What type of legal defense will Jared Loughner’s legal team mount? How do you defend a suspect who carries out a violent crime as publicly as the one Loughner allegedly carried out in Tucson?Sometimes getting a life sentence in a capital murder case is the best an attorney can do.These are…
Events across the nation were postponed in the wake of the Tucson shooting massacre that claimed the lives of six people and injured 14 others others, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The nation paused as it mourned the senseless killings, recognizing it certainly wasn’t the time for politics as usual. Even…
for its divisive politics and extreme rhetoric, it’s no wonder that the eyes of the nation are on us.It is even less surprising that Arizona politicos started jumping into the fray — issuing obvious statements or overstating their relationships with U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords or using the opportunity to shine as…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has been a frequent flier to Dubai, one of the states that makes up the United Arab Emirates. It’s never been entirely clear what goes on during the visits.But the National, an English-language newspaper in the UAE, offers a glimpse in an article it published on…
A total of six people are in custody in connection with last month’s fatal shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, but none have been charged with Terry’s death, according to local media reports.The Arizona Daily Star reported that Ray Kondo, assistant chief for the U.S. Marshals in Tucson, said…
President Obama has signed into law a measure that requires that all prospective Customs and Border Protection employees undergo a polygraph test.It seems like a no-brainer, especially considering that federal officials who investigate corruption within the agency say that polygraph tests are an effective tool for weeding out bad seeds…
The Peoria Police Department has been searching for a new police chief and has narrowed its search down to three finalists.Larry Ratcliff has been heading the West Valley police agency since 2007, and he’s ready to retire on February 1.Stepping into his shoes will be either Denton (Texas) Police Chief…
(Updated with links to several documents, including Veolia’s performance records)Phoenix has given away more than $3 million – so far – to Veolia Transportation, a transit company that operates buses throughout the city.It’s $3,295,573.86, to be precise. That’s how much Phoenix would have collected in fines from the French transit…
A New Times story about Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon advising a transit company that employs his girlfriend on how to muscle nearly $30 million from Phoenix has prompted an inquiry from the feds.The Federal Transit Administration, an agency that provides money for and oversees federally funded transportation programs, called Phoenix officials…
Candidates in the race for Phoenix mayor are tapping pockets across the Valley to build their campaign war chests.The Arizona Guardian reported that one candidate, Wes Gullett, is getting a little help from Arizona Cardinals President and CEO Michael Bidwill and the team’s star receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Guardian reporter Dennis…
Many neighborhood leaders and homeowners are sorely disappointed with a City Council decision that stripped building restrictions from Camel Square, a 17-acre site on the northwest corner of Camelback Road and 44th Street.And now area residents are floating the idea of filing a referendum, a process in which residents gather…
Kidnapping statistics tallied by the Phoenix Police Department are getting called into question –again. Two Valley news stations have reported that the Phoenix Police Department, including Public Safety Manager (read: Police Chief) Jack Harris and Mayor Phil Gordon, are under investigation by the feds over allegations that kidnapping figures were inflated to…
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was in the desert canyons of southeastern Arizona on Tuesday hunting down bajadores, or bandits, who lurk in the shadows and prey on the illegal border-crossers.Terry, 40, was shot and killed while he and other agents attempted to arrest a group of suspects…
Anastasio Hernandez Rojas screamed in agony as U.S. border agents rained blows on him and delivered 50,000 volts of electricity to his body over and over. “No! No! Ayuda!” the 42-year-old Mexican wailed, pleading for help in Spanish. “Ayudenme [help me]!” It was late in the evening of May 28,…
The Phoenix City Council is expected to vote later today on whether or not to strip the northwest corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road of zoning restrictions that now limit the building heights to 36 feet.(Update: The council sided with property owners and removed the existing building restrictions; neighborhood…
Glendale City Council approved in a 5-2 vote a deal to pay $197 million to Matthew Hulsizer, a Chicago businessman poised to buy the Phoenix Coyotes from the National Hockey League. Of that money, $100 million is expected to offset for Hulsizer the $170 million price tag that the National…
It’s a simple yes or no. Will the Glendale City Council vote to shell out nearly $200 million in a deal aimed at keeping the Coyotes in town for at least 30 years?But there is nothing simple about the decision facing elected officials in the West Valley city that has…
Veolia Transportation and Teamsters Local 104 finally have agreed on contract terms for the more than 60 workers who fuel, clean, and maintain tires on Phoenix city buses.The transit company and union leaders had been at odds since Veolia snagged its latest five-year contract on to operate buses in Phoenix. The strained negotiations…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon wasn’t always a travelin’ man. Believe it or not, the man who is now jetting off to places like China, Qatar, Dubai, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia, was once known for his aversion to hopping on a plane and leaving Phoenix. While he touts his travels…
Veolia Transportation executives want the cash-strapped City of Phoenix to shell out more than $2 million to help bail out the transportation company as it tries to negotiate contracts with two remaining unions. Phoenix said uh-uh, no way. Well, Assistant City Manager Ed Zuercher put it much nicer in a…
UPDATE: Billy Shields tells New Times that he’s “stunned and saddened” as Phoenix police investigate allegations that his daughter, Mindy, embezzled money from a campaign account belonging to Greg Stanton.New Times posted the story earlier today about more than $75,000 reportedly taken from Stanton, a deputy attorney general and former…
Gerardo Higginson, a senior aide to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, is heading back to his broadcasting roots. After about seven years of working for Gordon as a liaison to the Latino, immigrant and minority communities, and Spanish-language media, Higginson accepted a job as the Community Relations and Public Affairs Director for…
