We’ve finally made it to Friday!
We’re staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Friday, May 30; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
Arizona heat is holding on with high pressure still in charge, but changes are on the way! Valley highs will climb to around 105º this afternoon, and then we’ll get some relief as temperatures drop and rain chances increase this weekend.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deaths of two Valley teenagers earlier this week.
Deputies were first called to the scene off State Route 87, between Mesa and Payson, early Tuesday morning.
Sources tell ABC15 the incident occurred at a campsite near Mount Ord, which is located in the Tonto National Forest.
Officials identified the victims as 18-year-old Pandora Kjolsrud and an unnamed 17-year-old. At a vigil for the teens, friends identified the 17-year-old to ABC15 as Evan Clark.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner lists the deaths as “homicides.”
Two Valley teens found dead near Mount Ord in Maricopa County
The Arizona Department of Child Safety has temporarily shut down We Care Homes LLC, a foster group home provider, removing all children from its facilities.
The DCS decision to issue its stop work order came just days after the ABC15 Investigators, after hearing from whistleblowers, asked the agency for records of complaints regarding the treatment of the children in these homes.
Jada Green is one of five whistleblowers who spoke with ABC15 about the group home provider.
Green said she knows We Care Homes CEO Veronica Johnson, and Green expressed relief about the kids being removed.
“[Johnson] was telling me all these things that she does for the community, for these children, but it wasn’t what I seen,” Green said.
Arizona foster group home provider is ordered to ‘stop work’ after complaints
Tucson neighbors jumped into action this week when they believed immigration officers were attempting an arrest in a neighborhood.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Scripps News Tucson that there is an ongoing investigation, but did not provide further details.
Christine Cariño called our Tucson sister station because she believed there were ICE or HSI agents in her neighborhood. Cariño described their unmarked vehicles, claimed they asked her unusual questions, and claimed that they worked with Tucson Electric Power.
She began to suspect the individuals were immigration enforcement officers during the initial interaction. She explained how they initially asked her to help them find her neighbor. That’s when she questioned if they were ICE or HSI agents, despite having been told they were with Tucson Electric Power. They eventually walked toward her neighbors’ home, she recalled.
Results from the most recent Point in Time count of people experiencing homelessness show that more people are now living unsheltered in Maricopa County.
The count was done earlier this year when volunteers conducted a count of the number of unsheltered people Valleywide.
Data showed that 9,734 people were experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County on the morning of Jan. 28, 2025.
The number of sheltered people reportedly went down 16%, the number of unsheltered people increased 28%, and the total PIT count was up 3%.
In 2024, there were 9,435 people encountered in Maricopa County, down from 2023 when the total count was 9,642.
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