PASTOR’S SON Sympathy for a racist skinhead? Has The Bird gone bonkers? Maybe. But as this avian considers the curious case of Patrick Bearup — on death row for nearly two years in the brutal slaying of 40-year-old Mark Mathes — it can’t help but think Bearup’s getting a raw…
Two wildly divergent high-profile murder trials are well under way at the Maricopa County courthouse in downtown Phoenix. On the 13th floor of the Central Court Building, the prosecution’s case against Doug Grant is ongoing, though at a pace that would frustrate a snail. (New Times has written extensively about…
New Times has an immediate opening for a full-time staff writer. We’re looking for a journalist with sharp investigative skills who understands the difference between magazine-style reporting and the hurried fact-finding of daily newspaper reporting. If your copy is as much a pleasure to read as it is well researched,…
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: Sheriff Arpaio’s Captain Joel Fox, Illegal Donation Guy, Must Request…
As noted in our recent blog post, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ office was told recently to provide the Superior Court by Monday with evidence that a judge is too biased against Thomas to hear the case of criminally indicted County Supervisor Don Stapley. Thomas couldn’t wait till Monday. He put out a news release today to continue his…
Well, we won’t have Paul Chagolla to kick around any more. The sometimes pleasant, often rude spokesman of six years for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been transferred to oversee the sheriff office’s training division. We knew something was up when we found out Chagolla had been promoted to deputy…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio always has plenty of juicy stories ready for the media. He recently announced he’ll start charging inmates for meals and his deputies made a couple more arrests in the case of illegal immigrants working for Golfland. But far more interesting is the way Arpaio is letting…
While the rest of the civilized world is preparing for Christmas, here in Maricopa County, the Board of Supervisors is in complete meltdown, and members of the public are being arrested for applauding. I kid you not. Following on the heels of Monday’s arrest of several women in a peaceful demonstration by MCSA…
Scottsdale contractor Michael Campbell is going public over a dispute with one of his clients, a dentistry firm for which he recently built offices. It’s the kind of squabble over money and contracts that fills Maricopa County courts every day — in fact, Campbell filed a lawsuit last week against the…
Sorry, ICE, but it’s time for you to go…Let me be the first to propose a total moratorium on all ICE activities, as preparation for the agency’s ultimate demise. Why? The explanation is simple. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has itself become an outlaw organization, one responsible for significant violations…
It’s not just newspapers having a hard time — the liberal New York Observer is shutting down a dozen of its spin-off news Web sites, including Politicker AZ. The scrappy Web site popped up just in time for the election season this year, adding its own flavor of reporting to the local Internet…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas to Board of Supervisors: Check. Your move. Scottsdale cops arrest a guy for allegedly stalking waste-case celebrity Lindsay Lohan. Condos are put on hold in downtown Phoenix CityScape project, taking the “live” out of “live, work and play.” West side boosters are nervous after Westgate…
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: 2008 Death Penalty Stats Prove Old Man Nash is Hardly…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office blew off New Times when we first requested the videos and other documents associated with the death of jail inmate Juan Mendoza Farias. So, New Times sued under Arizona’s public records law. The officials stalled, apparently because they felt the material might be too harmful too release…
The City of Tempe’s throwing a wake tonight for the loss of the East Valley Tribune’s Tempe and Scottsdale coverage. In a free event cooked up by Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, the city will “say goodbye to 121 years of continuous newspaper coverage” by the local paper in a celebration…
In looking at Sonoran Alliance blog post about Andrew Thomas running for state attorney general, we couldn’t help but notice another post by our mostly anonymous friends — this one about New Times. It seems that “Pat,” whoever that is, believes that New Times contradicts itself about indicted County Supervisor Don…
The folks at the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington D.C. sent us their informative year-end report in the aftermath of our recent piece on 93-year-old Viva Leroy Nash, the senior member of death row here in Arizona and nationwide. It shows that U.S. executions are down more than 60 pecent…
Our anonymous buddies at the Republican news release headquarters, a.k.a. Sonoran Alliance blog, are reporting that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will run for state attorney general in 2010. UPDATE: Jason Rose, spokesman and campaign consultant for Thomas, pretty much confirmed the Sonoran Alliance report, which Rose says was probably…
Here’s an idea: play Shaquille O’Neal every third game. The other idea would be to play him only against Milwaukee (he scored 27 and 35 points in two games against the Bucks this season), but that wouldn’t be cost-effective for a guy making $20 million a year. After missing two…
On her way out, Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano peeves Republicans with a gift to state employees: “Meet-and-confer” status for their unions, which requires managers and administrators to bargain with union bosses. Weirdo Life Teen Founder Dale Fushek is excommunicated by the church that made him monsignor. A bad economy, or…
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: John McCain Campaign Info Left in BlackBerry Phone Sold to Reporter…
A chicken (activist Chris Fleischman) is interrogated by plainclothes po-po.According to witnesses and a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, four members of Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability, an activist group critical of the BOS and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, were arrested this morning while sitting quietly in…
