Good Thursday morning, Arizona!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Thursday, April 16; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Winds picking up across Arizona
Winds will pick up across Arizona today, including right here in the Valley. Afternoon gusts could reach 20 to 25 miles per hour. Highs will climb into the upper 80s under partly cloudy skies.
Teen attacked on way home from Phoenix high school speaks out
A Phoenix teen is recovering after an assault allegedly involving other high school students as she walked home from the light rail last week.
Phoenix police said they are investigating the incident, which happened near Camelback Road and 19th Avenue on April 8.
Ayane Mefford and her mother, Lucero Orozco, said Mefford rode home from Central High School on the light rail. She said she felt increasingly uncomfortable when multiple teenage boys began following her.
While leaving the Valley Metro stop, Mefford asked a friend to help walk her home.
“We were walking, I'm trying to calm my friend down, because I did see them and I'm like, 'Just calm down, you know, to keep walking,'” Mefford said. "We're telling them, 'just go home,' you know, we don't want nothing, and that's when everything started going downhill.”
Mefford said she felt a blow to her head before hitting the ground. The whole incident was caught on camera. Her friend ended up in the street.
“I was so scared,” Mefford said. "I was like, oh my God, like, just wanted to go home.”
Orozco said she ran to the area to find her daughter collapsed and seizing. Mefford was taken to the hospital.
Phoenix is moving to lower speed limits across the city
Phoenix councilmembers on the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Planning Subcommittee unanimously approved lowering speed limits in multiple corridors across the city after traffic studies found some roads are too fast for current conditions.
Some of the biggest changes are in neighborhoods where homes face the street, with roads like Maryland Avenue, Osborn Road, and Yorkshire Drive all potentially dropping to 25 mph.
The proposed changes that were voted on include:
- Maryland Avenue (43rd Avenue to Black Canyon Freeway): Reduce from 30 mph to 25 mph
- Osborn Road (40th Street to 56th Street): Reduce from 30 mph to 25 mph
- Yorkshire Drive (40th Avenue to 35th Avenue): Reduce from 35 mph to 25 mph
- Grant Street (Black Canyon Freeway to Lincoln Street: Reduce from 35 mph to 30 mph
- Lincoln Street (Grant Street to 7th Street): Reduce from 35 mph to 30 mph
- 59th Avenue (Thomas to Indian School roads) Reduce from 40 mph to 35 mph
- Deer Valley Drive (35th Avenue to .25 miles east of 19th Avenue): Reduce from 45 mph to 40 mph
See the full list of recommended changes and locations here.
The changes will still need to go before the full city council for a final vote.
Arizona towns feel the strain as drought deepens, experts warn of tougher years ahead
Drought conditions continue their grip on Arizona communities, and small towns like Kearny are already feeling the impacts.
Some in the Valley believe things are going to get worse if we do not do enough.
“I don’t think you can stop it, honestly. I think we’re going to run out of water,” Mesa resident Mike Gallagher.
More than 70% of Arizona is currently experiencing drought, according to water experts. A lack of winter storms and below-average mountain snowfall have left reservoirs depleted — a critical issue for rural towns that rely almost entirely on those water sources.
ABC15 Chief Meteorologist Amber Sullins says this year’s snowpack is especially troubling.
“The Colorado snowpack this year is about 20% of where it should be. It’s one of the driest we’ve seen in a very long time,” Sullins said. “And that has implications for Arizona and all the other basin states that rely on Colorado River water.”
Mesa shop owner uses live streaming app to sell international snacks
A Mesa shop owner is turning international candy and snack sales into a nationwide business by live-streaming on a social shopping platform.
Ahmad Ali, owner of Amigos Market, streams live sales directly from the store floor using an Arizona-based app called Whatnot.
After joining the platform five months ago, Ali has sold more than $35,000 in snacks and candy. The neighborhood shop, which previously depended on foot traffic, now reaches a national customer base.
"It’s a good way to engage the local community. Sometimes, a shop like this one that I've never really heard about before, it gives you kind of an idea of like, what kind of things they have in store, and you know, they can really be engaging with showing off their new wares and new products that they may have available for sale," Nawrocki said.
Learn more about Amigos Market and this evolving retail strategy in the video player below.
