It's back to the grind on this Monday! Hope you had a great holiday weekend and can make this Monday productive!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Monday, July 7; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Extreme Heat returns with near-record temperatures this week
Extreme heat is back this week! Today's high in the Valley will be 111º, and there's an Ozone High Pollution Advisory in effect.
Tomorrow, we climb to 114º, and by Wednesday, we could hit 117º!
Watch Kidcaster Matthew give your Monday morning forecast from William C. Jack Elementary School!
One person dead after house fire near Sossaman and Broadway roads in Mesa
One person has died after a house caught fire early Monday morning in Mesa.
Mesa fire officials say they were called to the home near Sossaman and Broadway roads for the reported fire.
Firefighters arrived and found heavy fire on the home's back side, and it had spread to the attic.
They started to search the home and found one person inside.
They were removed from the home, but fire officials say they died at the scene.
15-year-old arrested, Gilbert police investigating fight involving teen girls
Gilbert police say a 15-year-old girl has been arrested after officials responded to a fight Saturday night.
Officers were called to a business parking lot near William Field Road and Market Street after 11:30 p.m. for reports of a fight involving a group of teen girls.
Officials say a teen girl was arrested on charges of assault, disorderly conduct, and curfew violation.
Police say they are working on interviewing witnesses, reviewing evidence, and pursuing other leads related to the incident.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Gilbert Police Department or submit a tip online.
Phoenix moving forward with red light camera intersection projects
Phoenix is moving forward with its plans to reinstall red light cameras at dangerous intersections. The city council approved the project last October, citing high crash rates and rampant red light runners.
A lack of Phoenix police officers able to patrol the streets was also among the statistics leading the city council to this decision.
"The reality is Phoenix doesn't have enough officers. We have less than 30 patrolling over 5,000 miles of streets," Vice Mayor Ann O'Brien said.
In Arizona, 20% of all crashes involve a driver running a red light.
One AAA study also found Arizona has the most red light crashes per capita of any U.S. state. This data has been collected since Phoenix removed red light cameras in 2019.
"Injuries and fatalities dropped by nearly a third at intersections with cameras, since then the numbers have only gone up," Joseph D'Aguanno, a personal injury lawyer, said.
Watch the full Operation Safe Roads report in the player below:
Advocates for Arizona radiation exposure victims score big win in Congress
After decades of fighting, advocates for those who faced radiation exposure in Arizona and elsewhere are getting a big win through President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill.
That push in Congress to carry on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, is finding victory after more than 30 years.
“I’m very, very happy for the people who can really use the compensation to do something good for themselves while they’re still alive, but you know, my father’s dead,” said Cullin D. Pattillo.
Pattillo’s dad, Eddie, lived in Kingman his whole life and had a 30-year battle against three forms of cancer. Pattillo says his father fell sick from radiation exposure during the 1950s when the government tested nuclear weapons 120 miles north of Mohave County.
“It killed my father and killed thousands of other people around the state of Arizona,” said Pattillo.
Pattillo says his dad never benefited from RECA, which provides screenings and compensation for those exposed to radiation from nuclear testing sites.
Watch the full report in the player below:
