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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2011 Stories by Ray Stern

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  FEATURED STORY

  "Occupy Phoenix" Planned for October 15; Protest Movement Spreading Across Country

  published Oct 03, 2011

  They're pissed off at American greed and social injustice. They're relatively leaderless but well connected through social media. And they're gonna Occupy Phoenix on October 15.The "Occupy Wall Stree... More >>

• Disabled Phoenix Man Wants Sidewalks Along Bethany Home Road Fixed Now, Not in 2015

  published Sep 30, 2011

  Thomas Vickery lit a fire under the butts of city officials earlier this year, shaming them into finally moving a fire hydrant that blocked a curb ramp on a sidewalk.Now he wants the city of Phoenix t... More >>

• Rogelio Gutierrez, Guy Responsible in 2002 Crash That Burned Hero Cop Jason Schecterle is Deported to Mexico

  published Sep 30, 2011

  An illegal immigrant with epilepsy who crashed into the squad car of Phoenix police officer Jason Schecterle in 2002, burning the officer severely, has been deported to Mexico.Rogelio Gutierrez, 45, ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  DEA Raids Medical Marijuana Club in Tempe, Accuses Owners of Running Illegal Dispensary

  published Sep 30, 2011

  rDays after helping Phoenix police take down violent gang members, the DEA has gone after a softer target: A medical marijuana club in Tempe.Agents began showing up at the AZ Go Green Co-Op at... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Steve Chucri Announces Bid for Don Stapley's Seat on Maricopa County Board of Supervisors; Chucri is CEO for AZ Restaurant Association

  published Sep 29, 2011

  Steve Chucri, CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association, announced plans today to run against Don Stapley in 2012 for a seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors."It's time for new ideas ... it... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Jack Hegarty, DPS Director Robert Halliday's Right-Hand Man, Should be Demoted, Committee Recommends; FOP Worries Committe Findings Will be "Ignored"

  published Sep 29, 2011

  Bad morale persists at the Arizona Department of Public Safety because of poor leadership, and officers aren't hopeful for change, says a police association official.A committee formed by DPS Director... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Medical Marijuana and Guns Don't Mix, Warns ATF in Letter; Federal Law Prohibits Pot Users From Owning or Buying Firearms

  published Sep 28, 2011

  The U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau, the same agency that lets drug cartel members buy guns, is warning firearms dealers not to sell to medical marijuana users.In an open letter to the natio... More >>

• Killer Cantaloupes Shipped to Arizona, but No Listeria Outbreaks Noted in State; 13 Dead Elsewhere

  published Sep 27, 2011

  Cantaloupes containing a potentially deadly bacteria that has killed 13 people were shipped to Arizona, but aren't known to have caused problems here, health officials said Tuesday.Dozens of people ha... More >>

• Jeffery Harbin, Neo-Nazi, Pleads Guilty to Possessing and Transporting Homemade Bombs; Prison Sentence Capped at Five Years

  published Sep 27, 2011

  Neo-Nazi Jeffery Harbin of Apache Junction will received up to five years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court yesterday to making and transporting bombs.Court records show that an FBI inf... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Suspect in Three Armed Robberies, Ryan Foote, Kills Man Who Dated Ex-Girlfriend, Police Say

  published Sep 27, 2011

  A 22-year-old suspect in three armed robberies burst through the glass door of a Phoenix apartment at about 3 a.m. on Monday and shot a man who'd dated his ex-girlfriend. Rya... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Tom Liddy was Andrew Kunasek's Deep Throat; County Supervisor Describes Tip on Arpaio/Thomas Plot to Overthrow Board

  published Sep 27, 2011

  Tom Liddy, a deputy prosecutor who also happens to be son of infamous Watergate villain G. Gordon Liddy, played Deep Throat for a county supervisor under siege by corrupt lawmen.The setting of the cru... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Retired Arizona Public Officials Sue to Keep "Hundreds of Millions" in Pension Payouts Being Denied Because of New Law

  published Sep 14, 2011

  Retired judges are fighting a new law that reduces their pension payout in a class action lawsuit filed this week in federal court.If they win, it'll cost the state "hundreds of millions" of dollars ... More >>

