MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Phoenix, AZ

PHOENIX — The year started off wet and cold as a strong storm system made its way across Phoenix on Sunday.

Much of the Valley recorded over a quarter of an inch of rain by 7:30 p.m., while the East Valley had higher amounts of rainfall.

Rain gauges in Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek recorded more than half an inch of rain, according to the Flood Control District of Maricopa County. The National Weather Service Phoenix advised residents in the East Valley to seek shelter amid thunderstorms with hail through 8:15 p.m. Sunday night.

Phoenix’s 0.38 inches of rain through 6:30 p.m. set a new daily record for Jan. 1, according to NWS.

A flash flood warning was issued for Maricopa and Pinal counties at 5:35 p.m. until 9:45 p.m. by NWS Phoenix. Heavy rainfall near Tortilla Flat resulted in a three-foot rise of Fish Creek in the area.

Flash Flood Warning including Tortilla Flat AZ until 9:45 PM MST pic.twitter.com/RQpbqOmEz1

Just west of Maricopa, the westbound lanes on State Route 238 at milepost 42 closed due to flooding, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

In the West Valley by Westgate Entertainment District, nearly 900 people were without power, according to SRP. The cause of the outage is under investigation.

More rain is expected to come, potentially bringing in gusty winds that could reach up to 30 mph.

A strong weather system & cold front will move east across the County today bringing gusty winds, colder temperatures, valley rain/mtn snow w/bouts of heavier rain #azwx See all the forecast details here: https://t.co/QHKPlzusKS pic.twitter.com/UpS8eXodB3

— The Flood Control District of Maricopa County (@FCDFloodInfo) January 1, 2023

Rain chances in Phoenix continue into the week with a 30% likelihood of precipitation on Monday morning and in the evening.

Meanwhile, a winter storm advisory is in effect in Flagstaff until 8 a.m. Monday, as the area could see a total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.

Rain showers were forecast to turn into snow after 1 p.m., with the possibility of patchy blowing dust after 3 p.m. Wind gusts could reach up to 34 mph, according to NWS.

There were also a few highway closures north of Phoenix due to winter weather conditions.

Northbound Interstate 17 near State Route 179, eastbound State Route 260 at milepost 256, eastbound Interstate 40 at milepost 146, westbound Interstate 40 at milepost 252 in Winslow, southbound State Route 87 at milepost 240 near Winslow and State Route 64 near the Grand Canyon (between milepost 242-269) were all closed, ADOT said.

Chances for snow showers in Flagstaff begin strong at the start of the week before dimming down Wednesday through Friday.

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Five metro area ZIP codes saw a housing flip where homeowners went from the majority to the minority.

PHOENIX — The Valley housing market saw nearly a decade of growth, changing the makeup of some ZIP codes.

Nationally and here in Phoenix, the number of new rental units far outpaced the building of single-family homes.

According to Rent Cafe's analysis of U.S. Census data, five metro area ZIP codes "flipped" from having a majority of residents being homeowners to a majority of residents being renters.

The 85054 ZIP code at Desert Ridge saw nearly a 90% increase in the number of rental units.

“Not a big surprise. This region is changing, this region has evolved,” said Anubhav Bagley, the regional analytics director at the Maricopa Association of Governments. “Since the housing market downturn, the entire Phoenix market, and the entire national market, has changed.“

Bagley lives in that 85054 ZIP code. After the recession, Bagley said many millennials rented instead of owning a home. The number of multifamily builds increased.

“Case in point. For this metro area, we are building 35-40% less single-family and 11% more multifamily,” said Bagley.

Fifteen ZIP codes in Maricopa County had rental properties account for more than 80% of their new construction. Many of them are in the major metro areas.

“I would not be surprised that as our economy evolves, for certain, more ZIP codes to have more rental property,” Bagley said.

The change also means new burdens. The price of housing across the board has gone up and renting is often no longer an affordable alternative.

“Apartment rent in the last 10 years is up some 80%,” Bagley said.

According to Bagley, nearly a quarter of all renters in the metro area spend more than 50% of their income on housing.

