Email Author Ray Stern

Awards

• 2011 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published July 8, 2010

  "Gold Rush"

• 2011 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published November 25, 2010

  "Chronic Future"

• 2010 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published October 15, 2009

  "Concrete Bungle"

• 2010 - Arizona Press Club Awards

  SCA Scandal

• 2010 - Arizona Press Club Awards

  Valley Fever

• 2008 - Maggies: The Magazine Awards of Western Publishing, published July 19, 2007

  "Money for Nothing"

• 2008 - Maggies: The Magazine Awards of Western Publishing, published May 31, 2007

  "What Happened in Vegas..."

• 2008 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published May 31, 2007

  "What Happened in Vegas..."

• 2008 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published February 8, 2007

  "Gotcha!"

• 2007 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published November 16, 2006

  "ICE Meltdown"

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2009 Stories by Ray Stern

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  FEATURED STORY

  GoDaddy Hires New Internet Pin-Up Girl, a Country Singer From Scottsdale

  published Aug 25, 2009

    rHot off the cyber-presses of the Business Journal: Erin Kalin, a country singer from Scottsdale whose body must be the envy of every other woman on the planet with four kids, has become... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Scorpion in McDonald's Breakfast Bag Not Making Chandler Science Teacher Go "Mmmm"

  published Aug 25, 2009

  A breakfast that makes you go "mmmr" Not in Chandler, reportedly, where a teacher said his McDonald's bag contained a special ingredient: A live scorpion. Jeff Tallman, according... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Don Stapley Case Update: 51 of 118 Criminal Counts Dismissed on Technicality

  published Aug 25, 2009

    rIt's 51 down, 67 criminal counts to go for Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley. The county leader under investigation and indictment for failure to follow campaign finance disclos... More >>

• Deputy Chief Paul Chagolla Files Discrimination Claims Against County in Dispute Over Lack of Raise

  published Aug 25, 2009

  The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office promoted Paul Chagolla last year, even touting him as the agency's first Hispanic deputy chief, but Chagolla never got the raise that was supp... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Pastor Tased at Checkpoint Getting National Attention -- as Anti-Obama Extremist

  published Aug 24, 2009

    rSteven Anderson, the right-wing pastor from Tempe who said he was abused by authorities at an Arizona checkpoint in April, caught the attention of MSNBC for his hate-filled... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Young Champions of America Rising From Ashes of Arson Fire; Company Offers Low-Cost Classes for Kids

  published Aug 24, 2009

  The arson fire of June 14 at the Young Champions of America headquarters burned up every scrap of administrative records and melted scores of awards and trophies amassed over the years. Rory Hood... More >>

• Goddard Named as Partner in National Task Force to Fight Mortgage Fraud

  published Aug 24, 2009

    rTerry Goddard is one of 10 attorney generals across the country to take part in a task force with federal authorities against mortgage fraud. Rob McKenna, Washington's AG, is co-chair w... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  More County Squabbling: Treasurer Sues County Leaders, Claiming His Office is Being Stripped of Money (and Therefore, Power)

  published Aug 24, 2009

  "Hos," the Maricopa County Treasurer Maricopa County Treasurer Charles "Hos" Hoskins has finally carried through on a threat he made back in December to sue the county again. Hoskins already has a la... More >>

• Arizona Republic Takes on Joe Arpaio in Sunday Piece About Sheriff's "Foes"

  published Aug 24, 2009

    rThe Arizona Republic seems to be taking a more aggressive stance lately against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Case in point: Its big Sunday story about the sheriff by Dan Nowicki en... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  ATM Thieves Use "Skim Devices" to Rip Off Cardholders, Phoenix Cops Say

  published Aug 24, 2009

  The crime is sophisticated and devious: You're tricked into swiping your card in a thieving cardreader planted over the real one. Meanwhile, the would-be Lex Luthors are watching you punch in your P... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Twilight Author Stephenie Meyer Sued; Popular Cave Creek Author Stole Ideas, Student Claims

  published Aug 24, 2009

  A wanna-be writer and musician from California has sued the Valley's own dark mistress of vampire fiction, Stephenie Meyer in what looks like a half-baked cry for attention. The young woman, Jordan... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Charges Dropped for Teen Who Carried Airsoft Rifle in Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve

  published Aug 21, 2009

      rCharges have been dropped against an 18-year-old man who took an Airsoft rifle -- which shoots BBs or pellets -- to Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The teen, Max Hoem... More >>

