A California woman sued Pepsi after finding out that Crunchberries contained no real fruit, but a judge ruled any reasonable person could have figured that out. The case of Janine Sugawawa does provide a modicum of hope that the justice system isn’t running on four flats — this one was nipped…
The first month of amnesty for businesses with delinquent tax bills netted the city of Phoenix $1 million. Sort of. The 190 businesses that took advantage of the program through May 15 promised to send their share of sales to Phoenix over the next six months. We’ll see how much…
There’s nothing like a good box-of-feces story to brighten your day. Metro light-rail spokeswoman Hillary Foose confirmed media reports that a man took a box of poop on a train this morning and threw it on the floor. Unhappy passengers disembarked at the 36th Street and Washington station, and…
The wrestling match between Governor Jan Brewer, her veteran political consultant, and other Republicans is breaking out of the cage. A conservative blog site, Gila Courier, points out that High Ground, the lobby group run by Brewer’s consultant, Chuck Coughlin, has several Republican legislators as clients. Point being that these…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s refusal to turn over public records as required by the law has once again cost taxpayers. The Arizona Supreme Court announced today it would not consider a 2007 case between the Tucson Citizen and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. That means an appeals court ruling from December, which requires the…
Governor Jan Brewer released her budget proposal today for fiscal year 2010 — as expected, she formalizes her opinion that a tax increase is needed. “Unfortunately, after considering every option, and after performing a painstaking assessment of our real economic situation, a temporary tax increase is necessary to bridge the…
In a memo to the Flagstaff City Council, City Manager Kevin Burke says he’s decided against offering free office space at the police building to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office:…
The typical roster of proposed laws has been postponed this year as lawmakers try to finalize a budget, but plenty of interesting bills are hiding in the wings. A long list of bills targeting illegal immigrants, for example, is being pushed by Mesa’s conservative State Senator Russell Pearce (pictured). In a…
In one new branch of yoga, the downward dog position requires a real dog. Amy Stevens, a Barbie-faced young entrepreneur from Mesa, is pushing the latest in ultra-trendy exercise options in a newly released DVD. Stevens, 24, isn’t the first to push “doga,” but claims she’s made the activity’s first and only…
The latest is, there’s a deal to put the name of the Tempe-based company on the jerseys of Phoenix Mercury players, which could open the door for similar sponsorship deals in professional sports, the Arizona Republic reports this morning. …
Police are accusing a Phoenix woman, her two young sons, and their friends of a series of local robberies, comparing the woman to the infamous Midwestern criminal of the 1930s, “Ma” Barker. Actually, this crime makes Ma Barker look like Mother Theresa. “It’s absolutely scary — and it’s disgusting,” says Detective…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office denies that a Muslim detention officer was discriminated against because of his beard, citing Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that require a clean shave with face masks. The office’s response runs counter to what is claimed in the lawsuit filed today by Bosnian immigrant Sinan Fazlovic…
Downtown Tempe will no longer be the feeding ground of disreputable towing companies, thanks to changes by the city council. Visitors to the urban hotspot around Mill Avenue fell victim for years to highly aggressive towing companies that hooked vehicles up within minutes of an errant parking job. Hapless drivers were shaken…
Sinan Fazlovic, a Bosnian Muslim who moved to the United States in 1999, thought he had an understanding about his long beard when he was hired in 2005 as a jail guard for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the job, he says in a lawsuit…
New Times’ Valley Fever blog strives to give readers the best possible information about how the photo enforcement system works, from the first strobe of the flash to last minute of your Traffic Survival School (which, if you’re willing to exercise your rights and get lucky, you won’t have to…
Lego’s latest in its “Architecture” line: Two famous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings. The Danish toymaker teamed up with the Frank Lloyd Foundation in Scottsdale to produce Lego versions of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and the Falling Water home…
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Fields ruled today that the criminal case against County Supervisor Don Stapley won’t get sent back to a grand jury for reconsideration. Stapley’s lawyers still have a chance on Tuesday to convince Fields that he should dismiss 114 felony counts of failing to disclose…
Arizona Treasurer Dean Martin says he considers it a “miracle” he was able to hold and get to know his newborn son for three days before the boy died. Martin’s wife, Kerry, died on Monday a few hours after giving birth. In his statement today, Martin thanks the staff at…
The Maricopa County Anti-Corruption Effort, a.k.a. MACE, finally bagged an actual criminal. Make that a family of criminals. MACE, created by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas, seems generally designed to bludgeon political opponents. But this is one case in which smoke really did become fire. It involves a dirty…
Maricopa County Animal Care and Control wants you to a adopt a “desperate housecat.” Or maybe even two.Last year, the number of stray cats taken in by the county tripled once summer began. They literally took in thousands of cats for which they didn’t have room — and you know…
The Arizona Guardian news site hung out a cyber-shingle for a new, online store chock full of paraphernalia sporting the start-up’s name.Perhaps a bit cheesy, but we wouldn’t overly fault the Guardian, a site started by laid-off journalists from the East Valley Tribune, for trying to scrape up a few…
