UPDATE 7:08 p.m.: Reports out of Tucson say the charges have been dropped. Three activists who rally against alleged abuses by federal border authorities want prosecutors to drop charges stemming from a run-in between the two sides in May. Shena Gutierrez — whose husband suffered severe injuries including brain damage…
Thomas has nearly as many skeletons in his closet as the Catacombs of Paris, and he’s hoping if he can just keep yammering about “illegals” and “the gay lobby,” he’ll avoid having to talk about them. Thomas isn’t considered likely to win even the Republican primary, despite the crowded field…
I’m a handsome exemplar of the bronce race living in the motherland. I’m dating a beautiful and wonderful gringuita who is soon taking a trip over the border from the U.S. to Mexico for the first time to visit me, and my pinche big family. There are a couple of…
An atheist organization claims there’s a “significant religious bias” in a Queen Creek charter school run by Republican state Representative Eddie Farnsworth. The American Humanist Association’s legal team sent a letter on behalf of a family to Farnsworth and the Benjamin Franklin Charter School, asking that the seemingly religion-heavy curriculum…
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has a fierce following among certain women. In fact, the guy’s got a whole cadre of gals willing to do his bidding, a veritable Praetorian Guard of political hatchet-ladies. Kathleen Winn, Horne’s outreach director and co-defendant in his campaign finance case, comes to mind. A…
Peter Steinmetz says he was just trying to make a political point when he brought a fully loaded AR-15 into the airport on July 25, but he won’t repeat the act. Police arrested the Barrow Neurological Institute brain researcher on suspicion of disorderly conduct with a firearm, alleging the muzzle…
The Phoenix-area housing market has slumped for nearly a year now, according to the latest real estate report from the Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice at Arizona State University. “Demand has been much weaker since July 2013 and as yet shows little to no sign of recovery,” the…
Fortunately, I’ve not had to get too close to Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne lately, as the stench of desperation coming off the guy is practically visible, like the cloud of dirt that followed around Charlie Brown’s pal Pig Pen in the old Peanuts comic strip. Horne clearly hopes a…
A Mesa police officer has been indicted on three felony sex-crime offenses, all of which allegedly occurred while he was on duty. Justin Cherry, 34, is charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual molestation of a child…
Phoenix police arrested twin brothers on Wednesday in connection with a series of Valley bank robberies, including one committed under police surveillance. The arrest appears to solve the case of the so-called “High-Jump Bandit,” whose prolific robberies prompted authorities to seek help from the media in late July. Alan Michael…
Convicted murderer Joseph Wood was given 15 doses of lethal-injection drugs during the course of an execution that lasted nearly two hours on July 23.This appears to be a violation of the state’s lethal-injection protocol, which says “an additional dose of the lethal chemical(s)” may be used if the first…
Attorney General Tom Horne wants to take a legal battle against Planned Parenthood of Arizona all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The two are fighting over a law passed by the Arizona Legislature in 2012 that would force physicians to follow the original FDA approval guidelines for…
At some Arizona high schools, the powers that be decided not to choose some tired old mascot like the Bears or Eagles.Instead, some high schools decided to branch out and pick something different, and years later, they’ve landed on New Times’ list of the 10 worst high school mascots in…
In case you missed any news action this week, we’ve got you covered.Here’s our recap of the most-read news stories of the week:…
GOP gubernatorial hopeful Christine Jones held a tele-town hall Monday night to address criticisms being leveled at her campaign from fellow Republicans. She deserves points for the effort, though with National Review Online digging up an old Facebook post of hers from 2012, encouraging people to “get excited” about Obama’s…
Activists say authorities’ response to the alleged rape of a transgender woman at an immigrant detention facility in Eloy was unacceptable.Marichuy, whose legal name is Jesus Leal Gamino, claims she was sexually assaulted by her cellmate last month at the Eloy Detention Center, after she says she warned detention staff…
The debate over Common Core has been central to the race for State Superintendent of Public Education, and one challenger of incumbent John Huppenthal’s claims that his opponent is sending mixed signals on exactly where he stands…
Ersula Ore, the assistant professor at Arizona State University whose violent arrest became national news because of a viral video, was sentenced today to nine months’ supervised probation. Ore pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of passively resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. She’d been charged originally by the Maricopa…
Facebook went down this morning in an apparent worldwide outage, throwing social media users into a panic and boosting the use of rival site Twitter. With no Facebook on which to share thoughts for — what, about 23 minutes? — Twitter was abuzz with various quips and laments about the…
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, prepare for weirdness. Enjoy…
Peter Steinmetz, the brain scientist arrested last week after bringing an AR-15 to the airport, plans to address reporters at a Monday news conference. Steinmetz is scheduled to appear and give a public statement at 3 p.m. Monday at the law office of Marc Victor, 3920 South Alma School Road,…
Local McDonald’s workers rallied for higher wages, better working conditions, and the right to unionize without retaliation at a press conference this morning. The workers are involved in the Fight for 15 campaign, a drive to push McDonald’s and other fast-food chains to pay workers 15 dollars per hour…
