the maricopa county medical examine serasking for an extra -- examiner is asking for an extra $300,000 for his office. >> the reason? to handle a spike in unexplained violent deaths. >> every year about 354 bodies are examined by the county but that number is rising sharply. national heroin epidemic is playing a part. a grim reality at the medical examiner's office, more bodies filling you want morgue. >> we've seen a 19% increase in the number of cases over the same time period the previous year. >> reporter: jeff johnson is the chief medical examiner for the county. he can't say for sure, but he has a theory about what's driving this bleak trend. >> certainly it's on our radar, looking at if they're drug-related deaths.

but we won't know until we get all those cases completed. >> reporter: if heroin is the cause, maricopa county wouldn't be alone. coroners across the country are reporting high rates of heroin-related deaths. regardless, johnson will ask county leaders on monday for an additional $278,000 to hire 2 more examiners and help close a massive backlog of open cases. >> right now we have about 1,700 open reports. that's not bodies went from about niche cases a week -- 95 cases a week to 112 cases a week. >> it's delaying in some cases issuance of death certificates and slowing down some police investigations. police need your help tonight to identify two women

the woman left her purse in her car and the suspects stole it. they used her credit card several times and bought gift cards. >> people believe that gift cards can'ting tracked down, but -- can't be tracked down but there's a record every time you use one. the people were trying to buy items they could quickly use, give away or sell. >> one of the suspects was seen leaving in a silver car. silent witness is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information. jay showdown between asu and u of a, a controversial t-shirt is causing some big concern on several media with mean saying the t-shirt is -- many saying the stir beyond bad taste. zahid arab is live with the backlash. >> reporter: this is a big talker on campus with a lot of opinions.? think the design -- some think the design is funny and others are upset.

arizona state and u of a heat up one of the most bitter rivalries around. the territorial cup friday night. >> you kind of grow a hate for them over the years. >> reporter: >> makes me sad a little bit. >> reporter: the real stunnering be what's in the crowd. >> yeah, absolutely. >> reporter: this controversial t-shirt with the saying "make arizona great again, build a wall, making tucson part of mexico." >> the joke is funny but a little, yeah, distasteful. >> reporter: does it cross the line from humor to hateful antidefamation league thinks se. >> when you think of a situation like the holocaust that was not an accident in our history, it wasn't killing that started the holocaust, it was words, images. >> reporter: aside from comments like "i'm going to tucson and need this" others are disgusted by the shirt sold online with posts like "tempe is better than this." >> people are gonna be dumb and do what they want.

poverty law center reporting 700 incidents of racial intimidation nakz wide since the election, asu students are wary. >> >> reporter: the man behind the marketing company did not respond to our request for comment. an official asu retailer says it is careful t only sell rivalry merchandise that pokes fun at u of a and not people. with thanksgiving finally here, it's time for some fun with family and friends and do a lot of shopping. >> dave has the money moves that'll make you feel thankful. >> think of these as course around your financial table.

thankful for. monitor your credit. you'll need to maintain your credit. every consumer is entitled to a free report every year. some credit card companies give you an yoop date on your -- update on your score for free. don't settle for the first insurance quote you receive. gathering several gives you leverage. if there's a company you prefer, show them the ap lower theirs. if you have any debt above 10%, paying that off should be your priority. building an emergency fund, consider it a war chest, defending you from calamities like car accidents, sudden house repairs, and a child getting sick. getting your taxes done early, get your refund early, and you get tax stress off your back. start gather receipts now, book an appointment with your accountant. and setting a

thanksgiving with a shopping list wondering how am i gonna do this? fix that in the future with a christmas budget set in advance. by having one every year, you can avoid overpaying on last-minute gifts. put these moves into play and you'll be thankful. tonight president obama is getting into the holiday mood at the white house, taking part in the traditional pardoning of the nationa spaterd tater and tot. >> fair enough. >> that ceremony can go south very quickly. [ laughter ] tonight at the phoenix zoo, they are getting set for christmas. >> they will flip the switch for their annual zoo lights. paul horton is there tonight hosting the fundraising event

there. >> reporter: hello everybody. it might get loud in just a second. [ drumming ] for >> reporter: oh, man, on cue! the big man himself leading the afshgz su marching band -- asu marching band. we got our tree-lighting ceremony that's gonna happen in about 10 to 15 minutes. come on out and be a tonight, perfect weather, and is they're opening their doors through january 8th. we'll have highlights tonight at 10:00. i wonder if asu is a little nervous about the game in tucson tomorrow. good job! back to you. >> impressive that we could hear you the whole time. [ laughter ] apple is looking to change

some amazon shipments could be delayed this season. transports amazon shipments went on strike today. amazon says it works with a variety of carriers and doesn't expect to have many problems. apple may be bringing back the old-school flip-phone with a modern twist it. just got a patent for a flexible iphone which folds in half.

it would block posts in some parts of the world. the holidays are fun but they can be financially stressful. 48% of americans say they spend more than expected and 44% feel obligated to spend more than they can afford on gifts. justin bieber accused of punching a nan in the face in barcelona. the fan reached into bieber's limo. giving him a bloody lip.

astronauts are getting set to celebrate thanksgiving. it will be quite traditional. want crew will be eating the thushgy dinner with all the trimmings. theirs will be dehydrated. gotta add water. and it's in pouchs. not really traditional. [ laughter ] >> the crew also plans to watch a lot of football.

