Why is Mayor Terry Goddard getting away with this ridiculous car race? Did anyone ask you about spending millions in taxpayers’ money for this slapdash project. The city has gone on a wartime footing to repave downtown streets, build garages and overpasses, and erect concrete sidewalk barriers. They couldn’t work…
Maybe Sam Steiger can appreciate the humor in the current mess at the state parole board. Governor Rose Mofford has fired board member Ron Johnson without pay. Ironically, Steiger tried to do the same thing to Johnson more than a year ago and almost went to jail for his efforts…
One of these days Oliver North is probably going to be found guilty by that Washington jury. Once the verdict condemning the Marine war hero is reached, the battle to save him will begin in earnest. The outcry against sending North to jail will make the abortion demonstrations seem like…
First of all, you must be lucky. I can never really understand what’s happening in a trial merely by reading newspaper accounts. For example, no matter how much I read about Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North’s trial, I remain a prisoner of the impression he made during the televised Iran-Contra hearings…
Morton Downey Jr. is at the vital center of a fascinating urban mystery. Downey claims he was attacked by skinheads in the men’s room of the San Francisco airport. He says they chopped off clumps of his hair and marked his face with swastikas. But there’s some doubt that Downey…
Despite excessive cheerleading from the Arizona Republic, the Phoenix Suns are not a lock to win the National Basketball Association championship. They may not even come close. If Fat Lever didn’t sustain an injury last Sunday night I wouldn’t have bet on them to get out of the first round…
The gang rape in Central Park is one of those unspeakably vicious crimes that traumatizes the entire country. The other morning, Donald Trump bought full-page ads in New York’s newspapers calling for a renewal of the death penalty there. The New York Post keeps referring to it as the nightmare…
It was like a trip in a time tunnel. I stood near the fountain at Arizona State last Friday as students demonstrated against racism on the campus. The sun was hot enough to drive you into the pavement. The crowd wasn’t large. Given the obscene actions of the campus police,…
Margo Adams walks into the room. Suddenly, everybody starts acting like a man of the world. By now, you know Margo, I’m sure. Yes, THAT Margo. Penthouse magazine! Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox! Barbara Walters! Margo flounces into Alexilion the other day with B.J. Hunter on her arm…
I had Abbie Hoffman all wrong, at first. I met him back in August 1968, when Abbie was drilling protesters in Lincoln Park. It was hot and muggy, and the Democratic convention was about to start. Abbie wore a pith helmet down over his eyes. His long black curls dangled…
Bonnie Towles stands on her porch. Every day she can see the homeless coming down her street. “They lock those people out of the shelter every morning at nine o’clock,” Towles says. A forceful woman with blonde hair, she is a graduate of the Wharton School of Economics. “Where are…
They will sentence Kareem Abdul-Jabbar within the hour. The courtroom is in the old Phoenix Union High School. “Where can I find Kareem’s courtroom?” I ask. The receptionist on the main floor doesn’t have to check her chart. “You mean that basketball player?” she asks. I nod. “Down the stairs…
Easter Sunday morning. Slowly, you walk into the alley south of Madison Street. It’s still partially dark. It’s 6:35 a.m. A steady rain falls. It’s been raining all night. On the radio, they talk of flash flood warnings. The fat copies of the Sunday Republic make a last-ditch effort to…
Dear Mr. Fitzpatrick: I really resent being called stupid and insensitive for my service as a juror on the Martin Mix case. I would like to point out that just because the evidence indicated there had been sexual intercourse between the parties does not always mean the conclusion should be…
Flamboyant defense lawyers have always fascinated me. The first one I ever met was Ernie Navarre. I met him long ago in Lima, Ohio. Navarre wore a gold watch and a different suit every day. He drove a big car. But he also regularly undertook the defense of seemingly hopeless…
Editor’s Note: This story was changed from its original version to eliminate the name of the victim. Well, the law has been screwed. And this war is over. A woman, who said she was the victim of a vicious rape by a police officer, has now become a victim of…
It’s more than an hour before the Cubs’ exhibition game gets underway. The seats behind home plate are already filled. Al Barlik, with the short haircut and the severe expression of a retired police captain, sits straight-shouldered in the ninth row. He is a supervisor of umpires for the National…
I used to relax by listening to the radio talk shows. That was before they started taking themselves seriously. I’m still an avid listener. But I’m no longer able to relax while doing so. There was a time when stately, plump Pat McMahon was content to interview the west side’s…
If you asked I would have told you: The University of Arizona may rank No. 1, but I don’t see them making the Final Four. Putting Kemper Marley on the cover ensures Phoenix Metro magazine’s place as Arizona’s most contemptible publication. The rise of Sam Skinner from lickspittle to U.S…
The young television producer was hesitant. He stood on the top step of the dugout. He looked down to where Jimmy Piersall was sitting. “Jimmy, could you spare a couple of minutes?” the producer asked. “We’d like to get your thoughts on the Strawberry incident?” Although the Chicago Cubs were…
Wherever you go during spring training they talk about the great Ted Williams. In my dream, I was still in high school. Our football practice field was at Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx. It was across the street from Yankee Stadium. Suddenly, Ted Williams showed up. Williams was wearing…
Richard Mallery is so smooth. He has the velvet touch. In a real estate deal, there’s no one who can touch him. Mallery is the slickest operator in the West. A senior partner at the powerhouse law firm of Snell & Wilmer, Mallery was a founding member of the Phoenix…
