United States

Will the Joe Arpaio Recall Effort Get Enough Signatures?

With the May 30 deadline looming, the effort to recall Sheriff Joe Arpaio has stopped its paid petition-gathering, for the second time, due to donors' unwillingness to cough up the cash.Stephen Lemons reported last week that Respect Arizona found "the sticking point [for donors] was the lack of a de ... More >>

Arizona's 20-Week Abortion Ban Is Unconstitutional, Says Federal Appeals Court

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says Arizona's law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional, citing just about every Supreme Court case on the subject since Roe v. Wade."The 20-week law is [an] unconstitutional under an unbroken stream of Supreme Court authority, begin ... More >>

Marijuana By Itself Not a Significant Factor in Fatal and Injury Crashes in 2012, DPS Data Shows

Pot by itself was not much of a factor in injury and fatal crashes probed last year by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Fewer than 1 percent of suspected impaired drivers involved in such crashes tested positive for nothing but marijuana. New Times' findings, based on a records request sat ... More >>

Flip-Flopping John McCain Is No Political Profile in Courage

Extreme Honeybee Losses Could Threaten U.S. Food Supply

Pesticides, drought, and a dwindling food supply -- just some of the possible reasons for the loss of nearly one-third of the country's honeybee colonies last winter. Living in Arizona, where Africanized honeybees recently stung a man to death, we might be inclined to celebrate. See also: - Emily ... More >>

Marijuana Legalization Supported by More Than Half of Arizonans, Poll Says

It shouldn't be illegal to possess a little marijuana, according to more than half of Arizona's residents.This Behavior Research Center poll, released today, shows that 56 percent of the Arizonans surveyed are in favor of "legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use," wi ... More >>

Nikki's Five Picks for Arizona Restaurant Week (May 18-27)

Arizona Restaurant Week -- the Spring 2013 Edition -- begins Saturday, May 18 and ends Monday, May 27 (which is Memorial Day, when most of us will be grilling burgers and drinking beer at home . . . but never mind). By the end of this week, ARW officially will be upon us: a 10-day eating extravaganz ... More >>

Arizona Has a Higher Percentage of Global-Warming Believers Than Any Other State

People in Arizona are more likely to believe that global warming is a real thing than people in any other state.It may be easy to believe, since a large portion of the state is essentially a Crock-Pot that cooks humans during the summer, but it may also be difficult to believe, given the conspiracy- ... More >>

Sam Pillsbury Answers the Question: Why Arizona Wine?

Why Arizona wine? In 2000 -- the year I planted my first vineyard at the end of a lonely, dusty road in Cochise County, 12 miles south of Willcox -- one of the 10 Best 'How to Lose Money' jokes on Saturday Night Live was: Plant a Vineyard In Arizona. Arizona is all Sonoran Desert, obviously suicid ... More >>

Mother's Day in Metro Phoenix: 12 Recommendations Based on Time, Budget, and Location

Sunday is Mother's Day, and (especially if you don't do it throughout the year) you'd better find a way to honor the woman that gave you life. Brunch is the traditional meal of the holiday, and there are plenty of those in the Phoenix area if your mom loves waffles, omelettes, and bacon. But there a ... More >>

Grab Your Favorite Dining Buddy: Arizona Spring Restaurant Week Is Almost Here

Twice a year, the Arizona Restaurant Association tries to entice us into dining out for 10 days straight by getting more than a hundred local restaurants to offer prix-fixe menus for $30 or $40. And every year, twice a year, it pretty much works. See also: - April Restaurant Openings and Closings ... More >>

Is Arizona's Zero-Tolerance Stance on Pot and Driving a Load of B.S.?

If you smoked a joint a couple days ago, you are too stoned to drive right now in Arizona.The state's zero-tolerance law on the combination of marijuana-smoking and driving is the subject of this week's cover story by our colleague Ray Stern, a law that's even worse considering the state has a legal ... More >>

How to Avoid a Marijuana DUI in Zero-Tolerance Arizona

For the millions of people who now use marijuana legally under their states' laws, driving in Arizona is a technically a crime. Motorists with pot metabolites in their bloodstreams who want to avoid a marijuana DUI -- which comes with nasty fines and a one-year suspension of driving privileges, in ... More >>

Arizona Farmer Chef Connection Conference on June 10 at Desert Botanical Garden

Local and slow-food proponents have teamed up for a tete-a-tete on all things Arizona and farm-to-table. Local First Arizona, along with Edible Phoenix, Slow Food Phoenix, Good Food Finder, and the Desert Botanical Garden, will host the Arizona Farmer Chef Connection on Monday, June 10. See also: ... More >>

