Ruben Gallego isn’t wasting any time amassing a campaign war chest, announcing earlier this week that he already has $160,000 in campaign contributions from more than 800 donors. Gallego is facing competition from Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and state Senator Steve Gallardo for the open seat in Arizona’s…
An attorney is demanding that ABC 15 retract a story accusing her clients — two Arizona police officers — of making mistakes during investigations that prompted the Pinal County Attorney’s Office to drop those cases. Television reporter Navideh Forghani, reporting on how former Florence police detectives Jarris Varnrobinson and Walt…
A Glendale City Council majority has agreed to begin formal negotiations with the Tohono O’odham Nation over its proposed West Valley casino — a move that marks a dramatic change in the city’s previous attitude toward the Native American tribe. Nation leaders say that opening the door to “formal negotiations…
Within hours of Arizona’s Republican-dominated Legislature’s approving a measure that established a legal defense for business owners to discriminate based on a “sincerely held religious belief,” thousands of gay-rights advocates flocked to the lush green lawn at the state Capitol in Phoenix. It was February 21, and they united to…
An ABC 15 reporter told viewers a story earlier this month about two former Florence detectives who’d botched cases so badly that the Pinal County Attorney’s Office couldn’t prosecute them. Only no one has been able to cite what the cases were about. “The County Attorney’s Office says it had…
Within hours of Arizona’s Republican-dominated Legislature’s approving a measure that established a legal defense for business owners to discriminate based on a “sincerely held religious belief,” thousands of gay-rights advocates flocked to the lush green lawn at the state Capitol in Phoenix. It was February 21, and they united to…
An ABC 15 reporter told viewers a story earlier this month about two former Florence detectives who’d botched cases so badly that the Pinal County Attorney’s Office couldn’t prosecute them. Only no one has been able to cite what the cases were about…
Dolores Huerta, the woman who co-founded the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez, says that state former Representative Ruben Gallego is “one of the brightest and most effective young Latino leaders” that she’s ever worked with. And that’s why she’s endorsing his campaign for the seat of retiring Congressman Ed…
Sitting in the Senate Caucus room with a handful of reporters a week and a half after he delivered a rousing speech to activists protesting against an anti-gay measure at the Capitol, state Senator Steve Gallardo says it’s time to announce his sexual orientation. “I’m gay, I’m a Latino, and…
Stay out of the race for retiring Congressman Ed Pastor’s seat in Congressional District 7 — that’s the message that more than a dozen Latino community leaders and business owners sent today to Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema. A flurry of hopefuls announced their interest or intention to run for the CD7…
Two former detectives fired from the Florence Police Department received good news from the officials at the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training. AZ POST, the body that certifies police officers to carry a badge and a gun, informed both police officers in February that the state board is not…
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is leaving behind the old “State of Downtown” speech this year and instead turning it into a “Celebrate Downtown” address. He plans on delivering his message at 7 p.m. this Saturday at the Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. 2nd Avenue (one block west of the Van Buren…
Opponents of the so-called “Religious Freedom” bill have been holding protest rallies at the State Capitol urging Governor Jan Brewer to veto the bill that was fast-tracked to her office by state lawmakers. Proponents of the measure insist that its only purpose is to protect individual religious freedoms. However, gay…
In a jaw-dropping interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Al Melvin tells Cooper that he should move from New York to Arizona where “we’re more people friendly here.” And, Melvin, who rewrote Arizona’s history during his interview with Cooper, also said to a national audience: “I don’t know of anybody in…
The clock is ticking … and many are waiting to see whether Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will sign into law the so-called “Religious Freedom” bill. The measure, SB 1062, aims to give expanded protection to business owners who refuse to provide goods or services in situations or to individuals that…
Phoenix City Council members this week amended labor agreements with two unions to comply with a court ruling that found the city’s longstanding practice of including “release time” in its contracts violated the state’s gift clause. That clause prohibits gifts of public money to people or businesses unless the government…
Walt Hunter and Jarris Varnrobinson, two officers fired by the Florence Police Department, continue to fight to clear their reputations. Their latest battle involves an attempt to keep their names off what’s known as the “Brady List.” The list isn’t a good place for cops’ names to wind up –…
Federal officials will investigate the fatal shooting last month of a suspect by a Pinal County Sheriff’s deputy after the man led law enforcement officers on a nearly hour-long car chase. Manuel Longoria, shot in the street on January 14, wouldn’t obey officers’ commands at the scene. He told police…
Jiivik Siiki sits inside the Wild Horse Pass Resort just outside Chandler. His black hair parted into two long braids that rest on his back, he wears a small silver hoop in each ear. Siiki is a member of the Gila River Indian Community who values tribal traditions over the…
Although Catherine Miranda was the front-runner for an appointment to her late husband’s seat on Maricopa County Community Colleges governing board, it was longtime community leader Alfredo Gutierrez who nabbed the post today. Gutierrez is a former state senator, a past gubernatorial candidate, and has been in Arizona’s political arena…
A Phoenix resident is petitioning the City Council to allow members of the public to speak during the council’s formal meetings instead of making them wait until the sometimes lengthy public sessions are over. Dianne Barker, who first raised the issue in November, also would like to see the current…
Catherine Miranda was the top choice for a panel of Maricopa County Community College representatives narrowing down potential appointees for a vacant seat for the College’s governing board. Miranda, a state representative who is now running for a seat in the Senate, was married to Ben Miranda, who served on…
