Arizona lawmakers yesterday approved a bill that would prevent the state’s cities and towns from banning or taxing plastic bags. Some states and cities have implemented bans and taxes on the bags to mitigate the waste or other environmental impacts, and it’s been reported recently that such bans are being…
The prestigious Columbia Journalism School is offering a one-sided, two-day training camp about guns next month in Phoenix for select reporters across the country. “Covering Guns and Gun Violence,” hosted by the school’s Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and funded by ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, offers 30…
At the end of the week, we bring you a roundup of visitors to the desert’s own Fourth Avenue Jail. To be considered for our Maricopa County mugshots of the week, get arrested, strike a pose, and we’ll take care of the rest. This week, we find a whole range…
Former Minuteman leader and accused child molester Chris Simcox started his Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court trying to get Judge Jose Padilla kicked off his case, claiming Padilla favored the prosecution, was a member of La Raza, and therefore was biased against him. Simcox’s request quickly was denied by…
A Phoenix cop won’t be charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black man late last year. Rumain Brisbon was fatally shot at an apartment complex on December 2 after a scuffle with Phoenix Police Officer Mark Rine. Police said the officer thought Brisbon was reaching for a gun…
Against a backdrop of purple and orange-banded clouds, a line of people slowly entered the Men’s Overflow Shelter on Madison Street in downtown Phoenix for the last time. The area was eerily quiet for that time of day. No one shouted, no fights broke out in the street — even…
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has vetoed a bill that would have banned police departments from setting quotas for traffic tickets. Though there have been reports of ticket quotas across the country, the same reports haven’t been coming out of Arizona, which Ducey mentions in his veto explanation. “While quotas for…
Why do so many cholos like the song “I’m Your Puppet” by James & Bobby Purify? Is there something about this song or is it all oldies they like? Aspiring Puppeteer It ain’t just cholos who are down with oldies-but-goodies. Mexican-Americans of all social classes have largely kept alive that…
It was one of those phone calls that, even before you pick it up, you know will bring bad news. Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Daniel Hudson woke up to that call from the team doctor in early June 2013. Hudson was nearing the end of a yearlong rehabilitation process for…
Thousands upon thousands of votes aren’t counted every election year in Arizona, according to a new report. The Arizona Advocacy Network, which is run by a onetime Democratic politician, released a report detailing how Arizona’s election laws affect voter turnout, and it doesn’t look good — through public records and…
Alleged child molester, ex-Minuteman jefe, and one-time Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chris Simcox is demanding that a Maricopa County superior court judge allow him to interrogate his alleged child victims in an upcoming trial. In a recently filed motion, Simcox, 54, rejected the county attorney’s attempt to shield the girls,…
The girlfriend of a highly touted Arizona State University football recruit publicly recanted claims yesterday that her boyfriend assaulted her. Davon Durant, a junior college transfer ranked by multiple recruiting services as the nation’s top junior college linebacker, was suspended indefinitely from the team last month after his arrest on…
Governor Doug Ducey’s approval of a new law that would force doctors to inform women that a medication-induced abortion can be reversed has the healthcare community roiling. The statute he signed into law Monday, formerly known as Senate Bill 1318, draws its theory from a case study published in the…
Another attempt to ban the Common Core standards in Arizona schools has been voted down by state lawmakers. The Arizona Senate yesterday voted 16-13 to defeat a bill that would have banned the standards from being used in schools, thanks to a few Republican senators who joined the Democrats in…
Governor Doug Ducey vetoed a bill that opponents say would have significantly weakened the state’s animal-cruelty laws. After much outcry from many animal-rights groups and their supporters, Ducey vetoed House Bill 2150 on Monday, Ducey’s first veto in office. “I know we all agree that animal cruelty is inexcusable, unacceptable,…
Late Monday afternoon, Governor Doug Ducey vetoed state Senate Bill 1445, which would have prevented Arizona police departments from revealing the names of officers involved in violent incidents for 60 days. After successfully passing through the state Legislature last week, the bill was transferred to the Governor’s Office, and action…
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery advocated a reason based on religion for keeping cannabis illegal and called a veteran an “enemy” at a recent debate. You can watch the entire 90-minute, March 23 debate between Montgomery and lawyer Marc Victor and judge for yourself who won. Montgomery lost the debate…
U.S. Senator John McCain says in a new fundraising pitch that he hasn’t decided whether to run for a sixth term in the upper chamber of Congress. But he has decided that he wants whatever you got in your wallet, pally. Twenty-five simoleons? Why, that’ll do nicely. I mean, it’s…
A Phoenix man went into his neighbor’s yard and shot at his dog at least five times, killing the animal, police say. According to court documents obtained by New Times, 27-year-old Rickey Sierra encountered both of his neighbors on his way to kill the dog. First, he pointed the gun…
The trial for Jessica Burlew, a 17-year-old autistic and schizophrenic teen charged with second-degree murder, was slated to begin this week but has been pushed back to July 8. Burlew’s case made headlines last year after she was arrested for strangling a 43-year-old man, Jason Ash, during what she says…
Say you’re in a relationship, and things are going well. Your boyfriend is staying night after night until, before you know it, he’s pretty much moved in. Life is bliss, except for one thing: Your landlord doesn’t like Prince Charming. Is this a problem? Critics of a bill zipping through…
Now more than a week into Spring, we’ve developed a conspiracy theory — Spring doesn’t actually exist in Phoenix. Here are 10 pieces of evidence that we don’t have a Spring season:…
