AZ Briefing: Arizona Christmas travel, weather; Brnovich dispute with elections officials; I-17 holiday tree

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

Arizona Christmas travel and weather updates: See the latest updates on traffic, crashes, weather, gas prices and airport conditions you might encounter this holiday weekend.

A dispute between Attorney General Mark Brnovich and elections officials statewide has apparently derailed a new manual intended to guide elections over the next two years.

The Mystery Tree that has brought holiday cheer for people traveling on Interstate 17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff hasn't had Christmas decorations for more than two years. Now, the family responsible for the decades-long tradition has come forward to explain why.

Today, you can expect there to be a slight chance of showers, with a high near 65 degrees. A chance of showers at night, with a low near 51 degrees. Get the full forecast here.

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Today in history

  • In 1905, the first State Fair opened in Phoenix under authority of a legislative act.

  • In 1906, Tombstone Prospector described a new innovation for the Christmas season ... “one of the novelties during the Christmas celebration this year are artificial Christmas trees ... The imitation is so exact a production of the real article that it is difficult to tell the difference between the two.”

  • In 1916, Tucson experienced a Christmas Day blizzard. Extreme cold weather caused a coal shortage throughout all of southern Arizona.

  • In 1929, part of the U.S. border was moved two blocks north to include the big municipal Christmas tree in Nogales, Ariz. so that some 3,000 children living in Nogales, Sonora could come to the tree to receive gifts of candy, toys and clothing.

  • In 1934, George W.P. Hunt, seven-time governor of Arizona, died at age 75. His body lay in state in the Capitol rotunda under the Great Seal of Arizona which he helped design.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Christmas travel and weather updates