8 of the craziest Arizona news stories from 2024

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From the Northern Lights to self-driving Waymo cars malfunctioning, here are eight of the craziest Arizona news stories of 2024.

With 2024 barely in the rearview mirror, it’s time to reflect on the last 365 trips around the sun. As is the case most years, it was a mix of lightheaded stories (remember the Northern Lights?) to more serious stories (like a composting farm that’s emitting some seriously foul odors and leaving residents sick).

Here are eight of the weirdest and craziest Arizona headlines in 2024. May 2025 be just as crazy.

 

1. Northern lights from geomagnetic storms seen across Arizona

Appropriately named, the Northern Lights are typically only spotted in, well, northern locations. But not this past year. Back in May, residents of certain cities in Arizona like Show Low, Prescott, Queen, and Sun City West were able to watch the sky light up in an array of dazzling colors.

The scientific reason behind this phenomenon? The sun released a coronal mass ejection that caused a geomagnetic storm.

This story was one of the top 10 most-read stories on azfamily.com, and for good reason: the Northern Lights don’t typically appear anywhere near Arizona.

2. Neighbors say compost farm nuisance is more than just foul smell

Located in Laveen, the Arizona Green Guys is a composting farm that uses waste, including paper, wood, and animal waste, to create soil that can nourish plants. The farm also literally quite stinks. Residents who reside around the area have described the smell emitted from the farm as “sour, and unbearable,” according to an ABC15 story. The problem has been going on for so long that Maricopa County is actually suing the farm for violating a zoning ordinance. 

3. Waymo Vehicles: The New “Wrong-Way” Drivers in Tempe

Love it or hate it, technology is all around us, and it’s here to stay. One prime example of new technology that’s pretty easy to spot is Waymo’s white self-driving cars. Just like their human drivers, Waymo cars make mistakes. The results can be quite humorous, and these mistakes are often caught on camera.

Back in September of 2024, a Waymo car turned on the wrong side of the road in Tempe. Just last month, a man nearly missed his flight at Sky Harbor International Airport after his car was circling non-stop at the airport. At least he wasn’t charged for the ride, though.

If you want to amuse yourself, Google Waymo malfunctioning and enjoy the results. Since Waymo only operates in three states—Arizona, California, and Texas—plenty of the videos are filmed in the Grand Canyon State.

4. Pooseum: World’s biggest collection of fossilized poop comes to Arizona. Where to see it.

Museums are places we visit to learn more about the world around us. Some hold prestigious and beloved works of art, and others don’t. The Poozeum in Williams (the city made famous by The Eagles’ classic rock tune “Take it Easy”) wouldn’t be called prestigious, but it’s certainly interesting.

This museum, which opened in May of 2024, houses what claims to be the largest collection of fossilized dinosaur feces—also called coprolite—in the world. Some highlights include “Barnum,” or what claims to be the largest T. Rex dinosaur poop in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records even certified Barnum as the largest coprolite by a carnivore in 2020. Visitors also can see coprolites with teeth and bite marks and view collections from Wyoming, Florida, and South Carolina. The museum is closed for the winter, but it’s slated to reopen in March of 2025, according to its website

5. A Charles Barkley blimp is coming to Phoenix for the Final Four

If you looked up in the sky during the Final Four in early April of 2024, you might have seen a massive Charles Barkley blimp in the sky. And yes, that last sentence is totally correct. The beloved NBA star and Phoenix Suns legend’s likeness was printed on the 128-foot-long blimp. It was part of sponsor Capital One’s ad campaign to promote the college basketball tournament. According to this Axios article, the blimp’s nicknames included “Charles Flightly,” “The Up Chuck,” “Soar Charles,” “Air Chuck One,” and “The Ugly Chuckling.”

6. Inside the Coyotes’ stunning move from Arizona to Utah

A major sports team leaving one city for another is always a big deal. And the long-suffering Arizona Coyotes NHL team finally left town for Utah in April of 2024.

Take the suffering part seriously. In 2009, the Arizona Coyotes went bankrupt. The team was kicked out of the Gila River Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) back in 2022 due to unpaid taxes and arena fees. Finally, the team was playing at Arizona State University’s Mullet Arena and failed to find a new place to construct a new arena. Additionally, the team has never won the Stanley Cup.

The sad history of the team finally met its tragic fate when NBA team Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith purchased it for $1.2 billion. Thankfully, there’s some positive news in the mix for Arizona hockey fans. There’s a committee that’s been formed with the intention of bringing an NHL team back to the Grand Canyon State, according to Sports Illustrated.

7. “It’s weird:” Deputy responds to report of dead cows in yard, finds out they’re not what they seem

In November of 2024, a concerned citizen called the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and reported seeing the carcasses of dead cows strewn across a yard. Luckily, the whole thing turned out to be a farce. A deputy drove out to discover that what the person spotted were some props for a film project in Prescott, according to 12News.

8. “Crossed the Line,” Fans, players call for change after chaos at the WM Phoenix Open 

The WM Phoenix Open is a golf tournament held in Scottsdale that’s also one of the Valley’s biggest social events with plenty of booze involved. The 2024 tournament did not exactly go as planned.

The shindig is known for a rowdy atmosphere, but 2024 saw things get out of control with 54 arrests and 211 attendees kicked out. The biggest slip-up was on Saturday. On the same day, officials shut down the gates and did not allow entry to the tournament–leaving ticket holders upset. Food and alcohol sales were also suspended, which did not help matters. Ongoing rain throughout the week also left many areas where fans typically stand completely muddy and messy. Plenty of videos of drunk fans took off on social media.

Hopefully, 2025 will see a better tournament. The organizers have already announced some changes.


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