Over the course of 2022, KJZZ News covered a wide range of stories. As 2023 approaches, here's a look back at the five most-viewed stories on KJZZ.org this year.
1. Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko heckled, exits stage during graduation speech in Glendale
U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko spoke at a graduation ceremony for Arizona Virtual Academy in Glendale. Attendees said the address largely ignored the graduates and instead focused on politics and self-promotion. Lesko exited the stage amid boos and heckling. The incident didn’t hurt Lesko’s campaign — she easily won reelection in the 8th Congressional District, where she ran unopposed.
2. Who’s in the barrel found at Lake Mead? Las Vegas' Mob Museum takes a guess
The water level in Lake Mead continued to fall in 2022, and in May authorities found human remains inside a metal barrel that surfaced on the reservoir’s expanding shoreline. The Show spoke with Geoff Schumacher from the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, who offered some educated guesses as to who got whacked.
3. Kris Mayes defeats Abe Hamadeh in Arizona attorney general race
The 2022 midterm elections dominated the news for much of the year, and one Arizona race was too close to call until the very last ballots were counted. When the dust settled, Democrat Kris Mayes edged Republican Abe Hamadeh by just over 500 votes. The narrow margin triggered an automatic recount under state law, and this time Mayes won by just 280 votes. The discrepancy was not immediately clear.
4. Fazoli’s is returning to Arizona
It was starting to feel like Fazoli’s was trolling us. “200+ restaurants in the U.S.,” said the fast-casual Italian chain’s Twitter bio, “but none in Arizona.” In March, Fazoli’s announced it would be opening its first Arizona restaurants since the chain left the state in 2008. Breadstick heads are eagerly awaiting the first of nine locations, which will be inside Sky Harbor Airport.
5. A Valley interior designer bought a painting at Goodwill. What she learned about it was incredible
Grace Carpenter is an interior designer and home stager in Phoenix. One day at Goodwill, she bought an odd painting of a woman and her cat. As an avid “Antiques Roadshow” watcher, Carpenter thought she recognized the signature on the painting. She turned to TikTok for advice.
