2015 has not been a good year for Arizona’s most-vulnerable population: kids in the child welfare system. In early February, without much explanation, newly appointed Governor Doug Ducey fired Charles Flanagan, director of Arizona’s Department of Child Safety, and in his place, installed Greg McKay, a police officer who headed the…
Arizona may not be known for having a world-class education system or a good relationship with the federal government — hell, even our most famous “law enforcement” agent, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is on trial for contempt. But after the drama of last week’s State Fair goat disappearance went…
What’s more fun than opening a present or two on Christmas Eve? Opening a present or two while drinking a glass of eggnog or mulled wine, that’s what. For some of us, Christmas weekend spells champagne toasts, whiskey, and plenty of grown-up hot chocolate. For others, it means Chinese food…
If there was any question about whether Senator John McCain would endorse Republican front-runner Donald Trump now that his long-time BFF Lindsey Graham dropped out of the race, the answer is loud and clear: absolutely not. In the latest back and forth between McCain and Trump, the Arizona Senator called…
Well, 2015 was an exciting year! From the horrific murder-suicide in Tempe Town Lake to the anti-Islam protests and the Salt River Horse drama, Arizona produced quite a few headline-grabbing stories. So get ready to go down memory lane because here’s our roundup of the ones that will always remind…
Two days after comedian Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, the former Alaska governor and one-time vice presidential hopeful shot back with her own impersonation of Fey. Palin plays “Lynn Melon,” a la Fey’s Liz Lemon from theTV show 30 Rock, in a fake…
“We’re not going to let them get away with it,” is the message Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has for a group of Arizona state legislators trying to defund Planned Parenthood. “This is the sort of same old tired playbook we’ve seen nationally from Republicans,’ Clinton’s Director of Women’s Outreach,…
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve certainly seen the hilariously nerdy highway signs throughout Arizona — “Aggressive Driving is the path to the dark side” and “Trust the force, but always buckle up.” State employees over at the Arizona Department of Transportation have been channeling their inner-child as hype…
Ever one to exploit an opportunity for attention, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is celebrating the arrest of a man he says has been stalking him for weeks. According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Ruben Pena, 43, was a frequent visitor to MCSO headquarters. He claimed to be “Jesus Christ” and…
Sometimes it’s hard to tell a master from his students – or a celebrity from his fan boys. While at the Donald Trump rally in Mesa yesterday, a lot of one-liners could be heard from his supporters that sounded as though they came straight from the Republican front-runner’s mouth. So…
The two biggest firefighting organizations in the state are alerting the public that a sketchy non-profit is targeting Arizonans with a telemarketing campaign that claims to raise money for burn victims. “Beware of scammer telephone solicitors who claim they’re affiliated with fire fighters groups,” warn the Professional Fire Fighters of…
In many ways, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s rally today in Mesa felt a lot like the one he did in Phoenix earlier this year – just on steroids. The message was the same: “We’re going to stop illegal immigration, we’re going to take back trade, take back jobs… We’re…
A federal appeals court dismissed a challenge to Arizona’s race and sex-based abortion law this week. The decision upholds a lower court’s ruling that the plaintiffs – the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, as represented by the American Civil…
Following the damning revelation that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security doesn’t check the social media history of visa applicants as a matter of policy, Arizona Senator John McCain is introducing legislation to change that – albeit with more than a few slights at the president. “Following the tragedy in…
Hide your kids, hide your wife — we’re all going to freeze. Maybe. Winter may not officially start until next week, but the National Weather Service is currently issuing a freezing weather advisory for much of Arizona, including the greater-Phoenix area. Today and tomorrow, daytime temperatures should hover around…
It’s official: Donald Trump will be in Mesa Wednesday for his second campaign even in metro Phoenix this year. And like his rally in Phoenix this past July, his presence looks set to draw hundreds of protesters. “Donald Trump is coming to Phoenix for a second time, and we don’t want…
As the sun set in downtown Phoenix Sunday evening, at least 200 hundred people crowded around the “Release The Fear” sculpture at the corner of Roosevelt Street and Central Avenue for an anti-gun violence demonstration. From a distance, the group looked like a sea of orange shirts, headscarves, pom-poms, and…
As the saying goes, kids say and do the darndest things. And in Arizona, apparently the same goes for politicians, celebrities, civilians, school boards, judges, and even giant inflatable pumpkins. With the end of the year upon us, we bring you the 15 most absurd news stories of 2015. 15. Arizona…
The Arizona Chapter of the Council on American and Islamic Relations is calling on the FBI to investigate a recent vandalism incident at the Islamic Cultural Center of Phoenix that it believes may be an anti-Islam hate crime. Imraan Siddiqi, CAIR Arizona’s Chairman, says that ICCP employees discovered broken windows…
Horse enthusiasts, it’s time to celebrate! The U.S. Forest Service announced today that it won’t remove the Salt River Horses next week as planned, ending – at least for now – what has been a contentious months-long standoff between the government and members of the local community. “This is the…
CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer moderated a satirical debate between Arizona Senator John McCain and Minnesota Senator Al Franken before the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings faced off at University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale Thursday night. And it actually was funny. Imitating the format of a political debate, Scheiffer…
Without explicitly saying that presidential candidate Donald Trump isn’t welcome in Phoenix, Mayor Greg Stanton essentially said just that when he issued the following statement about the country’s most celebrated— or reviled — political figure. “I hope that Donald Trump does not bring his hateful message of division and intolerance…
