It's finally Friday and we're heading into the first weekend of spring. Make sure you're getting into sunscreen and hydration habits over the next several days!
We're staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for March 21, 2025; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
From Meteorologist Jorge Torres - Warm weekend ahead!
The warming trend continues as we head into the first weekend of spring! Expect plenty of sunshine today with highs reaching the mid 80s, then climbing into the upper 80s this weekend!
See Kidcaster Andrew's forecast:
Two Arizona women hope to win over the hearts of the American Idol judges
Two Arizona women are sharing their singing talents with the rest of the country this weekend on American Idol.
Underneath the mountains in Anthem, a 22-year-old Arizona State University graduate is one of the singers who is on the verge of making her voice heard by a bigger audience.
Long before American Idol judges got to hear her pipes, Sophia Humbert would have her parents help convince Valley coffee shops to have their then-12-year-old cover some Adele and Taylor Swift songs for customers.
She’s performed the National Anthem at nearly every Valley setting you can imagine, but her most important performance to date was before the Idol judges, where she sang her own rendition of “Before He Cheats” in front of the original singer herself, Carrie Underwood.
Trump signs executive order to begin 'eliminating' the Department of Education
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to begin eliminating the Department of Education.
"We're going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It's doing us no good," he said to a crowd gathered at the White House that included young children, administration officials, and governors.
President Trump argues that the Department of Education has been costly while failing to improve student performance, pointing to declining test scores. He believes education decisions are better made at the local level.
Things to do: Spirits of Mexico Festival, Out of the Park Music Fest, Mecum Auto Auctions, and more!
The weekend is here! Check out some of these fun events in the Valley on March 21-23, and see more in the link above.
- Mecum Auto Auctions
- Pride Night: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns
- Spirits of Mexico Festival
- Arizona Renaissance Festival
Arizona lawmakers approve budget fix for foster kids in group homes
State lawmakers approved a budget Band-Aid on Thursday for Arizona's child welfare agency, a funding shortfall that Republicans have used to raise questions about Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration.
Department of Child Safety money to house children in group homes was set to run out Monday. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee voted to allow DCS to cover the shortfall through the end of the fiscal year with surpluses in other parts of the agency's budget.
"We did more than what the governor originally asked for to solve the problem, for a longer period of time, and that's a good olive branch,” State Rep. David Livingston said. “Hopefully we carry over to when we do the budget and try to do all that, too.”
