Senator-elect resigns, leaving seat open; Arizona gas prices fall below $4; Labor Day travel tips

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

Rep. Diego Espinoza resigned Friday to take a Salt River Project job. His Senate seat, won last month, will now go to whoever gets the most write-in votes.

Gas prices in Arizona fell below $4 on Thursday after hitting a record high of $5.388 in June. However, many remain stressed out due to inflation.

Here's what to expect if you're heading out of Phoenix for Labor Day weekend, including the absolute worst times to be on the highway.

Today, you can expect it to be mostly cloudy and very warm with a high near 104 degrees. Partly cloudy at night, with a low near 85 degrees. Get the full forecast here.

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Today in history

  • On this date in 1939, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declared war on Germany, two days after the Nazi invasion of Poland; in a radio address, Britain’s King George VI said, “With God’s help, we shall prevail.” The same day, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner SS Athenia some 250 miles off the Irish coast, killing more than 100 out of the 1,400 or so people on board.

  • In 1943, Allied forces invaded Italy during World War II, the same day Italian officials signed a secret armistice with the Allies.

  • In 1970, legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, 57, died in Washington, D.C.

  • In 2003, Paul Hill, a former minister who said he murdered an abortion doctor and his escort to save the lives of unborn babies, was executed in Florida by injection, becoming the first person put to death in the United States for anti-abortion violence.

  • An Arizona man, Jacob Chansley, who wore face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns when he joined the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty to a felony charge. (Chansley would be sentenced to 41 months in prison.)

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Senator-elect resigns, leaving seat open