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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2013 Stories by Ray Stern

• FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Jury Begins Deliberation on Sentence; Arias Attorney Tells Jury to "Find Mercy"

  published May 21, 2013

  Jury members in the Jodi Arias trial have begun deliberating whether to sentence the cold-blooded killer to execution. The jury was dismissed just after 3 p.m. to begin their decision-making. With ne... More >>

• Jodi Arias Asks Jury to Spare Her Life So Her Family Isn't Hurt; No Apology to Victim's Family, No Tears

  published May 21, 2013

  Jodi Arias asked the jury in her long-running murder trial to spare her life, contradicting previous statements that she preferred the death penalty to life in prison. She failed to apologize for k... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Dennis Burke's Leaking of Fast & Furious Memo in 2011 "Wholly Unbefitting a US Attorney," Says U.S. Inspector General's Office

  published May 20, 2013

  The day after a high-ranking Justice Department official blasted former Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke for lying about one memo leaked to a reporter, Burke committed an even worse leak. That's ju... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Jury Nears Final Decision on Death Penalty; Court Resumes Today for Penalty Phase of Trial

  published May 20, 2013

  The jury in the sensational trial of boyfriend-slayer Jodi Arias is expected to hear testimony today from Arias' defense attorneys, who'll try to argue that Arias doesn't deserve execution. Arias has... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Marijuana By Itself Not a Significant Factor in Fatal and Injury Crashes in 2012, DPS Data Shows

  published May 17, 2013

  Pot by itself was not much of a factor in injury and fatal crashes probed last year by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Fewer than 1 percent of suspected impaired drivers involved in such cra... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Marijuana Helps Control Diabetes, Promotes Good Cholesterol, Leads to Lower Waist Size, and Lowers Bladder Cancer Risk, New Studies Show

  published May 16, 2013

  Smoking marijuana has "remarkable" effect on diabetic problems and may lower risk of getting the disease, a study published on Wednesday states. This news comes a few days after a presentation at the... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Back in Court Today as Death Penalty Looms; Victim Statements, Mitigation Arguments Precede Jury's Final Decision

  published May 16, 2013

  The engrossing saga of convicted slasher Jodi Arias is wrapping up after the jury took about an hour on Wednesday to decide her fatal attack on Travis Alexander was "especially cruel." Next up in the... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Floyd Stilwell Gets $250,000 Fine for Upgrading Airplane Engines for Venezuelan Air Force; Former Exec With Mesa's Marsh Aviation Keeps Money Made in Deal

  published May 15, 2013

  Upgrading airplane engines for Venezuela's air force in violation of an arms embargo has resulted in a $250,000 fine and five years' probation for Phoenix resident Floyd Stilwell. The 87-year-old for... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Bryan Teague Pleads Guilty to Starting 5,220-Acre Fire in Tonto Forest With Propane Tank; Faces Potential Jail Sentence

  published May 15, 2013

  Bryan Teague of Peoria pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts related to the 5,220-acre wildfire he caused last August in the Tonto National Forest by putting a propane tank in a campfire. Teague, 56, ... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Could be Executed in Just Four Years -- If Her Wish for Death Isn't Another Lie

  published May 14, 2013

  In an exclusive post-conviction interview, boyfriend-killer Jodi Arias insisted that she didn't plan to kill 30-year-old Travis Alexander in 2008. But now that she's been convicted of premeditated mu... More >>

• Jodi Arias Could Be Executed in Just Four Years — if Her Death Wish Isn’t Another Lie

  published May 16, 2013

  In an exclusive post-conviction interview, boyfriend-killer Jodi Arias insisted that she didn't plan to kill 30-year-old Travis Alexander in... More >>

• Pricey Colt AR-15 Assault Rifle Among Guns Turned in at Phoenix Police Buyback Event

  published May 10, 2013

  After New Times writer Matthew Hendley reported that Phoenix police took in an assault rifle at last weekend's "buyback" event, we were curious what kind of gun it was. Turns out that, in exchange fo... More >>

