PHOENIX — Happy Monday! We've got a nice cool day (for May) today! Hope you can get out and enjoy it!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Monday, May 18; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Cooler on Monday
A dry cold front is dropping our temperatures into the 80s in the Valley today, and overnight will be cool and clear with lows in the 60s.
Temperatures will spend another day below normal before we start to warm back up.
Investigation underway after infant found dead at Flagstaff hotel
An investigation is underway after an infant was found dead Sunday morning at a hotel in Flagstaff, according to the Flagstaff Police Department.
Officers were called around 9:30 a.m. to a hotel for reports of a possible infant death.
When officers arrived, they found a deceased infant inside one of the hotel rooms.
Two other children were also inside the room, but neither child was hurt, and both are safe, investigators said.
Detectives responded to the scene and are working to determine what led up to the infant's death.
Flagstaff police badge
Three critically hurt after fiery two-vehicle crash near 12th St and Carefree Highway, MCSO says
Six people were hurt, including three who remain in critical condition, after a fiery two-vehicle crash late Saturday night, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to the crash near 12th Street and Carefree Highway just before 11 p.m. Saturday. Investigators say both vehicles caught fire after the collision.
In total, six people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to major.
As of the last update Sunday morning, three of those patients were still listed in critical condition.
Arizona Public Service seeks permission to raise electric rates every year
Arizona Public Service is asking state regulators to approve an average 14% electric rate increase – and buried deep inside its more than 2,000-page proposal is a request that could also allow the utility to request a rate increase every year.
The Arizona Corporation Commission begins a hearing on Monday on the rate case. Inside the massive filing, APS is asking to switch to a new system called “formula rates." This essentially would allow the utility to come forward with an annual request for rate adjustments.
If approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission, the utility would only have to go through a formal rate case – like it’s doing now – once every five years.
Many customers are already pushing back against the idea.
“That is crazy talk,” said Maria Bears, a Sun City West resident who attended a meeting earlier this year to speak out about the proposed rate increase. “I can’t believe they are even asking for it.”
Paws for Redemption: Rescued dogs and inmates find second chances together at Lewis Prison
Three dogs rescued from Guadalupe are now living behind bars at Lewis Prison — not as punishment, but as part of a program giving both animals and incarcerated people a second chance.
Janey, Max, and Bunny are the newest participants in Paws for Redemption, a program run by One Love Arizona that pairs shelter dogs with vetted inmates who train and care for them until the dogs are ready for adoption. The prison built out kennels, misters, and turf to support the program. Training classes for the inmates and puppies are held once a week.
The three dogs are among 18 rescued from Guadalupe earlier this year. Dana Klose, who works with One Love Arizona, saw them as ideal candidates for the program.
"We basically partner shelter dogs and incarcerated individuals," Klose said. "It changes the humans, and it changes the dogs."
The inmates who work with the dogs described the experience as transformative. Charles Morel said the dogs bring something to the yard that had been missing.