life >> add water. [ laughter ] >> mark has battled the holiday traffic, he is back. >> it seems like he avoided a lot of questions about his health. did he say why he plans to coach this weekend? >> the no. 1 reason, he's got a clean bill of health. big game this week in atlanta even sounding like his old self. it is a must-win this week against the falcons. >> i got an absolute clean bill of health. so i got no problem. i feel great. no tj warren in the lineup tonight. he'll be out indefinitely due to a minor head issue. he did not play in the

no. 1 kentucky next week. he's fun to watch. the game wasn't a blowout. offense is unstoppable. the freshman had 23. asu's second most points in school history, 127-100 the final score. the night's territorial game. desert hammer. they wore something similar last year with the all gray. waiting to hear what the wildcats will wear to friday and if the fashion police will be out in full force. >> thank you, mark. a holiday tradition conditions in the valley. >> the zoo hammer! for 25 years, the phoenix zoo has lit up for the holidays. paul horton just dropped the hammer live.

the switch there! the snow starts falling, the asu band in the distance, and there's the tree. a brand-new addition here at the phoenix zoo for zoo lights. and the first time they put this on back in the early '90s, they had about 400,000 lights, maybe 4,000 people. now they get around 300,000 folks that come through here during the holidays. it's a big tradti and the biggest fundraiser for the phoenix zoo. let's talk about the forecast here. mostly clear sky, pretty good for the upcoming holiday. 72 degrees. winds out of the west northwest at 8 miles per hour. indiana,

northwest that could give us some holiday issues as well for tomorrow. big rain around oregon and washington. for us, high temperatures in the mid-70s, warmer tomorrow for thanksgiving. plenty of sunshine expected. you can see the storm track staying well to the north of us. future cast, stop it here tomorrow morning. mostly clear skies. getting up early, getting the turkey ready, heading out on a turkey trot, we'll continue to see some nice sunshine that will temperatures are gonna continue to climb through friday. the next system that will start to affect us saturday night into sunday. we'll drop with temperatures around the lower 50s tomorrow morning. 42. up toward yafrs sedona, 43. below freezing in flagstaff. and the 7-day, it's a 4-day weekend for a lot of folks, come on out to

you're going, friday a high of 79, mostly clear skies. saturday into sunday, the income chance of rainfall, slight chance on sunday, a light amount of moisture expected. we'll see the chance extend through monday. come on out to the phoenix zoo. they're opened till about 10:00 this evening. i made a mistake, the game is not tomorrow, it is friday. apologize for that. but go asu! ug understand, it feels like we're heading into the weekend. [ laughter ] >> reporter: i know it! feels like a friday! >> yes, it does. all right. thanks, paul. coming up, it is a scam that people are falling for. how

we are looking for hidden safety defects in your cars. our investigation found that vehicles with safety defects and recalls for sale actually online and all over the valley. >> as morgan lowe tells uit's putting your family at risk and perfectly legal.

roads. in our driveways. they look like any other car. but they have hidden defects that can make them deadly. in june star trek actor died when his jeep pinned him between a mailbox pillar and security fence. the car was the subject of a safety recall. last year alone, the autin vehicles due to safety defects and concerns. fewer than half of them are believed to have been repaired. we found recalled vehicles at used car lots, online car auctions, government vehicles for sale with open safety recalls. >> reporter: we took photos of vines at used car lots across the valley, ran them through a federal recall registry and

like this kia sol with a transmission shifter safety recall that could lead to unintentional movement and an increased risk of a crash. this bmw has a problem. and this range rover with a risk of braking loss due to rupt europed brake hoses. we found recalled vehicles listed for sale at auto auctions like this 2004 nissan xterra whose steering shaft may break. we found recalled vehicled for sale by the gop like these surplus chevy silverados with recalled takata airbags, blamed for 11 dates across the u.s. how common is it for you to buy a car at auction and find out that there's a recall? >> very common >> reporter: steven centricstein is an independent car dealer whose company policy

about safety relevance. even though there is no law that says he has to. >> the law doesn't require an independent or franchise dealer to do any work on the car or to disclose it. that's the law. >> the auto manufacturers will for free. and we posted all of this information on our website and mobile app. a valley man who fell on the trail on lookout mountain has died. people saw the 61-year-old man stray from the path and fell off a drop-off. witnesses called 911. phoenix police homicide have taken over this investigation. a crash on the i-17 has turned deadly.

pinnacle peak road this afternoon, the truck pulling that trailer blew a tire causing the crash. an armed robbery suspect is in custody tonight after a standoff with the s.w.a.t. team in the east valley. tracy mccoy is tied to two robberies, one near arizona avenue and pecos, the other at 54th and chandler. the commotion put a high school on lockdown. mccoy surrendered and was taken to 5:00. >> we hope to see you back here

captioning sponsored by cbs >> quijano: america on the move. >> this is crazy. i've never seen it like this. >> quijano: the busiest holiday rush in nearly a decade. millions jam highways, airports, and trains. plus a security lockdown for the thanksgiving parade. also tonight, two women join trump team, haley for u.n. ambassador, devoss for education secretary. buying groceries just got a whole lot easier. >> it's a great time to be a shopper. it's a tough time to be a supermarket. >> quijano: and. >> we're under the lincoln memorial. we're about 75 feet underground. >> quijano: a national treasure is being restored by the monuments man.