The folks at the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington D.C. sent us their informative year-end report in the aftermath of our recent piece on 93-year-old Viva Leroy Nash, the senior member of death row here in Arizona and nationwide. It shows that U.S. executions are down more than 60 pecent…
Our anonymous buddies at the Republican news release headquarters, a.k.a. Sonoran Alliance blog, are reporting that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will run for state attorney general in 2010. UPDATE: Jason Rose, spokesman and campaign consultant for Thomas, pretty much confirmed the Sonoran Alliance report, which Rose says was probably…
Here’s an idea: play Shaquille O’Neal every third game. The other idea would be to play him only against Milwaukee (he scored 27 and 35 points in two games against the Bucks this season), but that wouldn’t be cost-effective for a guy making $20 million a year. After missing two…
On her way out, Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano peeves Republicans with a gift to state employees: “Meet-and-confer” status for their unions, which requires managers and administrators to bargain with union bosses. Weirdo Life Teen Founder Dale Fushek is excommunicated by the church that made him monsignor. A bad economy, or…
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: John McCain Campaign Info Left in BlackBerry Phone Sold to Reporter…
A chicken (activist Chris Fleischman) is interrogated by plainclothes po-po.According to witnesses and a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, four members of Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability, an activist group critical of the BOS and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, were arrested this morning while sitting quietly in…
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge today rejected a bid by County Attorney Andrew Thomas to change a judge in the politically loaded criminal case of County Supervisor Don Stapley. Thomas (pictured) feels retired Judge Kenneth Fields, assigned to the Stapley case, is biased against Thomas. New Times has also learned that one…
Kids, this is why paying attention to the small details is important. The one school redistricting scheme on the ballot that seemed to have passed in last month’s election has been shot down because the state’s redistricting law uses the phrase “qualified electors” where it should say “voters.” Martin Schultz (pictured), chair…
BlackBerry phones caused John McCain a bit of embarrassment several months ago after one of John McCain’s campaign staffers said incorrectly that the Arizona Senator “helped create” them. Now it seems his former campaign workers can’t even figure out how to erase private data on the devices before putting them up for sale. A BlackBerry purchased…
Restoring Phoenix’s Papago Golf Course was $6 million well spent, says a Houston-based writer at a national golf Web site. Mike Bailey of travelgolf.com raves about the new look of the course — which re-opened on December 6 — in an article today, saying it “takes you back to the good old…
Is it just me, or is MacEachern looking more and more like the old dood from Family Guy these days?Here’s a big surprise, the Republic’s lead curmudgeon Doug “Mossback” MacEachern doesn’t like it that the New York Times recently labeled Cactus Country a “State of Fear,” due to our loss…
A state appellate court ruling has given new life to a lawsuit filed by the tiny Havasupai nation over blood samples that the tribe was told would be used for the study of tribal diabetes but instead were used for other research. Back in 2004, we wrote “Indian Givers,” a chilling yarn about how…
So, when Mike D’Antoni leads his New York Knicks out of the tunnel and onto the hardwood at the Purple Palace, will you boo him or will you cheer him? What’s the etiquette for a man who abandoned a listing ship? Sure, following the Suns’ first-round playoff ouster by…
Quarterback Kurt Warner was on his ass all day thanks to an Arizona Cardinals offensive line that couldn’t have held off Brophy Prep. Offensive lines can make or break football teams, and Arizona’s broke its team’s back Sunday afternoon. It’s a lucky thing no official stats are kept on offensive linemen because these guys would…
Correcting injustice: The city of Phoenix becomes the second Arizona city to create a domestic partner registry, making it easier for gay partners to visit each other in the hospital. Cops identify the suspects in a bar shooting near the University of Phoenix stadium. Is it possible to watch the video…
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: Collection of Bombs Astounds Authorities: What’s in Your Neighbor’s House?…
This was supposed to be a Democratic Party year, even in Arizona. Barack Obama was energizing young voters. The state party was flush with cash — eventually spending $1.4 million on state and county races. Meanwhile, the Republican Party couldn’t seem to raise any dough. But the GOP kicked ass anyway…
The Wednesday work stoppage planned by gay rights advocates to protest the ban on same-sex marriage in California (and Arizona, we presume) went unnoticed by some of the Valley’s largest employers. Nationally — even in San Francisco’s famously gay Castro District — few called in sick to work, according to an…
Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings ain’t nothing to eff with. Now that the Arizona Cardinals are division champeens for the first time in 33 years, we offer this plea: Don’t screw this up, y’all. Though the Cards put a lockdown on the NFC West last weekend, there’s still a…
Obviously, Sen. Larry Craig’s private preferences did not make him a friend to the GLBT community. Regarding Arizona Governor and soon-to-be Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, some in the gay community seem outright delusional when it comes to her appointment. I wonder if they secretly think that because many consider…
Wherever Carole Pellatt goes, she sees “chemtrails” in the sky. The talented local guitarist and rock school director is borderline-obsessed with the debunked conspiracy theory, creating Web page after Web page of pictures showing the criss-cross pattern of jet contrails against a blue sky — haze she claims may be slowly poisoning people…
Just a few of the undercover deputies used on “Smile…You’re Under Arrest!”L.A. publicists are wonderful folks. As I blogged a while back, a PR flack for the firm 5W PR contacted me in November and hooked me up with an interview with The Dirty’s Nik Richie, a.k.a., Hooman Karamian, a.k.a.,…
