AZ Briefing: Over 100 rescued after Havasupai flooding; Gilbert may increase sales tax; Powerhouse show: Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller

Good morning, Arizona. Here's what our reporters are working on and what you should know before you start your day.

An estimated 104 tribal members and tourists near Havasupai Falls have been evacuated since Thursday after floodwaters left them stranded, according to the Arizona National Guard.

On Friday evening, Gov. Katie Hobbs deployed the National Guard in response to flooding at the Havasupai reservation near the Grand Canyon, where a woman from Gilbert was swept away by the waters of Havasu Creek.

More about the search and rescue operations.

Other big stories

➤ NAU was rocked in 2015 when a 20-year-old was fatally shot and three other people were injured after students scuffled. Steven Jones would eventually plead guilty in the shooting. A series of events took shape between that fateful day and last week when Jones was released from prison.

➤ Groceries, electronics and hotel stays in Gilbert could become more expensive after the Town Council proposed sales tax increases that would largely be used to pay for public safety and parks and recreation improvements.

➤ The Phoenix Indian Center, the nation's oldest urban center of its type, moved into new digs on Friday, a new building at Central Avenue and Indian School Road, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Indigenous foods and a community gathering.

➤ Today, you can expect it to be very warm with sunshine and patchy clouds with a high near 106 degrees. Expect it to be clear at night with a low near 82 degrees. Get the full forecast here .

Older, rawer and 100% banging

Def Leppard + Journey + Steve Miller Band is the lineup we needed, with hit-filled setlists for the ages. Here's what their Phoenix concert was like, according to Republic reviewer Ed Masley.

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We'd love your feedback about the AZ Briefing. Email us at karen.kurtz@arizonarepublic.com .

Today in history

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

• On this day in 1916: President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, establishing the National Park Service. Before then, national parks and monuments were run by a variety of government entities, with few resources.
• In 1925: A. Philip Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Representing employees of the Pullman Company, which was the country’s largest employer of Black people, it was the first predominantly Black union.
• In 1932: Amelia Earhart landed in Newark, New Jersey, the first woman to fly nonstop across the U.S. She had taken off from Los Angeles 19 hours earlier.
• In 2009: The “liberal lion of the Senate,” Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, died at 77. He overcame the Chappaquiddick scandal to become enduringly influential in politics, though his own presidential dreams came to naught. He was the last surviving brother of President John F. Kennedy.
• In 2018: Vietnam War hero, Arizona senator and GOP presidential nominee John McCain died of brain cancer at 81. Famously, he appeared at the Senate to cast a crucial vote saving then-President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act shortly after going public with his diagnosis.
• In 2020: Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, opened fire during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse killed two people and wounded a third. He was acquitted on all charges.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Over 100 rescued after Havasupai flooding; Gilbert may increase sales tax; Powerhouse show: Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller