Have an amazing weekend! Enjoy some Valley News!

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled unanimously that courts, not government agencies, must independently decide whether public records can be legally withheld or redacted, a decision that strengthens public transparency. The case stemmed from a former University of Arizona professor who sued after the school delayed, denied and heavily redacted hiring records. Justices reversed lower-court rulings that had deferred to the university. The opinion also makes it easier to recover attorney fees when a requester hires a lawyer to compel disclosure, and it says destroying a record after a request can count as a denial.

The Phoenix Mercury erased a 14-point deficit to beat the Dallas Wings 87-86 on Monday, as Kahleah Copper hit a go-ahead layup with 2.4 seconds left off an Alyssa Thomas pass. Copper scored 16 of her 31 points in the fourth quarter, and Thomas logged her fifth triple-double of the season.

Tempe Tavern is abruptly closing and liquidating its assets after state regulators linked the college-town bar to a deadly U.S. 60 crash in Mesa, the second fatal wreck tied to the venue in a year. Liquor investigators say the accused driver drank there before the September 16 collision that killed an 82-year-old woman.

Arizona homeowners can now register for a free state alert system that flags pending property sales before they close, a tool aimed at deed fraud. More than 17,375 properties have signed up since the Department of Real Estate launched the program in late August.

A $12.8 million lottery ticket dispute gained a new witness after a former NFL player who managed Circle K stores backed a fired manager's claim to a winning "The Pick" ticket. The ex-manager says company practice required employees to buy unsold printed tickets, a policy Circle K contests in court.