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🌱 Patch AM: Will your favorite free downtown parking spot soon cost you?

Be sure to catch Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra Presents: A Season of Light on the Phoenix Patch calendar

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Sunday December 14th Patch AM
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Morning Phoenix! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Will your favorite free downtown parking spot soon cost you?
  • How the new SR 24 speed limit changes your southeast Valley commute
  • How a Phoenix apartment courtyard shooting led to 45 years in prison

Also on today's calendar: Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra Presents: A Season of Light and 8 more events.

Find out what's happening in Phoenixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: Jimmy, did you crash on your bike again? You’ve lost a tooth! 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Phoenixfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Sunday: Record-breaking temperatures, with a high of 83 and low of 54 degrees.
  • Monday: Plenty of sunshine, temps: high: 81, low: 53.
  • Tuesday: Mostly sunny and warm, with a high of 77 and low of 52 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Phoenix adds more parking meters downtown, pisses everyone off (phoenixnewtimes.com) — Downtown Phoenix drivers will soon find many formerly free street spots converted to paid parking meters, with new four-hour meters going live by mid-December between Fillmore and McKinley, Fourth and Sixth streets. City officials say the change should boost turnover for businesses, but residents, students, and workers who rely on free overnight parking worry about higher costs and fewer options near ASU’s downtown campus.
   

2. Speed limit raised on southeast Valley highway (ktar.com) — Drivers in the southeast Valley should note that State Route 24’s speed limit has been raised from 45 to 55 mph between Ellsworth Road and Ironwood Drive, effective after new signs went up Thursday night. ADOT says the change follows a speed study, and a larger project will expand SR 24 to a six-lane freeway starting in 2027, partly funded by Maricopa County’s Prop 479.
   

3. Phoenix man gets 45 years in prison for killing construction worker (azcentral.com) — A man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for a 2022 shooting at a Phoenix apartment complex near 28th Street and Indian School Road that killed construction worker Alvaro Quezada and injured others. Prosecutors say he fired about two dozen rounds before fleeing, and Phoenix police arrested him nearby; a jury later convicted him of murder and multiple assault charges.
   

4. Caught on cam: Man points gun at Phoenix couple's door (fox10phoenix.com) — A Phoenix couple is shaken after security video captured an unknown man pointing a gun at their front door near 75th Avenue and Camelback, then slashing a car’s tires. Phoenix police arrived after he left and are still searching, while the couple has temporarily left home and hopes neighbors stay alert as the investigation continues.
   

5. Hundreds of Valley children receive holiday shopping spree in north Phoenix (azfamily.com) — More than 300 kids from Phoenix-area programs enjoyed a $300–$350 holiday shopping spree at the Desert Ridge Target in north Phoenix, thanks to Executive Council Charities. Many came from Phoenix’s UMOM Center and Friends of the Children, with volunteers and donors raising over $140,000 to make the Gwyn Noble Holiday Shopping Experience possible and inviting residents to sponsor more children online.
   

📸 Around Phoenix

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Phoenix

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🗓 Events Nearby

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • SanTan Brewing Company and Spirit House Ring in 2026 with Dual New Year’s Eve Celebrations —Christina Caldwell Read on Patch
  • CBRE Group, Inc. posted a job opening for Lease Admin Supervisor (Eastern Region) in Phoenix. Apply here.
  • Schulte posted a job opening for FT Housekeeping Room Stylist in Phoenix. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Phoenix here.

Ok Phoenix! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I didn’t lose a tooth, Mom. It’s right here in my pocket.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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