PHOENIX — Happy Friday! It's going to be chilly for Valley standards - you may need a jacket today!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, January 9; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Ashlee DeMartino - Cold mornings and mild afternoons through the weekend
Bundle up — the cold weather is here! Overnight temperatures are expected to be in the mid-to-upper 30s on Friday morning and will drop to the low to mid-30s on Saturday morning.
Freeze Warnings will be in place for Wickenburg, Queen Creek, Chandler, San Tan Valley, and Sun Lakes starting tonight at midnight until 9 a.m. Saturday.
We are clearing out our skies and bringing back the sunshine, with a high today of 60º in Phoenix.
See the forecast from Kidcaster Camila:
Miami heading home for shot at national title after beating Ole Miss 31-27 in Fiesta Bowl
Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left, and Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
The 10th-ranked Hurricanes (13-2) had their vaunted defense picked apart by the sixth-ranked Rebels (13-2) in a wild fourth quarter, falling into a 27-24 hole after Trinidad Chambliss threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae'Quan Wright with 3:13 left.
Beck, who won a national title as a backup at Georgia, kept the Hurricanes calm amid the storm, leading them down the field for the winning score — and a shot at a national title on their home field at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. Beck is 37-5 as a starter, including two seasons at Georgia.
The sixth-seeded Rebels lost their coach before the playoff, but not their cool.
If anything, Lane Kiffin’s decision to bolt for LSU seemed to harden Ole Miss’ resolve, pushing the Rebels to the best season in school history — and within a game of their first national championship game.
Lawsuit against Surprise for arresting woman at public meeting will move forward
A federal judge ruled that key portions of a lawsuit will move forward against the City of Surprise for wrongfully arresting a woman at a public council meeting.
Late last year, Surprise’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss several claims filed by Rebekah Massie for open meeting law violations. But Judge Roslyn Silver denied the city’s motion on January 6 in a ruling that means the case will now proceed to discovery.
Surprise declined to comment on the decision, but Massie’s lawyer issued a statement.
“We’re going to continue to fight not only to vindicate Rebekah's constitutional rights, but to ensure that all Arizonans are free to speak their minds,” said Adam Steinbaugh, a senior attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. “All of us have the right to criticize our government without being arrested.”
Massie was arrested on August 20, 2024.
The arrest was captured on video and made national headlines.
House passes bill to extend ACA subsidies, but it is not likely to survive the Senate
The U.S. House voted Thursday to pass an extension of ACA subsidies that would keep them valid for the next three years.
The bill received some bipartisan support in the chamber, with 17 Republicans joining a majority of Democrats in passage. The final vote in the chamber was 230-196.
“The affordability crisis is not a ‘hoax,’ it is very real — despite what Donald Trump has had to say,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“Democrats made clear before the government was shut down that we were in this affordability fight until we win this affordability fight,” he said. “Today we have an opportunity to take a meaningful step forward.”
The bill now proceeds to another vote in the Senate, where it is not expected to pass in its current form.
Sister turns grief into action, founding Phoenix Cancer Support Network
For Jenny Martin, love did not end with loss. It became a mission.
After her younger sister, Annie, lost her battle with cancer at just 24 years old, Jenny turned grief into action by founding the Phoenix Cancer Support Network.
Drawing on her background in oncology, health care administration, and business development, she built the nonprofit designed to step in when cancer turns everyday life upside down.
Since 2016, PCSN has supported hundreds of patients and families across Arizona by helping with transportation to medical appointments, picking up groceries, covering rent and utility bills, and easing financial strain during treatment. Just as importantly, the organization offers emotional support, sometimes simply being a steady presence or a shoulder to cry on.
