News

DARTH RYAN The Lumley Vampire, the underground newsletter purportedly run by current and former Arizona Department of Corrections employees, knows who killed 48-year-old Marcia Powell. That’s the woman who recently died after at least four hours baking outside in the Arizona sun, while confined to a wire cage at Perryville…

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: Up on the Sun: UPDATE Chris Brown: A Monster, Even Though He Sees It Otherwise. Also, My…

Donnie Delahanty, a dumb-ass kid from a dysfunctional family who killed a cop in 2005 for the hell of it, was ordered to death row earlier today.  Delahanty (shown here in a 2005 photo) stared straight ahead as a court clerk for Superior Court Judge Warren Granville read the jury’s…

  Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas (right) has decided it’s okay to prosecute “super-speeders” caught by freeway speed cameras, reversing a decision he made in March.  And leadfoot state Republican Party director Brett Mecum (see police mugshot below) is one of the first to be charged. Thomas stated two months ago that…

The two people who died in a helicopter crash in the northwest Valley on Friday worked for the Peoria Police Department. Michael Gauchat, 41, had been a police officer with the department since 1990. Donna Collum, 45, had been with the city of Peoria since 2000, working first in the…

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard filed a motion Tuesday afternoon to have his lawsuit against the owners of the Tucson Citizen dismissed because it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Goddard had already failed last week to convince a judge that he should force the owners, Gannett and Lee Enterprises, to keep publishing…

  We just read a letter from a reader outraged at an upcoming five-day conference for federal employees being held this August at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge luxury resort hotel. We can see why she’s ticked. The government is going to borrow 46 cents of every dollar it spends…

How bad is pancreatic cancer? Ninety percent of people who find out they have it die within a year. And the pancreas isn’t even a brand-name digestive organ, like the kidney or liver. The ghastly statistic is one reason the gene-science gurus at TGen in Phoenix are major recipients in $74 million of gifts being distributed…

People marched in central Phoenix yesterday to protest the California Supreme Court’s Decision to uphold the constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The rally, organized by grassroots organization Marriage Equality USA, drew around 200 people…An investigative report by the Arizona Office of the Auditor General…

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: Up on the Sun: No Doubt, Fun., Pool Parties and Taylor Swift Over the (Memorial Day) Weekend…

Announcement of the accidental death of the 4-year-old daughter of forever-troubled ex-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson at her Phoenix home brought back some haunting memories. One of the stories in our 2006 “Murder City” series was called “The Case of the Two Abigails,” which concerned the tragic deaths in separate cases of two little…

Phoenix police reported today that Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, who was found “unresponsive” Sunday after choking on a treadmill cord, died this morning at 11:45 a.m. Police so far have termed the incident a “tragic accident.” The call to police about a child not breathing came in at 10:34…

  The death of a mother during or just after childbirth, like that of Arizona Treasurer Dean Martin’s wife, Kerry, is a relatively rare occurence these days, compared to most of human history. Still, the problem remains “significant,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The United States had an…

  Arizona State Treasurer Dean Martin’s wife of 13 years died this morning while giving birth to the couple’s son. State House Speaker Kirk Adams announced the tragic news on the House floor, “his voice breaking,” according to the Arizona Republic. KTAR (92.3 FM) news also has the story, complete with a…

A Maricopa County jury is expected to resume deliberations later this afternoon, this time to determine if cop-killer Donnie Delahanty should get the death penalty for murdering Phoenix officer David Uribe (in the photo). Earlier this month, the panel convicted the 22-year-old of shooting the veteran officer to death during a routine traffic…

  The U.S. Bureau of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is seeking a supervisor and agents to operate a recently approved investigation office in Phoenix. The news, (first reported in the Arizona Daily Sun yesterday), comes after about two years of talks for such an office. ICE has offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Douglas, Nogales,…