Good Tuesday morning!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for March 18, 2025; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Strong winds and fire danger
Winds will ramp up across the state today as a strong cold front moves through. Meanwhile, a few rain and snow showers may develop in the high country today, though significant accumulation is not expected.
See Kidcaster Kade's forecast:
NASA's stuck astronauts are finally on their way back to Earth after 9 months in space
NASA’s two stuck astronauts headed back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to close out a dramatic marathon mission that began with a bungled Boeing test flight more than nine months ago.
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams bid farewell to the International Space Station — their home since last spring — departing aboard a SpaceX capsule alongside two other astronauts. The capsule undocked in the wee hours and aimed for a splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting.
Arizona’s Department of Child Safety faces funding shortfall for group homes for children in foster care
Republican lawmakers are moving to investigate Governor Katie Hobbs after a budget shortfall at Arizona’s child welfare agency.
The Department of Child Safety is asking lawmakers to approve a shift of agency dollars to cover a budget hole in funding for group homes serving children in foster care.
Without the transfer, DCS will run out of money on March 24 for the daily rate to house children in group homes.
Approximately 1,500 children are in group homes, according to Montenegro. Without state funding, they would need to leave those facilities and sleep in welcome centers or DCS offices, the agency said in a letter to lawmakers.
AZ Attorney General releases guidance for schools regarding immigration enforcement on campuses
After weeks of requests from schools, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes released guidance to schools on how to handle situations if officers enforcing immigration laws come to their campuses.
It’s been a confusing few weeks for some school leaders after President Donald Trump and his administration got rid of a longstanding practice of avoiding immigration enforcement in places considered sensitive such as churches and schools.
In early March, Mayes created a “Resources for Schools” website with a letter attached, giving guidance to schools but saying it is “neither legal advice nor a formal legal opinion.”
In Mayes’ letter, she said she is addressing a frequent question of “whether school officials must allow officers enforcing immigration law to enter nonpublic areas of school campuses.” Most of her answers to that, she says in her letter, is “no.”
She continued to say that federal immigration enforcement officers usually perform their duties through “administrative arrest warrants” which are issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Mayes makes a distinction between administrative warrants versus judicial warrants and court orders, which the two latter need to be complied with.
Expanding chilled water access in the Valley
As Phoenix prepares for another summer, the city is expanding its chilled water fountain program.
Three downtown fountains were installed to start the pilot program and now the city plans to add more stations.
Reporter Adam Mintzer has the full report on how this is impacting public health and safety today on ABC15 Mornings.
