News

By Sarah Fenske The top aide to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Chief Deputy David Hendershott says he ordered the late-night arrests of New Times executives Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin last October. Hendershott (pictured) apparently made the startling admission in an affidavit at the behest of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas…

By Stephen Lemons Arpaio’s Chief Deputy David Hendershott ordered arrests of Village Voice Media/New Times execs Lacey, Larkin, document claims. Somehow we’re not surprised. New ASU/Channel 8 poll has Obama-McCain dead even in AZ. Same poll claims Arpaio out in front of Dan Saban. AP poll has Barack ahead in…

By John Dickerson Look for a New York Times story tomorrow about the trend of executive suicides, including the tragic death of Phoenix millionaire Scott Coles. The New York Times contacted Phoenix New Times today, in connection with our coverage of Coles, who took his life on June 2. He…

James Saville with his sister Linda, in 2004. By John Dickerson Taxpayers spent $1,102,528.50 this year to settle another of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s lawsuits, New Times has learned through a public records request. The suit was brought by a man whom Arpaio framed in 1999 in a staged murder plot…

By Sarah Fenske This just in: The Arizona Republic will be laying off 10 percent of its staff in December. The move was apparently announced to staffers today — and, judging by this post on Gannett Blog, is happening at all 83 of the Republic’s sister newspapers. The newspaper’s parent…

By Stephen Lemons ATF stops neo-Nazi plot to whack Obamarama. WeHo house hangs Palin in effigy. And Cali’s not even a swing state. Get it? ASU sacking faculty because of budget cuts. Wacky Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman reconciles with wife, supposedly. Trib previews new Suns team. Kurt Warner kickin’ butt…

Duffy Kilrain’s prison mugshot By Ray Stern State corrections officials released the name of the prisoner killed last week — Duffy Kilrain — but few details about the crime. Kilrain, 51, was assaulted by “several inmates” at the Department of Corrections Eyman Meadows Unit and taken “immediately” to St. Mary’s…

By Sarah Fenske Mark Jacoby, who New Times first linked to fraudulent signature-gathering in Arizona, has been arrested in California. The Los Angeles Times reports Jacoby was arrested in Ontario, California October 18 on “suspicion of voter registration fraud.” Jacoby, police there are alleging, used a former address to register…

By John Dickerson Here in Maricopa County, we’re all too familiar with politicians who punish media outlets they don’t like. New Times readers know that right-wing Sheriff Joe Arpaio retaliates against media outlets he despises, refusing to give them interviews or even press releases. His pal and colleague County Attorney…

By Ray Stern The East Valley Tribune’s editor Jim Ripley will reportedly be retiring in early January, (at the same time nearly half the newspaper’s staff is being laid off). But in the meantime, it seems he’s more than happy to keep the pressure on oddball Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman…

Arizona Department of Corrections Eyman Complex By Ray Stern A 51-year-old Arizona prison inmate who was assaulted a week ago died of his injuries on Sunday, a prison spokesman confirmed this morning. The man’s name and more information about the assault will be released later today, said Nolberto Machiche, spokesman…

By Stephen Lemons Anyway they spin it, Joe lost in that jails suit, no matter what Supervisor Kunasek says. Period. Since September, AZ gains 188,000 new voters. Par for the course: County Attorney Thomas retaliates against Tom Lovejoy. That’s what happens when you take on Candy’s pal Sheriff Joe. Cards…

By Ray Stern All outrage apparently gone, Mesa Mayor Scott Smith went to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office today in a move that reeked of capitulation. On October 16, the day Arpaio’s troops raided Mesa City Hall and the city’s public library, Smith talked tough, saying the city had…

Mark Bosworth, GoRenter founder By Ray Stern The rental company founded by fallen (self-described) real estate “guru” Mark Bosworth, (whose story was told in the May 13 edition of New Times), has been ordered to stop ads the state real estate commissioner says are illegal. A statement issued today by…

Many East Valley Tribune readers must have done double-takes after viewing this front-page teaser about a cookie story in today’s paper. “Grandma’s kills wanted…” Do they mean human or road kills? And for a cookie recipe, possibly? Are those dark bumps in the pictured cookies chocolate chips — or something…

By Ray Stern One look at Ashley Todd’s picture (above), and you know she’s the kind of campaign volunteer who goes the extra mile for her candidate, John McCain. That black eye and the “B” carved on her face — her own handiwork, police say. Todd, a Texas college student…

By Stephen Lemons McCain says Palin will donate the $150K in new duds the GOP bought her. Palin fans look forward to her wearing nothing. Er, nothing that the GOP paid for. Thomas and Arpaio blow cash as election day nears. World stocks dive, dive, dive. Nogales, Sonora shootout kills…

Pamela Overton of the law firm Greenberg Traurig, as pictured in a recent edition of Arizona Woman By Ray Stern The Maricopa County Elections Department handed off an investigation into a mysterious $105,000 Republican Party donation to an outside law firm last week, rather than assign it to County Attorney…

By John Dickerson In his ruling Thursday against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, U.S. District Judge Neil Wake cited a litany of unconstitutional problems in county jails: inadequate medical care, poor food, chronic overcrowding, and indifference to inmate health concerns. Jail medical personnel’s prescribing of a Soviet-era drug that causes tremors, spasms…

By Ray Stern It seems everybody thinks Lute Olson is retiring except for University of Arizona officials. Rumors began swirling early in the day after ESPN analyst Dick Vitale reported that a source told him Olson was leaving and that associate coach Mike Dunlap would take his place in the…

By Sarah Fenske For anyone who’s been watching the collapse of Jack Rose’s West Valley empire, here’s an interesting piece of news: The notorious entrepreneur has resigned from the bank he helped to charter. Candace Wiest, the president/CEO of West Valley National Bank, confirmed in a phone call today that…