We covered a major election, one with national, statewide and local implications. We detailed the Valley's worsening homeless and heat problems. We reported on police abuses and the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into the Phoenix Police Department. We wrote a lot of dumb, fun stuff, too.
You, our readers, were with us every step of the way. As we look back on our news coverage in 2024, we'd like to revisit the stories you responded to most. Here are our 10 most-read news stories from the past year.
10. Tempe bans a homeless advocate
Few stories raised hackles quite like the saga of homeless advocate Austin Davis and the city of Tempe, who were at loggerheads for much of the year over Davis' feeding of the unhoused in city parks. The troubles started when the city denied him a special events permit and dragged him into court when he kept hosting feedings. What followed were arrests and a plea deal that will keep Davis out of city parks through early 2026.
9. Will Kari Lake go away?
Unsurprisingly, given her inherent ridiculousness, our readers gulped up anything and everything about failed gubernatorial and senatorial candidate Kari Lake. You loved updates on her many quixotic legal battles and reports about her potentially joining Newsmax. You especially devoured articles about her losing Republican backing and her defeat in the polls by Ruben Gallego. But most read was our Nov. 12 story, which showcased the above image, in which three GOP strategists tackled the question of what Lake does while she licks her election wounds.
Joe Arpaio's reign as Maricopa County sheriff included terrorizing Hispanic neighborhoods with law enforcement sweeps and retaliating against political enemies.
Illustration by Emma Randall using Midjourney
8. The worst politicians in Arizona history
Readers enjoyed taking this tour through the dregs of Arizona's political history, from current figures like Kari Lake and Paul Gosar to throwbacks such as Evan Meacham and John Howard Pyle. Perhaps what's most impressive about the Dirty Dozen list is who didn't make the cut — scoundrels such as Wendy Rogers, Tom Horne and Trent Franks may have to wait for the sequel.
Police tracked Raad Almansoori to a parking deck at Scottsdale Fashion Square, where they said he planned to continue his crime spree.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
7. Wannabe serial killer Raad Almansoori arrested
Multiple local law enforcement agencies teamed up to catch Almansoori, who is accused of committing two stabbings in Surprise and Phoenix. Police arrested him in the parking garage at Scottsdale Fashion Square, where he allegedly copped to a murder in New York City and said he was planning to kill more people at the mall and then murder his family. Almansoori still awaits trial, although in the aftermath of his arrest, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and Manhattan District Attorney Melvin Bragg got into an online pissing match about Almansoori's possible extradition to New York.
Allister Adel's remains are interred in the mausoleum of St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix.
Stephen Lemons
6. Allister Adel's rumored domestic abuse revealed
Allister Adel's brief tenure as Maricopa County attorney was rife with scandal. She battled substance abuse and was forced to resign after others learned she was working from a rehab facility. On her watch, her office charged police brutality protesters on trumped-up claims of being a criminal street gang. In 2022, Adel died at 45 years old. This year, reporter Stephen Lemons unveiled that many close to Adel believe she was a victim of domestic abuse by her husband, David DeNitto, who committed a murder-suicide 20 months after Adel's death. Lemons also subsequently revealed that the State Bar of Arizona had reason to believe Adel was being abused as it investigated her conduct in office but did apparently nothing about it.
Police said Sergio Francisco Alvarez fired the above handgun at officers after he was detained for a traffic violation on his bicycle.
Phoenix Police Department
5. Phoenix cop stops Sergio Alvarez for bicycle light infraction, kills him
The Phoenix Police Department has had a deadly year, with its officers killing 13 people. One of those was Sergio Francisco Alvarez, whom police stopped on May 28 for not having a light on his bicycle. Almost immediately, two Phoenix cops wrestled Alvarez to the ground. Because the body-worn cameras of both officers were knocked off during the struggle, much of the incident was not captured on video. That includes a moment when police say Alvarez managed to shoot one of the officers despite having two people on top of him. A third officer returned fire, striking Alvarez three times and killing him.
A rendering of the Villas on McQueen housing development, which will be Chandler's first new affordable housing complex since 1972.
Gorman and Company
4. Chandler building first new affordable housing in more than 50 years
The last time an affordable housing complex was constructed in Chandler, it was 1972. But this year, the suburb finally began development on a new housing project. The Villas on McQueen will offer 157 units reserved for low-income families. The news generated plenty of reaction among our readers, some of whom espoused some old-fashioned NIMBYism, but the development comes at the right time. After all, Maricopa County is in the midst of an evictions crisis.
Ethan Schmidt-Crockett outside Scottsdale City Court in July. The alt-right troll has threatened LGBTQ+ people, a synagogue and a wig store that serves people with cancer.
Katya Schwenk
3. Arrest warrant issued for Valley troll Ethan Schmidt-Crockett
One of Arizona's biggest alt-right trolls has been mostly quiet in 2024, but he started the year off with a bang by violating his probation in January, leading to Scottsdale police issuing a warrant for his arrest. Schmidt-Crockett eventually served five days in jail. Still, that's light considering his numerous run-ins with police over the years. If we never hear from him again, it'll be too soon.
Brandon Rafi's face is all over Phoenix. In his lawsuit, he claims Gil Negrete has damaged his reputation.
Danielle Cortez
2. 'Call Rafi' lawyer engages in nasty legal feud with rival attorney
You've seen his face on every bus and billboard in town. You've heard his jingle on the radio. His omnipresence gives Valley personal injury lawyer Brandon Rafi some mystique. This summer, though, we saw behind the curtain thanks to a defamation suit Rafi filed against Gil Negrete, a suspended lawyer. In the suit, Rafi accused Negrete of running an anonymous Instagram account that attacked him, of orchestrating a home invasion at his house and of making a fake bomb threat to his office. Negrete responded on his podcast by going scorched earth against Rafi. The legal saga is still playing out, although Rafi doubled down on his claims in court, despite Phoenix police determining that Negrete wasn't involved with the bomb threat at all.
Phoenix in 1965.
Stephen C. Shadegg Papers/Greater Arizona Collection/Arizona State University Library
