Fiesta Bowl

Russell Pearce Gets Mad Love from the Arizona Republic

One thing both The Republic and Pearce lack: A sense of shame. Prepare for 15 seconds of commercial before the foot-licking begins. The Arizona Republic's editorial board must be patting themselves on the back right now. Why, they scored an editorial on the Gang of Eight's immigration bill from non ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Alleged DUI-Deputies: Lieutenant Aaron Brown and Detective Stephen Palmer

My general rule when it comes to drinking is that I do mine at home. Life is so much simpler that way. It's a bit of wisdom two of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's boys in beige might profit from: MCSO Lieutenant Aaron Brown and sex crimes detective Stephen Palmer, both of whom are charged with driving while i ... More >>

Last Chip in the Bowl

Fiesta Flare

DPS Honchos' Ethics Are Questioned After Sports-Ticket Probe

Neil Giuliano, Ex-Tempe Mayor, on His New Book: "There's a Lot People Don't Know"

Former Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano's giving the tell-all (maybe the tell-most) story of his life in a book released this month, and the man's got some stories to tell.Giuliano faced some tough times in his decade-long stint as mayor -- from being openly gay to the unsuccessful recall election against ... More >>

Hundred Year Score

Best Reader Caption for Russell Pearce and a Baby?

On Friday, we asked readers to write the caption for the above photo of ousted state Senate President Russell Pearce -- who's actually trying to get elected again -- with some baby.After sifting through all the responses -- as usual, some of them more politically correct than others -- we've narrowe ... More >>

Joe Arpaio and Crew Remain Unscathed As Feds Go After Nickel-Dime Pilfering Pol Arredondo

May be apples and oranges on some level, but yesterday's bust of State Representative Ben Arredondo after a fairly elaborate FBI sting, got us to thinking about Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his onetime henchman (i.e. chief deputy) Dave Hendershott.The federal indictment against the veteran Tempe pol claim ... More >>

Here's the List of Arizona State Senators Who Didn't Want to Ban Lawmakers From Getting Free Tickets to Special Events

Last year, people were creating a stink after it was discovered that some Arizona legislators got tickets and trips to sporting events thanks to the Fiesta Bowl.Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery explained in December that none of the politicos would face charges, saying prosecutors were ... More >>

Is Joe Arpaio Trying to Intimidate Opponent Mike Stauffer?

​The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office admitted yesterday that it asked the Arizona Attorney General's Office to "contact" Scottsdale Lieutenant Mike Stauffer -- Sheriff Joe Arpaio's opponent in this year's election -- and ask him about "inside information" he received about the December death of M ... More >>

Russell Pearce Wants to Run Again, No Surprise There

The news that former state Senate President Russell Pearce is positioning himself to run again for the state Senate should surprise no one.To be clear, Pearce hasn't yet announced his intention to seek that office. He's merely filed paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office that would a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Sicks AG's Office On Opponent Mike Stauffer; Candidate For Sheriff Says MCAO Won't Prosecute His Cases. Intimidation?

​The Arizona Attorney General's Office currently is investigating Scottsdale Lieutenant Mike Stauffer at the directive of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office over last year's jailhouse death of Marty Atencio (the MCSO disputes it's an "investigation," but we got our hands on a recording of a voic ... More >>

Art of More

Puppet Show

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: Did County Attorney Bill Montgomery Let Valley Politicos Off the Hook?

County Attorney Bill Montgomery won't charge any politicians with crimes in connection with the Fiesta Bowl scandal -- even if they probably deserve it.​Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery announced yesterday that no criminal charges will be filed against any of the more than two dozen state ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: County Attorney Bill Montgomery to Announce Findings of Investigation Into Elected Officials

​Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is holding a press conference this morning to announce the findings of an eight-month investigation into elected officials who received gifts from the allegedly corrupt Fiesta Bowl organization.It's unclear what Montgomery will announce -- the Arizona Repu ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Scandal: Valley Politicos Won't Face Charges; County Attorney Says Arizona Law "Doesn't Meet Public's Expectations"

​No politicians will be charged with crimes for accepting gifts from the scandal-plagued Fiesta Bowl organization under the leadership of former CEO John Junker -- but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't do anything wrong (just look at ousted former state Senate President ... More >>

How Insiders Use the College Bowl System to Loot American Universities

Ring in the New Year With These Five Local Shows

Meat Puppets​A year full of excellent local shows has come and gone, and like years past, we're sad to see them go. We look forward to a fruitful future of local music in 2012. To ring in the New Year, a gracious amount of local bands have decided to play shows around the Valley, including so ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: Former COO Natalie Wisneski Pleads Not Guilty

​Natalie Wisneski, the former chief operating officer for the Fiesta Bowl, was in a Phoenix U.S. District Court this morning where she pleaded not guilty to multiple charges that she was involved in a scam to make illegal campaign contributions to several federal, state, and local political candid ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Scandal: Former COO Natalie Wisneski Indicted

​Natalie Wisneski, the former chief operating officer for the Fiesta Bowl, has been indicted in federal court on charges that she tried to cover up illegal campaign contributions by bowl employees, and that she filed false financial records, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.Wisneski is t ... More >>

Does Russell Pearce Believe in the "Holy Lie"?

