Arizona pistachio farmers are hoping the government soon lifts a blanket warning against eating the nuts, which was issued after a California batch tested positive for salmonella. So far, there’s no indication the illness-causing bacteria infects any Arizona products, but the FDA wants people to avoid anything containing pistachios until further notice…
Espresso Pundit and Sonoran Alliance blogs kept up their slugfest today, with SA’s multiple-personality “Chewie” looking the worse for wear. The underlying subject remains the one New Times has been harping on for a few months: When good bloggers go bad — anonymously. Greg Patterson, a former Republican state legislator, argues…
Kids aren’t supposed to talk to strangers. And, these days, apparently, strangers aren’t supposed to talk to kids. According to media reports today, a guy who asked a few kids some questions about tree swings — prompting police involvement — was actually interested in tree swings. Go figure. Initial coverage of…
Legal scholar, activist, prosecutor and private prison official Mark Brnovich has been appointed director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. Scammers pay heed: This over-achieving barrister is just coming off a stint in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona as a specialist in prosecuting gambling-related crimes. Followers of private-property-rights issues may…
Eight students were treated for chemical burns after a teenager blew up a bottle filled with cleaning chemicals at J.O. Combs Middle School in Queen Creek. The ninth-grade offender was arrested on charges including aggravated assault and disorderly conduct…The William E. Morris Institute for Justice has filed a class-action lawsuit…
What a difference a few hours make. I just received confirmation from Mesa Police Department PIO Edward Wessing that Police Chief George Gascon has been contacted by the House Judiciary Committee, and that he will testify Thursday, April 2 during the committee’s 287(g) hearing.In other words, it’s on like Donkey…
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: Anonymous Bloggers at Sonoran Alliance Take Heat From “Peers” Immigration…
Several credible sources in the pro-immigrant activist community have informed me that they believe the House Judiciary Committee is afraid of taking on Sheriff Joe Arpaio directly, and is wary of having him become the centerpiece of the hearing.These sources, who do not wish to be identified, say they’ve been…
The Arizona Republican Party last year returned the dirty $105,000 donated by the mysterious “Sheriff’s Command Association.” But in doing so, it left the party with a massive negative balance. That’s because it had already spent a good chunk of the money, apparently, on a pair of smear ads against the opponents of Maricopa County Sheriff…
An autopsy report doesn’t state how soon death came for a 17-year-old boy whose body wasn’t found for nearly four days after a car crash. The report does say, however, that David Montoya had a blood alcohol content of .22 and cocaine in his system at the time of…
The steam keeps rising over at the Sonoran Alliance blog, the site of a tiff between conservatives that we told you about last week. The underlying issue is a familiar one to readers of this blog: We’ve been on Sonoran Alliance’s case for months for its bad habit of…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office released records last week showing what New Times readers already knew: Most jailed inmates kicked out of the country under the county’s 287(g) agreement with the feds were picked up by local police forces for relatively minor crimes. Our September 30, 2008 article, linked above, detailed why this is…
The jaguar that was captured, collared, and euthanized at the Phoenix Zoo may not have had chronic kidney failure. The jaguar, named “Macho B,” was put down because of a terminal diagnosis, but a pathologist now says tissue samples show the animal may have just been dehydrated…Steve Nash scored 31…
Props to the Arizona Republic’s Richard Ruelas for looking into Sheriff Joe’s Fox Reality show boondoggle, Smile…You’re Under Arrest! Ruelas, a former Rep columnist whose byline is far too infrequent these days, sought to find out just how much Joe’s lame-o reality show cost Maricopa County. Alas, the MCSO stonewalled…
I just saw this report in the Washington Post indicating that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has put the brakes on some pending ICE raids, as part of a new policy that will supposedly target employers more than workers. The Post cites the pressure being put on the Obama administration…
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: Meghan McCain Poised to Become “New Young Republican,” Says The…
Jorge Gutierrez likes to spend a lot of time at Desert Schools Federal Union. The locations are convenient, and he likes the easy-to-work-with employees.Most of all, he likes the money.The FBI alleges Gutierrez robbed the credit union in the Ahwatukee/Chandler area five times, including twice at two locations. Just for…
Trying to get info out of Washington, D.C. from here in Sand Land is like attempting to obtain cheese directly from the cow’s teat sometimes. Nevertheless, I’m in receipt of scuttlebutt from folks in the immigrant rights community locally, who’ve been telling me about the joint hearing to be held…
Aaron Bridges Langston, 32, of Snowflake, will serve 26 months in a federal prison for stabbing his co-worker in the neck while working in Iraq. Langston, who worked for the Defense Department contractor Kellogg Brown and Root, was the supervisor for an Indian national woman he attacked on February 15,…
If you’re tired of my crappy, digital point-and-shoot angles, try out the magazine-like stylings of photographer Deanna Dent, whose slideshow of Joe Arpaio’s circus-come-to-Guadalupe is now up. How she avoided getting me in the shots is a mystery, as I was the ony fat man in a loud Hawaiian shirt on…
Speed cameras are blossoming all over the country, the Wall Street Journal has discovered in an overview article today that covers revenues, counter-methods and the anger felt by some ticket getters.Those subjects are nothing new for readers of New Times, but it’s refreshing to see another take from one of…
The Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audobon Society filed a lawsuit in federal court today in an effort to protect the southwestern willow flycatcher bird from imported salt cedar leaf beetles.The leaf-eating beetles were imported from Kazakhstan a few years ago and released (illegally, says the lawsuit) by the…
