PHOENIX — Happy Tuesday! We'll be a little warmer today, but you can feel the temperature difference in the mornings compared to summer!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Tuesday, October 7; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Warm Tuesday on tap
We're heating up again as high pressure builds over the Valley. Highs will climb into the upper 90s this afternoon, then we will likely hit 100º by Wednesday. Overnight lows will stay mild in the 70s.
Former Arizona governor demands action on child safety failures
More than 10 years after leaving office, former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is speaking out, frustrated with the current state of the Department of Child Safety, the agency she created to protect vulnerable children.
"They're little and they end up being so brutally abused, killed, tormented day in and day out for years, and we hear about it and something doesn't happen?" Brewer said, her voice filled with emotion.
The former governor says she has been following ABC15's recent coverage of DCS failures, watching Arizona children like 16-year-old Zariah Dodd and 14-year-old Emily Pike be failed by the system.
She also cited the case of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste, whose teachers repeatedly called the state abuse hotline.
"To have somebody that vulnerable and that young in that kind of situation and not being able to do anything. You think, why? Why didn't somebody do something? Why did they let that little girl go and die like that?" Brewer said.
Phoenix drag queen arrested, accused of having sex with a minor
Phoenix Pride has removed a drag performer from their scheduled appearances at this year’s Phoenix Pride Festival, scheduled for October 18th and 19th.
ABC15 confirmed through court records that 35-year-old Michael Browder was arrested in September for two counts of sexual conduct with a minor after an investigation began in June of this year about a 13-year-old victim.
The 13-year-old told investigators in a forensic interview he posed as 18 on an online dating application and arranged for two adult men to meet him for sex at different times, according to court paperwork.
Records say the 13-year-old victim told police he did not know the identity of the two men he contacted, but Phoenix Police were able to recover one of the online conversations from the 13-year-old’s laptop.
That led police to Browder, who court records say an officer recognized as “a known Phoenix drag queen.”
Woman sues U.S. Marshals after false arrest forces her to leave Arizona
More than a year after U.S. Marshals falsely arrested a 68-year-old Arizona woman at gunpoint, she has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking accountability for what her attorney calls "unaccountable government."
Penny McCarthy was traumatized so badly by the March 2023 incident that she said she left Arizona and moved out of state.
"I'm very fearful all the time and very paranoid," McCarthy said. "I don't feel safe in Phoenix."
Body camera video obtained by ABC15 shows six armed U.S. Marshals surrounding McCarthy's Phoenix home with rifles drawn.
La Mesa Ministries provides food, clothing, and hope to community members in need
Every Monday and Friday, whether it’s blazing sun, pouring rain, or even a holiday, La Mesa Ministries rolls out its food truck with one mission: to meet people where they are and give without condition.
But this is more than a meal on wheels.
Alongside hot food, the truck unfolds into what looks like a pop-up retail shop stocked with shoes, shirts, pants, and jackets. All of the items are free, no questions asked.
For those living on the streets, it’s a lifeline. For volunteers, it’s a calling.
