Phoenix Cop Wins Spot on Celebrity Golf Foursome Before the U.S. Open

  Larry Giebelhausen (right) should go into politics. The Phoenix police lieutenant lobbied his friends, fellow church members, and about anyone would listen to vote for him online in a contest hosted by Golf Digest magazine and the U.S. Open. He even got the Arizona Republic to publish an article…

Arizona Republic Unveils Year-Long Investigation of Corrupt Charities

We’d been wondering why Robert Anglen’s byline has been scarce. Turns out the award-winning Arizona Republic reporter has been toiling away — with editor David Fritze and “data reporter” Ryan Konig — on a one-year investigation of corrupt charities and how they hide money for the nefarious purposes of their…

Speed Camera Killing and Debate in NY Times Blog

Worth a quick mention this morning is the post by New York Times writer Jerry Garrett in the Wheels blog about the Valley murder of a speed camera operator. It seems the murder of Douglas Georgianni can hardly avoid being deemed political: While the police have not offered a motive…

New State Parks Director Defaced Historic Adobe Wall in ’99

Renee Bahl, the new executive director of the Arizona State Parks Board, carved her name 10 years ago in a historic adobe wall at the San Rafael Ranch in Santa Cruz County. And that doesn’t sit well with one state legislator who says the act should have kept her from being selected by…

Sacaton Woman Sentenced for Killing Live-in Girlfriend’s 3-Year-Old Son

  It’s unusual when a woman murders a little kid, but not unheard of. California has Melissa Huckaby, accused of raping and murdering an 8-year-old girl. And Arizona has Mercedes Howard, 29, who sentenced on Wednesday to 17.5 years in prison for abusing and killing her live-in girlfriend’s 3-year-old son. An investigation showed that Howard,…

Mortgage Fraud Investigators Nab College Teacher/State Worker

An employee with the state Department of Environmental Quality who also teaches for the University of Phoenix has been been indicted for mortgage fraud.Kailash Bhatt tried to sell the granite countertops and appliances of a foreclosed home in direct violation of the mortgage contract, says Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas…

EPA Giving $82 Million in Stimulus Cash to Arizona for Water Projects

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is directing $82 million in Recovery Act Funds to Arizona water projects. The money will “create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water and wastewater infrastructure and protect human health and the environment,” says the EPA. The money will come mostly in two big chunks: $55.3…

Swine Flu Arizona: Two More Schools Closed; Four Cases Confirmed, None Serious

Image: Wikicommons Two more Valley schools will close for seven days after students were found to have swine flu, but health officials say all four known Arizona swine flu cases have been mild. (Note: This article was updated at 3:40 p.m.) The two schools are Tarwater Elementary and Hartford Sylvia Encinas Elementary schools, both…

Spy Cameras in Downtown Chandler Chase Off Employers of Day Laborers

  The robot-like device standing in a gravel lot at the corner of Arizona Avenue and Buffalo is more than just a couple of surveillance cameras. The spindly contraption is really an anti-Mexican Machine, designed to discourage day laborers from hanging out in downtown Chandler. Despite the cameras’ gaze, three Hispanic men stood…

Noon Hour Home Invaders in Mesa Tie Up Woman, Ransack Home

Lunchtime? In Mesa, it’s home invasion time. Just before 12:30 yesterday afternoon, two men kicked in the front door of a home near Country Club Drive and Brown, Mesa police say. Not even a knock, apparently. They tied up the woman who owned the place and “ransacked the house.” This line in…