Drayage Brokersin Mesa, AZ

Meta has sold land in Mesa, Arizona, to data center developer company EdgeCore Internet Real Estate for ~$1.2 million.

Located at 3856 S. Everton Terrace and totaling around 15 acres of land, EdgeCore has purchased the lot as part of its large investment in the Phoenix metro.

The Phoenix Business Journal reported that Meta has sold the land as it didn’t need it, and wouldn’t be working with EdgeCore on further development. The adjacent parcel of land that Meta also owns has not been sold.

According to Inflect, EdgeCore is planning to build a 225MW data center campus on the land. The total floor space is expected to reach 1.2m sq ft (~116,130 sqm) and will offer wholesale leases. DCD has reached out to EdgeCore for comment.

The company already has a significant campus on the Elliot Road Technology Corridor in Mesa, on the outskirts of Phoenix. The campus covers 1.1m sq ft (~101,200 sqm) and offers 170MW of capacity across five data centers. The company has further data centers in Ashburn, Virginia; Reno, Nevada and Silicon Valley, California.

In 2021, Meta acquired 396 acres in Mesa under the pseudonym Redale LLC for an $800m data center at 3841 S Ellsworth Road. It is likely part of this land that Meta has sold to EdgeCore. The company later expanded this project, adding another three buildings. The first building of the project is expected to be delivered in 2023 and the 2.5 million sq ft campus is expected to be completed in 2026.

It is unclear if Meta is reconfiguring its plans at the site due to its 'rescoping' of several of its data center projects designs to better accommodate AI workloads. DCD has reached out for more information.

As DCD exclusively reported in December, the company has ripped up its data center plans and is pausing projects around the world as it redesigns them for AI workloads. It first canceled its Danish data center expansion outright, before pausing projects in Texas, Idaho, and Alabama.

Sebastian Ibañez was gifted a minivan after his was wrecked in a crash.

MESA, Ariz. — A small act of kindness nearly three years ago was multiplied for Sebastian Ibañez on Tuesday.

A U.S. Army veteran he helped obtain N-95 masks for during the pandemic gifted him a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan after Ibañez’s van was wrecked in a crash last Wednesday.

“I can’t believe it. I’m speechless,” he said. “I’m telling you, I’m mute. Now I’m blind, deaf, and mute. I cannot come up with words.”

Ibañez is a street vendor in Mesa. He began selling brooms, mops, dust pans, and other items in 2015, after he said he struggled to get a job because of his condition—he is legally blind and partially deaf.

Although he doesn’t drive or have a driver’s license, he owns a van and uses it to move and store his product. Usually, his wife or a family member drive him to intersections across Mesa where he sells his goods.

The crash put his business on pause, until now.

Credit: 12News

During the summer Ibañez scales his business and sells Mexican paletas, or ice pops made of fresh natural fruits. When the temperature drops in the Valley, he transitions and sells San Marcos-style-cobijas-- thick, warm, and traditional Mexican-made blankets.

When the pandemic hit, he also sold masks.

One of his customers, who had purchased a broom and mop from him years before the pandemic needed help getting N-95 masks after a cancer diagnosis.

“My wife reached out to him,” Ismael Murillo said. “I was really struggling because we then found out I also had COVID.”

Murillo was diagnosed with multiple myeloma or bone marrow cancer in 2019. He experienced liver and lung failure and in January 2020 he was put in a medically induced coma for two weeks.

At the time doctors couldn’t diagnose his symptoms, he said, but after an antibody test, he tested positive for COVID-19.

“It was so bad at one point the doctors told my wife to bring the kids by to say their goodbyes because they had no idea what was going on or what to do because COVID was still brand new,” Murillo said.

Credit: 12news

On February 11, 2020, he emerged from a coma and a day later, his breathing tube was removed, he recalled.

While the pandemic intensified, Murillo needed to protect himself, so they reached out to Ibañez for help obtaining N-95 masks.

“Since he was going back and forth to Mexico getting supplies so he could sell for himself, he managed to get some N-95 masks for us that lasted us almost a whole entire year,” he said. “Because of him, we were able to go out and do some things and get stuff we needed safely because we didn’t want to run the risk of getting COVID again.”

It is thanks to Ibañez’s small act of kindness, that Murillo, a U.S. Army veteran, began cancer treatment and went back to school feeling safe. With one arm hooked to a chemo IV and a laptop with the other, he completed a master’s degree at Grand Canyon University.

