Good Wednesday morning!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Wednesday, April 22; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - High winds and high fire danger across Arizona
We're tracking a storm system passing to our north that is picking up winds. Here in the Valley, expect late afternoon breezes with gusts near 25 mph. Those winds will usher in some cooler air, dropping temperatures in the Valley down to the 80s.
APS warns of potential Flagstaff power shutoffs Wednesday due to extreme wildfire risk
Parts of the Flagstaff area and thousands of customers may be without power beginning Wednesday due to the risk of wildfires.
On Tuesday, Arizona Public Service (APS) announced it may need to temporarily shut off power in high fire-risk communities to help prevent electrical equipment from starting or contributing to a wildfire.
APS says the shutoff could happen as early as 9 a.m. It's unclear when it could be restored.
Meteorologists and fire mitigation specialists are tracking extreme and rapidly changing weather and fire conditions and have determined that extreme winds, with gusts nearing 70 miles per hour, coupled with dry terrain and other factors, pose elevated wildfire risk.
The following list is the impacted areas where customers would experience power shutoffs:
- Doney Park
- Timberline
- Fernwood
- Mormon Lake
- Cosnino
- Sunset Crater
- Walnut Canyon
- Valle
APS says if weather conditions improve, the planned safety shutoff may be canceled. APS will keep impacted customers informed and is working with local emergency management.
A SHOT IN THE DARK: Does this Valley surgeon deserve to go to prison?
Kris Johnson doesn’t want to remember that night.
It was an almost pitch-black night almost four years ago, when he fired a warning shot straight into the hot desert air of his west Phoenix neighborhood.
But that night, and what will happen in the coming weeks, will shape the rest of his life.
“I don't want to. I don't want to remember this anymore,” said Kris, a trauma surgeon, during an interview in his kitchen ahead of his upcoming trial. “I don't want to remember that night. It's like a nightmare.”
A nightmare that’s almost impossible to describe.
On June 30, 2022, it all began with a documented gang member with 30-plus convictions prowling around the Johnsons' front door and ended with Kris being shot from behind by Phoenix police and charged with a handful of felonies that could put him in prison for two decades.
“Everybody made mistakes that night. But at this point, I'm the only one paying for any of them,” Kris said.
Despite the court asking prosecutors to offer a plea deal that would keep the doctor out of state lockup, top Maricopa County Attorney’s Office officials remain determined to put him there.
Employee accused of groping vulnerable woman at Mesa assisted living center
An employee of a Mesa assisted living center has been arrested on accusations of sexual abuse and assault on a patient with dementia.
Mesa police arrested Gamacy Gilles, 46, on Sunday after the family reported that the woman was touched inappropriately at Grand Court of Mesa Senior Living.
Court documents say Gilles, who is a staff member, allegedly groped the woman who is wheelchair bound.
The daughter of the victim provided police with video of the incident.
'It was all a miracle’: Man rescued after days lost in AZ wilderness
After a three-day search involving rescue teams from across Central and Northern Arizona, a 76-year-old man is safe after getting lost in Yavapai County’s backcountry.
Friday, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office received a call that Mark Eric Young did not return from a camping trip off Forest Roads 269 and 16A.
The 24/7 rescue mission included deputies, specialized search-and-rescue teams from Yavapai, Maricopa, and Coconino counties, family members, and local ranchers.
Young’s son heard his calls for help in a remote and rugged area, leading to his rescue.
The sheriff’s office said he is expected to recover.
Watch and listen to his full story in the player below.
