As regional director of the Arizona office of the Anti-Defamation League, Bill Straus has been a rock, a stalwart opponent of hate in a river of acquiescers, squirmers, and equivocators. During the ongoing immigration debate in this state, many in public life caught a serious case of rubber spine or…
A scorching, 120-degree breeze stirs dust in the streets before passing through the windowless ruins of former mansions on the flanks of Camelback Mountain. The largest ghost town in history extends to every horizon of the Valley of the Sun — now a superheated no man’s land of crumbling walls,…
A scorching, 120-degree breeze stirs dust in the streets before passing through the windowless ruins of former mansions on the flanks of Camelback Mountain. The largest ghost town in history extends to every horizon of the Valley of the Sun — now a superheated no man’s land of crumbling walls,…
Arizona’s medical-marijuana dispensaries sold more than 2.5 tons of marijuana in the past 12 months, officials say. From December 6th, 2012 — opening day for the state’s first state-authorized dispensary, Arizona Organix — to December 9th of this year, 5,279 pounds of marijuana were sold, according to the Arizona Department…
Marijuana legalization in Arizona is either clearly supported by most people, or clearly not supported by most people, depending on which poll results you look at.Although two polls released earlier this year seemed to show most people were on-board with legalization, a poll released today says the opposite…
New campaign-contribution limits set this year by lawmakers will go into effect.Despite Arizona voters choosing to limit campaign contributions in 1998 by approving the Clean Elections Act, Republican lawmakers passed a bill raising the limits. That drew a lawsuit from the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission and others, who argued…
On behalf of the activists from Citizens for a Better Arizona, Santa Claus delivered sacks of coal to the offices of Governor Jan Brewer and Department of Economic Security Director Clarence Carter.It looks like Carter didn’t make Santa’s good list for his leadership of Child Protective Services, which ignored more…
In the past year, the Phoenix area has been compared to other cities around the country in many different studies and rankings.From best places to live to traffic and economic outlook, here are some of the best ways Phoenix beats out the rest of the country:…
A Tempe police officer was arrested this weekend after allegedly driving drunk at more than 120 mph in a bid to outrun on-duty officers.Then, authorities say, Tempe Police Officer Garrett Peterson posted $10,000 bond and led law enforcement on another high-speed chase, this time near Yuma…
The head of the team tasked with watching and helping Child Protective Services process more than 6,500 ignored cases says 119 cases that were previously sitting on the shelf actually necessitated an “immediate response.”Charles Flanagan, the director of Arizona’s juvenile corrections, who’s been assigned by the governor to run a…
In a precursor to a lawsuit, several residents of Yarnell have filed notices of claim with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, alleging their homes were destroyed due to inept and negligent firefighter management earlier this year.The notices come from the Scottsdale law firm Knapp & Roberts, the same firm that’s…
2013 hasn’t been the greatest year for Sheriff Joe Arpaio.From getting roughed up by a sidewalk to being on the losing end of a huge civil-rights lawsuit, check out our top-10 Arpaio stories of the year:…
A video that captures the Granite Mountain Hotshots’ last radio transmissions has been released, among other documentation from the Yarnell Hill Fire.The radio transmissions are captured by another firefighter’s helmet camera…
We shouldn’t be surprised that former Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon appears to be exploring a possible run for mayor. This is the same elected official who tried a few times, albeit futilely, to extend the city’s two-term limit for mayor. During a recent television appearance on 12 News “Sunday Square…
Newly released documents from the investigation released by the Arizona State Forestry Division describe widespread confusion among those at the scene of the deadly Yarnell Hill Fire.Although the report itself has been widely discounted for investigators’ refusal to assess any blame for the events that led up to the deaths…
This year was an important year for marijuana-related issues in Arizona.Some of the most important battles of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act were fought this year, and there appears to be a future for legalization. Check out the top 10 marijuana stories from New Times this year:…
Welcome to Courthouse Update, a weekly rundown of goings-on at the Maricopa County Superior Court.This week, former Phoenix cop Richard Chrisman pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a teacher got probation in a student-sex case, and more:…
Five storefront poker operations in the west Valley were raided on Thursday evening as part of a months-long investigation into suspected illegal gaming. As New Times reported last December in our cover story, “Off the Reservation,” numerous poker operations around the Valley — almost all on the west side –…
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:…
Immigration? Yeah, that’s the big issue everyone’s forgotten about, considering that the U.S. Senate bill on immigration is swimming about as fast as as a flounder in the mud toward realization. The hope is that the U.S. House will take another stab at offering up its version, or versions, next…
The U.S. House of Representatives easily approved a bipartisan budget agreement yesterday that, as advertised, would prevent a potential government shutdown for the next two years.Despite the House voting in favor of the bill by an “overwhelming margin,” if the vote were left to Arizona’s nine House members, it would…
Christine Jones’ much-criticized 2011 essay in support of the Stop Online Piracy Act has disappeared from her personal website since New Times pointed it out. Jones, the former Go Daddy general counsel now running for Arizona governor, had been vilified by legions of Internet users following the essay’s initial appearance…
