PHOENIX — Happy Tuesday! Yes, it's going to feel like a Monday if you're going back to work today, but it will be a short four-day week!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Tuesday, January 20; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Ashlee DeMartino - Sunny and dry - for now!
We're staying dry and warm with mostly sunny skies today. Expect a high of 75º in Phoenix. Overnight will be chilly with a few clouds and a low of 48º.
We are staying dry for now, but keeping an eye on a storm developing off the west coast that could bring rain to the Valley by the end of the week.
Arizona's child welfare agency is still failing to meet key reforms five years later
Records show Arizona's Department of Child Safety is falling short on key reforms meant to protect children in state care, despite a 2020 settlement agreement that gave the agency five years to fix major problems.
Court filings reveal that the state hasn't reduced its reliance on group homes as required by the settlement agreement, with claims that placements increased rather than decreased over the past few years.
“The mediator found that in three critical areas they had not met the terms of the agreement, so they had not reduced the use, their use of congregate care by the specific percentage that was agreed to,” said Anne Ronan, an attorney with the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest.
Ronan's firm sued the Department of Child Safety a decade ago, challenging how the state treated kids in group homes.
"One of the real criticisms is, and it seems so basic about congregate care is it doesn't give the children an opportunity to have a trusting relationship with adult," Ronan said.
Police looking for help in deadly shooting investigation at Ahwatukee-area home
Police are reaching out to the community for help with a deadly shooting investigation in the Ahwatukee area.
On Saturday morning, officers went to a home near 15th Street and Liberty Lane, located south of Chandler Boulevard, for a welfare check. When they arrived, they found a man dead inside the home.
The man had suffered at least one gunshot wound.
Officials are looking for anyone who may have been involved and any motives.
First public comment meeting to be held over proposed APS rate hike
The first in a series of public meetings for feedback on a proposed APS rate hike will be held tonight.
The meeting is in-person and over the phone. If you want to attend in person, it will be at the Arizona Corporation Commission at 1200 W. Washington St. in Phoenix. The meeting will start at 1 p.m.
APS filed the rate application last summer, and it could raise homeowners' power bills by up to 16%, depending on their plan.
The proposed rate hike has already drawn criticism, and the Arizona Attorney General is intervening in the rate case.
Valley family's 'race against blindness' reaches major milestone
Two years ago, we met Luke Johnston and his family, turning heartbreak into hope after Luke was diagnosed with a rare condition that causes childhood blindness.
The East Valley family founded A Race Against Blindness with a bold goal: fund the research needed to save sight.
Now, that mission has reached a major milestone. This month, the Johnston family announced a $1.1 million grant, fully funding a first-in-human clinical trial designed to preserve vision.
It brings their total research investment to $5.1 million since launching the nonprofit in 2023, fueled by creative fundraisers like vehicle raffles and community events.
