Certain parts of a new law placing restrictions on abortions were blocked by a judge in Maricopa Superior Court late yesterday afternoon.Planned Parenthood introduced the lawsuit earlier this month, after the bill was signed by Governor Jan Brewer.The law includes provisions that require women wait 24 hours between their initial in-person visit and…

Governor Jan and the Brew Crew have ordered all state agencies to present her with a plan to cut each agency’s budget by 15 percent.Brewer is calling the move only an “exercise.” She’s giving the agencies until October 9 to explain to her the most efficient way to cut some…

About two weeks ago, Chandler police arrested a pastor for having sex with a 14-year-old girl in his congregation.Police say 25-year-old Josh O’Bannion admitted to having sex with the girl at least three times over the the last few months, while serving as youth pastor at the Christ Life Church in…

The idea of guns in a bar sounds about as stupid, unbelievable, and flat-out dangerous as Snakes on a Plane.  Somehow, this is not some cheesy Sam Jackson movie riddled with F-bombs and stupid plot lines, this is what reality has become in Arizona.As New Times reported in July, the Arizona…

At a breakfast with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce this morning, Arizona State University President Michael Crow told members, “We want to be physically present in Chandler.”Remember a few months ago, when Crow was talking about having to shut down two of ASU’s campuses as a result of cuts to…

Talking to Tom Horne about test scores is like questioning a suspect in a murder. He gets nervous, defensive, and passes blame to anyone who controls his budget. As if the AIMS test is the ultimate barometer for his success. What boosts test scores? Money, obviously. So when President Obama suggested…

In a court appearance yesterday, a 10-year-old Liberian boy accused in the gang rape of an 8-year-old girl cried as his teacher testified that he was a bad student. During the court appearance, Toya Abrams, the boy’s second-grade teacher at Camelview Elementary School in Phoenix, told a judge that the…

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office found two dead bodies in the desert Southwest of Gila Bend that they believe are the remains of Mexican nationals trying to enter the country illegally.The bodies were said to be “heavily decomposed.”Deputies say the bodies were found by “Angels in the Desert,” a church group that patrols…

The Glendale man who took a bus all the way to Virginia to meet and possibly have sex with a 13-year-old girl last July, pleaded guilty in federal court this morning.Jesse Lee Wise, a 25-year-old door-to-door salesman, admitted to trying to entice a minor for sex and is looking at…

When rookie Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker announced his interest in running for governor last week, he probably didn’t count on the founder of the organization in front of which he made the announcement to be linked to a high-priced hooker scandal.Not the ideal way to begin a campaign, but welcome to…

When the Goldwater Institute gave Arizona high school students a citizenship test similar to the one given to immigrants, it didn’t expect much from the students — but the results shocked even G.I.The survey found that only an embarrassing 3.5 percent of students who took the exam would qualify to…

The Arizona Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of a Tucson woman for burying her newborn son in the backyard of her home in 2005. Regina Lockwood was convicted of conspiracy to abandon or conceal a dead human body back in 2008 after she and her friend, then 22-year-old Nicholi…

The folks at PETA weren’t too thrilled with a photo we ran to accompany a story about their allegations of possible animal abuse at Arizona State University.The photo, which we opted to run again, can be seen above.PETA Spokesperson Holly Beal asked us to remove the photo because “it’s a…

Housewives across the Valley can thank our friends at Espresso Pundit for tracking down the addresses of the more than 3,400 people named in the “Desert Diva” high-end hooker roundup in August, 2008.Back in February, police released the names but didn’t release any addresses, making it impossible to positively identify any…

Like what makes a business successful, there are three things to consider when buying a home: Location, location, location.The Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index was released yesterday, and Phoenix is ranked the most “affordable” housing market in Arizona.If location is truly king in determining home prices, this ranking seems…

Chandler police are looking for a man with a history of sexual assault and violence, after he failed to turn himself in to police to face harassment charges yesterday.Trevor Mark Mazak, a 33-year-old registered sex offender, is wanted on charges of aggravated harassment and stalking after a female acquaintance filed…

Yesterday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging that there were animal-rights violations occurring in classrooms at Arizona State University. As we said yesterday, everything coming from PETA should be taken with several grains of salt, but ASU seems to confirm…

An investigation was launched today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture into possible animal abuse in classrooms at Arizona State University that results from a complaint filed this morning by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.Normally, we tend to take anything from PETA with several grains of salt, but it may…

A 3-year-old Phoenix girl died yesterday after she was crushed by a television at her parent’s home.In a press release, Phoenix police say the girl pulled a 27-inch television off of its stand in her home near 64th Avenue and Flower Street. …

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is at the center of a legal debate over the death of a jaguar back in March.A lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity in federal court in Tucson this morning, alleges that the department doesn’t have the authority to trap jaguars.In February, Game…