Happy Friday! The weekend is just around the corner.
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, November 7; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - ***Weather Headline***
Plenty of sunshine today as the cooler weather stays with us for the afternoon. Expect a high of 85 and a low of 60 in Phoenix today.
Much of the same for Saturday, with a high of 86 degrees but by Sunday, Phoenix warms up with a high of 89, which could set a new record high that day.
The Previous record is 88 set in 2005.
What happened to 16-year-old Challistia Colelay?
ABC15 is pushing for answers after the family of a teen said she was found dead in White River, Arizona, which is on Fort Apache tribal land. Our team making hours of calls, working to learn more about Challistia Colelay's case.
What we know
Social media posts by her family in late October said a police report was filed and they were looking for 16-year-old Challistia Colelay.
On November 3, the White Mountain Apache Police Department posted that human remains had been found, giving a description of clothing. The post also said this was in the Knots Landing community in Whiteriver.
On November 5, police posted a new statement on their Facebook page.
"The BIA Fort Apache Agency and the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police are continuing to investigate this case to bring closure to Challistia Colelay's family and community and justice to those responsible," the statement read in part. "At this time, we do not have any additional information to share."
ABC15 reached out to police and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to ask if Colelay's case is being investigated as a homicide and for details on when the teen was reported missing. As of Thursday night, our team had not heard back.
Phoenix TSA officer speaks on working unpaid through government shutdown
Transportation Security Administration workers are about to miss their second paycheck this Friday, and one officer speaks to what he and his colleagues are going through in this record-breaking government shutdown.
Jovan Petkovich has been working with TSA for the last ten years and tells ABC15 he’s seeing a difference between this shutdown and the one in 2019. Petkovich is also a local union representative part of the labor union that represents federal employees, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
"I had one officer call me last week, ‘Hey. What can we do? I was not able to come in for four days because I didn't have any money.' He had to borrow from family,” Petkovich explained.
In the video below, hear more from the TSA officer about what his colleagues are going through, why he feels this shutdown is different compared to 2019 and what he believes will happen as the holidays approach.
Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November
A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. on Thursday was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit. The government said it will rely on $4.65 billion in emergency funding.
“The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP,” McConnell said. “They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial Snap payments and failed to consider the harms individual who rely on those benefits would suffer.”
The Trump administration said last month that it would not pay benefits at all for November because of the federal shutdown. Last week, two judges ordered the government to pay at least partial benefits using an emergency fund. It initially said it would cover half, but it now says it will cover 65%.
The plaintiffs want the benefits to be fully funded.
The USDA said last month that benefits for November wouldn’t be paid because of the federal government shutdown. That set off a scramble by food banks, state governments and the nearly 42 million Americans who receive the aid to find ways to ensure access to groceries.
The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net. It costs more than $8 billion per month nationally.
Police asking for public's help after woman found dead in north Phoenix apartment
Police are asking for the public's help after a woman was found dead from a gunshot wound in a north Phoenix apartment.
Phoenix police say they were called to the area near 43rd Avenue and Bell Road on Wednesday around 12:15 p.m. for a report of a dead body.
When officers arrived, they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound.
The woman, 33-year-old Elizabeth Powell, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Homicide investigators have taken over the death investigation.
No information has been provided about a possible suspect.
