Phoenix Fire Department

Phoenix Cop Daryl Raetz Killed by Hit-and-Run SUV-Driving Scum

There should be a special ring of hell devoted to hit-and-run drivers, if there isn't already. Not to mention that it must take a special kind of SOB to hit a cop and keep rolling. Authorities currently are looking for the driver of a dark gray or green SUV that struck and killed Phoenix Police Of ... More >>

`Burning Man' Michael Marin Arson Trial To Start Next Week

Remember the quirky case of onetime Wall Street broker, Yale Law School-educated attorney, art collector and man about town Michael Marin, who was accused in 2009 of criminally torching his Biltmore Estates mansion? The highly publicized case perhaps was most notable for how Marin said he h ... More >>

Jason Schechterle Hosts His Annual "Scholarship Ball"--Cool Event Draws Hundreds

We spent a few hours last Saturday night at the 5th annual Jason Schechterle Scholarship Ball, and enjoyed ourselves immensely.   Retired Phoenix cop Jason Schechterle​Schechterle's name (and his face) are recognizable to most Valley residents: He's the former Phoenix cop who was rear- ... More >>

Why Did Three African Refugees Try to Sneak a Fake Bomb Past Security at Sky Harbor International Airport?

www.advertise.comWell...fake boom.​While bringing a bomb to an airport is one of the stupider things a person can do. Bringing a fake bomb to an airport might be one of the stupidest -- but it certainly raises the question: why would someone do it?Three African refugees were arrested after one of ... More >>

Neighbors Go to Bat For Mentally Ill Woman Arrested After Calling 9-1-1 129 Times in Six Months

MCSOLinda Ruiz-Rodriguez​You may recall the sad story of Linda Ruiz-Rodriguez, a mentally ill Phoenix woman who police say called 9-1-1 129 times since January because she wanted some attention. She was arrested last month and charged with multiple felonies for the false reporting of crimes that p ... More >>

Serial False-Reporter Linda Ruiz-Rodriguez Called 9-1-1 129 Times Because She Wanted Some Attention

MCSOLinda Ruiz-Rodriguez​Poor Linda Ruiz-Rodriguez. All she wanted was a little attention, and now she's charged with multiple felonies.Since January 1, 60-year-old Ruiz-Rodriguez has called 9-1-1 129 times to report various emergencies in her 36th Street Phoenix neighborhood. The problem, however ... More >>

"Burning Man" Michael Marin Case Still Unresolved After Almost Two Years

We get the occasional e-mail or phone call from a variety of folks wondering what happened to the criminal case against Michael Marin. He's the onetime financial analyst, art collector and author who stands accused of torching his sprawling Biltmore Estates mansion in the summer ... More >>

Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio: Persecuted For His Political Beliefs?

Councilman Sal DiCiccio​Is Councilman Sal DiCiccio playing the victim card?The councilman claims he has been the target of attacks over his political beliefs that city services should be privatized and city employees are overcompensated.DiCiccio was in a city meeting and unavailable for comment. I ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, March 17, 2011

Phoenix Man Drives SUV Into House; Kills Man Sleeping Inside. Cops Say He Was Drunk

Eduardo Luis Arechiga​After spending his evening at a strip club, slamming some beers, and re-enacting The Fast and the Furious on the streets of west Phoenix over the weekend, the last thing on a Phoenix man's to-do list was apparently to crash into a family's house and kill a man sleeping inside ... More >>

Camelback Mountain Bees Nail Rock Climbers on Hart Route -- Again

This warning was posted at a local rock gym last year.​ Saturday's bee attack on Camelback Mountain occurred on Hart Route, the notorious spot where a climber died six years ago in a similar incident, a fire department official confirmed today.Several news outlets covered the story over the we ... More >>

Camelback Mountain in Summer Heat Too Much for Some Hikers; Several Rescued Since Friday

Image: Ray Stern Camelback Mountain​We stepped out of the house just before 6 a.m. yesterday to hike Camelback Mountain and nearly jumped back inside. It was about 90. The air was warm and fluffy, like we'd climbed into a sleeping bag in a sauna. We weren't deterred, though ... More >>

The Knipe House and Other Phoenix Buildings Are Going Up in Smoke

Young Champions Arson Nets Final Guilty Plea; Third Karate Instructor Admits to Crime That Killed Friend

  Jeff Otto is the last one of three surviving arsonists to plead guilty in the June 14, 2009 torching of the Young Champions of America headquarters in Phoenix​The third member of a group of karate instructors who burned down the Young Champions of America headquarters last June, ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, April 15

Hot Links: Adrian Cruz, Landfill Closings, and Chemical Spills

​Adrian Cruz, the convicted child rapist who escaped from the Maricopa County Courthouse last year, was captured yesterday afternoon in Mexico. Mexican authorities contacted the U.S. Marshals Service to say they had Cruz in custody. Now, a Mexican judge must decide whether to deport Cruz back to A ... More >>

