🌱 Free Bikes 4 Kidz Collection Event In Phoenix + Silver Alert Issued

Good morning, friends. It's me, Miranda Fraraccio, your host of the Phoenix Patch newsletter — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening in town.

But first, today's weather:

Plenty of sun. High: 82 Low: 56.

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Here are the top three stories today in Phoenix:

1. Free Bikes 4 Kidz, a Phoenix-based nonprofit, will be holding a bike collection event on Apr. 22, coinciding with Earth Day. Their goal is to collect 1,000 bicycles, which will be restored and given to disadvantaged children in the Four Corners region and the Valley. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at three locations in Phoenix, and volunteers are welcome to help the organization between April and July. (Arizona's Family)
2. The Phoenix Police Department issued a silver alert for 21-year-old Dylan Valdivia, who was last seen in the area of North 15th Avenue and West Cochise Drive, and may have left as a passenger in an unknown silver van. Valdivia is 6’1”, 170 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes, and suffers from a medical condition that may cause him to become easily lost or confused or have impaired judgment. Anyone with information is urged to call the Phoenix Police Department. (KVOA Tucson News)
3. On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines experienced technical difficulties due to a vendor-supplied firewall failure, resulting in data connection issues and flight delays, including those out of Phoenix Sky Harbor. The FAA initially paused departures but lifted the pause shortly after 8:00 a.m., although flights into Dallas Love Field Airport still had a hold as of the time of this writing. Sky Harbor had reported 139 delayed or canceled flights as of 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, with Southwest being the overwhelming majority, and FlightAware reported nearly 800 delayed flights, making up about 14 percent of the airline's schedule. (Arizona's Family)

From our sponsor:

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Today in Phoenix:

• Cricut Design Space Basics Series, At North Valley Regional Library (7:00 PM)
• Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night, At Verdura (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Are you in the market for a new home? Here is a list of houses that have recently hit the market in the Phoenix area. (Phoenix Patch)
• New research by Clever, in collaboration with Leafly, listed Phoenix as the No. 13 best weed city in America. (Arizona Big Media)
• FYI: This summer, three popular hiking trails in Phoenix — Camelback Mountain’s Echo and Cholla Trails and all trails associated with Piestewa Peak Trailhead — will close during extremely hot days. (Signals AZ)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today! See you tomorrow morning for your next update.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where she earned degrees in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or practicing film photography.