AZ Memo: Your daily forecast, Arpaio goes from sheriff to citizen, Cardinals Clemson connections, Debbie Reynolds death and more
Good morning, Arizona. It's Thurs. Dec. 29, 2016 and here's what to know today.
Phoenix area residents (and visitors) will get to soak up some spectacular weather for another day or so before a system moves in that will drop temperatures and increase the chance of rain this weekend.
High temperatures are expected to reach the mid-to-upper 70s today with lows in the upper 50s. On Friday, highs are forecast to hit the lower 70s before dropping into the lower-to-mid 60s through the weekend. Saturday also comes with a chance of showers.
Sheriff Joe to Citizen Joe
The days are numbered for "America's Toughest Sheriff" and that number is three.
As of Sunday, Sheriff Joe Arpaio will cede his title to Paul Penzone and take up life as Citizen Joe- a title he held briefly between his retirement from the DEA and his ascendance to sheriff in 1992.
Arpaio, of course, could not go out without holding court with the media and azcentral's Michael Kiefer and Megan Cassidy sat down with the voluble sheriff last week to discuss what's next.
Arpaio couldn't or wouldn't say, exactly, but he swears "I'm not going away."
Love him or loathe him, it's worth a read.
Cardinals-Clemson connections
You don't have to look too hard to find ties between NFL teams and the four schools vying for the College Football Playoff title: Alabama, Washington, Clemson and Ohio State are the types of traditional powers that rely on NFL talent to stock their rosters.
But azcentral's Paola Boivin writes that there is an a-typical bond between the Arizona Cardinals and Clemson Tigers. Bruce Arians and Clemson's Dabo Swinney were assistants together at Alabama and a trio of Cardinals players (Andre Ellington, Chandler Cantazaro and Jaron Brown) played for Swinney at Clemson.
"I think definitely the culture of the program has changed under him," Cantazzaro said. "We expect to be at the top. It's an expectation now, to be part of that elite status."
Debbie Reynolds death: Brokenhearted over Carrie?
Perhaps the heartbreak was just too much.
Debbie Reynolds, the ever-buoyant entertainer who managed to stay in the spotlight for more than six decades, died Wednesday at age 84 after being rushed to the hospital a day after her daughter Carrie Fisher died from a massive heart attack.
Until the end, Reynolds proved to be nearly as resilient as her spunky Titanic survivor in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, the 1964 musical biopic that was the source of her only Oscar nomination.
The insidious Darth Vader might have been Princess Leia's father in Star Wars. But in real life, her mother was the indomitable Reynolds, who set a high standard for unwavering perseverance early on in her Hollywood career.
50 states: 50 most Instagrammed restaurants
We've all been there: food is served and the cell phones come out before the cutlery to snap some pics and make other jealous (or scared) of what they're missing.
Finally, someone thought to ask Instagram to find the most popular restaurant for Instagramming in each state.
They did and the results, while not surprising, are decadent and appetizing, so click.
Also, something a little closer to home, be sure to check azcentral about mid-day to get Dominic Armato's best new restaurants and best new dishes of 2016…it'll be something new to Instagram for 2017.
In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slain in Canterbury Cathedral by knights loyal to King Henry II.
In 1812, during the War of 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution engaged and severely damaged the British frigate HMS Java off Brazil.
In 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them.
In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as "The Second Great Fire of London."
In 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed into the Florida Everglades near Miami International Airport, killing 101 of the 176 people aboard.
In 1975, a bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people (it's never been determined who was responsible).