-term restructuring costs to be between $3 million and $8 million from these actions, and it is possible that we could incur other restructuring and shut-down costs in the future of up to an additional $15 million," Sanghi added in the statement. "The fab restructuring is a big step in right-sizing our manufacturing footprint, and we will continue to evaluate any further actions that are required to position Microchip for outsized growth and financial performance."

Sanghi, who moved back into the company's top job only days earlier after Moorthy suddenly announced his retirement, had held the CEO title from 1991 until he retired in 2021. Since then, Sanghi had been serving as the publicly traded company's executive chairman.

On Monday, Sanghi said he plans to "stay in this role, even though the title is interim, for as long as it is necessary, so there is no definitive timeline for my successor."

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This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Phoenix|Local Event

Ivana Morales, Local Business

Dec3

Tue, Dec 3, 2024 at 8:00 AM

Verde at Cooley Station, 3945 E Williams Field Rd, Gilbert, AZ, 85295

Come join us for a sweet and festive morning of fun at our Candy Cane Lane playdate!

Bring your little elves for a morning filled with: Arts & Crafts Holiday-themed activities Bounce house Music And lots of joy and laughter for everyone!

This event is FREE and open to all kiddos — let’s make some merry memories together!

More Upcoming Events

Featured Event

Dec3

T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Fresh Perks Every Week

Tuesday, 8:30 amPhoenix, AZ

Featured Event

Dec3

Surplus EV Charging Stations Online Auction

Tuesday, 9:00 amTempe, AZ

Local Event

Dec3

Skate Westgate

Tuesday, 11:00 amPhoenix, AZ

Local Event

Dec4

Skate Westgate

Wednesday, 11:00 amPhoenix, AZ

Local Event

Dec4

Suchi Making with Chef Trenita at OHB Distillery

Wednesday, 5:00 pmPhoenix, AZ

Local Event

Dec4

Phoenix City Grille Hosts Remus Bourbon Dinner DEC. 4

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The dispute between Phoenix Children’s Hospital and major insurer AZ Blue, also known as Blue Cross Blue Shield Arizona (BCBS), has left dozens of families with limited options.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) and BCBS are still not close to reaching an agreement. Just this month, the hospital announced it had cut ties with the insurance company after contract negotiations had stalled.

The decision has impacted dozens of families who can’t afford to pay out of pocket for medical treatment and don’t have many insurance options.

A Phoenix mom says her son Jay has been diagnosed with a rare heart disease and now may not be able to get the specialized care they need from PCH because of this.

“We got a Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO plan that worked with PCH and the best cardiology team in the state, and that’s what we went with. Then we just found out Phoenix Children’s dropped Blue Cross Blue Shield, and now we can’t find the care for our son,” she said.

According to AZ Blue, the hospital turned down an $80 million raise, leading to the contract dispute. However, PCH called that offer “fictional” and said the AZ Blue offer was closer to $43 million.

Jay’s mom says that since she and her husband work for themselves, they have to buy individual health insurance coverage, and their options are limited.

“We don’t really know where to turn. We have talked to multiple insurance brokers. Even our insurance broker doesn’t know what to offer right now,” she said.

PCH does accept nearly 30 plans, but none of which Jay’s parents qualify for.

“We are frustrated. We don’t really know where to turn. We have talked to multiple insurance brokers. Even out insurance broker doesn’t know what to offer right now. It’s heartbreaking knowing the best healing pathway for your son, you can’t have access to it,” she said.

Both PCH and AZ Blue have a lot of information about this on their websites. If you’re in the same situation, it’s best to call the number on the back of your insurance card to find out how this affects your specific benefits.

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