Thirty-two dogs were killed in an East Mesa mobile home fire on Tuesday, the East Valley Tribune reports today, including chows, Chihuahuas, English bulldogs and Labradors. We don’t know about you, but the first question that came to our mind when we saw this was, “What the hell are 32…
A gunman took 41 people hostage at an immigration services center today, killing 13 before committing suicide. Several more were wounded after the man stormed the American Civic Association center in Binghamton.Here are the sites that seem to have had the most details right now as the news began to…
Longtime Channel 3 (KTVK-TV) reporter Mike Watkiss has a bit piece in the locally made movie, “Blood Guardian.”As in, blown to bits. (Or stabbed, rather — see Watkiss’ comment below).”They dispatch me promptly and effectively,” says Watkiss. He’s been in a few other small-time flicks, he says, enjoying the energy…
Following the Phoenix Suns’ 114-109 defeat of the Houston Rockets on Wednesday — coupled with the Dallas Mavericks’ 98-96 victory over the Miami Heat — Planet Orange remains 4 games back from the eighth-and-final postseason spot, with 7 to go. Can we say season over for the Suns? Not officially,…
The City of Phoenix purchased 247 acres of land in Ahwatukee at an auction April 2. The city plans to use the land to add 165 acres to South Mountain Park, among other things…Despite the sluggish economy, there’s been record attendance at Cactus League games for the past six weeks,…
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: Valley Photographer Says Cops Harassed Him for Taking Pictures in…
For three weeks, jurors heard testimony in State v. Bryant Wilkerson, as the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office attempted to a convince them that a 28-year-old Fountain Hills man was guilty of manslaughter, aggravated assault, and multiple counts of felony endangerment. It took the jury less than two hours today to find Wilkerson…
The Department of Public Safety released details on the arrests of who the agency calls “super speeders” — motorists caught by photo enforcement cameras on Valley freeways.Coincidentally, New Times called DPS last night about the issue, and wrote about it this morning.But get this — it turns out one of…
The difference between Mesa Police Chief George Gascon and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is like the difference between Barack Obama and Geoge Bush. Brains versus bluster. The former LAPD assistant chief is a policy wonk with a cop’s toughness. He out-classes Arpaio. Too bad Gascon isn’t our sheriff instead of what we’re…
Just in time for our blog post today about the role of the FBI in the Phoenix kidnapping crisis comes a major announcement that the FBI will focus more on the problem as part of a strategy to combat cartel violence. In a statement made today during his trip in Cuernavaca, Mexico,…
A local photographer claims a Phoenix police officer detained him for a short time and interrogated him for taking pictures of potential terrorist attack sites. In an online article on the Downtown Phoenix Journal Web site, author Chad Swaney relates the tale of William Nash-McAdam, who had taken the…
The FBI is the nation’s premier agency when it comes to kidnappings, right? Well, not in Phoenix, the so-called kidnapping capital of the country. The FBI decided years ago that it would try not to get involved when the kidnappings involve immigrants and human smugglers. Both the FBI and…
Only three people have signed up so far to run for governor, but plenty of people are thinking about it. One of those people just might be Fife Symington, says a post today by blogger Greg Patterson. Symington, if you’ll recall, is the Republican ex-governor who was sentenced to two years in prison…
As an indication of the effectiveness of Mesa Police Chief George Gascon’s testimony, Republican minority attack dogs went after him like a hunk of raw hamburger. This was after the Congress members returned from the floor of the House after a quick vote on an unrelated matter. Texas Republican Congressman Ted Poe…
When we heard that Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s wife, Christa Severns, filed for divorce Monday, we were convinced that finally we’d get the gossip motherlode. Surely these two hate each other now, right? Surely everybody’s just dying to throw down! Alas, no. “We are having the most amicable divorce…
Phoenix police recently arrested two kidnapping “victims” in a case that shows the challenges of investigating immigration-related crime. The incident occurred a few days ago, when police received a call about a suspected kidnapping involving a migrant, says. Lt. Lauri Burgett of the Phoenix police, who helps oversee a task force on home invasions and…
After the second panel of witnesses was seated and introduced, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren cited the Southern Poverty Law Center letter about witness Kris Kobach mentioned in my first live blog. She said she had decided to allow Kobach to speak, but noted the SPLC’s objection. The first speaker was David Harris, professor of law at University…
Standoffs, suspected kidnappers, burning bodies, high-speed chases, animal abusers — the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office sure has a lot going on. But you’ll see none of those cases on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s taxpayer-funded Web site. You can, however, read a column by Arizona Republic writer E.J. Montini. As of today, all…
Avondale, Arizona, resident Julio Mora was the first witness for the House Judiciary Committee after it came back from it’s break for voting. Mora is a U.S. citizen. His father is a permanent legal resident. Mora was driving his father to work at HMI Landscaping in Phoenix, when his car was stopped more than…
Maricopa County motorists caught doing more than 100 mph by freeway speed cameras continue to be tracked down and arrested, even though it’s a certainty they won’t be prosecuted. County Attorney Andrew Thomas (pictured) announced late last month that he believes the law doesn’t support prosecuting such cases, and he’s…
The most lopsided statistic in the Phoenix Suns’ 5-point victory over the powerhouse Houston Rockets Wednesday night was fast-break points. The Suns had 18 and the Rockets had 4. It was run-and-gun basketball as only the Suns can do it (when their heads are in the game). But the Suns also beat one of the…
University of Arizona will hire hire Tim Floyd as the new head basketball coach for the Wildcats, Ktar.com reports. Floyd was most recently head coach at USC…Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr indicated he’ll bring Alvin Gentry back as the team’s head coach, and that some roster changes might be…
