Hot Links: Uranium Mining, Balsillie in Court, and SRP Rates

Uranium mining could resume near the Grand Canyon this year, after the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued an air-quality permit to Denison Mines. The company plans to work the Arizona 1 mine, which hasn’t been mined for two decades. Conservationists and Native American groups oppose the mining, and express…

Hot Links: Tuition-Tax Rules, Museum Liquor, and GameStop

The Catholic Tuition Organization for the Diocese of Phoenix has changed its rules for tuition-tax-credit donors, disallowing donors to name recipients. Under the old plan, taxpayers recommended specific students for the scholarships. Critics of such programs, which are practiced by many private schools in the Valley, say it allows for…

Caffiend: El Salvador at Village Coffee Roastery

“What’s your specialty drink?” and “What’s the most caffeinated coffee you carry?” are pretty common questions at a coffee shop. Usually, baristas will give a specific answer: at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, they recommended the iced toddy. At Gold Bar Espresso in Tempe, we were encouraged to try the…

Hot Links: ASU in Goodyear, Wildfires, and Eagle Feathers

Arizona Senator John McCain has endorsed Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk in his run for the U.S. Senate. McCain appeared with Kirk at a veteran’s event in Glenview on Sunday and said he would join Kirk in a “fight against this corruption, which has afflicted Washington”…ASU’s plan to build undergraduate satellite…

“Supernanny” Producers to Hold Casting Call at Phoenix Zoo

Are your children unruly? Do they yell at the dinner table, shove each other in the hallway, or refuse to speak to you? Maybe you’ve got a house full of active kids and can’t keep up the pace. Well, Phoenix parents, get ready: if you’re feeling overwhelmed, British “Supernanny” Jo…

Hot Links: Brewer’s Run, SRP’s Rates, and Animal Cruelty

Governor Jan Brewer, who took office after Janet Napolitano resigned in January, indicated she may run for a full-term as governor in 2010. In a recent interview with The Arizona Republic, Brewer says she’s “leaning toward” running. Other Republicans who’ve expressed interest in running for governor next year include State…

Hot Links: Paddling Out, Naked Men, and Whole Foods Boycott

Arizona is one of 20 states that allows schools to mete out corporal punishment, most often paddling. Now, an education task force panel is calling for a state ban on paddling in schools. School districts must accept or reject the ban by June 30. School officials say they can’t remember…

Hot Links: Stoudemire, Medical Bargains, and Conspiracies

While delivering a lecture about education to students at Martin Luther King Jr. elementary school, Phoenix Suns star Amar’e Stoudemire indicated he may only be in Phoenix one more year. Stoudemire, who underwent surgery on his retina in July, could opt-out of his final contract year and become a free…

Hot Links: FLDS Land for Sale, D-Backs, and the Shaggy Bandit

A judge in Utah has ordered the sale of Arizona land belonging to a property trust established by followers of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs. The trust has about $3 million in debt. The 400-acre parcel of land in northern Arizona will be sold to the highest bidder, but the…

Caffiend: Conspire’s Chai Latte

So what, exactly, is the “Coffee Conspiracy” at Conspire coffee house in downtown Phoenix? We can let you in on one thing — this offbeat mom-and-pop shop uses the house blend of Tempe’s Cartel Coffee Lab for its brews, so CenPho folks can enjoy Cartel’s heady roast blends without having…

Hot Links: Solar Cameras, 306 DUI Arrests, and Bones on Base

Scottsdale-based company Redflex Traffic Solutions Inc. is developing a solar-powered photo enforcement camera. The company has an agreement with Tempe-based Arizona Solar Concepts to design the cameras, but both companies refuse to elaborate until the project is further along. A Redflex spokesperson says the cameras are “not roadworthy” yet…A Mesa…

Hot Links: Horne’s Tickets, Frommer’s Snub, and DNA Samples

State school superintendent Tom Horne has received half a dozen speeding tickets in the past 18 months, including one for speeding in a school zone. Horne says he’s paid all the tickets he’s aware of, and said he is interested in running for attorney general next year…Chandler has barred the…

Hot Links: Jaywalking, Scams, and a Convicted Ex-Minister

Silent Witness is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the death of an Anthem resident. Richard Smith, 59, was killed in his home in early August, in what police believe began as a home invasion…As school reconvenes, Gilbert police are warning students…

Hot Links: Shootings, Ransom Raids, and Tasers in the U.K.

The mother of the two children who were kidnapped yesterday morning has been arrested. Marisa Sandoval, 20, was taken into custody after officers served a search warrant at her home and found methamphetamine. The children, who had been returned to Sandoval yesterday, are now with CPS…Salt River Project has applied…

Hot Links: Kidnappings, Plane Crashes, and 15 Pounds of Meth

Two children have been safely returned to their mother after an early morning kidnapping near 27th avenue and Indian School Road. According to police, a group of men stormed the victims’ house, yelling that they were police, and forcibly took the children, ages two and eleven months. Police are searching…

Caffiend: Coffee Rush’s Cherry Mocha

Coffee Rush’s plain house blend is good, but its menu brims with such decadent flavors that anyone with a sweet tooth would be hard-pressed to just “plain Jane” it here — caramel macchiatos, coconut mochas, tiramisu mochas, and caramel nut lattes beckon the caffeine consumer beyond just black coffee. It’s…

Hot Links: Obama’s AZ Visit, the Taylor Fire, and a Dozen Babies

Six pilots violated air space restrictions during President Obama’s visit to Arizona on Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA restricted air space within a 30-mile radius of Sky Harbor, allowing only scheduled airline flights and emergency aircraft. The pilots who violated the restrictions could be penalized with…

Hot Links: Cardinals, the Blue Basket Bandit, and Alcor

In a football preseason opener, the Arizona Cardinals lost 10-20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Steeler turf last night. The Cardinals’ only touchdown in the game was fourth-string quarterback Tyler Palko’s 20-yard pass to Onrea Jones…A hiker has died in the Grand Canyon after running out of water. The hiker,…