Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas to Board of Supervisors: Check. Your move. Scottsdale cops arrest a guy for allegedly stalking waste-case celebrity Lindsay Lohan. Condos are put on hold in downtown Phoenix CityScape project, taking the “live” out of “live, work and play.” West side boosters are nervous after Westgate…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office blew off New Times when we first requested the videos and other documents associated with the death of jail inmate Juan Mendoza Farias. So, New Times sued under Arizona’s public records law. The officials stalled, apparently because they felt the material might be too harmful too release…
The City of Tempe’s throwing a wake tonight for the loss of the East Valley Tribune’s Tempe and Scottsdale coverage. In a free event cooked up by Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, the city will “say goodbye to 121 years of continuous newspaper coverage” by the local paper in a celebration…
In looking at Sonoran Alliance blog post about Andrew Thomas running for state attorney general, we couldn’t help but notice another post by our mostly anonymous friends — this one about New Times. It seems that “Pat,” whoever that is, believes that New Times contradicts itself about indicted County Supervisor Don…
Our anonymous buddies at the Republican news release headquarters, a.k.a. Sonoran Alliance blog, are reporting that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will run for state attorney general in 2010. UPDATE: Jason Rose, spokesman and campaign consultant for Thomas, pretty much confirmed the Sonoran Alliance report, which Rose says was probably…
On her way out, Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano peeves Republicans with a gift to state employees: “Meet-and-confer” status for their unions, which requires managers and administrators to bargain with union bosses. Weirdo Life Teen Founder Dale Fushek is excommunicated by the church that made him monsignor. A bad economy, or…
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge today rejected a bid by County Attorney Andrew Thomas to change a judge in the politically loaded criminal case of County Supervisor Don Stapley. Thomas (pictured) feels retired Judge Kenneth Fields, assigned to the Stapley case, is biased against Thomas. New Times has also learned that one…
Kids, this is why paying attention to the small details is important. The one school redistricting scheme on the ballot that seemed to have passed in last month’s election has been shot down because the state’s redistricting law uses the phrase “qualified electors” where it should say “voters.” Martin Schultz (pictured), chair…
BlackBerry phones caused John McCain a bit of embarrassment several months ago after one of John McCain’s campaign staffers said incorrectly that the Arizona Senator “helped create” them. Now it seems his former campaign workers can’t even figure out how to erase private data on the devices before putting them up for sale. A BlackBerry purchased…
Restoring Phoenix’s Papago Golf Course was $6 million well spent, says a Houston-based writer at a national golf Web site. Mike Bailey of travelgolf.com raves about the new look of the course — which re-opened on December 6 — in an article today, saying it “takes you back to the good old…
Correcting injustice: The city of Phoenix becomes the second Arizona city to create a domestic partner registry, making it easier for gay partners to visit each other in the hospital. Cops identify the suspects in a bar shooting near the University of Phoenix stadium. Is it possible to watch the video…
The Wednesday work stoppage planned by gay rights advocates to protest the ban on same-sex marriage in California (and Arizona, we presume) went unnoticed by some of the Valley’s largest employers. Nationally — even in San Francisco’s famously gay Castro District — few called in sick to work, according to an…
Wherever Carole Pellatt goes, she sees “chemtrails” in the sky. The talented local guitarist and rock school director is borderline-obsessed with the debunked conspiracy theory, creating Web page after Web page of pictures showing the criss-cross pattern of jet contrails against a blue sky — haze she claims may be slowly poisoning people…
In a few months there’ll be gum on the slightly dingy seats, graffitti on the windows, and sticky, unidentifiable stuff on the floors. But tomorrow, you and a few hundred other enthusiastic rail riders can breathe in that new-train smell as some of the very first passengers on the Phoenix light…
Okay, it’s not the problems of the world are going to get solved if more convicted felons get out and vote. There are other reasons why Arizona should consider changing the way it disenfranchises ex-cons from the electoral process, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union of…
In 2001, cute, smart Paradise Valley High School student Alissa Turney goes missing. Police suspect foul play. This week, her stepfather — a Vietnam veteran and former sheriff’s deputy — is nabbed in a house full of more bombs than police have ever seen before. What’s truly stunning in this case is the size…
Whatever happened out there in the desert, the case is closed for a Border Patrol agent accused of shooting an illegal immigrant in cold blood. The agent, who says he was attacked with a rock, won’t face another trial for the alleged crime. John McCain’s political future may be in…
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard will reveal details tomorrow of the break-up of a large smuggling syndicate thanks to the work of several law enforcement agencies (but not the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office). While Sheriff Joe Arpaio was rousting corn vendors and trying to one-up Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, Phoenix police,…
Dave Hendershott, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s right-hand man, may have improperly tried to influence county Superior Court staff in the case against Supervisor Don Stapley, a letter sent to Hendershott today from the court’s attorney states. The accusation comes as part of an ongoing squabble over a request for the e-mails of of…
With a face full of tattoos like these, you’re looking for trouble no matter where you go. Which made us wonder when we saw this picture of suspected white supremacist stabber Chad Kerns that Phoenix police e-mailed yesterday to the news media: Where does this guy hang out? Okay, maybe he could go to…
Murdering little kids is one crime that everyone likes to get tough on. That’s why it’s so satisfying to see the tough sentence in the case of Christopher Langin, (the loser pictured at left), who beat to death a three-year-old girl with disabilities. With natural life plus 27 years, he’ll never see…
Just got off the phone with Scottsdale Presiding Judge B. Monte Morgan about the wording of his court’s photo-enforcement tickets, which we took issue with yesterday in this blog. As we discussed previously, we think the wording on the summons makes it seem like ignoring the ticket will definitely result…
