PHOENIX — It's Wednesday, so we're almost halfway through the week ahead of a spooky holiday weekend!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Wednesday, October 29; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Winds picking up Wednesday morning across central Arizona
Breezy conditions return to the Valley Wednesday morning, with gusts around 20-30 miles per hour in the Phoenix metro. Despite the wind, temperatures stay hot with highs in the low 90s and lows in the mid 60s.
See the forecast from Kidcaster Aaron:
Two years later: The murder of Preston Lord
Tuesday marked two years since the attack on Preston Lord.
The teen was leaving a Queen Creek Halloween party when he was beaten and died two days later.
The six remaining defendants have a January 2026 trial date, but that could still change.
The community surrounded the family in the weeks and months after the 16-year-old's death and walked in honor of Preston each month.
The East Valley community, and even beyond, continually pushed for answers in Preston's case.
A walk was held Tuesday night in Preston's memory on the two-year anniversary of the attack on Lord.
Valley women trapped in Jamaica as powerful hurricane wreaks havoc on the island
Valley residents who couldn’t find flights home in time are riding out one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall in the Atlantic.
Alexis Maldonado and Tavianna Smith traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica, for Smith’s birthday last week.
They said after hearing the news of Hurricane Melissa, they tried everything over the weekend to get on a flight home to Phoenix.
“We tried, I mean, every airline, we tried different airports,” Maldonado said. "We're just stuck."
Without a way home, they stayed inside their hotel, stocking up on buffet food and water, as well as putting up mattresses and furniture against the windows per the hotel’s instructions.
Phoenix City Council to vote on $5.25 million settlement for toddler hit by police car
The Phoenix City Council is set to vote today on a $5.25 million settlement payment to the family of a toddler who was struck by a Phoenix police cruiser in June 2023.
The incident occurred in early June 2023 when a police officer and a police assistant were driving north on 11th Avenue near Buckeye Road. According to police, the officers were not responding to an active call at the time and had just finished on a previous call.
Police say the driver saw a girl in a nearby yard waving to alert the officers, but didn't see the young toddler who had wandered into the street. The officers were looking at the girl, thinking she may have been waving them down, but did not notice the child in the street until the last minute.
The officer driving attempted to stop, but hit the child, officials said.
The family's initial legal complaint alleged the officer was speeding and stated the toddler suffered "life-altering physical injuries, including traumatic brain injury, spinal fractures [and] paralysis,” among other problems.
Officer injured during shooting incident in Mesa early Wednesday morning
A Mesa police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries during a shooting incident early Wednesday morning.
According to the department, the incident occurred near Sossaman and Ray roads.
Police say there are no outstanding suspects, and the officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
We'll have more on this developing story on ABC15 Mornings.
