All those long hours on the Nintendo DS will pay off for the “trainer” who wins the regional Pokemon video game competition this Saturday in Phoenix. We confess we’ve never played the Pokemon game, though we’re not too bad at Call of Duty 4. Like the television cartoon, Pokemon seems to be all about…
This anti-meth artwork of three Valley kids will be incorporated into a widely distributed poster following a contest by the state Attorney General’s Office: First Place: Alison Calabrese, Wigwam Creek Middle School, Litchfield Park (above)…
The story: Arizona Republic reporter Eugene Scott is arrested in August for leaving his puppy in a hot car. The dog wasn’t hurt, but Scott was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. The follow-up: Scott was placed in a Chandler court diversion program, which usually involves taking some kind of civic-lesson…
This is what you’ve been waiting for, drinkers: By July 1, light-rail train service will be extended past 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. This means you’ll be able to get wicked-drunk at local bars — without the danger of potentially killing someone with your car. We can only assume…
The ol’ SUV was in the shop yesterday in Mesa, giving us a chance to use light rail for more than just an experimental commute or novelty ride. In fact, we put the Valley’s urban transportation to the test with a mix of trains, Valley Metro’s DASH bus and a taxi…
Will this victim who died of heat exposure … Marcia Powell…
You can help guide the Valley’s transportation future at a public forum on Wednesday to discuss how the light-rail system will connect and run alongside Interstate 10 West. The sequel to the successful launch of the 20-mile starter line is still in the planning phase, but Metro expects light rail…
A judge is set to decide on Monday whether a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Joel Fox deserves to pay $315,000 in penalties for making an improper campaign donation. The upcoming ruling by Judge Thomas Shedden of the state Office of Administrative Hearings is expected to bring some finality to…
A few New Times employees were among the thousands of commuters stuck in an epic traffic jam this morning on Interstate 10, and so we pass along these cell-phone photos as a way to commiserate. The wreck was caused by a burglary suspect fleeing Tempe police who drove the wrong…
NASA can always depend on the Phoenix area for UFO reports. Our clear skies and large population apparently make the Valley number one when it comes to hysterical cries of alien invasion every time a research balloon goes up. Following yesterday’s media reports about the earthly origins of a spherical,…
Former lawmaker Greg Patterson thinks longtime editorial writer Doug MacEachern writes like a “coasting tweener.” MacEachern thinks Patterson is a “venal, simpering whiner with a Viagra-induced thing for the news business.” Isn’t that cute?…
In a move that might cause a few sour notes, the Phoenix Symphony convinced its musicians to agree to a 17 percent pay cut over the next three years.The “landmark” deal between the Phoenix Symphony Association and Phoenix Symphony Musicians had to be done: The symphony says its contributions are…
Wal-Mart has agreed to pay Arizona $1 million to settle a 2006 consumer fraud lawsuit filed by Attorney General Terry Goddard.The retail giant has already shelled out $450,000 to the state for screwing over consumers with its inaccurate pricing. In a history laid out by Goddard’s office, from 2001 to…
Three Arizona Department of Corrections detention officers have been indicted on fraud charges following a long investigation that showed they had cheated on pay sheets, says the Maricopa County Attorney’s office.Evan Vincelli, 28, Sonja Schroeder, 26, and Joseph Constantino, 38, stand accused of stealing a total of $56,000 in 2006…
A “mysterious” object that spurred articles in the Arizona Republic and elsewhere turned out to be a giant research balloon — which was exactly what it looked like in pictures. UFOs spin almost as much fun as Bigfoot in the media, and Arizona has been hyper-fertile ground for sightings since…
Lowell Elementary School in Phoenix has been close by health officials until May 26 because of an outbreak of “influenza like illness.”Swine flu could be the cause, but no tests are planned. The virus, officials have decided, has a weak punch. Still, “as a precaution,” Lowell is being closed until…
Tucson land-planning veteran Judith Patrick has been appointed by Governor Jan Brewer as chair of the State Compensation Fund’s board of directors, the first woman to hold the position.Patrick is a principal in R.G. Patrick Land Planning in Tucson, and has served on the SCF board since 1992. In a…
A junket to Saudi Arabia for 10 U.S. mayors wasn’t just a chance to network for the business community — Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon says it was about building a safer world.One of the most important things Gordon contends he accomplished on his six-day trip, paid for by the Saudi royal…
After a 90-minute hearing in federal court, Judge Raner Collins said he will decide Tuesday whether to order the corporate owners of the Tucson Citizen to keep publishing the 138-year-old newspaper.State Attorney General Terry Goddard, who accuses Gannett and Lee Enterprises of trying to monopolize the Tucson daily newspaper market,…
Mary Peters, the Harley-riding transportation guru who left her longtime job as director of the Arizona Department of Transportation to become Transportation Secretary under President George W. Bush, has joined the Goldwater Institute as a “senior fellow.”Peters was considered a potential candidate for governor in 2010 until Governor Jan Brewer…
A would-be child rapist, caught with the help of an alleged pimp, was convicted of attempted child prostitution last week. We expect the judge to throw away the key when Dell Rainbow Vanderschuit is sentenced on June 16. As we reported in March, Vanderschuit has already served four years in…
One of the most wonderful attributes of a new line of toys released in Phoenix this weekend, Go Go Pets Hamsters, is that the rodent lookalikes don’t “poop, die or stink.” That’s according to the Scottdale-based PR firm, Martz Agency, which tells us the toys “invaded Phoenix” over the weekend,…