“[Ibañez] has gone through a lot and I could relate to what he is going through, through my own struggles and adversaries, and I just felt for him,” Murillo said. “He’s hit so many roadblocks, I’ve hit so many myself, and it was my turn to help him this time.”

Without asking for anything in return, Murillo gave Sebastian Ibañez a helping hand and gifted him a minivan on Tuesday.

The van needed a new battery and will need new tags, but overall is in good condition, Murillo said.

“It’s been good to us and hopefully it’ll be good to you,” he told Ibañez as he handed him the keys.

Credit: 12News

The gift was a positive note to a series of setbacks the street vendor had faced in recent months.

Before last Wednesday’s van crash, Ibañez’s family had been forced to move apartments after they were evicted. His disability checks arrive on the third of the month, but his rent was due on the first.

He said after multiple times of paying three or four days into the month, they were evicted.

Then, before the start of the new year business was slow. He didn’t sell enough products to come up with enough money to pay for his last semester at Arizona State University where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

That forced him to delay his goal of graduating in May. He created a GoFundMe to fundraise and pay for his studies.

“When I was on the sidewalk once I was hit by a car,” Ibañez said. “My mops were burned outside my home. My wife has been fighting [thyroid] cancer for about two or three years now.”

His wife is stable, but her cancer levels have gone up, he said. Her AHCCS medical coverage was denied, so they travel to Mexico for treatments.

Ibañez said his wife works full time, despite experiencing pain in her back and leg.

“She is so strong, and I have to be strong with her,” Ibañez said. “So, I have to keep pushing to provide for my family.”

While he said he enjoys being his own boss, Ibañez hopes to become a car salesman. But his true passion is comedy and dreams of doing that professionally one day.

“Thank you, everyone, especially to Ismael,” Ibañez said. “I appreciate it so much.”

Adriana Loya is a bilingual multi-skilled journalist at 12News. She can be reached at aloya@12news.com.

Credit: Sebastian Ibañez

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

Mayor John Giles announces a new Trees Are Cool Initiative encouraging residents and businesses to plant trees as part of Mesa’s Climate Action Plan. The goal is to plant 1 million trees in Mesa by 2050.

Mesa Mayor John Giles announced the “Trees are Cool” initiative to increase shade across Mesa, lower the urban heat island effect in our neighborhoods and cool our communities during the hot summer months. “Trees are Cool” challenges residents and businesses to help increase the City’s tree canopy coverage to 15 percent over the next 27 years. To reach this crucial milestone, Mesa has set a target of planting 1,000,000 trees in Mesa by 2050.

“Any meaningful Climate Action Plan in Mesa, Arizona must address heat mitigation, and trees have a significant role to play in providing shade, keeping temperatures low, and filtering greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Giles. “I encourage everyone to get involved in planting new trees in Mesa.”

“Trees are Cool” supports Mesa’s Climate Action Plan and responds to feedback from community members about the City’s environmental goals. Mesa is addressing urban heat through strategies that help reduce daytime and overnight temperatures. Trees are one solution to cooling our communities by shading surfaces and the cooling effect when water vapor evaporates from its leaves.

“We need to work together to ensure that our community can withstand the changing weather patterns caused by climate change, both in terms of extreme temperatures and ongoing drought,” said Scott Bouchie, director of the Environmental and Sustainability Department. “It is especially important to reduce temperatures in our most vulnerable neighborhoods. And planting trees can help us do this.”

As part of the “Trees Are Cool” initiative, Mesa launched an online tool to record newly planted trees, including planting locations. This data, in tandem with the assessment of existing trees, will help the City track its efforts to reach the goal of 15 percent tree canopy coverage (and 1,000,000 million trees planted). Additionally, the page features a map showing Mesa neighborhoods at greater risk of heat impacts – which often correlates with lesser amounts of tree canopy – and provides helpful information on choosing, planting and caring for trees.

Trees are environmental superheroes, fight climate change in multiple ways and play a crucial role in creating healthier and more livable cities. They remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, absorb and clean our air of other pollutants and help reduce and clean stormwater runoff. Besides cooling our neighborhoods and making our streets more walkable, they also reduce energy consumption and even save water when the tree of choice is a desert-adapted variety.

For additional information about the tree project and to record your new tree, visit https://www.mesalistens.com/trees-are-cool.

