PHOENIX — Happy Thursday! Anyone else ready for a little more "fall chill" in the air?
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Thursday, October 23; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Cooler and drier air moving in
Cooler and drier air is settling in, keeping our skies clear through the rest of the week. Today looks sunny with a high near 84º, then overnight lows in the mid 60s. We'll stay in the mid 80s again Friday before a warm-up returns this weekend.
Two men possibly struck by lightning, rescued from Humphreys Peak near Flagstaff
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office has made contact with two men who are believed to have been struck by lightning Wednesday.
Just before 11 a.m., CCSO received a phone call from two men, one from Canada and one from Flagstaff, who reported they were struck by lightning near Humphreys Peak.
Humphreys Peak is located near Flagstaff and is Arizona's highest point.
Search and rescue crews were deployed to the area, where the men were located, on foot. Aircraft operations were grounded because of weather conditions.
At about 2:45 p.m., the rescuers made contact with the men who were making their way down. Officials say one of the men had to stop due to his injuries.
'Bicycle Barry' facing another setback after being seriously hurt in Valley road rage crash
Barry Hammond, known around town as Bicycle Barry after he gave up driving due to health reasons, was nearly killed in a January road rage crash.
ABC15 shared the story of how Hammond was hit and run over by a driver after a confrontation on the road, and the community raised $8,000 for help with his recovery and to get a new bike.
Unfortunately, now Hammond is back in the hospital with a severe infection in his injured ankle that doctors believe could lead to amputation.
"This devastating health crisis comes on top of already losing his job and his home. He is uncertain about his future, but he is fighting hard to hold onto hope," a GoFundMe fundraiser says about Hammond.
The driver who hit Hammond, Edward Phillip Lajeunesse, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a serious injury accident. His license was suspended and he served some jail time, but was released in September.
Defense points finger at another man, trial set to begin in Allison Feldman murder
It's been over ten years since Allison Feldman was murdered and seven years since a suspect was arrested. Now, after over a decade of waiting, her family is preparing for the trial to begin.
"It's hard to imagine some days because it took so long to get here, and now things are starting to happen," said Allison's dad, Harley Feldman, outside court Tuesday.
Allison was killed inside her Scottsdale home. The case went cold for years before familial DNA was used, pointing police to suspect Ian Mitcham.
A battle over how that key DNA evidence was obtained delayed the case against Mitcham for years, even reaching the State Supreme Court.
In December 2024, Arizona's highest court ultimately ruled the evidence could be used at trial.
Nearly a year later, jury selection is supposed to start on Monday.
Grand Canyon staff reunite after losing livelihoods to North Rim fire
One of the biggest tragedies of the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon's North Rim was the community that was forced to scatter as the fire stole their chosen home. But in a small, much-loved bar on the Arizona-Utah line over the weekend, home came back again.
ABC15 documented the reunion of North Rim employees during their "survivor party" at Buckskin Tavern in Fredonia, where staff members representing four decades of dedication to the less-visited rim celebrated what the community means to them, and mourned the loss of the North Rim.
The Dragon Bravo Fire, which sparked on July 4 by a lightning strike, grew to burn over 145,000 acres of land in Northern Arizona, becoming the seventh-largest fire in state history. No one was seriously injured in the fire, but it destroyed over 100 structures and buildings, and forced the evacuation of employees and visitors. The blaze demolished the North Rim's historic lodge and visitor center.
