On Friday night, May 31, Ben Smith was sitting in the multipurpose room of the Fort McDowell Recreation Center. One of his young cousins was graduating from kindergarten and two more were being honored with school awards, and he was there to support them. Just six days earlier, he had…
Administrators at a state youth detention facility plan to conduct mock interviews and practice inspections in preparation for a visit from federal investigators. And they’ll have plenty of time to get ready, according to documents obtained by New Times. Minutes from the July 8 “Management Team” meeting at Catalina Mountain…
A favorite Valley coffee house has closed and reopened in a new location — a little smaller, a little sterile, but still serving lattes and chai tea to a diminished but loyal crowd. Gold Bar Espresso (“The Last Days of Gold Bar,” Amy Silverman, May 30) has moved across the…
The CandidateWolf in sheep’s clothing: In regard to your column about the Democratic candidates for Arizona’s Congressional District 1, I understand why you think Fred Duval is a carpetbagger (“Boy State,” Michael Lacey, August 1). But I think your favorite candidate, Apache County rancher Steve Udall, is a poor alternative…
The Spike loves a good ghost story. So when The Spike heard that officials at the state Department of Corrections were on the hunt for an elusive criminal known as the Lumley Vampire, The Spike was all over it. The Lumley Vampire is indeed a wraith, a shadowy spirit that…
The audience stands out of respect as the first notes of “Pomp and Circumstance” are played on a piano. As the graduates walk down the center aisle in brilliant red caps and gowns, they smile and seek out faces in the crowd. Parents and grandparents with cameras, sisters and brothers…
Two years ago, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation began its program to turn around a horrible educational record and strengthen its community. Since then, New Times has been monitoring these wide-ranging efforts, visiting classrooms and homework laboratories, eating in the school cafeteria and attending graduation and awards ceremonies, visiting homes…
I am thinking of pip-squeaks the other day, when who should come to mind but congressional candidate Fred Duval. Duval is running against a field of 13, including my dog in this hunt, Steve Udall. If you are a Democrat in Phoenix, you have been solicited for money for Duval’s…
An internal investigation into the death of a child in the custody of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections concludes that the boy accidentally killed himself by wrapping a sheet around his neck to make himself light-headed, a popular way to get high in the detention facility. But the report,…
Juvenile InjusticeThe young and the restless: I truly applaud you for writing such a great article about the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (“The Hanging,” Amy Silverman, July 25). I have been a teacher at Adobe Mountain School for more than four years and know full well what Margaret Leon…
The kid had slashed himself with a razor-sharp rock up and down his arm, at least 20 times. Maybe 30. Horizontal cuts on the inside of his wrist, like you make when you are trying to kill yourself. No one reported the mutilation. That’s disturbing, since the boy is in…
In a stunning and welcome reversal, Bishop Thomas O’Brien is now apparently cooperating with the Maricopa County Attorney’s investigation of the alleged sexual misconduct of Father Patrick Colleary, whose sins you first read about in this column. The Phoenix Diocese not only agreed to comply fully with a grand jury…
The Spike is tired and yearning to be free of the overblown hand-wringing over the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent opinion that the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance violate the constitutional firewall between church and state, in this case, specifically, church and schools. Duh. Of course…
Belly Up to the BarCause and effect: I couldn’t help but read Amy Silverman’s feature on disbarred Phoenix attorney Gary Peter Klahr (“Old Glory,” July 4). I did so because I have had the fortune (or misfortune) to experience his presence firsthand. Ms. Silverman may have attempted to present an…
Ethan, Will and others who were there still talk about the scene that night. Two girls — a stripper and her friend — walked arm in arm through the living room of a villa at an East Valley resort hotel. Braless in matching bright halter tops, the girls wove their…
The Spike is happy to report that fat folks in Phoenix will soon have some place that loves them (no Southwest Airlines execs allowed). Club Go Figure (get it?) is set to open Friday, July 19, on Price and University in Tempe. Owners Ian and Linda Seasor have modeled the…
QUESTION: When a monsoon comes and floods the roads, should I drive through the water? ANSWER: Yes. Your vehicle is equipped with flotation equipment made mandatory following Ralph Nader’s investigation of the Disney hit Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If you are heroic enough to drive into the flooded area, you…
Street SceneNo more run of the mill: Now, if we could only do something about those jaywalking car sales people at the dealerships around 12th Street and Camelback (“Urban Menace, or Artistic Vision?” Patti Epler, July 11). I find myself dodging guys in white shirts and flying neckties every day…
For a while, it seemed, future archaeologists excavating this place would find nothing but sports arenas, parking garages and auto malls. Ringed by Indian casinos. But now, if all goes as planned, they might find the remnants of cleverly designed bridges, parks and trails — concrete and steel monuments to…
When PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) calls, The Spike gets visions of veggie burgers and rabid protesters throwing paint on fur. Yawn. But The Spike was actually intrigued by the latest stunt from the PETA people. Brandi Valladolid, a Scottsdale native and PETA activist, was going to…
Severe budget cuts have gutted the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency, and its executive director says he’s “deeply concerned” that the agency no longer will be able to do its job adequately. “It’s like a graveyard in here,” Duane Belcher says, gesturing to empty cubicles and vacated offices. “Doing what…
Man of PrincipleLegal wrangling: I would like to comment briefly on your July 4 cover story on my disbarment (“Old Glory,” Amy Silverman). Other than an excessive number of “cheap shots” at my housekeeping practices, the story is basically accurate — even if not comprehensive and complete. But there are…
