It's Friday, and it'll be a hot one.
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for March 20; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Arizona sets records as dangerous heat wave peaks today
The heat dome peaks today. We're forecasted to hit 106° in the Valley, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Phoenix for any day in March or April.
We'll stay in the triple digits this weekend.
Yuma County community hits 110º, the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S.
The Arizona desert community of Martinez Lake hit 110°, breaking the record for the highest March temperature ever recorded in the U.S. The community is about 145 miles west of Phoenix, near Yuma, AZ.
Several cities on Wednesday experienced their hottest March day in four decades, according to the National Weather Service. Las Vegas hit 99°, smashing the previous record of 93°, set in 2022. Downtown Los Angeles reached 94 degrees°, beating its previous daily high for March 18 of 87° in 1997.
Phoenix speed enforcement camera vandalised, shot and removed
The Speed Enforcement Camera at 19th Avenue and Thunderbird Road has been targeted by vandals on multiple occasions and now it has been struck by gunfire and removed.
Phoenix police confirmed to ABC15 that the camera in that area was “struck by gunfire this weekend.” Police also mentioned vendors who arrived to repair graffiti on the camera had a knife waved at them by someone who drove by.
So far, there have been no arrests.
The camera program was rolled out last month, with speeders being sent warnings. Beginning March 25, speeders will receive tickets from the remaining cameras.
A Phoenix Police spokesperson’s full response to ABC15 can be found below:
“The Phoenix Police Department is aware of an incident involving criminal damage to a Photo Safety Camera in the area of 19th Avenue and Thunderbird Road, where the device was struck by gunfire this weekend.
We want to remind our community that discharging a firearm in this manner is extremely dangerous and places others at significant risk. Reckless actions like this not only damage property but can endanger anyone in the surrounding area.
The Photo Safety vendor had responded to remove graffiti from the damaged camera when a vehicle drove by, and an individual inside was observed waving a knife at employees.
The vendor responsible for the photo enforcement equipment intends to pursue prosecution for any damage to these systems.
These cameras are in place with one primary goal: safety. In light of several recent fatal traffic collisions, the City’s priority is to slow traffic and give drivers more time to react in emergency situations.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Phoenix Police Department.”
Police searching for man who forced his way into home, stabbed man near downtown Gilbert
The Gilbert Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying and locating a man who allegedly forced his way into a home and stabbed a man.
Officers responded to a call for service at a home along Vaughn Avenue and Elm Street near downtown Gilbert around noon on Saturday, March 14.
Police say a woman reported a man had knocked on her door and after she opened the door, "the male allegedly grabbed the female and forced his way into the residence. The female pushed away from him and yelled for her husband, who was home at the time of the incident," officials said.
The man then fled from the home, and both the woman and her husband followed him outside.
"A short distance away from the residence, the unknown male pulled a knife and stabbed the female's husband in the lower abdomen. The man fled on foot through the downtown Gilbert area," a police release said.
The woman and her husband did not sustain any critical injuries, officials said.
ABC pulls upcoming The Bachelorette season amid Taylor Frankie Paul domestic violence allegations
ABC has scrubbed the upcoming season of "The Bachelorette," starring Taylor Frankie Paul, citing a newly released video from 2023.
Thursday's unprecedented cancellation of the already filmed season of the long-running reality television show comes days before it was set to premiere on Sunday.
"In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family," a statement from Disney Entertainment Television said.
The statement appeared to reference a 2023 video of an altercation between Paul and Mortensen that was published by TMZ on Thursday. Paul was arrested in 2023 and charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty that August to a misdemeanor charge of aggravated assault; the other charges were dismissed.
A police spokesperson in Draper City, Utah, told People magazine that there was an open domestic violence investigation of Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, and that allegations have been made in both directions. Mortensen is the father of one of Paul's three children.
Paul, who was promoting Season 22 as recently as Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and on the red carpet before Sunday's Oscars telecast, was an unusual choice to helm "The Bachelorette." Unlike previous leads, the 31-year-old had not appeared on the "Bachelor" franchise before - a departure from the typical practice of casting runners-up from previous seasons.
