PHOENIX — We made it to Friday! Get through today and then the weekend is here! The pool will feel excellent this weekend!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, June 6; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Air quality alerts in the Valley as triple digits stick around
Things are heating up and drying out across the Valley! We're heading to 103º today, 106º on Saturday, and 108º by Sunday. And heads up! Air quality alerts are in effect again today and tomorrow.
Man killed by responding officer after attempting to kidnap child, woman in Peoria
A man is dead after a shooting involving a Peoria police officer on Thursday.
Just before 7 p.m., Peoria PD received a call for a possible kidnapping attempt in a neighborhood near 87th and Pershing avenues, in the area of Thunderbird Road and Loop 101.
During an investigation, investigators learned a woman was pushing a stroller with a small child when a man whom she did not know approached and attempted to kidnap her. Witnesses tell police they saw the man reach for the child.
During a struggle, the woman called her husband, who ran to the scene. Police say the husband, along with a neighbor, chased the man down the street and into a cul-de-sac area.
At this point, a Peoria police officer arrived at the scene and an altercation between the officer and the suspect occurred.
SEEKING DEATH: MCAO's capital cases rarely end in death but cost us hundreds of millions
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has brought nearly 350 death penalty cases over the past two decades.
But only 41 — or 13% — have ended with a death sentence.
Experts and attorneys said the low rate raises serious questions, considering how much death penalty cases cost taxpayers.
How much has it been? Over the past 20 years, it's at least $300 million.
But several public agencies either wouldn't or couldn't provide figures, meaning the true cost is likely much higher.
Opening statements in Lori Daybell's second Arizona trial on Thursday
Opening statements for both sides went quickly, and the jury heard from five total witnesses on the first day of trial.
"Bang, he heard a shot and his window shattered right next to him," described prosecutor Treena Kay during her opening statements. "Brandon hit the accelerator and he took off."
Prosecutors allege Daybell and Cox bought a burner phone. Kay called it a "mistake" that Cox used that phone to access his own Gmail account.
Daybell was accused of making her Jeep available and ready, even keeping Cox's personal phone while he went to Arizona. Kay alleged that Daybell made a call with his phone to try to help provide an alibi for her brother.
Daybell, during her opening statement, leaned on the state's burden of proof, telling the Jury she doesn't have to present evidence or take the stand. During her first Arizona trial, Daybell didn't call any witnesses or present any evidence.
Ground broken on Arizona's first Holocaust education center
Officials have broken ground on what will be Arizona's first Holocaust education center.
The center will be located near I-10 and Central Avenue, just behind the Burton Barr Central Library.
The center's mission is "to be a resource to teach about the Holocaust with the goal of inspiring students and other visitors to become advocates that act to work toward a world without antisemitism, hatred, or bigotry."
The Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center is expected to open by April 2027.
