Semper fake! A Scottsdale man is in big trouble for playing dress-up. Authorities say John William Rodriquez, 31, (pictured) presented himself at several local functions as a highly decorated U.S. Marine. A list of possible charges (see below) indicates Rodriquez may have been trying to earn money with the ruse,…
Chance may crown her. Thanks to missteps by Carrie Prejean that led to her firing by Donald Trump, Miss Arizona 2009, Alicia-Monique Blanco, could become Miss USA by default — as we suspected. It’s a longshot that depends on what happens to the current Miss USA, Kristen Dalton, say Miss Universe…
A couple of weeks ago, we asked Jay Heiler, spokesman for the Scottsdale office of the Australian speed-camera firm, Redflex, about the situation of out-of-state violators being visited by process servers. Heiler (at left) told us that Redflex wanted to be “transparent” about the issue and would get back to us. We…
Antonio Reid Cops want the public’s help to find two people suspected of involvement in a March murder. About 4 a.m. on March 14, Christopher Smith, 20, had been hanging with other partiers in front of a house near Indian School Road and 7th Avenue…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Councilman Claude Mattox and officials with the Sister City program will kick off a fundraising effort this morning to benefit families of children burned in a Mexico day-care facility fire. At least 44 children were killed in the blaze. About 142 kids aged 6 months to…
How’s this for romantic: A University of Arizona professor found a new species of moth — one with beautiful pink wings — and named it after his wife, who likes the color pink. Tests proved the critter was a previously unknown species…
We heard back from Rick Simonetta, CEO for Metro Light Rail, this week in response to our questions about the six-month-old system’s ticket-inspection processes. Or rather, the near-absence of any such processes. As we reported, Metro says that going by data from its random ticket inspectors, the light-rail system has…
Donald Trump stripped Miss California, Carrie Prejean, of her crown today — and also of her status as 1st Runner-Up for the 2009 Miss USA Pageant. The organization has already decided that Tammi Farrell, 1st Runner-Up for the Miss California pageant, will become Miss California. But what about the position…
Blogger and former Republican lawmaker Greg Patterson opened a tasty can of worms recently, pointing out that Attorney General Terry Goddard has apparently run afoul of the state’s “resign-to-run” law. Goddard, a Democrat, recently told a crowd during a speech that “I intend to run for governor.” Other media outlets have begun running…
Mesa Mayor Scott Smith owes $16,224 in a federal taxes, according to a lien filed with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office. We asked Mesa spokesman Steve Wright about this — here’s his reply: That issue was resolved. The IRS has been petitioned to withdraw the lien…
A California woman who is five months pregnant will serve one year in a federal prison for buying 17 guns from a Valley store and selling them to a drug dealer. Federal prosecutors say 23-year-old Clementia Robles Maldonado of San Fernando, California, knew darn well the guy was a drug…
Yer trespassin’: Arizona lawmakers move to make it illegal to be in Arizona without proper federal documents… That bug by your lantern might be one of the new, cool-pink moths discovered in southern Arizona… It was supposed to be a one-week custodial visit, but a Chandler man packed up and…
A Valley pastor who was left bloody after an encounter with authorities at an Interstate 8 Border Patrol checkpoint suffered through 20 seconds of tasering, the man’s wife says. Zsuzsanna Anderson tells Valley Fever the couple recently received the Taser report from the state Department of Public Safety and intends to post…
Image: www.youtube.com Right-wing talk-show host Bruce Jacobs is no longer with KFYI (550 AM) radio, effective today. KFYI program director Smokey Rivers tells Valley Fever that Jacobs and the station decided “mutually to end our agreement.” The decision had nothing to do with the criticism of Jacobs last year by…
The stars of the popular reality show “Jon and Kate Plus Eight” are getting a public divorce amid accusations that they use their kids for profit. It sounds like an ugly mess, but wouldn’t you know it — an Arizona couple hopes to follow in Jon and Kate’s footsteps (without the divorce — unless it…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas just announced grand jury indictments against Johnathan Hock, a Phoenix man accused of raping a woman live on the Internet. Hock, 20, has been indicted on two counts of sexual assault and one count of voyeurism. Police believe he raped the unconscious woman on February 26…
Arizona Republic readers don’t usually get to see this side of investigative reporter Robert Anglen’s writing talent: She straddled his lap, backlit by purple neon, grinding as the Red Hot Chili Peppers caterwauled about Californication. Her face was so close he could taste butterscotch from the candies she chain-popped between the sets…
Thanks to one of our on-the-ball online commenters, we can tell you that David Elms, founder of a popular Web site for finding quality hookers, has been sentenced by a California judge to four years in prison. California authorities say Elms, 38, may do the time in Arizona, where prosecutors are trying…
Fewer people are flying the friendly skies over Phoenix…The remains of a Chandler architect who disappeared on an ATV ride near Flagstaff in January were found, but what killed him is still unknown…A Chandler man is arrested after his girlfriend’s 2-year-old is brutally beaten, suffering severe skull fractures…It takes money…
Mesa cardiologist Richard Lewis was booked into jail recently on suspicion of fondling the breasts of two female patients. Lewis, 53, is alleged to have fondled one woman in late 2008 during a pre-surgery exam. Cops say last Thursday he fondled a woman’s breasts who was just waking up from a surgery he had…
A former National Park Services employee has been charged by the federal government with leaving a fire unattended that grew out of control and spurred the evacuation of Crown King, a small, mountain town northwest of Phoenix. The “Lane 2” fire burned nearly 10,000 acres before it was brought under…
Though going green may not be a priority for many below the poverty line, a $23-million federal program seeks to help them fix energy-wasting inefficiencies in their homes. The amount each household can receive has been pushed up from $2,500 to $6,500. That seems like more than enough to buy…