With all the growth—Bagley said the metro area needs to find flexible and affordable solutions to help some of the workers our city relies on to have a place to call home.

“We need enough housing to provide options for people to stay here, work here and live here,” Bagley added.

Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.

RealGM Wiretap

Robert Sarver is suspended from running the Phoenix Suns, but he is still in control of any trades that surpass a certain agreed-upon dollar amount.

Sam Garvin is in charge of the day-to-day as acting governor and said he has a sign-off on trades, but only to a certain point.

Sarver has agreed to sell the Suns to Mat Ishbia, but the vetting process on him is not expected to be complete before the Feb. 9th trade deadline.

The Suns continue to seek a trade of Jae Crowder and the Sarver situation is a contributing factor on why a deal hasn't been reached. The Suns have had talks about various multiplayer trades over the past few months that would all likely have to end up being approved by Sarver.

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We have all known that the Phoenix Suns are in a murky place when it comes to potential trade negotiations this season. The Suns have been up for sale since before the 2022-23 season started and, while a sale is pending the team will remain officially ‘on the market’ until after the February 9 midseason trade deadline.

The Ishbia brothers, Mat and Justin, would love to take over the team today but there are still some hurdles to clear. The final approval process that would result in the Ishbias taking control of the team is likely to take a couple more months rather than weeks.

That means General Manager James Jones has extra complications baked into any potential trades he wants to execute by February 9, including the need to get transactional approval from multiple places for any team-improving deadline deals.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, suspended outgoing team governor Robert Sarver still has some authority over what happens to the Suns while he is still the controlling partner.

That authority includes veto power over any trades that bring back a player making more than the league average of $10.9 million.

If you want the Suns to improve as a result of a Jae Crowder trade with a player or players who can perform better than Jae in the playoffs, at least one of the returning players will almost certainly be making more than Jae’s $10.1 million.

Which means James Jones will need not only interim governor Sam Garvin’s approval on any trade but also suspended governor Robert Sarver’s.

Why would the outgoing owners care, if they’re about to sell the team? For Sarver and Garvin, if the deal falls through, the sales process will have to start all over again and they will be the ones not only paying that additional salary but also the associated luxury tax which include double or triple the cost of the extra salary. The Sarver/Garvin pairing hasn’t written a luxury tax check in over 10 years.

Oh and there’s one more potential wrinkle on the ol’ luxury tax bill: A final sale could easily include terms where the outgoing owners foot any luxury tax bill incurred before the new owners take over.

This doesn’t necessarily mean Sarver or Garvin would veto a trade that makes the Suns better. Adding a few million to the luxury tax bill is relatively incidental to a $2 billion windfall on a $4 billion valuation, whenever the sale is finally done.

But it does mean that James Jones is still at least partially at the mercy of Robert Sarver’s basket-banker mind.

We all know from years past, Sarver’s transaction approvals are often heavily influenced by his own personal perception of the players in question. He once believed he could replace Amare Stoudemire with the collection of Hakim Warrick, Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu. He also thought trading Kurt Thomas AND two first round picks wouldn’t have a title-killing impact on his team. Same goes for the Shawn Marion/Shaquille O’Neal trade he reportedly brokered with Heat owner Micky Arison. And he likely had a heavy influence on the No. 1 pick choice in 2018, only to later be a heavy influence on Ayton’s contentious rookie extension talks.

What if Sarver doesn’t like a player on the current team? Will he quietly reject trades until that player is included, just to get a little more satisfaction on the way out the door?

And what if he, using his basketball scouting powers, really likes a player on another team? Will he reject potential deals that don’t bring back that player?

These are extreme examples, but we’ve experienced 18 years of Robert Sarver as controlling partner of the Suns ownership group. We know how he operates. I wouldn’t put it past him to influence one more big decision before he walks away with a couple bill for his trouble.

Even beyond the Sarver/Garvin issue, now consider James Jones’ trouble. He not only has to work on making the best on-court product he can, he’s also got to start thinking about the desires of the new buyers.

Every move he makes will influence the new owners decisions this summer.

