Bob Burns

"Solar Team" Goes Dark; Voters Choose Three Republicans Instead for Arizona Corporation Commission

Voters turned out the lights on the self-described "solar team" of three Democrats who hoped to control the Arizona Corporation Commission. The commission, which regulates public utilities, corporations, securities, railways and pipelines, will be dominated by an all-Republican membership for at lea ... More >>

TSA Finds Water Filter in Luggage at Sky Harbor, Says It "Looks Like a Pipe Bomb"

Go ahead and add water filters to the things you're not supposed to bring to the airport.The Transportation Security Administration's review of all the good things it did last week includes an interesting bit about a Phoenix passenger's water filter -- between tales of someone trying to hide weed in ... More >>

Medical-Marijuana Dispensary Sues Fountain Hills Over Competitors' Distance From "Church" Run by Pot Marketer Al Sobol

See also: Medical Marijuana Compassion Club Raid by Phoenix Police Leaps Ahead of Court Case on Legality of Clubs Nature's Healing Center, a would-be medical-marijuana dispensary, is suing the Town of Fountain Hills over its competitors' distance from a church run by the "Reverend" Al Sobol. That ... More >>

Arizona Senate Candidate James Molina Bails on Campaign; Props Are in Order

www.jamesmolina.comJames Molina​Arizona Representative Rich Crandall got some good news today: his only opponent in the District 19 state Senate race has ended his campaign.In a statement released last night, Mesa businessman James Molina announced he was bailing on his campaign because his busine ... More >>

Clean Elections Law Deemed Constitutional by 9th Circuit; Goldwater Institute Attorneys Expect Supreme Court to Intervene

www.firstfriday.com​Arizona's controversial Clean Elections Law got a new lease on life Friday when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling of the U.S. District Court in Phoenix, which found the law to be unconstitutional.The three-judge panel ruled unanimously that the law does ... More >>

Wanna Bet? The Tohono O'odham Want to Build a Casino in the West Valley -- Now It's Up to the Feds to Make It Happen or Break Another Promise to the Tribe

"Birther" Bill Set Aside By Arizona Senate; Doesn't Have Enough Republican Votes

www.icanhazcheezburger.com​Has common sense prevailed in the Arizona State Senate?That may be a stretch, but one of the more embarrassing pieces of legislation to find its way through the Arizona House this session won't get a vote in the Senate -- this session anyway.The controversial "birther" b ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Tax Bill Clears Arizona Senate

www.chattahbox.com​A voter initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Arizona is likely to go to the voting booth in November and if it passes, the state hopes to tax the ever-loving crap out of medicinal weed.The Arizona Senate passed SB 1222 yesterday, which allows the state government to levy ... More >>

Monday's Special Session on State Budget Delayed; Senator Carolyn Allen Wants to Quit

Senator Carolyn Allen​Last Thursday, the Arizona Legislature failed to pass pieces of legislation that would shave about $400 million off of the state's $2 billion budget shortfall. The special session was supposed to reconvene today, but it seems as though that's not happening either.The pr ... More >>

Verschoor Shows Up, Burns Burns Dems; Senate Passes Budget Bills

Senate President Bob Burns​After nearly four agonizing months, the Arizona State Senate has finally passed four bills that will cut about $450 million from the state's budget.Like most things in the Legislature, this afternoon's agreement didn't come without a little bit of drama.First and foremos ... More >>

Most of Lynyrd Skynyrd Is Gone, But Who Cares?

One Stinkin' Republican Vote Seperates Arizona From a State Budget

www.cama.com​At this point, there are three reasons Arizona still has a $3.4 billion budget gap: state senators Pamela Gorman, Ron Gould, and Carolyn Allen.Senate Republicans are one vote away from the 16 they need to pass a plan that would bridge the budget gap, and the ... More >>

Senate Majority Whip Pam Gorman Resigns Post 'Cause of Republican Infighting

Arizona State Senator Pamela Gorman​If you can't beat em', quit. That's what one Arizona lawmaker chose to do today as the state budget battle wages on.Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman resigned her post in the Republican leadership in response to the party's support of a 1-cent-sales-tax i ... More >>

