Arizona deaths increased by 25% in 2020 from 2019; These were metro Phoenix’s top home sales; Pet friendly hiking

A look at some of today’s top stories, the weather forecast and a peek back in history.

Who is Tucson’s ‘Umbrella Lady’ and where is she going? Mystery feeds online speculation

‘Trumpocalypse’ is over. Why the anti-Trump billboard in downtown Phoenix is coming down

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

Arizona authorities searching after 2 men escape from Florence prison; reward offered

Arizona GOP narrowly reelects Trump loyalist Kelli Ward; censures Cindy McCain, Gov. Doug Ducey, ex-Sen. Jeff Flake

Arizona reports 7,217 new COVID-19 cases, remains No. 1 in U.S. for new cases in past week

Today, you can expect showers, with a high near 55 degrees. Showers likely at night with a low near 40 degrees. Get the full forecast here.

The number of Arizona deaths in 2020 was 25% higher than in 2019, new state data shows

Overall deaths in Arizona increased by 25% in 2020, underscoring the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, preliminary new state data shows.

Arizona recorded 60,161 deaths in 2019 and 75,133 deaths in 2020, according to the preliminary data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. That’s a difference of nearly 15,000 deaths, a year-over-year increase of about 25%, but the uptick cannot yet entirely be attributed to SARS-CoV-2, or the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 disease.

© Karas Group of Launch Real Estate
The backyard of the home that was purchased by NHE Investments for $5.25M.

Take a look at the statistics and what they mean.

© David Wallace/The Republic
A health care provider tends to a patient that is intubated in one of the COVID-19 units at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix on Jan. 14, 2021. Much of the hospital has been converted to handle COVID-19 patients and they like many other hospitals throughout Maricopa County are at or near capacity.

$30M in cash spent on metro Phoenix’s 5 priciest homes this week

More than $30 million in cash was spent on metro Phoenix’s five priciest home sales this week. Two of the most expensive houses on the list won design awards in 2020.

Hedge fund trader Morris Sachs and his wife, Sheryl, bought a mansion in north Scottsdale’s exclusive Silverleaf community. The couple, from Greenwich, Connecticut, purchased an 8,700-square-foot house that has a “Palo Alto pretty feel,” two laundry rooms, a lap pool and a guest house, according to the listing.

Peek inside the most expensive home sold in metro Phoenix.

How do you safely hike with dogs in Arizona? Valley 101 found out

Winter in Arizona means peak hiking season. The weather is beautiful, the landscapes are breathtaking and, because of COVID-19, the fact that you can socially distance in the open air while getting in some exercise is an added perk.

But if you take your dogs with you, there are some things you need to know. Maybe you’re new to the Valley and your transplant dog isn’t used to the desert terrain? Even if you’re a long-time resident, we’ve got some tips that you might not know.

Consider this week’s episode of Valley 101 a toolkit for how to safely hike with dogs here.

© Mare Czinar/Special for The Republic
Rocco and Jasmine play on the Badger Springs Trail.

What to watch

Recreational marijuana sales recently began in Arizona. Customers explain what it means to be able to buy marijuana at Harvest dispensary in Scottsdale. See what they had to say.

Today in history

• On this date in 1860, the Tucson-Fort Buchanan stage was washed downstream near Tubac in the Santa Cruz River during a violent flood. Horses and baggage were saved, but the mail was delayed for 24 hours.
• In 1906, Flagstaff schools were closed because of an earthquake.
• In 1934, John Dillinger was captured with three of his gang in a house in Tucson by police who seized handguns, submachine guns and a bulletproof vest.
• In 1533, England’s King Henry VIII secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who later gave birth to Elizabeth I.
• In 1759, Scottish poet Robert Burns was born in Alloway.
• In 1915, America’s first official transcontinental telephone call took place as Alexander Graham Bell, who was in New York, spoke to his former assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in San Francisco, over a line set up by American Telephone & Telegraph.
• In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.
• In 1945, the World War II Battle of the Bulge ended as German forces were pushed back to their original positions. Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first community to add fluoride to its public water supply.
• In 1947, gangster Al Capone died in Miami Beach, Florida, at age 48.
• In 1949, the first Emmy Awards, honoring local Los Angeles TV programs and talent, were presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
• In 1959, American Airlines began Boeing 707 jet flights between New York and Los Angeles.
• In 1971, Idi Amin seized power in Uganda by ousting President Milton Obote in a military coup.
• In 1981, the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.
• In 2004, NASA’s Opportunity rover zipped its first pictures of Mars to Earth, showing a surface smooth and dark red in some places, and strewn with fragmented slabs of light bedrock in others.
• In 2017, President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation’s immigration controls, signing executive actions to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall and cut federal grants for immigrant-protecting “sanctuary cities.” Death claimed actor Mary Tyler Moore at age 80 and actor John Hurt at age 77.
• In 2019, President Donald Trump’s confidant Roger Stone was arrested by the FBI in a pre-dawn raid at his Florida home and charged with lying about his pursuit of Russian-hacked emails damaging to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election bid. (Stone was convicted in November 2019 on charges including lying to Congress and witness tampering; Trump commuted his 40-month prison sentence just days before Stone was due to report to prison in July 2020 and issued Stone a pardon in December of that year.)

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Memo: Arizona deaths increased by 25% in 2020 from 2019; These were metro Phoenix’s top home sales; Pet friendly hiking