Month: September 2026

By Nick Ciletti

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    CHANDLER, Arizona (KNXV) — A member of one of the most celebrated teams in American Olympics history has found a way to keep the magic alive in Arizona — for kids of all abilities!

Amanda Borden was just 19 years old when she stepped onto the world stage as Team Captain for the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The group, known as “The Magnificent Seven,” won the first-ever team gold medal in gymnastics for the United States.

Now, 30 years later, Amanda Borden is married, a mom of three kids, and owns two gymnastics studio in the Valley — one in Tempe and one in Chandler, which is where ABC15’s Nick Ciletti recently caught up with her to see how she is training kids of all abilities to realize their full potentials.

They swing, they sway, and they soar, reaching new heights at Gold Medal Gymnastics in Chandler.

“It’s super fun!” explains 9-year-old Aaro Houck, who we met on the Ninja course.

Despite his young age, Aaro is already a pro on the course! But in between all the high-fives and high climbing came a lot of hard work.

“It took me a whole year and a half,” explains Aaro, about how long it took him to climb the wall and ring the bell (something we witnessed him do proudly several times).

Aaro’s mom, Heather says all three of her kids have taken away major lessons from his time at the gym.

“Gosh, there is so much!” explains Heather. “From a social aspect, they are learning to work with another person, learning how to communicate. They are learning about their body and how it moves within space.”

And that’s something that hasn’t always been easy for Aaro, who is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. Heather says they didn’t always feel welcome at other gyms, until they found Gold Medal Gymnastics and their S.T.A.R Program, which stands for, “Success through Adaptive Recreation.”

Kids practice with certified instructors, either one-on-one or in small groups, working on skills like balance, core strength, and social development.

“I think that by providing all those different avenues and meeting different needs, every kid is getting the opportunity to try something they love,” explains Amanda.

And that is exactly what she got to do throughout her life! There is a giant wall in her Chandler gym that serves as a highlight reel in ways and in other ways, serves as an inspiration for young athletes and a trip down memory land for the rest of us.

“We just couldn’t believe it,” explains Amanda about the level of fame and success she and the test of Team USA had achieved that year.

“I didn’t feel nervous until I walked into the Georgia Dome and all the fans chanted USA…I did have a little nerves and so did my teammates and that was my moment to step up.”

But Amanda didn’t just step up — she leveled up, helping Team USA score their first ever team gold medal in gymnastics.

Now, she’s helping kids of all abilities realize their full potentials.

“To watch kinds in our Ninja gym do a new obstacle or something they are nervous to try, then they walk out of her and are feeling confident…Every kid should have that opportunity, regardless of what their circumstances are.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Ford Hatchett

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    CHANDLER, Arizona (KNXV) — A Chandler man is facing a felony charge after police say he sent a series of threatening messages, including threats against Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and threats to use a vehicle to run over children at a local school.

According to court paperwork, the 40-year-old was arrested Saturday at his Chandler home and booked on one count of making a terrorist threat, a Class 3 felony under Arizona law.

In messages dated Sept. 18, court records allege the man wrote that he planned to track down Gov. Hobbs and stab her and her family to death.

According to court documents, that man also sent emails and messages threatening to use a vehicle to kill children. In one message, he allegedly wrote that he had noticed BASIS Chandler Primary North had a “pretty flimsy barrier” and described the timing of his observations as coordinated with the school’s lunch recess.

The man’s mother alerted authorities, according to records. She told police her son has battled mental health issues for years and that he believes he is possessed by “child killers.”

Court documents include several additional messages attributed to the man. In one, he allegedly wrote:

“As I left, I could not help but notice a playground full of kids playing, BASIS Chandler Primary North behind a pretty flimsy barrier. This was all timed in coordination with their lunchtime recess.”

In a separate message, he allegedly wrote:

“I will do everything I can to make sure that the children and grandchildren of the people in the private sector participating in this slowly [expletive] die.”

Detectives used phone location data to track the man to Chandler on Sept. 19. Records say an undercover detective made contact at a home and positively identified the man at the door. He was taken into custody and booked on felony charges.

In a statement to ABC15, Chandler police said detectives developed probable cause to arrest the man on Sept. 18 after receiving reports of threats to attack a school using a vehicle.