Where's the State Senate Majority Leader in the Midst of the State's Budget Crisis? On a Carribean Cruise Obviously

www.expandmywealth.com Senator Chuck Gray wont be spending any time voting on the budget this week; he's at the beach.​If you were an Arizona state senator, where would you go while the state faces one of the worst financial crisis of your lifetime? If your answer isn't to go on a Caribbean ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, July 23, 2009

Governor Brewer Keeps Up Offensive on Budget Bill

Governor Jan Brewer is keeping up the pressure on lawmakers today to send her a budget plan, calling a news conference this morning at 11 a.m. on the steps of the Arizona Supreme Court. Brewer told reporters yesterday she is asking the Supreme Court justices to force State Senate President Bob ... More >>

Governor Brewer's Campaign Manager: Too Many Spending Cuts May Mean Election Probs for Republicans; Says "Temporary" Tax Needed

An interesting little spat is brewing over at the right-wing Sonoran Alliance blog, where our favorite, furry whipping post, the anonymous "Chewie," has upset the elephant cart.Chewie has inside info, supposedly, that Governor Jan Brewer's campaign manager, lobbyist and public relations expert Chuck ... More >>

Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaio, Dean Martin, Sandra Kennedy and More: Candids from the AZ Dems and GOPers

So I had a load of photos left over from last week's two state party reorganization meetings, and I figured you might want view these as added illustrations for this week's Bird column. Think of it as porn for political junkies, though thankfully everyone has their clothes on. Reminds me of that lin ... More >>

The Bird Documents Randy Pullen’s Smear of Lisa James and Hobnobs with Democrats and Republicans

Endorsements Stack Up for Lisa James vs. Randy Pullen as GOP State Chair Race Ignites

  Fresh and forward looking Lisa James (top), or whithered old nativist prune-face Randy Pullen? AZ GOPers will soon get to decide... I'll say one thing for Arizona Republicans, when they want someone gone, they get their long knives sharpened and start digging holes in the desert, Mafia styl ... More >>

State Senate Bans Selected Reporters From Capitol Press Room and Lawmakers' Offices

The Arizona Guardian, a Web site begun this week by former East Valley Tribune reporters, is already running into trouble with its plan to cover State Capitol news.  The site reported yesterday that its reporters have been banned from working in the Capitol press room, which is ... More >>

Bob Burns, New Senate President, Vows No Bills to Committee Before a Balanced Budget

  We were scared even before lunch. The state's economy's in freefall, and, as she heads to Washington, D.C. in hopes of becoming the nation's Homeland Security honcho, Governor Janet Napolitano leaves behind a giant budget deficit. But after attending the annual Legislativ ... More >>

Pissed Off Arizona Democrats? It's About Damn Time...

The thing that's annoyed me most post-November 4 is the way state Dems seem to be shrugging and taking their losses locally on the chin. Rather than being infuriated that the state Democratic Party effed up, Dems seemingly have been resigned to getting cornholed royally by Republicans, as if that's ... More >>

The Bird digs up more dirt on Arpaio's henchmen soaking up the sun in Honduras

Locked Up

Despite promises of true reform, legislators appear bent on shelling out more money to private prison companies

Tearing Down the House

Arizona legislators want to slash state spending. Well, how about some real House cleaning?

Valley of the Drolls

New Times presents its first-ever Doofus and Darling Awards

Beast Meets West

'50s-era B-monster gets star treatment at last, but can't fight the Valley heat

Red Scarce

Thanks to gubernatorial neglect, Hull's ambitious agenda is going nowhere

Budget Bonanza or Bust?

Discord between GOP lawmakers and the governor is just one reason the budget battle might get ugly.

Business Az Usual

A gruesome death has cost Arizona's multimillion-dollar teen rehabilitation industry a bundle. But it's not because the state is determined to stop the abuse.

Flashes

Flashes

This Ombudsman's for You

Retired Army colonel sets up office to resolve citizen complaints about state government

When Revolution Meets Reality

Governor Symington says his massive tax cuts have brought prosperity to Arizona. Actually, they are bringing on a fiscal train wreck that could damage the state for decades.

RING AROUND THE DAY CAREPUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE THE LOSERS IN A MOVE TO DEREGULATE PRIVATE CHILD-CARE CENTERS

CASUAL CONFLICTS

ARIZONA LAWMAKERS OPERATE UNDER A SYSTEM INCAPABLE OF STEMMING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.