Congratulations America, the recession is almost unofficially over!Well, if you believe Valley businesses that have declared September 17 the official end of our current national economic woes.If it was that easy, why the hell didn’t they do this six months ago? Not only are all of our economic problems soon to…
You gotta know when to hold ’em, and know when to fold ’em, and Governor Jan Brewer is clinging to the idea of a 1-cent sales tax increase like grim death.”I still believe in the referral,” she says today at a speech at the East Valley Institute of Technology in…
Yesterday we reported that a man wearing a monkey mask to evade speed cameras was ticketed 37 times for speeding.Turns out that’s just how many tickets police handed Dave Vontesmar. The number of tickets he actually earned is epic.Department of Public Safety officials say he has actually racked up more than 90…
What could be more relaxing than a week on your own private island in the Pacific Ocean? Well, for one Arizona congressman, the answer is to do it alone with little more than snorkeling gear, a water desalinization pump, and a Hawaiian sling to spear fish.Mesa Congressman Jeff Flake opted out…
If you like what Andrew Thomas has done for Maricopa County, you’re in luck; he might be taking the Andy show statewide.That’s right; Maricopa County Attorney Andy Thomas announced that he’s forming an exploratory committee to look at a potential run for Arizona attorney general in 2010.If Thomas hopes to replace…
The 3-week-old girl, who police say suffered some gruesome injuries at the hands of her father, 25-year-old Brian Mark Hopf, is not expected to survive. Hopf poked the girl in the eyes,police say, and dropped her on the floor, leaving her with several skull fractures, broken ribs, and other serious injuries…
New figures released Tuesday show that under the current budget signed by Governor Brewer last week, the state is now at least $1 billion in the hole. After eight months of negotiation, who would expect anything less, right? The figures were part of a report from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee,…
Arizona’s very own maverick, Senator John McCain, is telling a former Arizona icon to hang up his bloody sock, and join him in the United States Senate.McCain also told Sara Palin to run for vice-president, and I think we all know how that turned out.McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan tells CNN…
A Chandler man is in custody after, police say, he dropped his three-week-old daughter on the ground, and poked her in the eyes. The newborn was left with serious injuries.Brian Mark Hopf, 25, was arrested after his daughter was admitted to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries” including multiple skull fractures, fractured…
Arizona schools chief Tom Horne had some tough words for President Obama, and the White House last week, in regard to Obama’s address to students this morning.After hearing the speech, guess what; Horney loved it!”I think we can all agree with the message of the President’s speech,” Horne tells New…
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety wrapped up a more than a two-week sweep to bust drunk drivers yesterday, and, well, they “nailed” a lot of people.According to the GOHS, between August 21, and Septemeber 7, authorities busted 1,136 drunk drivers as part of the sweep that was given the title…
If you live in the Valley of the Sun, you probably have a trick or two to avoid getting busted by the speed cameras we all love so much. Some people just know exactly where they are, some buy devices to mask their license plates, and one man, police say, resorted…
While we would never encourage driving drunk, sometimes even smart people “slip up.” However, to “slip up” twice in the same day probably means you’re a complete nitwit.A traditional Labor Day is Mesa is full of picnics, parties, and, of course, DUI checkpoints. Yesterday was no different — except that police…
After Arizona Governor Jan Brewer approved the majority of the Legislature’s budget plan Friday, the question still looms: How the hell are we gonna pay for it?!Despite a laundry list of cuts, and concessions, the state is still well short of being able to pay for the programs still on…
Has your sparkling bundle of joy turned into an adolescent monster? If so, you’re in luck; the ABC reality show “Supernanny” is coming to town in search of the Valley’s most misbehaved minors.The show will be holding open casting calls on Saturday at The Phoenix Zoo and Wet ‘n’ Wild…
A robbery gone wrong ended when the victim upped the ante on the would-be robber by pulling a sword.Police say that the suspect and the victim, who are believed to have been friends, went to a check cashing store near the victim’s house on Thursday.The two men in their thirties,…
Phoenix is starting to live up to its “streets of rage” reputation.Early this morning, police say a Phoenix man cut another man off with his car near West Indian School Road and North 51st Avenue just after midnight.Given Phoenix’s No. 6 ranking on the list of cities with the worst…
You would think that city residents would welcome church bells as a means of drowning out the police sirens and gunshots often heard in Phoenix neighborhoods. Apparently not.In June, a Catholic bishop was sentenced to three years of probation and 10 days in jail (suspended) for violating a noise ordinance…
Holy crap, she really did it!On Thursday, Governor Jan Brewer signed a portion of the state budget that allows for the sale of state buildings, including both houses of the state legislature, the state fairgrounds, prisons, and several other state owned buildings.The plan, which drew national attention after Brewer brought…
President Obama is heading back to school next Tuesday, and Arizona Schools Superintendent Tom Horne doesn’t like it. You’d think he’d be thrilled; maybe now someone will pass the AIMS test. Horne gave President Obama a lesson in educating children in a statement he issued Tuesday, and when the fearless leader of one…
As we sit on the cusp of kissing the daunting 110 degree days goodbye for eight glorious months, we can be certain of one thing: They’re coming.That’s right; as the majority of the country prepares to freeze its ass off for the rest of the year, as Phoenicians we prepare…
Governor Jan Brewer signed one of seven budget bills Thursday that provides the funding for the Department of Public Safety.It’s about freakin’ time!DPS was on the verge of a financial freak-out as its cash flow was drying up, and it wasn’t sure if its 2,200 employees would even get paid…
