Glendale tax preparer Huy Phuoc Nguyen will serve 21 months in a federal prison for filing fraudulent returns on behalf of his clients and trying to blame the crime on his ex-wife. Nguyen served members of the local Vietnamese community from 2001 to 2005 through his home business, Lucky Immigration…
A 48-year-old former teacher at Tempe’s Marcos de Niza high school is at the center of an apparent love triangle with two young students that ended in murder.Accounts from court records state that Sixto Balbuena, 20, arrived unexpectedly at the home of his “girlfriend,” teacher Tamara Hofmann last Friday. After…
Vicki Christiansen, former Washington State Forester, has been appointed by Governor Jan Brewer to be the new Arizona State Forester and Director of the Arizona Division of Forestry.Brewer’s office made the announcement today, but a Google search shows Christiansen has been off and running for weeks now. On April 1,…
Maricopa County’s top oppressor of Mexicans has written the Reverend Al Sharpton a letter in response to the civil rights leader’s recent suggestion that Sheriff Joe take a long walk off a short pier career-wise, and resign from office. Unconfirmed reports have it that the sheriff went through a whole…
Average daily boardings of the Valley’s light-rail system dropped in March — a bad sign with the heat of summer and a substantial fare hike still weeks away.Stats just released by Metro Light Rail estimate that 972,962 riders boarded the system in March. That’s an average daily boarding of 31,386…
No degree for Obama, Arizona State University’s President Michael Crow decided after a couple of days’ second-guessing in the face of intense criticism.Instead, an hours-long meeting between university officials on Friday apparently has led to an unexpected “honor:” A scholarship will be named after the country’s first Black president. Whoo-hoo.We’re…
A disturbing trend is emerging in Arizona Diamondbacks land, one that fans have seen before in these parts. What we’re talking about is the team’s inability to produce enough runs per game to win. Dropping nine on the Los Angeles Dodgers during Friday’s 9-4 victory — a win that featured…
The Arizona Department of Transportation says federal stimulus money will create 6,020 construction jobs statewide, but that doesn’t come close to filling the gap left by the 77,000 statewide layoffs in construction over the past two years…The Phoenix Suns rebounded from Friday’s 89-106 defeat by the Memphis Grizzlies to beat…
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: Death Penalty: Judge Outlines Reason Cases Take Years to Complete…
The presidents of the state’s three universities want students to help cover a financial shortfall due to state budget cuts by paying more in fees. President Michael Crow of Arizona State University wrote in a letter to the Arizona Board of Regents that students should pay an extra $600…
The Arizona Republic ran a full-page ad in Spanish yesterday, making some newspaper readers wonder, “Que?” No, it wasn’t a test or an exercise in making non-bilingual gringos feel ignorant. The newspaper published the wrong ad, states a large correction notice on page A14 that’s opposite of the same full-page…
Arizona State University President Michael Crow and other ASU officials have been in a long meeting this afternoon to decide how to best honor President Barack Obama when he arrives to give a commencement speech, say his secretary. Crow (pictured) and ASU have been the target of jokes and…
Arizona Attorney magazine published an article this month on the complexities of death penalty cases in Maricopa County and why they take so long to resolve. The article, by Superior Court Judge Robert Gottsfield and Marianne Alcorn, a scholar at Arizona State University, is “required reading” on the subject, says the…
John Gray has fought for years to hold the state’s Child Protective Agency accountable for the 2005 death of his young daughter and honor the girl’s memory. The Ahwatukee man became an activist after his 4-year-old daughter, Haley (pictured), became locked accidently in a sweltering minivan and died while…
In the face of a barrage of criticism from nativist and right-wing groups angered by his recent testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Mesa Police Chief George Gascon has today released a statement justifying his actions, saying that he was invited by Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, and that…
Local lawyer and former State Senator Chuck Blanchard will be returning to Washington D.C. soon to serve as the general counsel to the Air Force. Blanchard, a partner with the firm Perkins Coie, previously worked under the Clinton administration as general counsel to the Army and chief counsel to the…
A caller on KISS-FM (a.k.a. KZZP, 104.7-FM) this week who claimed to have witnessed a 1988 Kentucky murder may have been lying, say police. Phoenix homicide detectives interviewed the caller this morning. In a news release that seems to beat around several bushes, cops say “statements were made that he…
Commenters on a Sonoran Alliance blog post about Jesse Kelly, a Republican who wants to run against Gabrielle Giffords for Arizona’s Congressional District 8, point out an amusing conservative faux pax on the guy’s Web site. Conservatives usually try to corner the market on family values, but Kelly’s a guy…
The folks that put thousands in Phoenix’s streets February 28 to protest Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the 287(g) program are ready to do it again May 2, with Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha slated to participate as he did before.The difference this time is that the…
Meet the Beatle. This funky cat donned a wig to rob the Chase Bank near Indian Bend and Scottsdale Road yesterday afternoon, say Scottsdale police on their Web site. No weapon was seen — the bloke just passed a demand note to the teller, who gave him some cash. He…
The National League West might have three of the top players in the game in L.A.’s Manny Ramirez, San Francisco’s Tim Lintecum, and Arizona’s Brandon Webb, but it remains one of the sorriest divisions in the bigs. The West’s two presumptive contenders, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, flip-flopped division titles the…
“We’re still going to play to win games. I told them, ‘We’re all paid a lot of money and we’re supposed to be professional, so we’re going to play out the season right.'” So said Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry previous to Wednesday night’s game in New Orleans against…
