As I promised in a previous blog post, I participated in a national conference call this morning, which featured the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, Pablo Alvarado of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Rev. William Barber…
A man named “Eddie” who responded to a Craigslist ad for a car on Monday drove his own vehicle into a toddler at the seller’s Phoenix home, then fled the scene, police say. The would-be buyer, who allegedly carried the injured 16-month-old boy to his parents while saying the kid had fallen down in the driveway,…
He said, she said: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard have butted heads over a U.S. Supreme Court case. Brewer wants Goddard to file a legal brief in support of a 2006 state law on funding for students who are learning English, and Goddard says Brewer has…
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: Don Stapley Case Bombshell: Andrew Thomas Refers Prosecution to Yavapai…
Swimming enthusiasts are hoping a lake competition coming to the Valley this summer and fall puts Arizona on the map for open water events. The Arizona Open Water Swim Series will begin on May 2 with 2K and 4K events in Saguaro Lake, then on to Lake Pleasant and back to Saguaro…
A funny thing happened this afternoon during the Arizona Diamondbacks’ first home regular season opener since 2005. A college baseball-like game in terms of offensive firepower and unpredictability broke out. (All that was missing were those annoying aluminum pings.) The storyline at Chase Field included the Colorado Rockies, the D-Backs…
KTARSucks.com’s video on Ankarlo’s homophobic tendencies. Back on March 9, I told you about my new favorite Web site KTARsucks.com. That’s the site that skewers local wing-nut hate jock Darrell Ankkkarlo and keep an eye on all the moonhowlin’ nitwittery he’s spitting on air every morn at KTAR 92.3 FM,…
Okay, we admit it: When we think of the roaring, pedal-to-the-metal high performance of race cars, a picture of Terry Goddard is about the furthest thing from our mind. Now the Phoenix International Raceway have put the two together by making the state Attorney General an honorary race official for the kickoff…
Machines turning on their human masters: It sounds like the plot of science fiction movie, but it actually happened to a Peoria punk who police say likes to burglarize vehicles. The 16-year-old was bragging to his homies about stealing from a car when his mobile phone spontaneously called the police. Perhaps his phone had a…
The left’s finally bringin’ out the big dogs to take on our racial-profilin’ Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Tomorrow in Harlem, Rev. Al Sharpton will denounce Maricopa County’s corrupt, tin-pot tyrant in a national press conference with Bertha Lewis, CEO of ACORN. Sharpton will demand Arpaio’s resignation by the end of May,…
Maricopa County leaders had little but cyncism for the surprising announcement by County Attorney Andrew Thomas this morning to hand off the Don Stapley prosecution. Trusting Thomas will be difficult despite his call for peace, says County Manager David Smith, who somehow wound up under criminal investigation during the fight. Smith says…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas is waving the white flag. He’s transferring the investigation of Don Stapley and the planned Superior Court building to Yavapai County. And he’s offering to resolve through a mediator his legal dispute about the county’s civil litigation work. The actions seem to bring this county civil war movie to…
Mark Reynolds has a giant black hole in his swing, and one that’s almost as big in his mitt. Eric Byrnes has a couple of cut-rate hammies. Chad Qualls is a 6-foot-5 question mark. The Arizona Diamondbacks face numerous issues as they head into their season-opening series against the Colorado…
They’re not statistically out of it, but the Phoenix Suns have hoisted the white flag. The good news is that that they destroyed the Sacramento Kings Friday night at US Airways Center, 139-111. But the disturbingly bad news is that they got their asses handed to them by the Mavericks Sunday afternoon in Dallas,…
The Mesa Unified School District plans to lay off 210 teachers today. The cuts do not include personnel with one-year contracts who may not be hired back anyway. A district spokesperson says the cuts will save the school district “30 to 60 million dolllars”…Rawhide Western Town will get new management…
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: “Blood Guardian” Movie Stars Local TV Reporter Mike Watkiss –…
So I roll back into town today, happy to return to the land of low humidity, and be free from the muggy swamp of D.C. I’m hoping to have a low key day, and save the venom for another time. But then I check out this clip of MCSO Sergeant…
The Don Stapley Legal Defense Fund had a “fair amount of return” from a recent fund-raising letter, says one of the fund’s trustees, Betsey Bayless (above).But the support for the Maricopa County Supervisor under indictment hasn’t come without raising some suspicions. Bayless, like other trustees of the fund, tells New…
Today’s approval of gay marriages by the Iowa Supreme Court isn’t likely to impact Arizona, says a local group that helped see a ban on such marriages approved. No legal challenges to the successful Proposition 102 are expected, says Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy. The law can…
Right-wing extremist Roy Warden is claiming credit for forcing Ruth McGregor (at left), Arizona’s Chief Justice, into retirement early — but don’t believe him.Warden, known for his violent-sounding rhetoric and penchant for burning Mexican flags, left comments with the claim on several online articles about McGregor’s decision to leave a…
Deb Gullett, former chief of staff to both Senator John McCain and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, can add another “former” to her list of titles: former ASU employee. Gullett, who’d been serving as the associate vice president for external relations for the College of Public Programs, confirmed to New…
A former sailor and Phoenix UPS driver was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison today for passing secrets to a Pakistan man who ran an Al-Qaeda recruitment Web site.Paul R. Hall, who has apparently changed his name to Hassan Abu-Jihaad, was arrested in Phoenix in 2007 and charged…