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MESA, AZ — It’s that time of year again- and for some, the BEST time of year! Spring training games at Sloan Park in Mesa kick off Saturday, Feb. 25, and other than seeing some of your favorite players hit the field- you’ll want to check out the menu lineup for this season!

ABC15 met up with Chris Myers, executive chef for Levy at Sloan Park, to know what the new concession items are for this season.

Take a look:

SONORAN DOG

“We wanted to add a little bit more of the southwestern flair because so many people from the midwest come to see the Cubs play and they like to try a little bit more stuff outside of the midwestern palette,” said Myers. “We’re in Mesa, Arizona- let’s try the local flavors here so we added a little bit of that in and then we take into account how many people are from this area who might want try the Chicago stuff. So we have the Chicago Dogs, the Maxwell’s Polish and all the big foods, the Italian beefs, and all that sort of things.”

SONORAN NACHOS

“They [the nachos] come in a big home plate box, so if you [have] a couple of kids, they can share it…. for a family of four you buy two of those and you’re set,” said Myers.

SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH

LET’S PLAY TWO DOGS/ DOUBLE & TRIPLE SLIDERS

“We have a little slider stand this year- so we’ll have mini burgers and mini hot dogs. You’ll get two of those and we’re calling them lets play two dogs and they’re just mini hot dogs,” explained Myers. “The sliders are like your smash style- so they’ll be stacked up and skewered, they’ll be kind of tall so you can get a double or a triple with those.”

GRAND SLAM TOTCHO

IF YOU GO

Ready for what's next.#NextStartsHere pic.twitter.com/nY95E56HlZ

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 21, 2023

ARIZONA CACTUS LEAGUE

15 MLB teams are in the Valley for spring training. Here’s what you need to know regarding the stadiums, spring training games, tickets and more!

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona beach volleyball team completed a perfect 4-0 weekend with a pair of victories on Saturday against Colorado Mesa and Boise State at Bear Down Beach.

It marks the third time in the last four years that the Wildcats started the year 4-0.

With wins on Saturday the pairs of Alana Rennie and Grace Cook are 4-0 on the season along with Annie Kost and Miranda Erro and Kylee Fitzsimmons and Caroline White.

In the morning match against Colorado Mesa, Arizona claimed wins at the No. 3, 4 and 5 pairs to seal the win.

The afternoon match against Boise State saw two matches go to a third set.

Arizona will be back in action next weekend at the Pac-12 South Invitational in Los Angeles.

No. 18 Arizona – 3, Colorado Mesa – 2 No. 1 Pair - Holly Schmidt and Macie Lachemann (CMU) def. Dilara Gedikoglu and Alex Parkhurst (ARIZ): 21-15, 21-15 No. 2 Pair: Savannah Spitzer and Hahni Johnson (CMU) def. Abby Russell and Hope Shannon (ARIZ): 15-21, 23-21, 16-14 No. 3 Pair: Alana Rennie and Grace Cook (ARIZ) def. Jada Hall and Gracyn Spresser (CMU): 21-10, 23-21 No. 4 Pair: Kylee Fitzsimmons and Caroline White (ARIZ) def. Tye Wedhorn and Sabrina VanDeList (CMU): 21-19, 21-15 No. 5 Pair: Annie Kost and Miranda Erro (ARIZ) def. Sydney Leffler and Hailey Peters (CMU): 21-9, 21-11

MATCH NOTES Order of finish:5, 1, 3, 4, 2,

#18 Arizona – 5, Boise State – 0 No. 1 Pair - Alex Parkhurst and Sarah Blacker (ARIZ) def. Sierra Land and Madison Nichols (BSU): 21-17, 21-14 No. 2 Pair - Abby Russell and Hope Shannon (ARIZ) def. Kaylee Mejia and Lily Patock (BSU): 21-14, 21-17 No. 3 Pair - Alana Rennie and Grace Cook (ARIZ) def. Rorianna Chartier and Ava Anderson (BSU): 21-17, 21-13 No. 4 Pair - Kylee Fitzsimmons and Caroline White (ARIZ) def. Emilia Guerra-Acuna and Joey Benson (BSU): 19-21, 21-16, 15-12 No. 5 Pair - Annie Kost and Miranda Erro (ARIZ) def. Sharli O'Neil and Aris Vetter (BSU): 21-17, 16-21, 15-13

Order of finish:2, 4, 1, 3, 5,