A massive stone temple jutting from the crest of an oak-and-juniper knoll pierces the serenity of the broad horizon of the seductively beautiful Texas hill country. The 90-foot-high edifice is topped with a cupola and buttressed by a grand sweeping staircase leading to the main entrance. Circular columns resembling towers…

State Republican Senator Jack Harper’s enraging a powerful legislator with his determined effort to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive vote-counting scandal at the Maricopa County Elections Department. The second-term senator from Surprise plans to hold legislative hearings early next year into the controversial September 7, 2004, District…

I really wanted to see Joe Arpaio get roasted on October 1, during an event to raise money for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s animal posse. I called the MCSO and asked how to buy tickets for the shindig. A posse man who identified himself only as Commander Tom told…

Hours after the bizarre death last December of the City of Phoenix’s chief financial officer, city officials blamed a brain parasite contracted in Mexico for his bizarre demise. Now, nine months of extensive testing have eliminated the possibility that such a parasite caused Kevin Keogh, 55, to crawl out the…

Fundamentalist Mormon polygamists along the Arizona-Utah border are steeling themselves against law enforcement agencies coming at them from several fronts. Formidable eight-foot walls — built from blocks, wood and steel, and occasionally mounted with surveillance cameras — are under construction around the homes of many of the followers of Warren…

In the weeks leading up to last September’s Republican primary election for sheriff, challenger Dan Saban predicted that someday someone inside Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s inner circle would disclose damaging information that would end Arpaio’s political career. Might that day soon arrive? Federal prosecutors now have a rare opportunity to obtain…

Superior Court Judge Michael D. Jones should be proud of himself. He has made it virtually impossible for the public to find out what is going on inside a sheriff’s department that is noted for cruelty, ineptitude and downright stupidity. In ruling against New Times in a public records lawsuit…

Towering Fremont cottonwoods and Goodding willows provide welcome shade as I approach the banks of one of Arizona’s most threatened natural wonders — the San Pedro River. A hawk is perched on a branch overhead as I place my sandal-clad feet into the cool water that’s just a few inches…

I have no faith in the ability of Maricopa County to conduct fair and accurate elections. It’s now appallingly apparent that County Attorney Andrew Thomas is skirting the serious problems gripping the Maricopa County Elections Department. I had hoped Thomas would conduct a thorough investigation of the elections department, part…

Where’s the airplane? The airplane I’m talking about is the infamous Cessna P210 purchased in late 2002 by fundamentalist Mormon polygamists who control the 350-student Colorado City Unified School District. The $220,000 aircraft hasn’t been seen in more than four months. Neither has accused pedophile Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed prophet…

As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky this week with the passing of summer solstice, I’m amazed that Arizona regulators are retreating from the state’s modest commitment to develop a solar energy industry. It’s not as if Arizona is busting its budget on solar. Instead, the state…

The Arizona Public Service Company’s sale of a one-acre paved parking lot to Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and her husband smells like trout left rotting in the Phoenix summer sun. APS sold the land to the supervisor and her husband, Earl Wilcox, at a price several hundred thousand…

My 15-year-old son jolted me out of my morning trance the other day with a question that sent my mind reeling. “Dad, did you know that high schools are providing the names, addresses and phone numbers of students to military recruiters without permission?” Looking up from my coffee, I replied,…

Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano’s taking it to the House — and the Senate — leaving no doubt about who’s the most powerful politician in state government. Brash, abrasive and confident, Napolitano craftily used this past legislative session to capture the pole position for next year’s gubernatorial race that’s shaping up…

Much to my amazement and delight, Arizona has finally delivered a powerful blow to the fundamentalist Mormon polygamist theocracy that controls all aspects of public and private life in Colorado City. On May 9, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano quietly signed into law a bill that will allow state education officials…

Jerry Colangelo dreams of winning a trifecta. And he would be well on his way if this town finally gets an NBA championship. He’s already won a World Series championship with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. And last week he was bestowed the honor and obligation of bringing back the gold…

Recent events lead me to believe that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio may again be abusing his police powers for political purposes. That is, the paranoid and increasingly disoriented Arpaio is turning up the heat on some of us who have landed on his enemies list. In the past month,…

Here’s the lowdown on one of the latest scams to put local taxpayer money into the pockets of billion-dollar corporations. This is a tale that starts 33 years ago in a small town in Missouri and will hopefully end on May 17 when Mesa voters cast their ballots in the…

Now let me get this straight. It’s okay for a pharmacist to refuse to fill a medical doctor’s prescription for a morning-after pill on religious grounds. But there is no way the very same pharmacist should be required to put cold pills containing pseudoephedrine — the key ingredient for trailer-trash…

The Arizona Legislature has the rare opportunity this session to strike a powerful blow to the heart of the fundamentalist Mormon polygamist cult that has dominated life in the isolated communities north of the Grand Canyon for more than 70 years. Lawmakers are debating legislation that would allow the state…

I consider myself an environmentalist. And I’ve long been a strong supporter of Native American rights. But in recent days I have become outraged over the astounding hypocrisy of both groups in their opposition to a proposal that would allow for a relatively small expansion of the Arizona Snowbowl. The…

Mesa Republican Representative Russell Pearce, co-chairman of the powerful Arizona House Appropriations Committee, is launching a pitched assault on the First Amendment to the Constitution. Pearce, a member of the Salt Lake City-based Mormon Church, put language in this year’s state budget bill to eliminate funding for campus publications in…