A local Baptist pastor who was left bloodied and indignant Tuesday night after a stop at the Border Patrol’s checkpoint on eastbound Interstate 8 wonders in a recent video, “Why is this happening in the United States of America?” New Times readers who remember our February 2008 article on the infamous checkpoint…

  The Arizona Republic, desperate for something to squeeze between the ads as more reporters get laid off, started running a new, syndicated column today by greener-than-thou marketer Danny Seo. Seo’s like a cross between Heloise, Martha Stewart and Al Gore — he wants to save Earth by small acts…

You’ve been screwing Phoenix over for years, not paying the city its rightful tax revenues on your business profits sales. But you’ve been feeling guilty lately (and wondering if you’re going to get caught). Well, Phoenix’s budget woes are your dream come true. With at least $5 million — and…

Thirteen staffers at PBS Channel 8 (KAET-TV) were given pink slips yesterday in a cost-cutting move expected to affect local programming. According to this morning’s broadcast on National Public Radio’s local affiliate, KJZZ (91.5 FM), the employees include a local production manager and several workers for the public affairs show…

It’s good to have friends like the City of Peoria. The city developed a relationship with Long Beach, Mississippi, after the Gulf Coast town was ravaged in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, (the same storm that wiped out New Orleans). Peoria donated office equipment and vehicles to help the municipal government…

  The “scholarship program” at Arizona State University to be named after President Barack Obama really isn’t a “scholarship” at all. The nod to criticism of the school’s denial of an honorary degree for Obama turns out to be a financial aid program called “ASU Advantage” that pools local and federal grants,…

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is taking credit for a decrease in auto thefts in Phoenix and Tucson, saying a smorgasbord of enforcement efforts made the difference. Referring to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that show no Arizona city in the Top 10 auto theft hot spots…

It was a case of unimaginable brutality: A 12-year-old girl is scalded and beaten to death — by her own mother.As if that isn’t bad enough, the girl’s father came home to find his daughter dying on a bedroom floor, then had dinner, went to bed and left for work…

  The hits to local daily newspapers just keep on coming. The East Valley Tribune will drop its Saturday edition starting May 15, taking the paper down from four days a week to just three. On top of that, it’s laying off 13 more employees. As you may recall, last…

  Arizona State University “blew it” by not awarding President Obama an honorary degree, a university marketing official writes in a leaked e-mail. The political blogger for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson reports today that he received an e-mail, originally sent to someone out-of-state, from Terri Shafer, ASU’s vice-president of marketing and strategic…

Governor Jan Brewer announced in a news release yesterday that she had appointed a new State Forester, but that was actually month-old news. As Valley Fever reported, State Forester Vicki Christiansen had already been on the job for a few weeks, even testifying before Congress in her new capacity. We…

Animal rights activists plan to march at a Chandler medical-testing lab plan on Sunday behind a procession of beagles. A group organized by Citizens Against Covance will walk about a half-mile on Gilbert Road just north of Germann Road to a spot near the Covance facility. As a statement against the company,…

A new report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warns of a “resurgence” in violent right-wing extremism, driven by economic and political factors such the election of President Obama. The hardscrabble economy, the return from war zones of “disgruntled” veterans, illegal immigration and the possibility of gun control all…

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas today suggested three lawyers as possible mediators in his legal dispute with the county Board of Supervisors:Timothy Casey, of Schmitt Schneck Smyth & HerrodLee Miller, of Miller La Sota & PetersChristopher Skelly, of Scott & Skelly…

A county program that transports senior citizens to medical appointments will end July 1 as part of a fresh round of budget cuts.The Board of Supervisors announced today that belt-tightening and will occur in several departments, including transportation, environmental services and in the Supervisors’ own offices. Job vacancies will go…

Got the hots for hot-rods and low-riders? Then you may want to put the Peoria Fire Department’s “Fire It Up” car show on your list for next weekend. Vehicle enthusiast and firefighter Mark Barbee hosts the event this Sunday, April 19, at the Peoria Sports Complex (see press release below)…

Glendale tax preparer Huy Phuoc Nguyen will serve 21 months in a federal prison for filing fraudulent returns on behalf of his clients and trying to blame the crime on his ex-wife. Nguyen served members of the local Vietnamese community from 2001 to 2005 through his home business, Lucky Immigration…