• Travis Alexander's Family Agrees With Verdict, Plans to Sue Arias

  published May 09, 2013

  The family of Travis Alexander agrees with the first-degree murder jury verdict against Jodi Arias, and plans to sue Arias in the near future, the family's lawyer said today.. Jay Beckstead, the fami... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Heads Toward Probable Death-Penalty Sentence; Says She Prefers It to Life Sentence

  published May 08, 2013

  Chances seem slim-to-none that Jodi Arias will escape a death sentence. The Maricopa County jury which today found Arias guilty of first-degree murder is scheduled to begin hearing the aggravation, o... More >>

• Jodi Arias Guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, Jury Finds

  published May 08, 2013

  Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder today, and now the jury must decide whether or not to put Arias to death. The jury also found Arias guilty of felony murder. The penal... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Deputy Steve Carpenter Resigns in Fallout Over Tim Abrahamson North Dakota Assault Case; UPDATED w/MCSO Response

  published May 07, 2013

  Steve Carpenter has resigned as a deputy from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office following accusations that he helped another deputy in a plan to assault a North Dakota man. No allegation ever surf... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Garbage-to-Electricity Plant Coming to Glendale; $110M Project Will Convert 180K Tons of Trash Yearly, Says Abengoa

  published May 07, 2013

  Abengoa, the Spanish renewable-energy giant, will build a $110 million garbage-to-electricity plant in Glendale for Chicao's VIESTE Energy, Abengoa announced Monday. The plant, which will be sited at... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Tim Abrahamson, Former Maricopa Deputy, Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Wife's Lover in North Dakota; Faces Up To Five Years in Prison

  published May 06, 2013

  Tim Abrahamson, a former Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputy, pleaded guilty today to assaulting his wife's lover in North Dakota. He faces up to five years in prison when he's sentenced on June ... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Lisa Allen, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Longtime Spokeswoman, Forgets Herself in AZ Republic Letter to Editor

  published May 06, 2013

  Lisa Allen certainly knows the answer to the question she posed in a letter to the editor published in Saturday's Arizona Republic. Click here to read Lisa Allen's letter to the editor. In the lette... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Trial: Jury Deciding Arias' Fate; Announcement to Come in Hour or Less After Jury Makes Decision

  published May 06, 2013

  The jury in the Jodi Arias murder trial huddled at 9 a.m. this morning on its big decision following about an hour of deliberations on Friday. The panel's decision will be announced about an hour or ... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  Bill Warren is New Arizona Occupational Safety & Health Director; Replaces Longtime Director Darin Perkins

  published May 02, 2013

  Longtime Arizona Division of Occupational Safety Health director Darin Perkins has stepped down and is being replaced by risk manager Bill Warren. The Industrial Commission of Arizona, which oversees... More >>

• 

  FEATURED STORY

  How to Avoid a Marijuana DUI in Zero-Tolerance Arizona

  published May 02, 2013

  For the millions of people who now use marijuana legally under their states' laws, driving in Arizona is technically a crime. Motorists with pot metabolites in their bloodstreams who want to avoid a ... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  Riding High: Arizona's Zero-Tolerance Stance on Pot and Driving

  published May 2, 2013

  A couple of large mason jars full of green buds sit on the coffee table inside Tad Zaccard's west Mesa mobile home as he talks about his... More >>

• The Myth of the "90 Percent" Support for Failed Background Check Bill

  published Apr 30, 2013

  We can't tell you precisely why several U.S. senators, including Jeff "Pond Scum" Flake, voted against a bill aimed at expanding background checks for gun purchases. Sure, the powerful NRA likely had... More >>

• Peter Spaw, Negligent Prosecutor, has Law License Put on Probation in Andrew Thomas Flap

  published Apr 29, 2013

  Peter Spaw, the negligent deputy county attorney who helped harass innocent officials with a merit-less racketeering lawsuit, will have his law license put on probation for two years, the state's Disc... More >>