We’re not suggesting he’s off to a galaxy far, far away or anything, but we can report that David Leibowitz is on the move.Leibowitz, a former Arizona Republic columnist and KTAR talk show host, has limited his journalism lately to freelancing. His main gig has been serving as the…
Not only does the state of Arizona have a $3.5 billion budget gap to close, it’s also apparently about $400 million in debt due to internal loans .State Treasurer Dean Martin to the rescue.Our liable Legislature has been borrowing money from about 1,800 government funds just to pay bills.”It’s like…
Veteran Arizona Capitol Times reporter Phil Riske has been fired from the Yellow Sheet, a paid-subscription politics rag, says an Arizona Republic blog post by Matthew Benson. Riske had been with the Cap Times for seven years and planned to retire at the end of August, but he got in…
The state’s having a bit of a yard sale right now, and what’s on the lawn? How about a hospital, a state park, and, oh yeah, the state capitol.We reported on this a few weeks ago, and believe us, we can’t believe this is actually happening either.In the last few…
Phoenix cops call the murder of Terry Neely, 46, one of the most heinous they’ve ever seen — and indeed, these details can make the most jaded news reader shudder. Even the beginning of the attack was cruel: The suspect, Angela Simpson, 33, lured the disabled man into an apartment near…
Arizona State University is “leading the pack in improvements and innovative changes,” according to the latest issue of U.S. News and World Report magazine. Though ASU was only as the 121st best national university — same ranking as last year — the Valley institution ranked fifth out of 77 of…
Check out the photo and caption that ran along with an article on an Irish Web site about an upcoming solar energy project: …
Hard Luck got his ticket punched during the third inning when his first pitch to four-time All-Star infielder Chase Utley became a two-run homer. His nightmare continued in the fifth as Jimmy Rollins smacked a line-drive double and Shane Victorino hit a grounder single before watching Ryan Howard clear the bases from…
Silent Witness is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the death of an Anthem resident. Richard Smith, 59, was killed in his home in early August, in what police believe began as a home invasion…As school reconvenes, Gilbert police are warning students…
My family hasn’t been long in this country, came here because of lousy treatment by other Europeans, and didn’t live close enough to the southern U.S. border to have exposure to Mexico or Mexicans. So, anyone looking down on Mexicans can be mysterious to many of us that have migrated…
DEPUTIES DOGGED We do what we can: I’ve been following editorials in New Times for years, and I want to thank you for all your efforts to give us the real stories in our community. My heroes have been John Dougherty, Ray Stern, and now, Sarah Fenske. I don’t know…
I’m not trying to brag here, but I can tell you just about anything you’d like to know about the investigation that led to a 35-count indictment against Congressman Rick Renzi last February. I can tell you about what he did (allegedly), why he did it (probably), and how they’ll…
BULL CONGRESSMAN Next time Congressman John Shadegg holds a town hall meeting, remind me to clothespin my nose. What’s wafting from the Republican pol is the stench of hypocrisy. True to what you’ve been seeing nonstop on the TV news lately, his August 8 town hall on healthcare was full…
On a Wednesday night, four people are gathering boxes of vegetables from a dumpster behind an organic foods market near Scottsdale. The scavengers — four 20-somethings known as John Greentree, Ghost, Dee Dee, and Mr. Pink — have dumpster-dived here numerous times before. They’ve already put several boxes in the…
In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Feathered Bastard:ACLU and Julio and Julian Mora Sue Joe Arpaio, Arpaio Whines on Twitter Up on the…
The owner of a $3.5 million mansion in the Biltmore Estates was arrested today by Phoenix police in connection with an arson fire that burned the place to the ground. Michael Marin told Channel 15 (KNXV-TV) today that he was “utterly shocked” at the accusation and has a “conscience…
Since we’re on speaking terms (for the time being) with Dave Hendershott, chief deputy of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Joe Arpaio’s right-hand man, we’ve got a few other things to relate to you. From interviews last night and today with him, we learned: *Hendershott is ticked off that…
Looks like it’s splitsville for Hooman Karamian, aka Nik Richie, the gossipmonger and trash-talker behind the Web site The Dirty.com, and his wife of about four years Amanda Toney. According to court filings, Toney, who is a managing partner in the Scottsdale marketing firm The Taka Group and was once a…
Remember when bees were nice? Sure there was an occasional sting here and there, but they never seemed to be out for blood like these Africanized monsters we have today.An 81-year-old Phoenix woman is the latest victim of the implacable insect, after she was found on her porch near 33rd…
As I anticipated in yesterday’s blog post, the Arizona ACLU today had a press conference at their offices with father-son Julian and Julio Mora present, announcing a lawsuit on their behalf against Sheriff Joe and other members of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The incident at issue occurred during the…
Rapper Lil Wayne brought more than beats and bling to the Valley when he performed here last week; police say the hip-hop hood also brought along a little drama.After a concert at the Cricket Wireless Pavilion last Wednesday, police say Lil Wayne and his “posse” got in an altercation at an apartment…
In case you missed it, about a dozen men with guns showed up at an Obama healthcare rally in Phoenix this Monday, at least one of them carrying a semi-automatic rifle. The man packing the AR-15 (a really big gun)–identified only as “Chris B”–was interviewed by libertarian radio show host…
