Five Places to Watch the Second GOP Presidential Debate

Whether or not you’re on team Trump, Wednesday night’s second Republican presidential debate should be very entertaining. Perhaps even more so than the first one August 6. The debate will feature the top 11 candidates — Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio,…

Snow in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains Worst in 500 Years

A new tree-ring study from the University of Arizona shows that snow levels in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, the central-California mountain range that supplies much of that state’s fresh water, haven’t been this low for 500 years. The study’s lead author, Valerie Trouet, tells Californians to brace for more record…

“Bolt Force” Vigilantes Score International PR From I-10 Shooting Case

Though online detractors claim they are more of a “Dolt Force,” the vigilante group calling itself  “Bolt Force” is scoring international publicity from the freeway shootings in Phoenix that the Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating.  In fact, when the group’s leader, Tony “Bolt” Rowley, is not getting stopped…

$50,000 Reward Offered for Tip that Solves the I-10 Shooting Spree

Fifteen days into an investigation of a shooting spree on Phoenix highways, the Arizona Department of Public Safety announced Monday afternoon that it’s increasing the reward for information or tips that lead to the arrest of the person or people targeting vehicles. The reward, previously $20,000, is now $50,000, and…

Escaped Slaves Detail Kayla Mueller’s Abuse by ISIS

Before raping her for the first time, the leader of the Islamic State terrorist group informed Arizona aid worker Kayla Mueller that she must marry him or die. Zeinat, a 16-year-old Yazidi girl who was held captive with Mueller, related the story to CNN softly, striking blue eyes looking out…

Murdered Transgender Phoenix Woman May Have Been Victim of Hate Crime

After years of struggling with her gender identity, 35-year-old Kandis Capri, a transgender Phoenix woman, was finally getting her life together. She had resumed attending church and was enrolled in classes at South Mountain Community College, intent on studying theology. And for the first time in years, Capri was living…

Top 10 Fascinating Things at Arizona’s Biggest Gun Show

Thousands of people flocked to the state fairgrounds in Phoenix this weekend to buy and sell firearms, swap battle stories, and update their Second Amendment-inspired T-shirt collections at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show.  For those of you who missed it, here are the 10 most interesting things we…

Three Teens Arrested in “Copycat” Incidents to I-10 Shootings

Three 18-year-olds were arrested Saturday night for using wrist rocket slingshots loaded with granite rocks to target a total of six pedestrians and seven vehicles in the Mesa and Queen Creek area. The damage, which occurred between 3 and 7 p.m., was initially investigated for any possible connection to the…

Arizona DPS to Discuss Another Possible I-10 Shooting Incident This Afternoon

The Arizona Department of Public Safety and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office will hold a joint press conference Sunday afternoon to discuss another incident possibly related to string of shootings along the Interstate 10 highway that’s terrorized Phoenix motorists for the last two weeks. This latest incident happened late Saturday night,…

FBI “Blown Away” by Sex-Slave Sting Case

Special Agent Kurt Remus has seen some bizarre cases in his career with the FBI, but “we were all blown away by the audacity” of four men who were prepared last year to buy and house female sex slaves. This week, Steven Currence of Montana became the fourth defendant sentenced…

DPS Now Questioning One Man of Interest in I-10 Shooting Spree

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is actively questioning one person of interest in association with an investigation into the ongoing Interstate 10 shooting spree. Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning DPS pulled over a vehicle in a convenient store parking lot near 107th Avenue and Indian School Road…

Two People Detained in Relation to I-10 Shooting Spree

The Arizona Department of Public Safety just announced officers have detained two “people of interest” they believe may be associated with the recent shooting spree along Interstate 10. According to DPS, the two individuals were apprehended at about 10:30 a.m. Friday morning near the intersection of 107th Avenue and Indian…

John McCain Blames President Obama for Syrian Refugee Crisis

A week after the harrowing image of Aylan Kurdi, the 3-year-old Syrian boy whose dead body washed up on shore in Turkey, Arizona Senator John McCain took to the Senate floor to blame President Barack Obama’s administration for the Syrian refugee crisis. “Let’s be clear,” he said, “the current crisis…

Interstate 10 Shootings: 11 Cars Shot (and Counting…)

Well, this is getting frightening, huh? The Department of Public Safety just confirmed that 11 vehicles have been hit by what looks what is now being called “the I-10 Shooter.” Beginning on August 29, vehicles on Interstate 10 seem to have become de facto target practice for an unknown individual…

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper Upbeat on Marijuana Legalization

In a sign that may bode well for legalization in Arizona next year, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper sounds surprisingly upbeat about his state’s bold marijuana law in an interview with our sister publication, Westword. Opponents of planned ballot measures in Arizona for the November 2016 election often point to Colorado…

Paul Babeu’s Dark Money Group Is All About…Paul Babeu

So here’s a giant surprise, Pinal County Sheriff and unannounced candidate for U.S. Congress Paul Babeu is the “honorary chairman,” of a dark money, 501(c)4 non-profit that is pimping….yes, you guessed it, Paul Babeu.  Babeu’s new Arizona Security and Prosperity Project’s website promises that the group will pursue “public advocacy for…

Citizens Blast Phoenix’s Plan to Hire More Cops

Will hiring 425 new Phoenix police officers come at the expense of greater accountability and better civilian-officer relations? Or will more officers mean less violent crime and a safer city?  Amid a national conversation about law enforcement’s use of force policies and frightening statistics about the Phoenix Police Department’s record…

Latino Activists Push for Anti-Racial-Profiling Law in Arizona

When a U.S. District Court judge rejected claims that the so-called “show me your papers” section of Arizona’s controversial 2010 immigration law discriminated against Latinos, DeeDee Garcia Blase’s first thought was: “What the heck just happened? This state clearly has a racial-profiling problem!” Her second: “We have to prove it!”…

Internet-Gambling Crackdown in Arizona Takes Out “Wi-Fi Cafes”

The strip-mall computer casino in Phoenix has no business name on its door. The most prominent sign on the glass storefront warns patrons not to loiter. Two heavy blankets hang from the ceiling just inside the front doors, blocking light and any view of the interior from the parking lot…