Ray Stern

Will the Feds Ever Shut Down Arizona's Medical-Marijuana Dispensary Industry?

As our colleague Ray Stern pointed out yesterday, it was not even a year ago that Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk declared the feds would shut down every medical-marijuana dispensary in Arizona "as it opens."Stern called bull on Polk's claims at the time, and as you can tell at this point -- sin ... More >>

Steven Shiflet Gets Probation for Starting Sunflower Fire With "Incendiary Shotgun Shell"

Steven Craig Shiflet, the Mesa resident who admitted to starting the near-18,000-acre Sunflower Fire in the Tonto National Forest last year with an "incendiary shotgun shell," was sentenced Monday to probation.Shiflet fired the shell during a bachelor party in the desert near Sycamore Creek on May 1 ... More >>

Dumbest Name for a Phoenix Weather Event: "Haboob" or "Graupel"?

Here's something in Phoenix you can enjoy during the summer and winter: obnoxious names for weather events.It's nearly impossible to live in the Valley for more than five minutes without hearing the word "haboob," and yesterday, meterologists decided to piss on everyone's parade, and tell people tha ... More >>

Would Arizona's Newest Proposal for Guns in Schools Ever Stop a Shooter?

Attorney General Tom Horne's suggested response to the Newtown, Connecticut massacre of schoolchildren has been proposed at the state Legislature.Republican Representative David Stevens' House Bill 2656 allows a school's "principal or another designee" access to a gun on school grounds, in case of a ... More >>

Camelback Mountain Hiker Dies After Fall During Bee Attack, Two Others Stung 300 Times Each; Off Main Trail on Climbing Route

Three Camelback hikers who decided to take a side route up a climbing trail encountered a swarm of bees on Monday afternoon, and one man died after falling 150 feet. The other two men were stung about 300 times each, says Captain Scott McDonald, Phoenix Fire Department spokesman. A beautiful, fall ... More >>

L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology's Phoenix Roots

See also: Scientology Opens Phoenix Ideal Org; Mayor Greg Stanton Touts City's Status as Alien-Based Religion's "Birthplace" See also: Paul Thomas Anderson on Researching Scientology for His New Film As strange as it may seem, Scientology -- the religion established by pulp fiction writer, explore ... More >>

Pot Activists Rally at Phoenix Police Headquarters

See also: Medical-Marijuana Supporters Plan Rally at Phoenix PD Headquarters on Wednesday at 5 p.m. See also: Judge Orders Arizona to Implement Medical Marijuana Act Marijuana advocates rallied outside Phoenix police headquarters yesterday evening, demanding respect for state law. Motivated at lea ... More >>

New Times' Staff Writers and Designers Receive Top Honors from Arizona Press Club, Including for Investigative Reporting, Immigration Coverage and Cover Illustrations

Phoenix New Times won 30 journalism awards, including first-place awards for investigative reporting, immigration coverage, news and opinion blogging and design, from the Arizona Press Club on Saturday night. Staff writer Paul Rubin received a first place Don Bolles Award for Investigative Reportin ... More >>

Should Andrew Thomas Have to Foot the Bill for His Disciplinary Proceeding?

As our colleague Ray Stern reported yesterday, former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas may have to fork over $554,000 for the disciplinary proceeding that ended with him losing his law license.Thomas, as you may recall, was disbarred by a Supreme Court disciplinary panel that found he and some ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Slammed in New Attack Ad by Citizens for a Better Arizona

Cost $6,000 and worth every penny... For years, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has successfully peddled the myth that he's "America's toughest sheriff," but his record of wasting taxpayer money, pursuing his political enemies and, worst of all, bungling the investigations of sex crimes on a massive, unprecedent ... More >>

West 6th Tempe, Formerly Centerpoint Towers, Ready for Residents to Move In On Monday

Image: Ray SternThe lights are on at West 6th Tempe, formerly the Centerpoint Condominium towers. On Monday, renters will be allowed to move in.​Six years after construction began, and following nearly three years of inactivity, one of the towers at Sixth Street and Maple Avenue in Tempe will welc ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Feds Have Been Investigating Arpaio Since 2008, So Where the Hell are the Indictments?