Court Records indicate he has a prior criminal history, including a family disturbance, theft, disobeying a court order, and harassment and intimidation arrests.

The man is now being held on a $100,000 secured appearance bond.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Melissa Blasius

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    PHOENIX, Arizona (KNXV) — After another brutally hot summer, the state prison director is asking for $131 million to upgrade cooling systems at two Arizona prisons. Some units at the facilities have relied on outdated evaporative coolers for years. Marissa Luna is one of dozens of Arizonans who emailed ABC15 this summer with concerns about heat safety for loved ones inside Lewis Prison near Buckeye. “This summer, my son actually called me and said, ‘Mama, we need your help,'” Luna said. “The men are lying on the floor. We’re just drenched in sweat. There’s no airflow.” An evaporative cooling system, also known as a swamp cooler, broke down at Lewis Prison’s Bachman Unit during a July 2026 heatwave. As ABC15 previously reported, the repair took four days.

Prisoners’ rights advocates said it’s a compound problem: old swamp coolers can’t sufficiently reduce temperatures, are prone to breakdowns, and water from the system can make cells damp and moldy.

“If this were a school or a nursing home, no one would allow these institutions to keep people in these conditions. We are hearing that it’s pretty bad,” said Rosalind Akins, the director of prisoners’ rights advocacy at Mass Liberation Arizona. Reports from the Arizona Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Reentry show 24 prison units are still waiting for modern air conditioning, or are only partly renovated, after funding for HVAC replacement was reduced or eliminated for four years. “This is something that’s been happening every year, and it’s time to hold people accountable and get some transparency out of the prison system,” said state Rep. Walter Blackman, a Republican from District 7 and chairman of the House Government Committee. Blackman said he’s asking ADCRR for information from August 2026, including: Cooling system outages in August. Temperature readings and emergency cooling measures. Maintenance requests and repair costs. Heat-related impacts on prison workers and inmates.

“If those things are not fixed, we will see another lawsuit because of neglect of facilities,” Blackman said. ADCRR director Ryan Thornell declined ABC15’s interview request. He previously spoke to ABC15 in July 2026 about HVAC improvements.

ADCRR’s FY2028 budget request, dated Sept. 1, shows upgrading HVAC systems at Lewis and Tucson Prisons as his top funding priority.

If approved, ADCRR would add air conditioning to 8 prison units in the two facilities, costing an estimated $131 million. Construction would be completed by 2031.

Luna said the five-year timeline seems too long, and she suggested cost-saving options like having inmates help with labor.

“It’s not for comfort; it’s not for luxury; it’s for survival,” Luna said.

Rep. Blackman said the records he requested from the prison system will help determine whether current heat safety practices are adequate and whether continued repair to the aging systems is the most cost-effective approach. He said the information could lead to a legislative hearing and decisions on budget priorities for FY2028.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Neal Riley

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    CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (WBZ) — MIT has taken the top spot in U.S News & World Report’s 2027 ranking of the best colleges, ending Princeton University’s 15-year run at No. 1.

Princeton had been atop the list every year since the magazine began its rankings in 2012. But this year’s edition included “significant methodology changes” that included a greater focus on the value of an education and graduate earnings.

“With families increasingly scrutinizing the true cost and return on investment of a college degree, our goal is to provide clear, actionable data,” LaMont Jones, the managing editor for education at U.S. News, said in a statement.

MIT was also No. 1 on a recent Forbes list of “America’s Top Colleges,” which also emphasized earning potential for graduates. Forbes said the median 20-year salary for MIT graduates is $131,182.

Last year, MIT went tuition-free for families that make less than $200,000 annually. Families making under $100,000 a year don’t have to pay fees for housing, dining, books or other expenses.

Massachusetts colleges are well-represented in the new U.S. News rankings. Harvard University is No. 3 on the national list, and Williams College and Amherst College took the top two spots for the best liberal arts colleges in the country.

Babson College in Wellesley was named the best “regional university” in the north, followed by Bentley University in Waltham. The other Massachusetts colleges making the top 100 in the U.S. News ranking were Boston College (No. 31), Tufts University (tied at 31), Boston University (34), Northeastern University (42), Brandeis University (59), UMass-Amherst (tied at 59) and WPI (73).

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.