The year is about to come to an end, so here’s a look at the Top 10 Paradise Valley Independent stories of 2025, according to which stories our readers were most interested in.

Police identify teen in shooting that sent mother to jail

Phoenix police detectives continued to investigate an accidental shooting that left a teenager dead and his mother facing criminal charges, authorities said in mid-August when they identified the victim as 14-year-old Jeremiah Ricci.

The shooting occurred 10:45 p.m. Aug. 10. Officers responded to a motel near 27th Avenue and Union Hills Drive and found the teenage boy with an apparent gunshot wound.

Phoenix Fire Department personnel arrived and pronounced the boy dead.

Nationally recognized cardiologists to join Banner Health

Banner Health, a healthcare non-profit with hospitals throughout the Valley and Scottsdale, announced in early September that five nationally recognized cardiovascular specialists from Scottsdale would join the organization.

The team of five will be led by interventional cardiologist and renowned clinical research David Rizik, M.D. Joining Rizik will be Robert Burke, M.D., who a press release says is widely regarded for his expertise in advanced cardiac imaging, as well as Kevin Klassen, M.D., Imad Khaled, M.D. and Ankur Gupta, M.D.

Paradise Valley closes case on bicycle road rage incident

The case is closed on a road rage incident involving a bicyclist riding through Paradise Valley who left an 80-year-old man in significant pain and with thousands of dollars in damage to his car.

Investigation from the Paradise Valley Police Department led to the arrest of and incriminating statements from William Tuberty, who was charged with criminal damage, assault, and disorderly conduct-fighting.

Two arrested in Valleywide theft ring targeting elderly shoppers

37-year-old Luis Jimenez-Mojica and 26-year-old Daniel Ortega were arrested Aug. 6 in relation to a South American Theft Group (SATG) who were targeting elderly victims while they were shopping.

According to the police report, the suspects would steal the victims’ wallets and use the cards to make thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases.

Hundreds of teens show up uninvited to SUSD board member’s party

A party at Scottsdale Unified School District governing board member Dr. Matthew Pittinsky’s home was shut down by police Nov. 7 after hundreds of uninvited teens showed up.

Police and private security were called to quell the incident, during which an underage girl was transported from the home by firefighters to a local hospital for possible alcohol poisoning, according to a Paradise Valley Police report.

3 SUSD employees without jobs following accusations

Three former Scottsdale Unified School District employees are without their jobs after concerns about their behavior related to children have come up since October.

Two of them – former Cocopah sixth grade English language arts teacher Michael Gill and Hohokam Elementary School crossing guard Thomas Giorlando – were fired and charged by police for allegedly possessing child pornography.

The third – Saguaro High School athletic director Lucas Ackerson – was allowed to resign from the district amid allegations he was inappropriately messaging a female student on social media. Police looked into his situation and decided there was not enough evidence to launch an official investigation.

Tens of millions of dollars going into resort updates throughout Paradise Valley

Tens of millions of dollars have been funneled into resort renovations in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale during the past year, ranging from complete overhauls to the newest in spa trends.

Experts say that’s a good thing because it means tourism is strong in the luxury market. And the region’s tourism industry is doing well right now, particularly when it comes to high-end resorts.

Arizona cities cannot regulate vacation rentals, Court of Appeals rules

State lawmakers meant what they said when barring cities from regulating vacation rentals, the state Court of Appeals has concluded.

In a unanimous decision in early December, the court rejected arguments by the city of Sedona that it was free to prohibit a 59-acre mobile home park from renting out its units for short-term rentals.
The judges said the clear language of the laws, dating back to 2016, leave that decision up to individual homeowners. In this case, Oak Creek Mobilodge has the same rights.

Developer, lender clash over Ritz-Carlton in Paradise Valley

A lawsuit between the developer of the still unfinished Ritz-Carlton in Paradise Valley and its lender, as well as the lender’s plan to foreclose on the property, has left the future of the $2 billion luxury resort in limbo.

New York-based Madison Realty Capital in May filed a notice of trustee’s sale, signaling foreclosure of the property. The next month, Five Star Development, developer of the 122-acre Ritz-Carlton resort, filed a lawsuit against the lender claiming it undermined and took over “the very project it agreed to finance.”

Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley developer files for bankruptcy

Developers of the Ritz-Carlton resort in Paradise Valley filed for bankruptcy in late October.

Five Star Development said the filing is intended to create a clear, court-supervised path toward completing Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, The Palmeraie — a 122-acre master-planned resort, residential, and luxury retail project located at 7000 E. Lincoln Dr.

Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.