In case all the ocelots, jaguars, and Mexican spotted owls are starting to feel too safe, the Arizona Committee on Military Affairs and Public Safety is stepping in, having passed a memorial to modify the rules and provisions of the Endangered Species Act. SCM 1009 encourages Congress to exempt U.S…
Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego and others are calling on Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich to end a lawsuit that seeks to end in-state tuition for young people who have been granted relief from deportation. Although many Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in Arizona have been educated their entire…
For the second time in two weeks, hundreds of students, parents, and teachers descended on the Arizona Capitol to protest cuts to the state’s education budget. “Doug Ducey step off it!” they shouted, marching around the Capitol courtyard waving brightly colored signs. “Put students over profit!” Legislators are mulling over…
It took three hours of debate and discussion, but the Arizona House subcommittee on Military Affairs and Public Safety passed SB 1445, the controversial bill allowing the name of an officer involved in a deadly or violent incident to be withheld for 90 days. “This is a very, very important–and…
Three men are accused of harassing and herding antelopes with a helicopter near Prescott last August, possibly to help a guided hunting outfit. A group of hunters in the area reported seeing a black-and-red helicopter buzz herds and solitary antelopes repeatedly on August 22 and 23, according to a federal…
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. Kids, don’t grow up to be these…
Sadly, I missed all the fun Tuesday at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, where demonstrators assembled to support two ASU instructors singled out by neo-Nazi groups: ASU English Professor Lee Bebout and Ph.D. candidate Robert Poe. The ASU State Press reports that on March 3, demonstrators “protested outside ASU’s Fulton…
Arizona lawmakers may form a committee to study hemp as a new major crop in the state. Hemp growing long has been illegal under federal law due to its relation to marijuana plants, even though you can’t get high from hemp. As Congress eases up on hemp restrictions, and could…
Jodi Arias will serve a life sentence after a second jury failed to reach agreement on whether or not she should be executed for the 2008 slaying of Travis Alexander. Alexander’s sister sobbed as Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens read the jury decision, which actually was a non-decision…
Jodi Arias, the California waitress whose brutal murder of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander resulted in a sensationalized Phoenix trial, is about to learn her fate. Or not. Trial watchers are waiting this morning to learn the jury verdict in the infamous murder trial — it’s supposed to be read any minute…
Arizona lawmakers are again attempting to clamp down on panhandling. The state’s anti-panhandling law passed in 2013 was struck down in the courts, while former Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a toned-down version of the law last year. Republican Senator John Kavanagh, the sponsor of both of the previous anti-panhandling bill,…
Recently, I visited a viejecita in an assisted-living home. As I’m getting on in years myself, I wondered how I would fare in such a place. Fortunately I like to eat cottage cheese, but I would like some salsa with it, or better yet, an occasional jalapeño en escabeche. Are…
The Maricopa Alliance for Housing and Shelter, a grassroots organization advocating for the homeless, is demanding conditions improve at the Men’s Overflow Shelter and adjacent East Lot immediately. The group sent a clear and strong message in a formal letter to local, county, and state officials this afternoon. Included in…
Bryan Henry was sitting in a business management class at Burlington County College when a number with an Arizona area code popped up on his phone. It was 2012, and Henry had just arrived home in New Jersey after his second season as a Diamondbacks farm hand. He darted for…
Gerry McCue gets a kick out of describing the moment last fall when he first heard the airplanes over his house. “I thought the city of Phoenix was being evacuated and I didn’t get the memo,” the 85-year-old says, opening his eyes wide for dramatic effect. Like many residents in…
The Phoenix City Council yesterday approved a major plan for expanding public transportation — including huge Light Rail extensions — and upgrading city streets. The transportation plan is estimated to cost $33 billion over the next 35 years, and would be partially funded through a sales tax increase of 0.3…
The Arizona House of Representatives yesterday passed a proposal to significantly cut the price of some speeding tickets. On a 40-20 vote, the House voted to pass House Bill 2662, which would expand one of Arizona’s lesser known laws — a ban on the “waste of finite resources.” Currently, the…
A new poll suggests marijuana legalization has “strong support” in Arizona. The poll from Arizona State University Morrison Institute for Public Policy asked Arizonans what they’d like to see done regarding marijuana in Arizona, and found that 45 percent supported full legalization, while 42 percent support a medical-only program, and…
The family of a murdered 16-year-old Phoenix girl wants to know why people who had a role in the girl’s shooting are still on the streets. Niani Allen was in a car that was stopped at a red light the night of February 23, when an SUV pulled up alongside…
Last weekend, more than 50 people sat on folding chairs in the Andre House dining room to discuss, among other things, the upcoming closure of the Men’s Overflow Shelter March 31. The community event was hosted by the Maricopa Alliance for Shelter, and Housing and began with comments from Bruce…
Despite the rain, demonstrators took to the state capitol today to protest a proposed tax break for certain religious groups. The bill, pushed by the notorious Center for Arizona Policy, was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer after it was passed by lawmakers last year. The House of Representatives already passed…
If Phoenix has an arch-nemesis, it’s obviously Los Angeles. To that, we can tell you the top 10 reasons why Phoenix is much better than Los Angeles:…