• Appendix Not a Useless Organ, as Formerly Thought -- Serves Critical Function, Say Researchers From Arizona and Duke U

  published Aug 21, 2009

  Creationists will have a field day with this one. Turns out that Charles Darwin was wrong about the appendix. Darwin believed the organ didn't do anything useful, so it might have been ves... More >>

• Process Server Knocked Out While Trying to Deliver Speed-Camera Ticket

  published Aug 21, 2009

  You want to ignore that speed-camera ticket -- good for you. Heck, we even encourage it. But we also encourage authorities to prosecute to the fullest those who would commit violence as some sort of... More >>

• Captain Joel Fox Still Claims He Wasn't "Promoted" When He was Made SWAT Commander; We Clarify Some Minor Errors

  published Aug 21, 2009

  We messed up and we admit it. Our blog post yesterday about the Yellow Sheet Report contained a factual error -- it wasn't Phil Riske who broke the story last year about the connection between Capta... More >>

• Death Valley: Cops Bust Elderly Man in Connection With 1987 Murder

  published Aug 20, 2009

    rThe Phoenix police cold case squad, in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Office, arrested an elderly man at a long-term care facility in connection with a 1987 murder. Cops sa... More >>

• Giffords Statements on Healthcare Reform Show the "Devil is in the Detail"

  published Aug 20, 2009

  Reading the full transcript of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' August 10 interview with the Arizona Daily Star, it's easy to see why people are so frustrated with plans to launch governmen... More >>

• Obama Wants 287(g) Agencies to be Held Accountable for Actions; Napolitano Wants Status of Some Agencies Revoked

  published Aug 20, 2009

  President Obama popped into a meeting today between government officials and immigrant advocates, saying he wants local 287(g)-authorized agencies "held accountable," a pro-immigrant group said today... More >>

• Trent Franks Concerned That Obama's Science Czar Believes Limitless Population Growth is Bad; Franks Also Worried About Holdren's Stance on Abortion

  published Aug 20, 2009

  Thankfully, there's just one Trent Franks. The conservative Arizona Congressman from District Two, which includes Maricopa County, apparently believes human beings should multiply like rabbits until ... More >>

• Yellow Sheet Reporter Fired in Dispute; Phil Riske Planned to Retire at Month's End

  published Aug 20, 2009

  Veteran Arizona Capitol Times reporter Phil Riske has been fired from the Yellow Sheet, a paid-subscription politics rag, says an Arizona Republic blog post by Matthew Benson. Riske had been with th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Death Valley: Dismembered, Burning Body of Disabled Man Leads to Arrest of Phoenix Woman

  published Aug 20, 2009

  Phoenix cops call the murder of Terry Neely, 46, one of the most heinous they've ever seen -- and indeed, these details can make the most jaded news reader shudder. Even the beginning of the at... More >>

• ASU "Leading the Pack," Says Magazine, Even Though State's Money Woes are Slicing Programs

  published Aug 20, 2009

  Arizona State University is "leading the pack in improvements and innovative changes," according to the latest issue of U.S. News and World Report magazine. Though ASU was only as the 121st best na... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Maricopa Same as Monument Valley to Irish Eyes; Solar Project Coming to Peoria

  published Aug 20, 2009

  Check out the photo and caption that ran along with an article on an Irish Web site about an upcoming solar energy project:   r    To folks across the "pond," Arizona is one vast d... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Biltmore Mansion Fire Arrest: Cops Say Owner Destroyed His Own $3.5 Million Home

  published Aug 19, 2009

    rThe owner of a $3.5 million mansion in the Biltmore Estates was arrested today by Phoenix police in connection with an arson fire that burned the place to the ground. Michael Marin told... More >>

• Hendershott Defends Son on Overtime Issue; Also Denies He Ever Gave Up Computer Password

  published Aug 19, 2009

  Since we're on speaking terms (for the time being) with Dave Hendershott, chief deputy of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Joe Arpaio's right-hand man, we've got a few other things to relate... More >>