Scuffles Between "Anarchists" and Cops, and The Use of Pepper Spray, Mar Today's Anti-Arpaio March

California videographer Naui's footage from the pepper spray incidentI am so disgusted by today's events at the big anti-Arpaio march to Joe's jails that I hardly know where to begin. The saddest part of it is that a mostly-peaceful demonstration of over 10,000 persons, which ended with a concert by ... More >>

Strip Searches at Maricopa County Jails Are Under Fire, As Is PMT Ambulance; But Phil Gordon's Romance Is in the Clear

Still No Leads on Richardson's Fire

Richardson's Cuisine of New Mexico, before it burned down.  Looks like the jury's still out on what caused the Richardson's fire two weeks ago, though investigators are getting closer to finding the cause, according to spokesperson Frank Salomon. Phoenix Fire Department Investigator Marika M ... More >>

Arrest Made in '01 Arson Fire That Killed Phoenix Firefighter Bret Tarver

  Bret Tarver A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of starting the 2001 fire that killed Phoenix firefighter Bret Tarver. Chris Benitez was 15 when he started a fire in a trash mound next to a westside Southwest Supermarket, investigators believe. Tarver was helping to bat ... More >>

Ex-Undercover Cop Ballentine Wows `Em at Poisoned Pen Book-Signing

We got to know an awful lot about Jack Ballentine during 2005, the year we spent with him and his fellow Phoenix Police detectives of the C-32 squad -- after which we published several stories in our "Murder City" series.  Ballentine was and is a classic character: He worked as a cop ... More >>

Muslim Worker Not Discriminated Against, Says Sheriff's Office; OSHA Says Facial Hair and Masks Don't Mix

Image: Wikimedia Commons The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office denies that a Muslim detention officer was discriminated against because of his beard, citing Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that require a clean shave with face masks. The office's response runs counter to what ... More >>

Mike Tyson's Daughter Still in "Extremely Critical Condition"

Image: www.mike-tyson.info/pictures.htm Phoenix police reported this morning they have no news about the condition of Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter, found "unresponsive" Sunday after choking on a treadmill cord. Police so far have termed the incident a "tragic accident." The call to police about ... More >>

Terry Goddard's Garage Fire Caused by Refrigerator or Outlet, Says Fire Department

The early-morning fire at Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard's downtown Phoenix home was caused by a refrigerator in his detached garage or an outlet the fridge was plugged into, fire officials tell New Times.Neighbors reportedly saw 40-foot flames at the structure. The garage is used as a w ... More >>

When Good Urban Adventures Go Bad

Sgt. Andy Hill on surveillance footage of Carol Anne Gotbaum's arrest: More video exists.

Bird Boycott

The truculent tweeter tackles Mayor Phil, PHX City Council hypocrisy, and goofball prez wanna-be Fred Thompson

Margarita Madness

Drinko 'til you (responsibly) cinco

Backdraft

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, November 11, 2005

Lactose Intolerants

The taloned one sucks up to breast-feeding MILFs, observes that Smoke Free Arizona ain't no pot initiative and squawks at union boss Billy Shields

Bike Path

Trace the motorcycle's trip through time

St. Patrick's Day Guide 2004

Space Invaders

All of a sudden, the City of Phoenix wants a chronic polluter to stick around. What gives?

It's the Bombero

Fiesta atmosphere makes grocery shopping a social event

Spiked

He's Baaaack . . .

From Ecstasy to Agony

Owner of Tucson-based Safari Media Inc. indicted

Authenticating the Arsonist

Is this guy for real?

Far-Flung Planet

Bureaucratic drama leads to eviction notice for Planet Earth Theatre

Immaculate Heartbreak

Three months after a fire gutted Phoenix's oldest Hispanic Catholic church, its pastor is feeling the heat and parishioners are steaming

Swarming Trend

State's buzz on killer bees? Learn to live with 'em.

Squeeze Play

In the neighborhoods that need them most, youth sports programs feel the pinch of widespread apathy

Night & Day

June 17 - 23, 1999

The Eternal Flame Part 2

Three decades ago, an unsolved murder case and arson fire scarred Lori Romaneck for life. Since 1993, she's been fighting a bureaucratic backdraft to set the record straight.

Trainspotting

Nearly three years after Amtrak's Sunset Limited was sabotaged near Buckeye, firefighters who rode to the rescue remain on the FBI's list of suspects

Time to Burn

Is the Lone Fire a preview of California-style infernos to come?

Ambulance Chases

If you need anemergency medical vehicle, just hope you're in the right partof Maricopa County. If you're not, questionable dispatching practices could prove hazardous to your health.

MISCUE 911

SARAH DUGAN WAS A LOYAL AMERICAN EXPRESS EMPLOYEE UNTIL SHE COLLAPSED ONE DAY AT WORK. HER FAMILY BLAMES THE COMPANY FOR WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.

UNSOLVED MISERIES

DOES FIREFIGHTING CAUSE CANCER? STATE'S STUDY INCONCLUSIVE.