If/when the Ishbias take over midseason, they will be on the hook for current-year salaries and, eventually, the luxury tax bill that’s already over $30 million. Remember, the owners have to pay the luxury tax out of their own pockets and share it with the other owners who didn’t cross that luxury tax line.

Imagine not only giving the Ishbias the current $30+ million bill to pay, but also adding to it with deadline trades that might not pan out.

For a midseason salary-adding trade to really ‘pan out’, the Suns would have to arguably go on a longer postseason run to replace the luxury tax bill with playoff profits.

Imagine Jones adding to that bill, only to see his team fail to make the playoffs or get out of the first round. While the Ishbias might appreciate the effort, they could also place more demerits against Jones’ job performance for it.

Jones is working for the best on-court product, but he’s also working for Sarver, Garvin AND the Ishbias in some form or another.

I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

+15000

The son of former NBA player and coach has known the Phoenix Suns All-Star guard and Arizona Cardinals All-Pro quarterback since they were teenagers. After establishing a business relationship with them, Avery Johnson Jr., has launched his own company, Elevate Global, and is opening a restaurant/nightspot, 40 Love, in Scottsdale in "early 2023."

NEW YORK – Devin Booker and Kyler Murray have obvious ties.

Franchise players for professional teams in Arizona.

Same jersey number. They’ve led their respective teams to the playoffs.

Played college ball in the Southeastern Conference, but there’s another connection who knew them way before they landed in the Valley to ball out for the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals.

Avery Johnson Jr.

“I’ve known Avery for a long time,” Booker said. “We’ve been friends since middle school.”

Johnson Jr. met Murray in high school in Texas.

“That relationship has just grown ever since,” Murray said.

Johnson Jr. is much more than just close friends with Booker and Murray, though.

Not only is he connected to those two on a personal and professional level, Johnson Jr. is a rising businessman making it on his own.

The son of former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson, he has launched his own company, Elevate Global, a “full service and entertainment” vehicle representing athletes, brands and entertainers.

“Just expanding into other lanes, other businesses and other athletes,” Johnson Jr. said. “Hiring people into the company so I use what I’ve learned from (Booker and Murray) and operate on a global level and using that and leveraging other clients and other players.”

Johnson Jr., 27, is just getting started.

“To watch his career go from basketball to what he’s doing now, he was always a step ahead of everybody his age,” Booker said. “He’s on the route to do big things. He already has. He’s somebody that his ear is always to the street. He’s always on the road. He knows what’s going on.”

Why aren't you in the guest room?

Having finalized partnerships and investments for Murray, Booker and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Johnson Jr. has created a company that will focus on “contract negotiation, marketing representation, brand representation, business development and creating IP.”

He also is preparing to open a restaurant/lounge, 40 Love, in Scottsdale in “early 2023” in partnership with nightlife group, H.wood, which is based out of Los Angeles and has restaurants all over the world from Dubai to Toronto and throughout the United States.

“Just a cool project,” Johnson Jr. said. “An exclusive spot that’s going to have A-list celebrities, performances.”

The new nightspot in Scottsdale is backed by “global athletes and entertainers.”

Being in the sports world at an early age, Johnson Jr. developed into a Division I basketball prospect, was on the AAU circuit and found himself among the nation’s best talent at an NBPA Top 100 camp.

Booker also was there.

“We played against each other,” Johnson Jr. said.

They’ve been really tight ever since. Avery Johnson remembers when his son and Booker were younger.

“I remember when Devin Booker was in high school and he was sleeping on the floor in Avery’s room and Avery was sleeping in the bed,” Johnson said. “I remember like, wow, you know, why aren’t you in the guest room? They just wanted to be together and train together.”

'From Day 1, they were like brothers'

Johnson attended Booker’s high school jersey retirement ceremony last month in Moss Point, Mississippi, but that wasn’t the first time those two have shared a special moment.

“When Devin walked across the stage to get drafted, when his name was called, Avery Jr. was there,” said Johnson as Phoenix picked Booker 13^th overall out of Kentucky.

