State Glance

Tropical Storm Sergio hits northwestern Mexico, dissipates

MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Sergio dissipated into a remnant low Friday after soaking the Baja California Peninsula, crossing the Gulf of California and then continuing to lose punch over mainland Mexico.

But the U.S. National Hurricane Center said the remnants of the system were still expected to produce total rainfall of 3 to 5 inches over northwestern Mexico and 1 to 3 inches in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and toward the southern plains through Saturday, potentially causing dangerous floods.

Baja California Sur Gov. Carlos Mendoza Davis said via Twitter that the Sergio caused minor damage to some roads and roofs and knocked down trees and power poles, but the storm did not cause any injuries or deaths in the state.

Flagstaff man pleads guilty in estranged girlfriend’s death

FLAGSTAFF — An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his estranged girlfriend, who police say was beaten and left in the cold before she died.

The Arizona Daily Sun reports that Vaughn Seumptewa entered the plea Friday in Flagstaff. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault against a health care professional stemming from two separate incidents.

Police accuse Seumptewa of throwing Nicole Joe to the ground and hitting her multiple times on Christmas Eve of 2017 after she asked to be let into a Flagstaff apartment.

After the assault, police say Seumptewa returned to the apartment and locked the door, leaving Joe outside for hours.

His sentencing hearing is set for Nov. 28.

Senate confirms Susan Brnovich as federal judge in Phoenix

PHOENIX — Arizona has a new federal judge after the U.S. Senate confirmed Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Susan Brnovich for a seat on the U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

Brnovich was confirmed on a voice vote Thursday. She is the wife of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and served as a state-level judge since 2009. President Donald Trump nominated Brnovich and chief assistant U.S. attorney for Arizona Dominic Lanza as U.S. District Court judges in January.

Lanza was confirmed by the Senate last month.