ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix Latest Headlines | May 28, Evening

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]These latest headlines from ABC 15 are sponsored by Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys. [music] One call, that's all.

[00:00:08]>> I'm Kristel Bell with your top stories from ABC 15 Arizona.

[00:00:12]Breaking news right now, prosecutors have decided they are not seeking the death penalty against one of three men charged in a high-profile Valley murder case. Mercedes Vega was found in a burning car off I-10 near Tonopah back in April 2023. Kujoe Young, sincere Haye, and Jared Gray were later charged with her murder. Prosecutors have filed their intent to pursue the death penalty against Young and Haye, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office says they will not seek the same punishment against Gray. MCAO would not give any information on the reason behind the decision. Meantime, earlier this week, Young was convicted of robbing Vega at gunpoint years before her murder. He will be sentenced in that case next month.

[00:01:03]We have a developing story now in Apache Junction. Two people taken to the hospital after police say their roommate attacked them with an axe. Police on the scene this afternoon near Meridian and Lost Dutchman. Investigators are now saying that one of those victims has very serious injuries, and the accused attacker now in custody. We're working to learn more about this situation, including what led to the dispute between the roommates.

[00:01:31]Turning to our wildfire watch, a recent report shows Arizona forests might be at a higher risk for wildfires this year.

[00:01:38]The US Forest Service treated 11% fewer acres for dangerous fuels in our state last year. Crews nationwide cleared 35% less dead wood compared to the year before. Now, experts blame the drop on a dry winter and massive staff firings after President Donald Trump took office.

[00:02:01]Well, school closures are becoming a valley-wide reality driven by declining enrollment. Scottsdale Unified is already shutting two schools at year's end. Now the district is eyeing several more. ABC15 Scottsdale reporter Anne Ryman has been tracking the process and the politics behind it. A district committee has forwarded three closure options to the superintendent for analysis. One school appears on all three, Laguna Elementary. Also on the list, Redfield Elementary, Desert Canyon, and Copper Ridge. But how that list was built is now drawing fire because school board member Amy Carney says that selection meetings should have been open to the public, but they were not.

[00:02:46]>> Cuz I feel like we have just um big pieces out that we we want people to see and yet we couldn't um see the real conversations happening in that room, which we should have been allowed to do.

[00:03:02]>> So the superintendent for that school district now saying that the district will analyze all three options and return to the board in mid-August. A public meeting is planned for September, while a final decision will happen in October.

[00:03:17]It's a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity, literally. The only blue moon of the year is this Sunday, and it won't happen again until December 2028. The name blue moon is really from the timing of the full moon rather than the color.

[00:03:33]A full moon happens once every 29 and a half days, so two full moons in one month is rare. The first of the month was a full moon, which makes Sunday a blue moon. While the moon won't actually look blue, certain atmospheric conditions like smoke or dust particles can scatter wavelengths of light and give the blue give the tint that blue tint to the moon.

[00:04:01]>> Back in your forecast, I'm chief meteorologist Amber Sullins. We continue to drop day by day this week and look at the forecast tomorrow. Phoenix down to 88 degrees. That's going to be more than 10 degrees below normal for this time of year. Really a beautiful day. Sunshine throughout. Some breezes in the afternoon as this storm system passes by and it might even bring a few spotty showers to parts of northern Arizona.

[00:04:24]It's going to be windy across the high country. We're going to have some high fire danger too throughout the day tomorrow. Then this clears out. High pressure builds in and temperatures are back in the triple digits by the end of this weekend. We do though have another low pressure system we're tracking.

[00:04:37]That's going to skirt through dropping temperatures a bit by the end of next week and bringing at least a slight chance of a few isolated showers to parts of eastern Arizona and the high country by the middle of next week here as it passes by. Right now our valley forecast does look dry and enjoy tomorrow because it's going to heat up fast. 88 tomorrow up to 100 on Sunday [music] and 105 by the middle of next week.