Johnson Jr. and Murray connected during high school years in Texas.

They played in the same high school district in Texas. Murray was a phenom at Allen High while Johnson put in work at Plano West.

“Avery and Kyler, from Day 1, they were like brothers,” Johnson said. “I can remember when even Kyler was playing in high school, coming over to spend some time with us, they were inseparable. I think there was a healthy sense of respect because both ended up playing at a high level at Power 5 schools.”

Johnson Jr. and Murray started their college careers at Texas A&M before transferring. Johnson Jr. went to Alabama to play for his father while Murray landed in Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy.

“Tremendous amount of respect for Kyler and the Murray family,” Johnson said. “They’ve been very consistent with Avery Jr. They’ve entrusted him. They believe in him and he’s a part of their inner circle, which is not very easy to get into.”

Murray acknowledged the elder Johnson when talking about his close relationship with Johnson Jr.

“To help out with me, be friends with my pops and my mom,” Murray said.

'Really no surprise'

Johnson Jr. earned an undergraduate degree in marketing and Master’s in sports business management at Alabama. Not interested in playing overseas or coaching as he received offers to join staffs at Baylor and other colleges, Johnson Jr. started exploring the business side of athletics.

“I wanted to go to the NBA like anybody else that’s played D-I, you want to go that next level, but once I saw that wasn’t really a path, which was fine, I wanted to stay around in sports,” he said.

Johnson Jr. even envisioned working in a franchise front office, but he’s found a lane that fits his ambitious mindset, smarts and relationship building skills.

“I’m really proud of him because he’s understood the power of relationship and networking more than success and money,” Johnson said. “He’s understood the power of relationships and networking from an early age and the power of influence. I can remember back when he was in middle school and he was playing sports, but he was always business minded.”

Selling sneakers. Negotiating deals.

'A natural transition'

After his final season with the Crimson Tide in 2018-19, Johnson Jr. moved to Phoenix and started working with Booker as a day-to-day manager.

“It really was a natural transition,” Johnson Jr. said.

Johnson Jr. said that job put him in contact with several people and companies.

Then when the Cardinals drafted Murray with the top overall pick in 2019, Johnson started running his management and brand.

“Once he moved out there, I just pitched him on the plan and the brand and he hired me as well,” Johnson Jr. said. “… Once he got to Phoenix, it just made sense for me to work with both of them.”

Johnson Jr. served as a consultant for brands such as Overtime Elite that Booker has invested in as well as Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Hawks guard Trae Young.

Overtime Elite is based out of Atlanta and promises high school athletes six-figure deals if they skip college, Sporting News reported. Hip-hop artist Drake, billionaire Jeff Bezos and millionaire Alexis Ohanian, the husband of Serena Williams, have also invested in it, USA Today reported.

Johnson Jr. played a role in Booker connecting with Overtime Elite as well as Murray joining FaZe Clan, one of the largest esports and gaming organization in the world.

“For that friendship to continue into an entrusted business relationship really speaks to how they feel about one another and how they both have such a healthy sense of respect for each other’s skill set,” said Johnson about the Murray-Johnson Jr. bond.

Johnson has also negotiated endorsements from Verizon, Rocket Mortgage, Buffalo Wild Wings, Koia and Franklin Templeton.

“I have an assortment of deals I’m in,” Johnson Jr. said. “I’m in healthcare tech business. I’m in the hospitality space. We’ve got the investments. The marketing, the branding. I’m expanding out. Bringing my clients and my top guys into other deals that’s not just typical endorsement deals. Just branching out into other investments and investment groups.”

All these experiences have given Johnson Jr. the blueprint and confidence to launch his own company and expand his relationships with athletes and beyond.

“They know with Avery Jr., they have somebody who has a strong lineage of being a professional athlete,” Johnson said. “He knows what it looks like. He knows the pressures. He knows the ups and downs. He knows all the ends and outs of it. He knows how to help you with your marketing. He knows how you have to train. He knows the commitment. He knows the type of friends you need to hang around and the ones you shouldn’t have in your inner circle.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.