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

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  FEATURED STORY

  Teddy Jay Blair, Knife-Wielding Child-Porn Suspect, Gets Tased by Agents in Phoenix Raid

  published Apr 26, 2013

  Most suspected cyber-pervs give up quietly when authorities come knocking, judging from the many arrest reports we've read. Teddy Jay Blair, 53, of Phoenix, put up some resistance during a Wednesday ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Wolfswinkel Family to Get $1.4 Million in County Settlement Over Legal Abuses; $5 Million in Total Payouts Thanks to Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio

  published Apr 26, 2013

  Developer Conley Wolfswinkel, his family and company will received $1.4 million in the largest Maricopa County payout yet to victims of the legal abuses of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorne... More >>

• More Fallout From Sheriff Arpaio and Andrew Thomas Corruption: Potential Multi-Million-Dollar Settlement Going to Developer Conley Wolfswinkel and Family

  published Apr 25, 2013

  The costs keep climbing for the corrupt acts of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Late last month, the Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $1.27 million to a... More >>

• Douglas Earl Leach of Peoria to Serve Two to Four Years in Federal Prison for Child Porn

  published Apr 18, 2013

  The feds are bringing another child-porn watcher to justice with the recent guilty plea of Arizona resident Douglas Earl Leach. When Leach's Peoria home was raided on September 5, 2012, following an ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sheila Polk Was Wrong: 16 Medical-Pot Dispensaries Now Open in AZ and Not Being Shut Down by Feds

  published Apr 16, 2013

  Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk announced in dramatic fashion last July that federal authorities would shut down every medical-marijuana dispensary in Arizona "as it opens." Polk made the bad pre... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Grand Canyon Caverns to Adopt Cheesy Dinosaur Statue Booted Out of Historic Neighborhood in Orange County

  published Apr 12, 2013

  A $12,000 dinosaur statue installed at an Orange County petting zoo last year is moving to Arizona after being evicted by snooty residents of a historic mission neighborhood. Our state has long been ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sheriff Arpaio's New Office Has 574 Square Feet, Says County; Agency Moving From Wells Fargo Building in August

  published Apr 12, 2013

  Arpaio's new office just might be bigger than your first apartment. When the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters moves this summer from the downtown Phoenix Wells Fargo building to its new ... More >>

• Phoenix Lifeguard-Diversity Program was "Mischaracterized" by City Employee, Says City

  published Apr 08, 2013

  A week after being battered on the blogs for its lifeguard-diversity program, the city of Phoenix has responded by throwing one of its employees under the waterbus. Kelly Martinez, a recreation coord... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Bill Montgomery Wants Peter Spaw, a Disgraced, High-Ranking Deputy County Attorney Who Admits to Severe Violation of Legal Duties, to Get Off Easy

  published Apr 06, 2013

  Bill Montgomery, Maricopa County Attorney, is showing his preference for Andrew Thomas-style ethics by pushing for a lenient punishment for Peter Spaw, one of his high-ranking deputy attorneys. Spaw ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Peter Spaw, High-Ranking Deputy County Attorney, Admits He Violated Legal Duties in Bogus Racketeering Suit; Bill Montgomery Isn't Saying a Word

  published Apr 05, 2013

  The head of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office's Asset Recovery Bureau, Peter Spaw, has admitted to working on a racketeering lawsuit he knew was unsupported by evidence. Yet the county attorney, ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Jodi Arias Trial: Judge Denies Defense Request to Sequester Jury; Damning Video of Arias' Parents; Booted Juror Watches Trial From Courtroom

  published Apr 04, 2013

  The most interesting developments in the sensational trial of man-killer Jodi Arias this week had nothing to do with the boring, skepticism-inducing testimony by a domestic-violence expert. Two other... More >>

• Kathleen Odenthal, Examiner.com Plagiarizer: "I Didn't Mean to Do It"

  published Apr 04, 2013

  Three weeks after catching one examiner.com writer plagiarizing news stories, we stumbled upon another cut-and-paste offender: Kathleen Odenthal. We can't help but wonder whether examiner.com, which ... More >>

• Florence Rescinds Ordinance Banning Sulfuric Acid Use for Mine; Curis Copper Project to Move Forward

  published Apr 02, 2013

  Millions of gallons of sulfuric acid soon could be spewed into underground crevices near Florence following that town's rescinding of a ban on the substance for mining. Last August, the Town Council ... More >>