Tom Swoon Is Ready To Play Cinco de Mayo (And Learn What Cinco de Mayo Is)

Polish DJ Tom Swoon will help El Santo in Scottsdale celebrate Cinco de Mayo on Sunday, taking to the DJ booth prior to Porter Robinson. From the beginning of his career, only a few years ago, Swoon has emerged rapidly into the EDM scene and is now making himself known throughout North America. We ... More >>

Arizona's Well Above the National Average! (For Middle-Aged Suicide Rates)

In only a handful of states are middle-aged people killing themselves at a higher rate than Arizona.The Centers for Disease Control and prevention released a report today on Americans between the ages of 35 and 64 committing suicide, Arizona's 24 suicides per 100,000 residents in 2010 was well above ... More >>

Revival of Arizona Watermelon Festival in Historic Glendale on June 8

This summer, one of Arizona's oldest food festivals is back after lying fallow for several decades. First held in 1949, the Arizona Watermelon Festival is an old-timey Glendale tradition that once brought together up to 40,000 people each year to celebrate local agriculture. The revived version will ... More >>

A Twist of Fete

Rick Phillips of EATERAZ to Open Casual Restaurant with BBQ Component Moonshine -- and Guess Who's Consulting for Him?

As the likable smart-ass behind the food scene blog EATERAZ and the guy who puts on both the Arizona Taco Festival and the Arizona BBQ Festival (all with considerable help from his equally likeable and possibly more smart-ass partner Dave Tyda), Rick Phillips is known for being a magazine publisher ... More >>

Arizona Ranked Second-to-Last in the Nation in "Bachelor Party Freedom"

Arizonans have less freedom to engage in activities that may be related to bachelor parties than the residents of 48 other states.According to a study from George Washington University, Arizona gets its poor ranking from laws on gambling, victimless crime, tobacco, beer, kegs, fireworks, prostitutio ... More >>

Boston Marathon Explosions: 259 Arizonans Entered the Race, 186 Finished

There are varying counts of people dead and injured from the explosions this afternoon at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, but the initial count from a police spokeswoman was two people dead, and 23 injured.Of the 26,839 people entered in the race, 259 of them are from Arizona. One of those A ... More >>

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

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 a friend to cheesy dinosaur statues, from Holbrook to the Flintstones Bedrock City in Valle. Now we' ... More >>

Are "People Who Want to Secure the Border and Prevent Illegal Immigration" Racist?

According to poll results released yesterday by Rasmussen Reports, 11 percent of U.S. voters think that "people who want to secure the border and prevent illegal immigration" are racist.An additional 22 percent said they didn't know if these people are racist.See also:-Poll: One-Third of Voters Not ... More >>

Poll: One-Third of Voters Not Convinced People Who Want to "Secure the Border" Aren't Racist

Good news for people who talk up their desire for the country to "secure the border" and try to prevent illegal immigration -- most American voters don't think you're racist.The problem is, according to poll results, that still leaves one-third of American voters who still think you might be racist.

Here Are the Winners of the 2013 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame

Hold on to your apron strings, folks. The Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame has announced its 2013 winners. See also: - Top 5 Favorite Events at the 2013 Scottsdale Culinary Festival - Crudo Chef Cullen Campbell Invited to Cook at the James Beard House Presented by the Scottsdale Culinary Festival an ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on Nuclear Families and Criticizing Gabachos

Arizona's Lands on the Daily Show Yet Again, This Time for "Protecting Guns From People"

Yet again, the state of Arizona is the subject of one of Comedy Central's news programs, this time thanks to Tucson gun advocates who are "standing up for guns."This time, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart profiled the gun-worshipers who are protesting the gun-buyback programs in Tucson, as well as Re ... More >>

Arizona Ranked Fourth in the Nation! (For "Highest Levels of Gun Violence")

Only three other states in the U.S. of A. have higher "levels of gun violence" than Arizona, according to one report.Although magazines like Guns & Ammo congratulate Arizona for being "the best" state for gun owners -- despite the fact that the magazine's former editor shot and killed a man in Arizo ... More >>

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

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 wonder why the rest of the state isn't doing this. After it passes as expected, the city will acknowle ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on Heritage and Mexican Driver's Licenses

Valley Fever Cases "Skyrocketing," With Most Cases in Arizona

The number of people getting Valley Fever is "skyrocketing," which, unfortunately for everyone, is not a reference to the readership of the New Times news blog.The Arizona Department of Health Services passed along the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention news explaining that Valley Fev ... More >>

Here's Who's Been Nominated for the 2013 Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame

For over twenty years, the Scottsdale Culinary Festival and the Scottsdale League for the Arts have been presenting the Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame awards, where the best chefs, restaurateurs, and beverage masters in the state have secured a place in culinary history. See also: - Chef Kevin Binkl ... More >>

