It's finally Friday, and we have a holiday weekend ahead! There's a chance of a rare April rain in the forecast, but we will be dry for Easter activities Sunday!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, April 18; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From the ABC15 Weather team - Storm bringing a chance for rain to the Valley and snow to the high country
It may be spring, but it's feeling more like winter in our state today!
Our next storm system is moving through.
It could bring some rain showers and thunderstorms to the Valley later tonight into tomorrow morning.
We'll only reach the mid 70s for our highs in the Phoenix area today.
Flagstaff could see 1-3" of snow in higher elevations above 6000 feet.
Mostly rain for lower communities.
It's clearing out by Easter Sunday though - we'll be sunny and warm in the 80s for the holiday.
Gov. Katie Hobbs vows to veto bills until lawmakers pass fix for disability services
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced Thursday that she will veto all bills until lawmakers send her bipartisan legislation to fix the massive $122 million budget shortfall for the state’s disability services.
Hobbs, a Democrat, vowed to veto any bill not already on her desk until there is a “serious, bipartisan funding solution” to the Division of Developmental Disabilities’ budget hole.
The Appropriations committees in the House and Senate advanced on Tuesday a Republican-sponsored bill to fix the shortfall. The proposal, which Hobbs has called "a nonstarter," includes several reforms to DDD, including a major cut to the Parents as Paid Caregivers Program.
Congresswoman Ansari plans to visit El Salvador to visit man deported in March
Arizona Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said she plans on joining a Democratic delegation to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was deported back in March over an apparent administrative error.
"Mr. Garcia, is a father, a union worker for a part of the sheet metal workers, and has been detained for about 27 days now in a foreign prison, and the administration has made clear they don't want to bring him back,” Ansari told ABC15. “And, for me and my district, there are so many of my constituents who have reached out and made clear that this issue is a priority to them, because due process rights are a priority to them.”
But according to Axis, House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green is refusing to authorize the trip. Ansari said she is "exploring all options, talking to different organizations, human rights groups and lawyers, etc., to see what might be possible,” adding that she would be willing to self-fund the trip if needed.
Cortez High School teacher, coach in custody accused of sex crimes against children
A teacher and coach at Cortez High School is in custody, accused of sex crimes against children, according to court documents.
The investigation began on March 25, when detectives with the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Eric Curtis Chapman, age 43, was identified through a social media service provider as having sent nude photographs of himself to a minor online, court documents state.
Realtors see more Canadians selling their homes in Arizona
More Canadians are selling their second homes, or are inquiring about selling their homes, according to the president of the Arizona Association of Realtors.
For more than a decade, Garry and Liz Liboiron had their second home in the East Valley. They drive down from Ontario, Canada every fall and leave in the spring.
But now, that home is on the market, sooner than Garry and Liz had wanted. While there are multiple factors why they want to sell, as they’re in their 70s and getting older, the exchange rate is increasing, and wanting to explore other places, there was one common factor amongst Canadians wanting to sell: realtors tell us it has to do with the political climate.
