Janet, we thought we knew ya!At least, we’ve certainly seen better pictures of the former Arizona governor than this goofy mug shot placed recently on the Homeland Security Web site about her, the department’s new boss.It almost appears that once she landed in Washington D.C., she must have been replaced…
Former Governor Janet Napolitano fled the state the second she got a better offer, leaving it in the hands of the Republicans she typically opposed. Now the legislature is offering her a symbolic middle finger, not only slashing some of her pet programs, but also reportedly “poised” to slam back into…
State lawmakers chop out programs and services from Arizona’s budget, refusing to raise taxes or take on more debt to pay for them. If you’ve had your coffee yet, you can skim through the proposed state budget. The gang’s all here: The Justice Department estimates gang membership has risen to…
The catering service for the FBR Open had repeated health code violations during the most recent inspection of its kitchen back in November, as well as some earlier inspections, records show. Violations reported by Maricopa County health inspectors included mold in ice machines and raw chicken stored on a shelf…
news release just put out by Tempe police. The suspect, 21-year-old Christopher Fernandez of Gilbert, (right) was arrested on January 14 during a traffic stop. He reportedly had a gram of heroin on him at the time, and four more grams back his crib, which was also searched by police. The…
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard says the state’s proposed budget will force him to lay off half of his criminal division staff and “endangers the future of every Arizonan.” These strong words come from a news release just put out by Goddard in response to the proposed budget hammered out…
Contrary to a Tuesday report in the Sonoran Alliance blog, a spokesman with the state Department of Economic Security tells New Times that the agency has never prohibited Bible study in its cafeteria. The conservative blog site called on the Alliance Defense Fund and Governor Jan Brewer to look into the…
With one hand ready to catch a predicted windfall of federal cash and the other wielding a budgetary chain saw, Governor Jan Brewer prepares to stamp her approval on a new budget that wipes out the state’s $1.6 billion deficit. The search is basically over for a Chandler Planning and Zoning…
When a corporation or government office truly cares about the people who call, it will put a nice, little feature on its automated telephone menus in which — if you really gotta talk to a live human being — you can press zero to get a front-desk receptionist.If said offices…
[jump] “It’s an outrage!” proclaimed die-hard Denverite Patricia Calhoun, Westword editor, upon hearing of the invasion of cutouts. This sort of tourism rivalry is just plain fun. Of course, we won’t be laughing by June…
Members of a trust fund set up to help pay legal expenses of embattled County Supervisor Don Stapley are being systematically harassed by deputies. Mark Flatten, (one of the few remaining reporters at the gutted East Valley Tribune), broke the latest chapter in the Stapley saga this morning. It’s interesting stuff,…
Jeanine L’Ecuyer, former Governor Janet Napolitano’s spokeswoman, has been hired at at a local lobbying and public affairs firm that represents mining interests, Magellan Health Services and Arizona State University. We figured L’Ecuyer would end up with some cushy Washington D.C. with Napolitano, like corrections department director Dora Schriro got. But with…
A female PETA volunteer will strip to almost nothing but body paint and lie on a pretend barbecue grill on Thursday for a protest at the cattle industry’s Phoenix convention. PETA seems to enjoy using human flesh to make their point — the group just received a bunch of publicity…
A West Valley Justice of the Peace says he issued a court order declaring photo enforcement invalid because the fines are much lower than a regular speeding ticket. It’s doubtful he’d love the system much more if the fines were raised, though. The government’s findings on last year’s news chopper…
Two whistle-blowing Tucson sector Border Patrol agents got their jobs back last week thanks to efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union.After Juan Curbelo and William Leafstone revealed the practice of “shotgunning” in the Border Patrol, in which vehicles were pulled over despite the lack of any legitimate reason to…
This tire shop at 10th Street and Broadway Road still appeared to be open for business when we drove by a couple of weeks ago, despite the heavy criminal charges police say are still pending against the owner, Manuel Torres. We wrote previously about meeting several employees at the shop…
Things have been a little out of whack at Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s public information office since just after the election, when Paul Chagolla was moved out. Still, we were amused by the anonymous “letter to the editor” posted on Saturday in the news release section of the sheriff’s…
The wicked flash of a photo enforcement unit sears to the bone, sending out a beam of emotion — indignation, denial, anger, guilt — as it lights up the picture they’ll use to prosecute you.Then, when the ticket comes, it’s like junk mail that bites.Nobody likes getting a photo enforcement…
Obama goes on Arabic TV with a message to Muslims, calling Al-Qaeda’s ideas “bankrupt,” and later sending his special envoy, George Mitchell, to the Middle East for a “listening tour.” Eternal peace can’t be far behind. Jan Brewer’s new budget director — she’s more than just a pair of scissors…
[jump] Anytime an officer is suspicious someone is carrying drugs or other illegal contraband, the person can be searched for “weapons.” The officer has nothing to lose, now that the Supreme Court has spoken: If the search produces no weapons, there’s no legal foul ball. But if it produces drugs, the cop is…
Have you ever been treated at the “We Care Clinic” in Phoenix, at 3620 West Bethany Home Road? If so, you may want to get a second opinion on, well — everything. The place had a real-life quack on staff, Olena Kulakova (right), who pretended to be a physician at the clinic…
Irony of the Day: A Tucson police lieutenant stole $560,000 in money seized from criminals under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act over the course of four years, gambling most of it away. Richard Garcia, 47, admitted to the crime in federal court today, pleading guilty to “theft from an organization receiving…
