Almighty Dollar I am a graduate of Grand Canyon University. I read Terry Greene Sterling’s excellent investigative piece, “The Moneychangers” (April 16), on the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, and I consider it one of the best things that has happened to Southern Baptists and for those faithful who know, truly,…
We believe the Arizona Veterans Service Commission has the managerial and operational responsibility to be accountable to all veterans and the public. –The Arizona Veterans Service Commission Mission Statement Superior Court Judge Pam Franks glared into the courtroom gallery on March 2 and got to the point. “I’m going to…
Stephane Janssen almost died last year, so Marilyn Zeitlin sent him some flowers. Zeitlin, director of the Arizona State University Art Museum, figured it was the least the museum could do. Janssen, a Belgium-born, world-class art aficionado–his personal art collection could literally fill a museum–was one of the museum’s most…
Braves New World Certain that the hoopla surrounding the debut of the Arizona Diamondbanks had sufficiently subsided, the Flash finally got around to sampling the press experience that is Major League Baseball. It just so happened that the mighty Atlanta Braves were in town. The Flash picked up a one-game…
While thumbing through a recent issue of the Arizona American-Italian Club newsletter, would-be member Donna Guida had to laugh. In a recurring column titled “There’s an Old Italian Proverb” appeared the maxim Profumo senza arrosto non mi va! Translation? “The aroma without the roast is not for me.” And that’s…
Lloyd Vacovsky used to deal in alcohol-based fuel. Now he deals with alcohol-based people. His name isn’t well-known, and probably never will be. But he’s as important a figure as any of the movers and shakers who appear in the local papers every day. Vacovsky’s job is to help the…
About Faith Congratulations on a great job and very responsible press (“The Moneychangers,” Terry Greene Sterling, April 16 and 23). Some years back, I presented the Baptist Foundation of Arizona with the thought of professional portfolio management by a registered adviser based on fiduciary requirements. When the foundation said the…
A six-month New Times investigation reveals that companies controlled by one sitting Baptist Foundation of Arizona director and two former directors have received nearly $140 million worth of loans in complicated real-estate and stock transactions with BFA. A company controlled by one of those insiders in 1997 reported a net…
What is government doing to protect the public from unscrupulous corporations or religious institutions? The federal government is unlikely to do anything to protect the public from shady religious institutions or guarantee that such organizations deserve the tax-exempt status they enjoy. “No one wants to be anti-church,” says a spokesman…
The $1 Building Anyone sifting through the public records of tangled real-estate transactions conducted by the Baptist Foundation of Arizona will soon begin asking questions: What would possess a religious foundation to pass up the opportunity to acquire a $1.9 million office building for $1? Why would that foundation turn…
About a year ago, Julia Roberts was a guest on Bravo’s Inside the Actors Studio. Near the end of the show, craggy host James Lipton put her through his standard 20 Questions routine, profound stuff like, “What’s your favorite curse word?” When Lipton asked Roberts what she eventually hoped to…
Modern Rock: 1. The Sport Model This four-piece Tempe band evokes all the mid-’60s hyperactivity of British power-pop with enough ’90s crunch to avoid sounding like a retro anachronism. The members inked a deal with locally based indie NMG Records last October, and they’re putting together tracks for a full-length…
Last year, Maricopa County employee Yolanda Robinson reported her co-worker, Joe Coulter, for sexual harassment. Apparently her complaints have been warranted–and then some. County officials refused to release an investigation into Coulter’s behavior toward Robinson. But they did offer up a redacted copy of the written reprimand Coulter received as…
Two months ago, celebrity wardrobe stylist Philip Block addressed an audience of clothing marketers, retailers, buyers and designers at Magic, the U.S. fashion industry’s annual summit in Las Vegas. “In the era of the too-perfect supermodel,” he said, “young consumers relate more and more to performers who look like them,…
The Sounds of Violence Dan Rather was standing at the food trough at downtown Phoenix’s magnificent Orpheum Theatre before last week’s television gabfest about children and violence. Between Texas-size gulps of Brie and bread, the veteran newshound held court with the anchorstruck about covering just about every major story from…
When Dana Weick decided to register his car online earlier this month, he had no reason to suspect that his credit-card number, its expiration date and his home address would be made available to the public. Weick expected a Web site affiliated with the government and run by IBM would…
The nature of this column demands that I begin by explaining my reason for writing it. I have written before about abuses of power by police and courts, and now I’m going to write about it again. But in this case the victim was me, and I want to state…
Hogan’s a Hero As an advocate with the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, I had the good fortune to work for Tim Hogan during his tenure as executive director. Tim is as described by Michael Kiefer in his article (“Timely Tim,” April 9). He is also a…
Chartered to raise funds for religious charities, the Baptist Foundation of Arizona and its web of subsidiaries have neglected good works in favor of financing real-estate empires for insiders, investing in highly speculative land deals and lavishing generous salaries, offices and automobiles on staff. While giving a pittance in philanthropic…
Organicide: If you’re one of the growing number of folks who makes a point of buying organic produce, the news is grim. For more than 20 years, through no-nonsense state laws and rigorous, independent third-party certification, organic growers have kept careful control over what can and cannot be called organic…
Central High School’s ringer is coming down with the flu. Albert Cho is ingesting fluids as quickly as he can, but it isn’t doing much good. In the big competition tomorrow, he knows he’ll be in the grips of a fever. Even healthy, Cho would hardly be intimidating. The slight…
In order to understand the audited financial statements published annually by the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, New Times hired Robert Mroz of Barrington Consulting Group, Inc., a national firm that specializes in financial analysis and forensic accounting investigations. Mroz, a vice president of the firm, is based in Phoenix. The…
