AZ Briefing: Phoenix area freeway closures; Flooding damaged the Phoenix VA's emergency department; Family sues Grubhub over death of judge

Good morning, Arizona. Here's what our reporters are working on and what you should know before you start your day.

No major freeway closures were scheduled throughout the Valley this weekend but some work zones remain in place.

ADOT advised drivers to allow extra time and to plan alternate routes. Drivers were asked to be prepared to slow down and merge safely when venturing through work zones.

See all the road updates here.

Other big stories

➤ 'A fork and wad of paper towels' caused flooding at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans' Administration Medical Center in Phoenix that could take up to eight weeks to repair.

➤ The family of Rosa Mroz, a Maricopa County judge fatally injured while crossing a Phoenix street in 2022, is suing Grubhub, alleging negligence.

➤ Did you pay attention to the top headlines in Arizona this week? Test your knowledge with azcentral.com's news quiz for Dec. 9, 2023.

➤ Today, you can expect it to be sunny, with a high near 68 degrees. Mostly clear at night, with a low near 43 degrees. Get the full forecast here.

Meet our staff: Alexandra Hardle

Alexandra Hardle covers the Southwest Valley for The Arizona Republic. Read her work at https://www.azcentral.com/staff/5562263001/alexandra-hardle/ and contact her at ahardle@gannett.com.

If you like our work, please consider becoming a subscriber.

Today in history

• On this day in 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated TV special featuring characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, premiered on CBS..
• In 1987, the first Palestinian intefadeh, or uprising, began as riots broke out in Gaza and spread to the West Bank, triggering a strong Israeli response.
• In 2000, the U-S Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt in the Florida vote count on which Al Gore pinned his best hopes of winning the White House.
• In 2011, the European Union said 26 of its 27 member countries were open to joining a new treaty tying their finances together to solve the euro crisis; Britain remained opposed.
• In 2014, U.S. Senate investigators concluded the United States had brutalized scores of terror suspects with interrogation tactics that turned secret CIA prisons into chambers of suffering and that it did nothing to make Americans safer after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
• In 2021, a jury in Chicago convicted former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself and then lied to Chicago police about it.

For more historical events, visit the Associated Press at https://apnews.com/today-in-history.

We'd love your feedback about the AZ Briefing. Email us at karen.kurtz@arizonarepublic.com.