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:…
Arizona State University president Michael Crow released a public statement slamming Governor Doug Ducey’s proposed cuts to higher-education funding. Ducey was elected on a promise to get the state in better financial shape, and more than half of the money in budget cuts Ducey is proposing comes from higher education,…
A National Youth Front member, identifying himself as “John Hess,” has admitted to fliering Arizona State University’s Tempe campus with images of ASU English Professor Lee Bebout, labeling the teacher “Anti-White.” During a conversation we had via Facebook, Hess said he is the hooded individual seen in a video on…
Prohibitionists have been creating a mythology around the dreaded “marihuana” since the Harry Anslinger days. But we’ve found that even knowledgeable cannabis connoisseurs may harbor some magical thinking about weed. Here’s our take on the Top 10 myths:…
In the latest effort to foil the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange, activists are asking President Obama to designate Oak Flat a national monument. The area, which is part of Tonto National Forest, is a historically significant and sacred spot for many Native American tribes, as well as a well-known rock-climbing…
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’ve got folks from all…
Arizona lawmakers are looking to close a loophole that prevents police from pulling over drivers with a busted taillight. This loophole was realized a few years ago, when a Tucson man beat a DUI charge after the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that the state law is ambiguous when it…
A shake-up is underway at the newly created Arizona Department of Child Safety two weeks after a new director was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey. The move comes as rumors fly about how and why the new director, Greg McKay, replaced Charles Flanagan, who was fired earlier this month. On…
There was a massive funeral procession over the weekend for Patrick Eberhardt, a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club who was shot and killed earlier this month. Eberhardt was among a group of six bikers wearing Hells Angels insignia on their clothing who were riding on Bell Road toward…
Stacey Jenner has been teaching special education in Peoria for 13 years, but, because of repeated cuts to Arizona’s K-12 education budget, her paycheck has grown just $8 since the day she signed on. When the mother of two learned that Governor Doug Ducey’s Fiscal Year 2015-2016 budget proposal slashes…
As I’ve been doing a lot more business in the city of Santa Ana (one of the most Mexican cities in the United States), I’ve realized that a shitload of Mexicans are Fox News-type conservatives, yakking out the same kind of shit you hear at a Glenn Beck conference except…
The Enchanted Island Amusement Park in Phoenix’s Encanto Park may close on May 31. The owners of the park — which originally was called Kiddieland when it opened in 1948 — posted the news on Facebook today. However, city officials say it’s not closing…
How much power do Republicans in Arizona need, for cryin’ out loud? They own every statewide office in Arizona, including the governor’s, and they have majorities in both chambers of the legislature, squirting out crazy bills with astonishing regularity. The Rs currently boast a 5-4 advantage in U.S. House members…
State workplace-safety investigators didn’t recommend any serious safety citations against an Arizona gun range where a 9-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed an instructor last year. The 9-year-old girl was being instructed on how to fire the gun at a gun range called Sam’s Shooters Emporium II in White Hills,…
An outright ban on photo-radar cameras in Arizona was shot down this week by lawmakers. Senate Bill 1167, the latest of several attempts by some lawmakers to severely restrict or eliminate the photo-radar systems, failed on a preliminary vote in the Senate, with 13 in favor of the ban, and…
Sarah Palin’s new video ad for the Sportsman Channel’s Amazing America show shows the former vice presidential candidate hitchhiking in the middle of the desert. Except as every Phoenician would know, the right-wing celeb is actually in Central Phoenix, at Papago Park…
Arizona lawmakers may prevent police from forcing someone to unlock their phone with a fingerprint without a warrant. A recent court case in Virginia brought up the possibility that there are situations in which police could force someone to unlock their phone with a fingerprint, like with Apple’s TouchID, but…
Leaders of Occupy Oak Flat say they won’t give up until the U.S. government repeals the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange. The San Carlos Apache Tribe, leading a three-week protest at the Oak Flat Campground, vows to remain there until the federal government bends. The controversial exchange gave Australian-British mining company…
On Monday, the Arizona State Senate approved a bill amendment that would legalize nunchuks, firearm silencers, and sawed-off shotguns. Since silencers don’t work Hollywood-style and most people wielding nunchuks are more likely to injury their testicles than an assault victim, it’s the sawed-off shotgun part that really got our attention…
The Arizona Senate yesterday passed a bill that would significantly delay the release of the identities of officers involved in deadly shootings. Senate Bill 1445 would keep the officer’s identity under wraps for 90 days following any incident “that involves the use of deadly physical force,” and results in the…
