PHOENIX — Happy Wednesday!

We’re staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Wednesday, July 15; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:

The monsoon is not done with us yet. A few scattered storms could pop up in the Valley later today. Until then, partly cloudy, hot, and humid with a high of 108º. Better storm chances arrive tomorrow.

The mother of a 21-year-old woman who was found dead near Lake Pleasant over the weekend is speaking about her daughter’s death to ABC15.

Arianna Jones, 21, was last known to be at her apartment near 59th and Northern avenues. When her family went to check on her, they said they found damage to her front door, and she was not there. Her family has had no contact with her since July 5.

A friend told police that she had planned to meet “an acquaintance” for a movie. Evidence shows the man, identified by police as Domonic Rodolico, had picked Jones up from her apartment and never returned.

On Saturday, July 11, officials located “decomposing human remains in this area along with additional evidence,” including movie theater cups and clothes.

Glendale police confirmed Monday that Rodolico was taken into custody on charges including first-degree murder. Police say he is being held on a $2 million cash bond.

Mother of Glendale woman found dead near Lake Pleasant speaks to ABC15

One person is dead, and four others are hurt after a multi-vehicle crash in Scottsdale.

Police say they were called to the crash at Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard around 4:45 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found six vehicles involved in the crash.

All told, Scottsdale police say five people were taken to the hospital for their injuries.

One person later died of their injuries. That person has not yet been identified.

Arizona’s 1st Congressional District has become one of the most watched races in the country, with political experts calling it a toss-up ahead of the primary election.

CD1 is among a small number of truly competitive House races, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

“We only have 16 tossups in the House in our Crystal Ball House ratings. Two of them are Arizona One and Arizona Six, so they’re really, really important,” Kondik said.

CD1 is home to about 820,000 people. The district includes northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, and Cave Creek. Because the race is so competitive, campaigns are spending heavily to reach voters.

“There are a lot of people who live in the Phoenix area who don’t live in Arizona One. But they’re going to be seeing those ads for Arizona One anyway,” Kondik said.

Arizona’s 1st Congressional District race is one of the most competitive in the country

In a world where headlines often focus on what teenagers are doing wrong, one Valley band is giving people a reason to turn up the volume.

Anthem-based rock band The Deadline, made up of local teenagers, recently returned from a remarkable trip to Poland, where they performed for U.S. and NATO troops stationed near the Ukraine border.

The opportunity came after the young musicians caught the attention of Polish officials and continued building a reputation through Alice Cooper’s Proof Is in the Pudding competition.

What followed was a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to use their music to boost morale for troops serving far from home.

Arizona teens bring musical talent to audience of troops near Ukraine

The Week 7 matchup between K-State and Arizona State will feature two of the youngest coaches in all of college football: Kenny Dillingham and Collin Klein. They are tied for the youngest in the Power 4 conferences, and only Kirby Moore of Washington State (35) and Zach Kittley (34) are younger Division I coaches.

While Dillingham didn’t play football at Arizona State, like Klein, he is at his alma mater. An injury in his high senior year forced him to stop playing and get into coaching. He became the offensive coordinator at Chaparral High School at 21 years old, and was hired just two years later by Mike Norvell as an offensive analyst at Arizona State. He went back to Tempe in 2023, after spending the previous season as the offensive coordinator at Oregon.

Both of these guys are looking to lead their alma maters to a Big 12 Championship, and this is one of those games that could be pivotal in that pursuit.

K-State Early Opponent Preview Series:  Nicholls|  Washington State|  Tulane|  Cincinnati| Houston| Kansas

Offense

Quarterback Sam Leavitt wasn’t able to live up to the hype after leading the Sun Devils to the Big 12 Championship in 2024, and he announced he was transferring to LSU during the off-season. Dillingham and his staff were quick to fill the vacany, as they picked up former Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley in the transfer portal.

Boley was the highest-rated quarterback to ever commit to Kentucky, as he was a consensus 4-star recruit. He had an up-and-down freshman year in 2025, as he threw for 2,160 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In a loss to Tennessee, he showed off the talent by throwing for 330 yards and five touchdowns.

The offense lost two great playmakers in Kaleek Brown and Jordan Tyson. Brown was one of the best running backs in the Big 12, as he rushed for 1,141 yards and 4 touchdowns. Tyson had to deal with injuries, but he still had 61 catches for 788 yards and eight touchdowns and ended up going No. 9 to the New Orleans Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft.

One guy who could make a strong impact in the Arizona State offense is Boston College transfer Reed Harris. He had 39 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. He is a matchup nightmare, as he towers over defensive backs with his 6-foot-5 frame. He plays a style similar to Tyson, and he stands three inches taller and 17 pounds heavier.

Defense

There are a lot of changes on the defense at Arizona State, but defensive lineman C.J. Fites is a player who is capable of being an anchor on a defense. He took a major leap last season, finishing the year with 27 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He was named a preseason All-Big 12 defensive tackle and is a guy who figures to hear his name in the 2027 NFL Draft. Fite’s presence will force offenses to throw double-teams at him, and should open up opportunities for others to get after the quarterback.

The two leading tacklers last year were linebackers Jordan Crook and Keyshaun Elliott, who had 101 and 98 tackles, respectively. With both of these players gone, Martell Hughes is a guy who the Sun Devils will need to step up.

While there were losses in the off-season, the Sun Devils’ secondary has a chance to be one of the better units in the country. They bring back two very talented safeties in Adrian Wilson and Jessiah McGrew. The cornerback duo of Rodney Bimage Jr. and Montana Warren was good, but the arrival of LSU transfer Ashton Stamps.

He made major news last year after he hit the transfer portal after playing in only one game against Louisiana Tech. While it was a weird year, he is the type of talent that could give the Sun Devils the best secondary in the Big 12.

Schedule

In today’s college football, many teams are becoming hesitant to take big challenges during the non-conference season. However, that isn’t the case with the Sun Devils, as they go to College Station to take on Texas A&M in Week 2. After that game, the schedule lightens up. Including the matchup against K-State, four of Arizona State’s next five games will be at home.

The challenging part of the Sun Devils’ conference schedule is that some of their toughest matchups are on the road. They have road trips at Texas Tech, BYU, and Arizona, who are looked at as contenders in the Big 12.

Outlook

Dillingham has been outstanding early in his tenure in Tempe. After going 3-9 in his first year in 2023, he helped lead the Sun Devils to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff during the 2024 season. Last year, they finished the year 8-5, despite losing quarterback Sam Leavitt early in the year.

The Big 12 is wide-open, and the Sun Devils once again to have the pieces to compete for a spot in the conference championship.

Game Info

Date: Saturday, October, 24
Time: TBD
TV:  TBD
Location: Mountain America Stadium
Series history: Arizona State leads the all-time series, 6-1. The Sun Devils have dominated this series, and won the most recent game 24-14 in 2024. The only time the Wildcats have knocked off Arizona State was in the 2002 Holiday Bowl.