AZ Briefing: Fake electors case moves forward; 1st 'Gilbert Goon' faces prison time; Demolition ahead for Valley landmark?

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

Arizona's fake electors case took a step forward this week with three days of hearings on its first significant motions.

A trial date for the case also was set for January 2026.

More about the major takeaways from the case.

Other big stories

➤ U.S. Department of Justice investigators say Phoenix police need oversight and hope city leaders will negotiate a settlement. If the city does not, it might face a lawsuit.

➤ Tyler Freeman, 18, is the first person tied to the "Gilbert Goons" who will go to prison for gang attacks. He was involved in brass-knuckles beatings.

➤ Troy Hayden moved from Fox 10 to 12 News. Find out what other big changes in Phoenix TV news have happened so far this year.

➤ Today, you can expect it to be mostly sunny and very warm with a high near 106 degrees. Expect it to be cloudy at night with a low near 84 degrees. Get the full forecast here .

Fate of Mystery Castle uncertain

The fate of the iconic Mystery Castle in the South Mountain foothills is uncertain. The landmark that sits near where Seventh Street ends at the mountain has been closed to the public for about a year, and demolition may be in its future.

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Today in history

Here are just some of the events on this date in the past.

• On this day in 1952: Ernest Hemingway’s novella “The Old Man and the Sea” was first published in its entirety in Life magazine, selling a remarkable 5.3 million copies within two days. Released as a book by Scribner’s a week later, the story received widespread acclaim and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953.
• In 1972: Bobby Fischer became the first native-born American to win the World Chess Championship by defeating the Soviet Union’s Boris Spassky in Reykjavik, Iceland. Often referred to as the “Match of the Century,” it symbolized a significant Cold War victory for the U.S.
• In 1979: Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to make a close approach to Saturn, passing within about 13,000 miles of the planet’s cloud tops at approximately 71,000 miles per hour. Pioneer 11 provided unprecedented insights into the ringed planet and its moons, marking a milestone in space exploration.
• In 1985: The remains of the RMS Titanic were discovered by a joint U.S.-French expedition led by American oceanographer Robert Ballard. The wreck was found about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, at a depth of approximately 13,000 feet, marking the end of a 73-year mystery since the ship sank in 1912.
• In 1998: A federal law mandated that all new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. must be equipped with airbags on both sides of the front seat. This requirement, stemming from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, marked a significant advancement in vehicle safety standards.
• In 2001: The U.S. Postal Service issued the first stamp celebrating Muslim holidays. The 34-cent stamp, designed by calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya, of Arlington, Virginia, featured gold Arabic calligraphy and the words “EID GREETINGS,” honoring the holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Briefing: Fake electors case moves forward; 1st 'Gilbert Goon' faces prison time; Demolition ahead for Valley landmark?