Zander Welton Wins Arizona Medical-Marijuana Extracts Case

In a ruling with wide impact on the Arizona medical-marijuana program, Zander Welton and his family have won their battle to provide extracts to the boy for his seizures. The East Valley family sued on October 29 in Maricopa County Superior Court, receiving legal help from the American Civil Liberties…

Border Officers Find Five Pounds of Heroin in Woman’s Underwear

Today in Found at the Border: A Mexican woman tried to cross the border in Nogales with five pounds of heroin in her underwear, according to authorities.Cristina Luna-Ramos, 38, tried to drive through the port of entry about 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Officers reported seeing something that’s never good news…

Survey: 21 Percent of Arizonans Struggle to Afford Food

More than one-in-five Arizonans reported not having enough money to buy food for themselves or for their family on at least one occasion in 2013.That finding comes from Gallup, which polled more than 178,000 people nationwide last year on a variety of subjects. A little more than 21 percent of…

Tempe City Attorney Judi Baumann Gets “A-” in Public Records Law

It’s a beautiful day here, outside of the Tempe City Hall and police department, but our blood is boiling because of the PD’s ignorance of public-records law. Tempe police apparently never got the memo Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne sent to the state in December: Taking pictures of public records…

Arizona One of Top States for Cigarette Smuggling, Report Says

Arizona ranks second in the U.S. for highest levels of cigarette smuggling, with more than 50 percent of cigarettes coming from out of state, according to a study.The report from the Tax Foundation and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy on black market cigarette sales estimates that more than 51…

Glendale Woman Gave STD to Boy, 13 — and She’s Pregnant, Says Report

The 23-year-old Glendale woman we told you about Thursday, Anna Areola-Hernandez (or “Tiny Hernandez,” as she called herself on Facebook), gave a 13-year-old boy an undisclosed STD, and she believes she’s pregnant with his child, a police report says. She’s been in contact with other boys, cops state…

Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week: Get Mad

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, all of our alleged offenders get…

Kimberly Yee and Sheila Polk Use Power to Prop Up Marijuana Prohibition

Arizonans who want to fight marijuana legalization in this state have two strong allies in powerful positions: State Senator Kimberly Yee and Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk. Like would-be leaders of a modern-day women’s temperance movement, the two Arizona politicians share a strong belief that cannabis users deserve to be…

SB 1062 Was the Best Thing to Happen for Arizona’s LGBT Community

Within hours of Arizona’s Republican-dominated Legislature’s approving a measure that established a legal defense for business owners to discriminate based on a “sincerely held religious belief,” thousands of gay-rights advocates flocked to the lush green lawn at the state Capitol in Phoenix. It was February 21, and they united to…

Ask a Mexican on Mexican Dessert and Jaime Escalante

What’s the story with Mexican pastries? Like most cultures, Mexicans seem to be cribbing from the French, but pan dulce just winds up tasting like a dinner roll with a little icing on top. So many other parts of Mexican cuisine emphasize strong flavors. Why must the best part of…

Half-Baked ABC 15 Report Misses the Complete Story on Florence Cops

An ABC 15 reporter told viewers a story earlier this month about two former Florence detectives who’d botched cases so badly that the Pinal County Attorney’s Office couldn’t prosecute them. Only no one has been able to cite what the cases were about. “The County Attorney’s Office says it had…

SB 1062 Was the Best Thing to Happen for Arizona’s LGBT Community

Within hours of Arizona’s Republican-dominated Legislature’s approving a measure that established a legal defense for business owners to discriminate based on a “sincerely held religious belief,” thousands of gay-rights advocates flocked to the lush green lawn at the state Capitol in Phoenix. It was February 21, and they united to…

Arizona’s Pro-Tesla Bill Suddenly Back in Play

Though the bill proposed at the Arizona Legislature to legalize the sale of Tesla vehicles in the state essentially died, it’s suddenly been brought back to life.The move happens to come just as Arizona and Texas became considered two of four finalists for a large battery factory planned by the…