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and His Fiesta Bowl Freebie

Larry Black No Longer Listed as Security Director for Phoenix International Raceway

  Larry Black appears to have left (or was fired from) his longtime, lucrative job as director of security for Phoenix International Raceway​Larry Black, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's former No. 3 man, is no longer listed on the Phoenix International Raceway's Web site as direct ... More >>

Russell Pearce Threatens To Lock Up Union Members, Public Employees

Lord of the Flies, maybe. But the King of Comedy, he ain'tWill I miss having state Senate President Russell Pearce to kick around once he's been recalled, his career ended in disgrace?Yes and no. Of course, I want to see this menace to humanity flattened (metaphorically) like a Looney Toons characte ... More >>

Morning Poll: Should Arizona AG Tom Horne Turn Over Entire Fiesta Bowl Investigation Over to Another Agency

James KingArizona Attorney General Tom Horne​Yesterday, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne turned over some of the investigation into the Fiesta Bowl corruption fiasco to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office citing a conflict of interest that exists because many of the people being investigated a ... More >>

Russell Pearce Is His Own Worst Enemy

Arizona Republic Publisher John Zidich Finally Quits Fiesta Bowl Board

​Two weeks into The Arizona Republic's coverage of the Fiesta Bowl fiasco, John Zidich -- the publisher of the Republic -- finally quit his position on the bowl's five-member board of directors. The Republic's article on Zidich's resignation says the former Fiesta Bowl secretary wanted to avoid " ... More >>

Arizona Republic Fiesta Bowl Stories Now Come with Warning Labels; Republic Publisher John Zidich Still Has Feet in Both Camps

​Warning labels usually come with bad news, like "Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide," or "This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer." Now the Arizona Republic has a new warning label for all of their coverage of the Fiesta Bowl fiasco:

John Zidich, Arizona Republic Publisher and Member of Fiesta Bowl Executive Committee, in Glaring Conflict of Interest, Say Local Journos and Politicos

​On Tuesday, the Fiesta Bowl released an internal investigation of bowl employees, highlighting questionable spending of the organization's money and alleged illegal campaign contributions -- the second such internal investigation since The Arizona Republic started reporting on it in 2009. ... More >>

Morning Poll: Are Republicans to Blame for Fiesta Bowl Fiasco?

​Yesterday, Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny issued a statement bashing Republicans for turning "the Fiesta Bowl into a front for funneling illegal campaign contributions to Republican politicians."Cherny failed to mention in his statement that several of those who benefited from th ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fiasco: Arizona Dems Make it Political -- Despite Some of Their Own Having Benefitted From John Junker's (Ahem) Generosity

​By now you probably know about the Fiesta Bowl's decision to ax CEO John Junker following an internal investigation into how he was spending the organization's money, but it's the alleged illegal contributions to the campaigns of Valley politicos that has Arizona Democrats fuming.Junker, the ... More >>

Fiesta Bowl Fracas: Reimbursement of Campaign Contributions Confirmed, CEO Junker Canned, Questionable Spending Abound -- Including $33,000 Pebble Beach Birthday Party

​Here's something that was expected from the Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma beating Connecticut by 28 points. Here's something unexpected from the Fiesta Bowl: Their employees have allegedly been running a scheme to reimburse illegal campaign contributions (among other accounts of contemptuous courtship w ... More >>

Odd Man Out

Embattled QB tries to knock off one of college football’s best

The Top 10 Most Annoying College Football Fight Songs

music.colorado.eduThe University of Colorado Golden Buffalo Marching Band in action​I'm just gonna come right out and say it - college football is the best sport in the world. Unlike professional sports, where lockouts and strikes by multimillionaires are commonplace and players allegedly collude ... More >>

Utah Likely to Join Pac-10 as 12th Team

alumnifashions.com​ Finally, it looks as if the musical chairs in college sports have come to an end. As we reported here last week, there was a lot of uncertainty of which conference a number of schools would end up. While schools did shuffle around, the latest (and hopefully last) one to do so ... More >>

Hot Links: Fiesta Bowl, Scorpion Stings, and Kyrsten Sinema

​The Fiesta Bowl wants a refund from the city of Glendale for at least $600,000 for overpayment of taxes on ticket sales. Fiesta Bowl officials say for the past three years, they've overpaid for taxes at University of Phoenix Stadium. Glendale would not confirm or deny the request, but city offici ... More >>

Hot Links: Fiesta Bowl, Mesa Police Chief, and Casinos

​The Fiesta Bowl canceled its plan to ask the state for a $300,000 subsidy after the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority said it would be illegal. The Fiesta Bowl wanted expenses capped for next year's national championship college football game, with some expenses reverting to the sports authori ... More >>

Russell Brand and Katy Perry Gettin' Hitched

Russell Brand and Katy Perry in front of the Taj Mahal, evidently constructed by Brand.​Does anyone else find this to be a "What the fuck?!?" moment? I was surprised that they were dating, and now just four months later, they're engaged. The most sickening part: The picture you are viewing was p ... More >>

High Times

Post up in a condo for Fiesta Bowl Parade

Fiesta Brawl

Two unblemished squads face off at UofP

Television Noir Invades Adult Swim...Sorta

Michael RatcliffTelevision Noir's Stephen Strange (left) and Mike Red.​You can catch the Dr. Rev. Stephen Strange and his cohorts doing their bizarre sideshow exploits at any number of locales throughout the PHX: During First Friday on Fifth Street in front of MADE, at the upcoming Fiesta Bowl blo ... More >>

Floating on Air

We love a Southwestern-themed procession

Oops, They Did it Again

The BCS still sucks, but Longhorns’ loss is Fiesta Bowl’s gain

Million-Dollar Hole-in-One Finals

Million-Dollar Hole-in-One Preliminaries

Devils’ Advocate

Sure, ASU got the boot, but the Fiesta parties on

March Madness

A Chip Off the Block

Dip into our Top 10 reasons to go to the Fiesta Bowl party