The former Scottsdale beauty salon owner convicted in 2002 of killing and dismembering her husband is awaiting deportation to France following her release last month from prison. Valerie Pape, 63, became a celebrity murderer after her arrest in 2000 for the gory slaying of her husband, Ira Pomerantz. The case…
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake released a video today of his vehicle convoy in Africa that was charged by elephants. Flake and a delegation of Congressmen were on a mission to several African countries last week to learn more about the devastating effects of wildlife poaching. He and U.S. Representative Chris…
Does a marijuana-legalization initiative expected to be on the ballot this November allow cities and towns to ban adults from growing their own marijuana? Under the initiative, adults 21 and older could grow up to six plants, with a 12-plant-per-household maximum. Ryan Hurley, a lawyer for the Campaign to Regulate…
A Canadian man who tried to sell high-quality dinosaur fossils smuggled out of China to undercover agents at a Tucson gem show last year is getting booted out of the country and fined $25,000. Jun Yang of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, was caught hawking a rare, scientifically valuable fossil of…
Six people are dead following a horrific scene in Phoenix early this morning in which police drew gunfire as they tried to rescue people inside a burning home. “You know, I heard things this morning and saw things as I’m down here that I haven’t seen in 30 years. I’ve…
Karen Williams, former superintendent of Phoenix’s Alhambra Elementary School District, claims in a lawsuit filed this week that the district’s governing board fired her because she’s not a Latina. Williams, who’s African-American, served in the position from July 2010 until March 2015, when the district’s five-member governing board voted 3-2…
Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, the lesser-known marijuana-legalization campaign staffed mainly by volunteers, has reportedly gathered nearly 100,000 signatures. While it’s still a long shot, the effort’s leader, Jason Medar, is rousing his troops for a big push over the next five months to double that number. And he’s still vowing…
Feel left out of the Arizona medical-marijuana business? The Arizona Department of Health Services just announced that it will begin taking applications for new dispensaries this summer. This is the first time the state will be reviewing new applications for dispensary operating certificates since a lottery was held in 2012…
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye approved a power-line hookup for the father of an alleged mistress in January, sparking outrage among political observers and the 32 nearby households that remain in the dark. The issue blew up up in social media last week after Begaye failed to show up at…
Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk was the only one of four panelists at a Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce marijuana event who wouldn’t say if she’s ever used cannabis. The morning panel discussion, “Breakfast with a side of … Marijuana?” was hosted by the chamber for a group of about 75 of its…
An Arizona lawmaker’s proposal to stop dispensaries from moving out of their state-designated areas highlights the need for updated medical-marijuana program rules. The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act that voters approved in 2010 requires the state to adopt rules that govern what was then a fledgling program. Besides a few court-ordered…
Vanessa Hudgens, star of the 2006 hit movie, “High School Musical,” is under investigation with boyfriend Austin Butler for allegedly defacing a rock with their names in Sedona. Hudgens’ Instagram page documents some of her recent trip to Arizona’s Red Rock country, but the Valentine’s post featuring her and Butler’s…
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce is offering an anti-cannabis workshop next month with prohibitionist county attorneys Bill Montgomery and Sheila Polk to help “sound the alarm” on a proposed legalization initiative. The Chamber will offer the March 2, invite-only workshop to corporate legal advisers, human-resources professionals, risk managers, and compliance…
A girl suspected of killing her friend and then killing herself at Glendale’s Independence High School on Friday borrowed the murder weapon from a classmate, who took it from his home, police said this afternoon. Glendale cops released scant new details about the tragedy today, continuing to refuse to name…
Arizona lawmakers have backed off a controversial plan to prohibit pregnant women from consuming medical marijuana — instead they want dispensaries to warn them of alleged pot risks. The original proposal, House Bill 2061, was replaced this week with a strike-all amendment that forms the basis for a new bill…
Many questions remain in last week’s tragic murder-suicide at Glendale’s Independence High School that left two 15-year-old girls dead, including who pulled the trigger. The bodies of Dorothy Dutiel and May Kieu were found near an administration building on Friday morning, prompting a security lockdown and early release. Glendale police…
Tom Horne, John Huppenthal and two other Republican former Arizona Superintendents of Public Instruction came out strongly against marijuana legalization in a Sunday column that fails the take full account of the issues. Horne, Huppenthal, Jaime Molera and Lisa Graham Keegan claim in the op-ed published in the Arizona Republic that…
Two teenage girls were found shot to death at Glendale’s Independence High School today in what police called an “isolated” incident. Police said the shooting occurred about 9 a.m. and released few details, saying only that the bodies of the two 15-year-old girls were found near an administration building and…
Video evidence of former Arizona Lottery Director Tony Bouie’s misuse of a state vehicle was released by the state, along with records that detail the extravagant renovation he had done on his office area. Bouie, a businessman and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers professional football player, was appointed to his post…
An Ohio man who claims he was stealing to feed his family is accused of holding up 36 Phoenix-area convenience stores and gas stations in the past seven weeks. From December 20 to February 9, federal court records show, Anthony Wayne Hamilton, who’s 25 or 26, threatened victims repeatedly in…
If Arizona voters approve adult-use marijuana legalization this year, it won’t hurt tourism, using Colorado’s experience as an example. Tourism could even improve because of legalization, especially while cannabis freedom still is a novelty in most of the country. Yet the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, (AzLTA), an influential group…
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has confirmed that former state Lottery Director Tony Bouie is under investigation, but Mark Brnovich people won’t give out won’t divulge details. Meanwhile, New Times has uncovered more information about Bouie’s use of a state vehicle — which seems to prove that Bouie misrepresented the…