• Bisbee's Proposed Civil-Union Ordinance for Same-Sex Couples Draws Threat From Tom Horne, State AG

  published Apr 02, 2013

  State Attorney General Tom Horne says he'll file a federal action to halt a Bisbee ordinance legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples if the City Council approves it tonight. The proposed ordinan... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gerald Lee Culverson of Chandler Released from Jail Without Charge; Cops Back Off Murder Accusation, Retract Worst Details of Victim's Bitten Breasts

  published Apr 02, 2013

  Gerald Lee Culverson of Chandler has been released from jail without any pending charge, despite Monday's allegation by police that he killed his girlfriend. Based on preliminary information from the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Ripoff Crew Dressed Like SWAT Team Steals $60K From Kidnapped Would-Be Pot Sellers; One Victim Leaps from Trunk on Way to Desert

  published Apr 02, 2013

  A group of men dressed up like a SWAT team and armed with assault rifles robbed and kidnapped three people connected to a pot-selling scheme last month in Litchfield Park. One of the terrified victim... More >>

• Richard Miller, Acting "Crazy" at a Mesa CVS, Attacks Cop to Protect Bag

  published Apr 02, 2013

  No cop is going to look into this bag, Richard Miller must have thought early this morning at a Mesa CVS Pharmacy. A Mesa officer arrived at the CVS, 305 East Brown Road, about 4 a.m. after receiving... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Should Arizona Adopt Bisbee's Pending Civil-Union Ordinance for Same-Sex Couplesr

  published Apr 02, 2013

  As the Bisbee City Council prepares to adopt an ordinance tonight that would give same-sex couples the right to a civil union that provides the same legal benefits as a marriage, we can't help but won... More >>

• Jodi Arias Trial: Defense Attorney Accuses Juror of Misconduct, Asks for Mistrial

  published Apr 01, 2013

  Jodi Arias' defense team motioned for a mistrial on Monday, accusing one of the jurors of unspecified misconduct. Trial proceedings were postponed today, but defense attorney Kirk Numri still filed h... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gerald Lee Culverson of Chandler Killed Girlfriend and Chewed Her Breasts, Cops Say; UPDATE - Culverson Released, Worst Details of Victim's Injuries Retracted by Cops

  published Apr 01, 2013

  In a case that sounds more like a zombie attack than a homicide report, Chandler police busted a 58-year-old trailer-park resident on Friday for allegedly killing his girlfriend and gnawing on her bre... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Pool Lifeguards Too White for Phoenix; City Spends $15,000 to Offset Certification Fees for Black and Brown Lifeguard Applicants

  published Apr 01, 2013

  Too many lifeguards in city pools are white, say Phoenix officials behind a program to encourage more racial diversity in swimming sports. In the past couple of years, the city has spent $15,000 on f... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Matt Salmon, Arizona Congressman, Believes Son Didn't Choose to be Gay but Deserves Discrimination Regardless

  published Apr 01, 2013

  Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon told a Sunday news program that he still doesn't support gay marriage despite his son's homosexuality. News stories about Salmon's admission have been referencing a 20... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Steven Lomax Jr. Arrested in Murder of Sister's Husband, Richard Swann, in Phoenix

  published Apr 01, 2013

  Phoenix resident Steven Lomax Jr. shot and killed his sister's husband, Richard Swann, on Easter Sunday morning, police say. At least one of the shots was fired while Lomax was on the phone with a 91... More >>

• Marijuana and Driving: AZ Supreme Court Asked to Review Recent Appellate Decision Upholding Zero-Tolerance Law

  published Mar 29, 2013

  The Arizona Supreme Court has been asked to review a precedent-setting state Court of Appeals ruling that upholds the state's law against marijuana in a motorist's bloodstream. The appellate court ru... More >>

• Eric Harroun of Phoenix Charged With Conspiring to Use RPG While Fighting With Al-Qaeda Group

  published Mar 28, 2013

  Eric Harroun, a 30-year-old former U.S. soldier raised in Phoenix, has been charged with conspiring to use a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) while fighting in Syria with an Al-Qaeda group. The charge,... More >>