• Contagion Realistic in Portraying Viral Threat, Says Will Humble, AZ Health Services Director

  published Sep 14, 2011

  Will Humble, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, says the movie Contagion is so realistic, something like it has already happened.In a review of the latest virus-scare offering... More >>

• Four-Hour Death Hike: Jeremy Barlow, 31, of Missouri, Apparently Succumbs to Heat on South Mountain

  published Sep 13, 2011

  We're not the only ones still trying to comprehend how a 31-year-old man from Missouri died after hiking for a mere four hours on Sunday morning with a friend at South Mountain Park."It's very unusual... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Andrew Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon's Defense in Disbarment Hearing Looks Weak in Opening Statements

  published Sep 12, 2011

  rDid a cabal of county supervisors, judges, lawyers and others work together to block legit police investigations into allegations of public corruptionrOr did a political hack and his underlin... More >>

• Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander: The Disbarment Hearings

  published Sep 12, 2011

  The hearings that may result in the disbarment of former Maricopa County Andrew Thomas begin this morning with opening statements from each side. Thomas and two of his ex-henchwomen, former deputy c... More >>

• CSK Auto Corp. Agrees to Pay $21 Million for Fraud of Former Execs; Ex-CFO Don Watson of Gilbert Faces Possible Five-Year Sentence

  published Sep 09, 2011

  CSK Auto Corporation has agreed to pay $20.9 million to the feds due to the crimes of its former top executives.CSK Auto is the parent company of O'Reilly Auto Parts, which used to do business under ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Prison Legal News Rejected by Mistake, Pinal County Sheriff's Office Says; "They Need to Settle" Federal Complaint, Says Mag's Editor

  published Sep 08, 2011

  Magazines and paperbacks sent to the Pinal County Jail were rejected by mistake, a spokesman for Sheriff Paul Babeu said today in response to news of a federal lawsuit.As we reported earlier today, t... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu Sued by National Prison Legal News, With Help From ACLU

  published Sep 08, 2011

  A national news magazine for prisoners is suing Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu in federal court for the right to distribute its publications to jail inmates.Paul Wright, editor of the Vermont-based ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  John Woods, Brain-Injured Former Umpire, was Wrongfully Fired by Outback Steakhouse, Says EEOC Complaint; Claims by the Disabled on Rise

  published Sep 07, 2011

  John Woods, a former umpire recovering from a brain injury, was fired from an Outback restaurant because of his disability, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges in a federal complaint.T... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dennis Burke's Ouster Tied to Botched Grenades Case; Former U.S. Attorney Also Entwined in "Fast and Furious" Scandal

  published Sep 06, 2011

  Former U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke's apparently forced resignation last week stemmed not only from the "Fast and Furious" scandal, but also from a botched case involving grenades.The Wall Street Journ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Phoenix "iCloud" Company Dumps Trademark Lawsuit Against Apple, Changes Name

  published Sep 06, 2011

  An Arizona company formerly known as iCloud Communications has dumped its trademark lawsuit against Apple and apparently changed its name.The Phoenix-based iCloud caused a ruckus in the tech world ear... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Badass Police Jeep and Gun-Squatting Deputy in You Write the Caption

  published Sep 02, 2011

  Assault rifles, a cool-looking off-road machine and a bored deputy who evidently has too much time on his hands -- what's not to love about today's shot for "You Write the Captionr" The photo feat... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  James Reich of Sedona Hiking Adventures Sentenced to Jail and Probation for Illegal Guide Service

  published Sep 01, 2011

  A Sedona-based hiking guide has been sentenced to two days in jail and is banned from national forests for six months after getting caught running a tour service on federal lands without a permit.Jam... More >>

• Grand Canyon Torture Hikes; Police Report Describes Boys' Summer of Abuse by Grandpa

  published Sep 01, 2011

  Three boys whose grandfather forced them on torturous marches across tough Grand Canyon trails told rangers their entire summer had been filled with travel and abuse.The three boys -- 8, 9 and 12 -- ... More >>