Pot Expo Draws Smaller-Than-Expected Crowd, But Still Creates Good Buzz

​ A well-publicized medical marijuana expo at University of Phoenix Stadium over the weekend attracted fewer people than some disappointed vendors expected. Others, however, called the Green Relief Convention and Expo, which took place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, a success. A few ... More >>

Rocky Point Official: Future Shooting Victims Will Be Taken to Naval Hospital

Ray SternFausto Soto, Rocky Point Director of International Relations and Tourism.​Readers of New Times' cover story last week remember Fausto Soto as the Rocky Point official who spoke with us about problems facing the Mexican town's tourism industry. New Times contacted him last week to ask abo ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, February 17, 2011

Jared Lee Loughner Uber Alles? Let's Face It, Gun Nuts Are Just Selfish

Extremist gun nuts refuse to compromise on the firearm restrictions: Jared Lee Loughner might as well be their poster boy My colleague Ray Stern has responded to my reply to his recent pro-gun editorial. In it, Ray wonders what I meant at one point in my rebuttal, which is entitled, "Ment ... More >>

Jared Lee Loughner Uber Alles? More Debate on Gun Nuttery

Ray, you ignorant...oh, never mind...I've posted my latest riposte to my colleague Ray Stern's passionate defense of Second Amendment gun nuttery, here in Valley Fever.It's a response to Ray's response to my response to his original opinion piece, in which he casually used bogus straw man arguments ... More >>

Jared Lee Loughner and the Gun Nuts

A note for friends and foes of the Feathered Bastard: For the time being, posts directly related to the Tucson massacre that I write will be posted in Valley Fever. For instance, I just posted one that responds to a pro-gun editorial by my colleague Ray Stern.The title of my piece is "Mental Health ... More >>

Prop 203 Appears to Have Won; Remaining Ballots Unlikely to Reverse Trend

Image: Ray SternAndrew Myers reacts on Friday evening to vote counts that show Proposition 203 is winning by a comfortable margin​ Andrew Myers of the Marijuana Policy Project has been edgy since Election Day. Then came the 5:35 p.m. update of vote results. Observing the results from a small ... More >>

Centerpoint Tower Close-of-Sale Delayed; Deal Will Likely be Finished by Week's End, Says Company Rep

Image: Ray SternThe Centerpoint Towers construction site is still quiet, but that's supposed to change soon. A sale to the Ohio-based Zaremba Group is expected to close this week​ The $30 million sale of the Centerpoint Towers in Tempe was supposed to close on Friday, but has been delayed. Ken ... More >>

Uncounted Vote Total Rises to 133,000 in State; Counting to Begin Again on Thursday

  Image: Ray Stern Helen Purcell, Maricopa County Recorder, expects to put out a news release at about 5 p.m. on Thursday with updated vote counts.​About 12,000 provisional ballots were amassed today at the Maricopa County Elections department, officials say, bringing the to ... More >>

Phoenix New Times Takes 13 First-Place Awards in AZ Press Club Competition -- Including Designer of the Year

Jasmine Hobeheidar and Peter Storch sweep two Press Club design categories, take three first places, and Storch wins Designer of the Year. ​ Phoenix New Times writers won 26 awards - including 13 first-places -- over the weekend at the Arizona Press Club awards banquet for work publishe ... More >>

Rick Romley to Governor: Veto Immigration Bill; Interim County Attorney Says He'll Enforce Law as Obligated

  Image: Ray Stern Rick Romley urges Governor Jan Brewer to veto the State Legislature's harsh anti-illegal-immigrant bill. ​ The harsh anti-illegal-immigrant law before Governor Jan Brewer is "tearing our community apart" and should be vetoed, Interim Maricopa County Attorney Rick Ro ... More >>

Bomb-Threat Caller in December Maricopa County Court Evacuation had Made Similar Threat to Public Defender's Office Two Days Earlier

Image: Ray Stern Investigators determined the December 2 bomb threat was made from this phone on Third Avenue, which is hidden from the sight of a surveillance camera.​ The person who called in a bomb threat that cleared out the Maricopa County Superior Court building on December 2, one day ... More >>

Tiger Woods is Sorry for Being a Horn-Dog But it Doesn't Look Like We'll be Seeing Him at the Waste Management Open

Ray Stern​For anyone who missed it, Tiger Woods made his apology to the world this morning. He's sorry, he hurt his family, he let down his fans, blah, blah, blah. More importantly to Valley golf fans, it doesn't appear that Tiger will be making an appearance at the trashiest golf tourney on the P ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Victims Celia Alvarez, of Busted Jaw Fame, and Armando Nido File Suit

Celia Alvarez, after being arrested by the MCSO during the infamous HMI worksite raidCourthouse News Service was the first to catch notice of two suits just filed in federal and state court, respectively, of a Hispanic mom whose jaw was busted during an MCSO immigration raid, and a man allegedl ... More >>