How To Make (and Pronounce!) Great Caipirinhas

Ring the bell, it's time for Last Call, where JK Grence, bartender at Shady's, serves up booze advice and recipes. Got a burning question for your bartender? Leave it in the comments and it might be answered in a future column. The folks who come in to the bar lately have been all abuzz over the wa ... More >>

New York Times Discovers People on Subway Don't Know Much About Scottsdale

Reporters for the New York Times rode a subway this week to ask riders about Scottsdale.In the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau's latest attempt to get New Yorkers to visit Scottsdale, it's decorated subway cars, themed with potential tourist draws, like golf. The best part of this being, o ... More >>

3 America's Taco Shops Raided by MCSO Deputies; 11 Arrested

Thursday, the Valley-based restaurant chain calling itself "the home of the best carne asada" became the latest target of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. See also: - America's Taco Shop Goes National: New Restaurants Will Feature Updated, Fast-Casual Look The Republic reports that three loca ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on Voting and Lindsay Lohan

By Gustavo Arellano

Arizona WIne at Devoured 2013

Pavle Milic knows his way around a bottle of Arizona wine, so when he graciously offered to give us the rundown on the local wine showcased last weekend at Devoured, we jumped at the chance. Full disclosure: As co-owner of FnB in Scottsdale, Milic serves AZ wine and he's in the process of making his ... More >>

IROC Expands His Hip-Hop Empire With Paranormal Thriller Blood Ink

25 years ago, the Phoenix hip-hop scene was virtually non-existent. That's when Irin Daniels -- taking the name IROC -- got involved, and since that time he's become one of the most respected hip-hop entities in Arizona. If you have had any resemblance of a career in this state, there's very good c ... More >>

Epicuriad 2013: Beer For Brains Foundation's Annual Food Pairing Competition on March 22

You would think a craft beer-focused foundation holding a contest pitting one dish against a beer or wine would be, well, a little biased. But for the past two years the Beer For Brains Foundation Epicuriad has been thoroughly pleasing food, beer and wine fans alike. See also: - Epicuriad: The Fin ... More >>

Whole New World

Senate Democrat Suggests Trying to Keep the State Legislature Off the Daily Show

Democratic state Senator Steve Gallardo seems to get it -- every year, legislators make asses of themselves by passing, or even just by proposing, ridiculous laws.We've seen all kinds of pleas from the few legislators who don't want to play along with the "meth lab of democracy," but we like Gallard ... More >>

Check, Please! Arizona to Host Downtown Food Festival: Think Local Restaurants, Chef Demos, and Auditions

Check, Please! Arizona, KAET Channel 8's popular restaurant-review series on which Arizonans share their dining experiences with James Beard Award-winning chef and host Robert McGrath, is taking its show on the road. Specifically, to downtown Phoenix. See also: - Wingstock 2013 on March 30 in Mesa ... More >>

Virginia Pizza Shop Offers 2nd Amendment Discount

Good news gun owners (in Virginia) there's a pizza shop there willing to offer you a 15 percent discount if you're packing heat. The owner of All Around Pizza and Deli, Jay Laze, said he decided to start offering the deal after he saw a frozen yogurt shop in Utah offer a similar deal. See Also: - ... More >>

Five Things to Eat and Drink this Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See Also: What to Eat with An Oscar Nominated Film: A Dinner and a Movie Recap Maya's Farm in Phoenix Now Hosting Classes Taught by Local Farmers Arizona Matsuri Break out the Hello Kitt ... More >>

Spring Has Sprung

Five Things to Eat and Drink this Weekend in Metro Phoenix

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate. See Also: 17 Don't-Miss Events During Arizona Beer Week, Feb. 16-23 6 Don't-Miss Events During AZ Cocktail Week: Feb 16-22 13th Annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival Hold on to your beer ... More >>

'Til Death Do Us Part: Arizona's Dangerous Love Affair with Guns

Should Cops Be Able to Use Drones Without a Warrant?

Earlier this week, we told you about the proposed bill that would make it illegal for cops to use drones to gather information without a search warrant.House Bill 2574 is very similar to bills being proposed in several other states, although the legislators proposing the Arizona edition happen to be ... More >>

Dates of Arizona Beer Week and Arizona Cocktail Week Overlap Again -- And Neither Group Is Budging

Fans of adult beverages and the events in which they're celebrated are going to have a tricky time filling out their calendars from Saturday, February 16, through Saturday, February 23, this year. That's when Arizona Beer Week and Arizona Cocktail Week, two of the Valley's major events hailing craft ... More >>