Two siblings were killed yesterday in an auto accident on Interstatet 10 near Casa Grande. The victims were driving in a dust storm that caused a deadly pile-up wreck. Teenagers Mark and Katie Eide, were on their way to a Dairy Queen when they got caught in the storm…Gilbert police discovered thousands of…
In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Feathered Bastard: Joe Arpaio’s Longtime Foe Mary Rose Wilcox Earns Supporters’ Prayers Up on the Sun: Anyone…
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge won’t give his opinion to county leadership about those pricey special prosecutors County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants to hire.In a ruling that cuts both parties down to size (but seems to ding Thomas more), Criminal Division Judge Roland Steinle refused to block Thomas from…
Supervisor Don Stapley, one of two Maricopa County supes under criminal indictment, has hired a new defense attorney to defend him against the latest set of charges he faces from County Attorney Andrew Thomas. His name is Kurt Altman (pictured), and he earned his stripes as a feisty and successful major-felony prosecutor for about 14…
It’s not a homerun — much less a grand slam.But considering how frequently Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas have been spanked by both the appellate and Superior courts lately, we suppose today’s opinion issued by the Court of Appeals in Trombi v. Donahoe counts as a victory…
To Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio, local lawyer Edward Novak is a scoundrel — one of several conspirators in a federal racketeering lawsuit the county lawmen filed on December 1. Edward Novak To the state Supreme Court, Ed Novak is a respected master of his profession who should spend…
For women doing any last-minute Christmas shopping, you may want to consider wearing pants next time you’re shopping at the Target in Tempe Marketplace. Tempe police arrested a man that has been walking around the store using a mirror to look up women’s skirts, which is frankly one of the more creative methods of perving we’ve heard…
The sale of snake oil seems to still be a hot commodity in Sedona, despite “spiritual warrior” James Ray’s October sweat lodge ceremony that killed three people and left dozens injured. Businesses in Sedona, as well as other self-help retreats, say the sweat lodge incident hasn’t hurt business, and that it may have even helped…
The State Bar of Arizona has rejected five complaints against Maricopa County leaders submitted a few months ago by the Sheriff’s Office. MCSO Chief Deputy Dave Hendershott wrote to the State Bar with complaints against County Manager David Smith, Wade Swanson (director of general litigation office), Richard Stewart (director of special…
Country music star Jimmy Wayne is leaving Nashville and coming to the Valley, and he’s doing it the hard way — he’s walking. Wayne, responsible for trailer-park love ballads like “Stay Gone,” and “Blue and Brown,” will be leaving Nashville, Tennessee, on foot on January 1 in an attempt to walk all…
Department of Justice data is in, and federal prosecutions reached a record high in fiscal year 2009, and Arizona deserves much of the, uh, credit. In 2009, there were 169,612 federal prosecutions — more than half of them cases against illegal immigrants, according to new report from Syracuse University. Check out the…
Long before the judges and lawyers got into the act (excepting such stalwarts as Danny Ortega and Antonio Bustamante, who’ve been active since the beginning), Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox was speaking out, marching and working against Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Wilcox was instrumental in getting former Mesa Police Chief…
If Tiger Woods winds up in Wickenburg for rehab over his apparent sexual compulsion and pill addiction, local businesses are ready. As the rumor mill seems to suggest, Tiger would be checking into the Meadows Rehabilitation Center in Wickenburg just after New Year’s, and despite being a little late in covering Tiger-gate’s…
They got him! The man police believe is the infamous Peoria Pill Bandit is behind bars today, just days after cops increased the reward for information leading to his arrest from $2,000 to $5,000. Police from Glendale and Peoria announced yesterday that they had taken 43-year-old Steven E. Hochuli of Phoenix into custody on one charge…
oenix Suns fans apparently weren’t too keen on Shaquille O’Neal’s return to the Valley last night, as the one-time Big Shaqtus received plenty of boos when the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starting lineup was announced on Monday evening at U.S. Airways Center But while the 7-foot-1 center rightfully earned such derision after…
A Gilbert woman is a suspect in four separate hit-and-run collisions Monday that involved six vehicles. Kristen Rowley, 29, was driving on the 51 South approaching the Interstate 10 when she struck the first vehicle. She continued east on the freeway and struck a second vehicle, then exited and headed west…
In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Up on the Sun: Tea Leaf Green Plays The Compound on New Year’s Eve Incoming: Phoenix at…
The far-right wingnut blog Sonoran Alliance just posted a whiny e-mail from Sheriff Joe begging for campaign contributions, even though his next run for sheriff wouldn’t be until 2012. At times, he makes it sound like it’s some sort of legal defense fund. Yet Joe’s Web site notes that donators’…
In an emergency cabinet meeting today, Governor Jan Brewer laid out her latest plan to help bridge the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget gap: Releasing non-violent illegal immigrants held in the state’s prisons. Following the meeting, Brewer ordered the state’s prison director to begin releasing prisoners — a move that the governor believes will…
An estimated 300 people turned out to protest the reign of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas in front of the county courthouse today — at least two-thirds of them local attorneys.The noon rally was a surprising show of strength from a profession that generally prefers filing motions to openly agitating…
The lawyer for indicted Maricopa County Supervior Mary Rose Wilcox wants a guarantee that County Attorney Andrew Thomas won’t accuse the Pima judge assigned to the case of conspiring against him. In a motion filed today, attorney Colin Campbell asks the Superior Court to force Thomas to state publicly he won’t…
After much agonizing and gnashing of teeth, our illustrious legislators managed to give final approval to a special session bill on Saturday that will shave an additional $193 million off Arizona’s $1.6 billion state budget deficit. Good job, guys. Now just figure out what to do with the remaining $1.4…
