PHOENIX — From Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoing the proposed renaming of a Valley freeway after Charlie Kirk to developments involving the state’s transportation department and more, here are some of the top Arizona news stories from March 27-29.
Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes bill to rename Loop 202 after Charlie Kirk, accused of breaking ‘tradition’
Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill Friday that was to rename the entirety of Arizona’s 78-mile long Loop 202 after the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen introduced the idea shortly after Kirk’s assassination last September, and in a statement, accused Hobbs of breaking “a long-standing Arizona tradition of recognizing impact over politics.”
The dismissal of Senate Bill 1010, which would have dubbed the freeway “Charlie Kirk Loop 202,” comes after Hobbs vetoed a prior bill (SB 1439) on March 6 that proposed a specialty license plate for Kirk.
ADOT unveils 5 new specialty license plates, update of Arizona Diamondbacks version
Five specialty license plates have joined the ever-expanding lineup available for Arizona drivers, the Arizona Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
Motorists can now purchase, for $25 per year, plates that support the following causes: No One Fights Alone, Teen Lifeline, 4AZKids, Arizona Youth Charities and Gila River Indian Community.
Additionally, ADOT said it has refreshed its existing Arizona Diamondbacks specialty plate and is offering the theme for motorcycles as well.
The newest five specialty plates are among 114 options Arizonans have to choose from, and ADOT said more than $14.5 million has gone toward state charities for plate sales as of June 30, 2025.
ADOT will start, resume 6 Northern Arizona projects starting March 29
The historic March heatwave has brought spring weather to Arizona and that means the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) can start or continue highway improvement projects soon.
Projects that were shut down for the winter and new projects focused on paving roads and safety maintenance will get underway starting as early as March 29.
There will be six projects going on this spring.
Authorities identify woman’s body found in canal in Scottsdale, investigation ongoing
The woman who was found dead in a canal in Scottsdale on Saturday morning has been identified, authorities said.
According to the Scottsdale Police Department, 28-year-old Passion Schurz, who was reported from the Salt River-Pima Maricopa Indian Community, was the woman found dead.
Authorities were able to identify Schurz based on her specific tattoos, her physical characteristics and clothing description, police said.
Arizonans gather around the Valley for ‘No Kings’ protests
Arizonans gathered throughout the Valley on Saturday to join the “No Kings” protests, demonstrating their opposition to the direction of the country under President Donald Trump.
There were at least 20 protest locations across the Valley on Saturday and 82 across the state, Indivisible Arizona‘s Jessica Marquis told KTAR News 92.3 FM. In total, more than 101,500 protestors were counted, according to Sunday’s final tally.
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