A lawmaker’s attempt to destroy Arizona’s successful medical-marijuana program will be met with stiff resistance, including a planned protest on Wednesday at the State Capitol. A group of about 175 industry professionals, including owners of some of the state’s 87 dispensaries, met on Thursday night and agreed to encourage their…
More than 300 mountain bike riders are expected to converge in the North Valley on Saturday for the inaugural Prickly Pedal race, an event designed to highlight the new Maricopa Trail. Bicyclists will bounce mostly on single- and double-track dirt trails during the 45-mile race but also cross several roadways…
The dream was vivid, like several she’d experienced after she was forced to quit cannabis cold turkey by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office: Her sister bursts into her room holding a burning spliff and yelling urgently, “Here, hit this!” And she reaches out . . . But this was what…
Arizona Lottery Director Tony Bouie resigned two days after a New Times article covered accusations against him that were raised in a whistle-blower’s letter. The article about his illegal use of a state vehicle and other alleged improprieties apparently spurred Ducey to act. But as it turns out, the director’s…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office conducted an untimely and unfair probe of a fatal crash caused by Sean Pearce, a county hearing officer ruled, resulting in further leniency for the deputy. Pearce, son of recalled state Senator Russell Pearce, an Arpaio crony, avoided criminal charges in the 2013 crash with…
Qualified Arizonans legally bought and consumed more than 19 tons of medical-marijuana products in 2015, spending about $215 million. The Arizona Department of Health Services keeps a running total of dispensary sales and released its December report this week, allowing New Times to calculate last year’s totals. The DHS released…
Tony Bouie, the former NFL player appointed by Governor Doug Ducey to run the Arizona Lottery, is making numerous changes to his agency that he thinks will be beneficial. One of them is a new training program to make sure employees don’t violate the law on using state vehicles —…
Frank Antenori, a former Republican whip for the Arizona State Senate, has been charged with illegal hunting on Fort Huachuca property. The military base, home the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, encompasses about 76,000 acres of desert near Sierra Vista. Antenori was charged federally with the Arizona crime of taking wildlife…
Sean Pearce had his two-week suspension slashed to one week in a 2013 crash that killed a citizen while the Maricopa County deputy was speeding in an unmarked vehicle without lights or sirens. Pearce, son of recalled state Senator Russell Pearce, already has avoided criminal charges in the crash. He…
A Colorado resident was arrested on Saturday in the Petrified Forest National Park on suspicion of stealing 139 pounds of petrified wood. Authorities in the park were tipped off by a visitor who saw a man putting pieces of petrified wood in a blue pickup truck. Jeremy Wayne Bayes of…
Thousands of Arizonans who paid off their child-support debt continued to be marked as subject to property liens because of a state Department of Economic Security screw-up that officials say is almost fixed. Ticked-off customers — including some with lawyers — finally drove the agency to do something about the…
In Colorado, the past 16 weeks have seen 15 recalls of cannabis products because of pesticides, including the largest such recall last week. The state’s one of several that now mandate or encourage testing of recreational marijuana for contaminants. But in Arizona, the products of medical-marijuana sellers and cultivators never have…
Metro Phoenix tops the list for urban areas infested with creepy critters, a services-finding website says. Thumbtack.com is like an Angie’s List competitor and one of the top websites in the country, hooking up Internet users with services like music lessons, home repair, and, of course, pest-control services. Unlike a…
The photographed figures in the snow appear to be loping, apelike creatures with an eerie resemblance to America’s favorite mythical monsters. The picture, taken by an Arizona Department of Transportation highway camera recently, has caused a buzz in the pseudo-scientific world of Bigfoot hunting. “We might have spotted a family…
An Arizona State University sorority sister who torched her ex-boyfriend’s condo in May has entered a guilty plea that will put her behind bars for six months. Claudia Rose Drinnan, 21, broke into the home near Hardy Drive and Southern Avenue about 2 a.m. on May 14, climbing into her…
Scientists have warned for years that the continued burning of fossil fuels may send Earth’s ice caps into a near-total meltdown someday, submerging many of the world’s greatest cities. A bombshell new study in the journal Science Advances predicted that if people keep adding carbon to the atmosphere at the…
New Times has forced two more law-enforcement officials to follow a little-known state law, but it’s likely that many other elected officials in Arizona still aren’t following it. In an article last week, New Times revealed that a statute passed by the Arizona Legislature in 2010 requires local governments to…
This year was the most historic in history for Arizona’s cannabis culture. One of the pioneering states for marijuana freedom in the country, Arizona has a well-established medical-marijuana program that includes nearly 90 retail outlets. Advocates worked hard in 2015 to collect signatures for a legalization measure expected to be…
Once again, the facts have gotten in the way of arguments by cannabis prohibitionists. Echoing the messages of anti-pot warriors like Kevin Sabet, local cannabis critics Sheila Polk and Seth Leibsohn wrote in a widely published op-ed just last month that legalization would lead to more teen use of the…
Videos of “Stoner Sloth,” a cute-but-pathetic character created by the Australian government who can’t handle life because of marijuana, are bringing in more laughs than self-reflection by cannabis advocates. Stoner Sloth is portrayed as both male and female in the ads, which were produced by the New South Wales Department of…
A right-wing Sedona group is advertising what promises to be the throw-down of the year: A debate on the merits of marijuana legalization between staunch pot-prohibitionist Sheila Polk on one side and fellow anti-marijuana activist Seth Leibsohn on the other. Yes, you read that right: the group says Leibsohn will take…
Vaccines approved recently for a new strain of dog flu might take away some of the worry for some pet owners, but could do more harm than good, says a local veterinarian. “It’s not appropriate for every patient,” says Dr. Billy Griswold, who owns Priority Pet Hospital in Gilbert with…
