The Valley is home to the top-ranked high school in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report. Basis Peoria came out on top in the 2024 U.S. News Best High Schools Rankings, making a jump from No. 12 last year, when it was also the Arizona leader. It was No. 30 nationally in 2022. Basis public charter schools have been regular fixtures on national high school rankings for years, including last year's Niche public schools list, and Basis Peoria was the leader among six of the networks schools that made U.S. News top 50 in the nation and 11 in the top 100 with all but one of those ..read more

William Roberts III is charged with six counts of sexual contact with a minor, the former educator and basketball coach testified in court on Monday. He told jurors he did have sex with two of the alleged victims. However, he claimed it was after they turned 18. Roberts used to coach basketball at Peoria High School before Patrick Battillo, also known as Mr. ORNG, took over for the team. As ABC15 previously reported, Battillo was recently arrested for asking a minor to send him sexually explicit images and videos. In Roberts' case, he is charged with sexually abusing two different minors. Howe ..read more

One person is seriously hurt after a crash involving an ambulance in Peoria early Saturday morning. Peoria police say they were called to the area near 83rd and Northern Avenues for a report of the crash. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle and the ambulance involved in the crash. The driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The ambulance crew reportedly only had minor injuries. They were not transporting any patients when the crash occurred. It's not clear what led up to the crash. Peoria police continue to investigate ..read more

In the last month, three educators from the West Valley have been arrested, and accused of crimes against students in a sexual nature. On March 21, Buckeye police arrested 23-year-old Alyssa Todd, who was a former teacher and coach at Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Students High School. Police arrested Todd on charges of sexual conduct with a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor. Buckeye police said Todds arrest was the third of a female sexual predator with ties to local schools in less than a year in their area. Days later, on March 26, Glendale police arrested 53-year ..read more

A 1-year-old boy was taken to a hospital after being pulled from a pool in Peoria. Crews were called to a home near Loop 101 and Peoria Avenue Saturday evening. Officials say the boy was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. It's not clear how long the boy was in the pool before being pulled out. Peoria police told ABC15 Saturday morning that the boy is expected to survive ..read more

Community members packed the Peoria Unified School District board meeting Thursday, one day after the Peoria High School boy's basketball coach, Patrick Battillo, was arrested. Battillo is a Phoenix Suns superfan known by many as "Mr. ORNG." On Wednesday, court documents said he was accused of using Snapchat to contact at least one male student, offering them money in exchange for sexually explicit videos and pictures. Watch ABC15's previous coverage below: Basketball coach, prominent Valley sports fan 'Mr. ORNG' arrested on sex crime charges Another teacher, Holly Holgate, was also arrested ..read more

Lee Lee International Supermarkets, a three-store Asian-focused international grocery store chain with locations in Peoria, Chandler and Tucson, has been acquired by a Southern California-based specialty grocery retailer. Maison Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: MSS), which owns a handful of supermarkets that offer traditional Asian and international food and merchandise, announced Wednesday it acquired Lee Lee Oriental Supermart Inc. through its wholly-owned subsidiary AZLL LLC, an Arizona limited liability company, for $22.2 million. Maison acquired Lee Lee so it could enter the Arizona market with an ..read more

Peoria High School basketball coach and prominent Valley sports fan known as "Mr. ORNG" has been arrested on charges related to child sex crimes, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Patrick Battillo was arrested Wednesday, according to MCSO. Battillo has been going to Phoenix Suns games dressed completely in orange for more than a decade and garnered popularity among fans, even being featured in NBA commercials and social media posts. ABC15 has reached out for more information on Battillo's arrest and alleged sex crimes and is waiting for a response. This is a developing story ..read more

Peoria is getting down to business with the state of Arizona to open up thousands of acres of land for future growth. With the $40 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. next door and plans for a $2 billion Amkor semiconductor plant in Peoria, city leaders are positioning 8,300 acres of state trust land as the next major development hotspot in metro Phoenix. In March, Peoria unveiled its future vision for growth and proposed changes to its 2040 general plan, a policy document that guides the long-term growth for the municipality, at a council study session. The general plan changes are ..read more

An employee with the Cartwright School District has been arrested for alleged sex crimes after an incident in Peoria. Peoria police officials say 26-year-old Brock Higley was arrested after he exposed himself to a 17-year-old Dutch Bros. worker on Saturday. Officials say the incident happened near 83rd Avenue and Thunderbird Road just before 10 a.m. Higley was taken into custody on Sunday at his home. Victor Hugo Rodriguez, executive director of public relations for Cartwright School District provided the following statement to ABC15: "The Cartwright School District learned today that a distri ..read more