John McCain's Top Aide Believed Cindy McCain Affair Rumors, Book Claims

The National Enquirer says this is Cindy McCain's boyfriend -- and John McCain's chief strategist apparently believed them.​Mark Weaver, the top campaign strategist for Senator John McCain, believed rumors that McCain's wife Cindy was having an affair with a Tempe man, according to a new book hitt ... More >>

Joel Fox Testifies Before Grand Jury in SCA Case -- Investigation Wrapping Up

​Maricopa County Sheriff's Captain Joel Fox testified earlier this week before the grand jury probing the SCA campaign finance scandal -- triggering speculation that an indictment in the case could come as early as next month.Grand jury proceedings are secret and, typically, the subject of a p ... More >>

Tag You're It: The First Pics of Phoenix Light Rail Graffiti

This tagger ain't no Basquiat, but then again, it's only a tag... As was recently mentioned in a report by my colleague Ray Stern, the Phoenix PD has released images of some of the first graffiti ever on the Phoenix Metro Light Rail. And for this historic occasion, wherein the PMLR gets ... More >>

Traffic Stop Nets Nearly 200 Pounds of Pot Found Wrapped Like Christmas Presents

A couple driving north toward Tucson the day after Christmas was caught with nearly 200 pounds of marijuana disguised like holiday presents. The Nogales, Arizona, couple were stopped on Interstate 19 for a traffic violation, according to an Arizona Department of Public Safety news release: Insid ... More >>

New Year's Financial Resolutions a Good Idea for State Residents and Government, Says Treasurer

State Treasurer Dean Martin just put out a helpful list of New Year's resolutions that anyone could use to keep their finances in check -- especially state lawmakers. State budget watchdogs like Martin and others have been sounding the alarm, but outgoing Governor Janet Napolitano and a fiscal ... More >>

Papago Golf Course Restoration Gets Thumbs Up; Cheap Tee Times Booked

Restoring Phoenix's Papago Golf Course was $6 million well spent, says a Houston-based writer at a national golf Web site. Mike Bailey of travelgolf.com raves about the new look of the course -- which re-opened on December 6 -- in an article today, saying it "takes you back to the good ol ... More >>

Collection of Bombs Astounds Authorities: What's in Your Neighbor's House?

In 2001, cute, smart Paradise Valley High School student Alissa Turney goes missing. Police suspect foul play. This week, her stepfather -- a Vietnam veteran and former sheriff's deputy -- is nabbed in a house full of more bombs than police have ever seen before. What's truly stunning in this ... More >>

Arizonans Give Generously to Pearl Harbor Memorial, But Goals Still Unmet

Arizonans and local companies have donated nearly $2.5 million for a long-awaited restoration of the USS Arizona  Memorial's visitor center in Honolulu, Hawaii, the tourist attraction that showcases the sunken tomb for the sailors trapped inside the 93-year-old battleship. Yet the fundraisi ... More >>

Editors Take Big Hits in Arizona Republic Layoffs

The latest round of layoffs at the Arizona Republic includes numerous editors and photographers, sources in the know tell New Times. Here's a partial list of those who got the axe, according to the latest scuttlebutt. (Please let us know if anything is incorrect!):

News Media Getting Kicked Out of State Senate Building, May Move to New Office in Capitol

State Senate President Tim Bee told capitol reporters last week to vacate offices in the state senate building that they've worked in since the 1970s. As first reported on Friday by the Arizona Republic's capitol reporter, Matthew Benson, Bee sent an eviction letter (reprinted below) to Howard ... More >>

Arizona Republic Still Won't Name St. Johns Murder Suspect's Family

His dad -- the one he's accused of killing -- was named Vincent Romero. His mother's name has been reported nationwide as Eryn Thomas or Eryn Bloomfield. The Arizona Republic won't name either of the boy's parents to avoid identifying the 8-year-old murder suspect from St. Johns. Though it's nice to ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Office Exonerates Deputy Of Racial Profiling

Sky Harbor Allows Special Clothing For Somali Muslim Janitorial Workers

Feedback from the issue of Thursday, July 31, 2008

Et tu, Eddie? Faux Dem Eddie Basha donates to Joe Arpaio, along with other Joe suckups.

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, December 20, 2007

BREAKING NEWS: NEW TIMES FOUNDERS MICHAEL LACEY AND JIM LARKIN ARRESTED!

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, August 23, 2007

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, May 24, 2007

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, February 22, 2007

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, February 15, 2007

Letters From the Issue of Thursday, November 30, 2006

THIRTY DAYS BEFORE THE STEREOANOTHER MONTH'S WORTH OF REVIEWS, JUST FOR YOU