Happy Friday! Did any thunder and lightning wake you up last night or early this morning?
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, Sept. 19; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Storm chances continue
Monsoon 2025 isn't going quietly! Scattered showers and thunderstorms are still in the mix today. Outside of that, expect a partly cloudy and muggy morning with highs climbing into the mid-90s.
See the forecast from Kidcaster Mateo:
Phoenix picks new city manager in secretive process that divided council
Phoenix has selected Ed Zuercher as its next city manager following a controversial process conducted largely in secret, with the final vote passing by a razor-thin 5-4 margin that split the council.
The decision, made during a tense council meeting, will bring back Zuercher, who previously served as Phoenix city manager from 2013 to 2021, when he previously retired.
He will return to lead America's fifth-largest city with a $415,000 salary and starts in mid-November.
The hiring process drew sharp criticism from half the council, who said they were kept in the dark about the selection.
The process included no job posting, no public search, no formal interviews, and no community input.
At the meeting, and ahead of the vote, Councilmember Anna Hernandez asked the city attorney a series of questions to highlight the level of transparency and accountability in the process.
Liberty Elementary School leaders put superintendent on leave
The Liberty Elementary School District's Governing Board in the West Valley voted to put its current interim superintendent on paid administrative leave this week.
The interim superintendent, Trevor McDonald, started in July, and some parents told ABC15 they were satisfied with his work.
He was there for two months, on campus, with parents. If you had a concern, he answered you. He met with you," said Ashley Wright, a parent in the school district.
The governing board voted 3-2 to put him on administrative leave with little explanation as to why, as the discussion took place behind closed doors in executive session. However, after the executive session, before voting, two board members explained their votes.
Kellie Zimmerman, who voted alongside Sarah Schmidt against putting the McDonald on leave, said in part, "By removing superintendent McDonald, this board is going to create instability for every single person in this district and violates the trust that the board, the community has put in this board. This also places the district at significant legal risk and liability under both state and federal law."
She continued, "Whether we’re going to turn a blind eye to allow patterns that have been happening in this district for years and years, a vote against Superintendent McDonald is a vote to shield the misconduct instead of addressing it. This community is counting on us, and I take it very seriously to make lawful, ethical and student-first decisions. Keeping Mr. McDonald does all of those things."
Mesa senior's kindness leads to dream concert experience with Nine Inch Nails
When 70-year-old Carla Well-Knight received grim news about her health, she didn't let it stop her from spreading kindness throughout her Mesa senior living facility. That generosity recently came back to her in a loud and unforgettable way.
Well-Knight's life is like a never-ending, versatile playlist. Her musical tastes range from Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, and from her younger days to mood-setting Motown and classical quartets on Sundays.
But a closer look at her 70-year musical catalog reveals one genre that stands out above the rest — she's a rocker through and through.
"Korn is probably my second favorite band," she said.
Well-Knight loves Tool, A Perfect Circle and Linkin Park, but this 70-year-old's all-time favorite artist is Nine Inch Nails.
"He does write a lot of things about death," she said.
Those songs about death hit differently these days. Well-Knight is receiving hospice care at her Mesa senior living facility as she battles a spreading form of breast cancer. This comes a few years after cancer took her husband.
Daughters of David Cramer, inmate accused of fake court papers, ordered to stop legal work
An Arizona court has ordered two children of a state prison inmate erroneously released early to stop their “unauthorized practice of law.”
The State Bar of Arizona sued Haven McQueen and Paris Cramer last week, saying they aren’t authorized to practice law in Arizona or any other jurisdiction, and also asked the court to issue the cease-and-desist order.
McQueen and Paris Cramer are the daughters of David Cramer, an Arizona prison inmate who was released from the Lewis state prison complex on June 2, decades before his sentence was up. State prison officials have said his release was due to fraudulent court papers filed with the department and the courts.
In their request for an order, the State Bar noted how unusual it was to ask for a cease and desist in such a case, saying it didn’t believe it had ever requested one before.
“The State Bar is concerned that members of the public may consult with or hire Black Canyon Enterprises, PLLC to perform legal services or provide legal advice, and that they may suffer immediate and irreparable injury, loss, and damage unless the Respondents are judicially precluded from continuing to engage in the unauthorized practice of law and represent others,” the State Bar wrote.
Judge Adele Ponce granted the request Tuesday, ordering McQueen, Paris Cramer, Cynthia Baker and Black Canyon Enterprises PLLC to “immediately cease and desist engaging in the unauthorized practice of law in Arizona.”
