Street SceneNo more run of the mill: Now, if we could only do something about those jaywalking car sales people at the dealerships around 12th Street and Camelback (“Urban Menace, or Artistic Vision?” Patti Epler, July 11). I find myself dodging guys in white shirts and flying neckties every day…
For a while, it seemed, future archaeologists excavating this place would find nothing but sports arenas, parking garages and auto malls. Ringed by Indian casinos. But now, if all goes as planned, they might find the remnants of cleverly designed bridges, parks and trails — concrete and steel monuments to…
When PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) calls, The Spike gets visions of veggie burgers and rabid protesters throwing paint on fur. Yawn. But The Spike was actually intrigued by the latest stunt from the PETA people. Brandi Valladolid, a Scottsdale native and PETA activist, was going to…
Severe budget cuts have gutted the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency, and its executive director says he’s “deeply concerned” that the agency no longer will be able to do its job adequately. “It’s like a graveyard in here,” Duane Belcher says, gesturing to empty cubicles and vacated offices. “Doing what…
Man of PrincipleLegal wrangling: I would like to comment briefly on your July 4 cover story on my disbarment (“Old Glory,” Amy Silverman). Other than an excessive number of “cheap shots” at my housekeeping practices, the story is basically accurate — even if not comprehensive and complete. But there are…
The Spike has been following with great interest all the media rubbernecking at the Rodeo-Chedeski fire. While The Arizona Republic is covering one of the biggest natural disasters in Arizona history like it’s a plane crash — using half of its considerable staff to pump out relatively meaningless profiles of…
WHITERIVER — The Rodeo-Chediski fire has inflicted a blow upon the White Mountain Apache more powerful than death itself. The well-documented losses of homes and businesses suffered by the off-reservation communities strung across the edge of the Mogollon rim has been terrible. But the impact to the White Mountain Apache…
Burning Man Put it out already: I enjoyed the “Up in Smoke” interview by Robrt L. Pela in last week’s issue (Speakeasy, June 27). Enjoyed it, as in it was hilarious! Roger Egan from McDuffy’s needs to suck it up and move on. Why can’t he understand that our voting…
Gary Peter Klahr is eating. He grabs half a tuna melt in both hands and mows through it like a hamster, then shovels hash browns onto his fork with his fingers. Food falls out of his mouth as he talks, and by the end of the meal, Klahr’s cheeks and…
The road began from Highway 60 as an inviting blacktop, with the greasy coal black of new asphalt and a tight, bright yellow line down the middle. My 9-year-old and 5-year-old boys were giddy with the thought of spontaneous exploration. This is what dads do on camping trips. They provide…
Attorney General Janet Napolitano said at a hastily convened press conference on Friday that she is filing a class-action lawsuit against Southwest Airlines because of the company’s new policy of charging stout customers double the normal air fare. The airline’s intent to force fat passengers to pay twice the cost…
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating conditions at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, ADJC Director David Gaspar announced in a June 18 memo to employees. ADJC officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, but George Weisz, deputy chief of staff and crime advisor to Governor Jane Hull,…
Death-row inmate Robert Comer says he’s “regained control” of his life, an ironic choice of words in light of a judge’s decision last week to allow his execution to proceed. U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver’s ruling came almost three months after she heard testimony concerning Comer’s current mental state…
Franklin Brown, whose controversial account of being ambushed and shot on Lower Buckeye Road in July 2000 once won him honors as one of America’s “Top Cops,” is no longer with the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix Police Sergeant Randy Force confirms that the department considers Brown to have resigned because…
Fan Mail Diamond in the rough: Thanks for the good piece about our champion Arizona Diamondbacks (“Pitcher Perfect,” Paul Rubin, June 20). It was a story back in 1999 about Buck Showalter that turned me on to “the free paper with all the advertising.” I appreciate the occasional sports piece…
Chuck Kniffin steps out of the Arizona Diamondbacks dugout into the late-morning sunshine. The team’s new pitching coach is accompanied by Randy Johnson, one of baseball’s most towering figures, physically and by way of achievement. It’s mid-May, early in the season, and Johnson wants to tweak his pitching windup, to…
Imagine the western United States without power for six months. No computers, no phones, no air-conditioning, no refrigeration, no manufacturing, no American Idol. The devastation to the U.S. economy would make September 11 look like a fender-bender. Al-Qaida likely has the technology and know-how to make this nightmare real, says…
Sexual Tension Low blow: As always when portraying a controversial figure or group, I see the New Times has apparently managed to dredge up an extreme critic of Ina Gregory’s Quodoushka workshops in the course of writing its feature article on Harley Reagan (“Sacred Orgasm,” Susy Buchanan, June 13). I’m…
The Spike was glad to see Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio take a break from busting chops last week to get his own chops roasted, albeit by a cast of political B-listers: state House Majority Whip Robert Blendu, House Speaker Jim Weiers and Phoenix Coyotes owner Steve Ellman. The purported…
Lucy didn’t pay $1,200 and fly across the country just to watch naked strangers in cowboy hats probe their anuses. A widow and business owner from the Deep South, Lucy says that, since her husband’s death, she has been fascinated with spirituality and is intent on exploring a variety of…
Years ago, The Spike went to Haiti. En route, The Spike met Sammy From Miami, who owned both a wig factory and a large villa in Port-au-Prince. Sammy was well-known in the casino at the Royal Haitian Hotel, an oasis of jet-setting opulence in the midst of a city of…
July 4. Independence Day. At Bank One Ballpark, the World Series champs will take on home-run king Barry Bonds and his San Francisco Giants in a battle of National League titans. Forty-five thousand fans, easy. Forty-five thousand suckers, easy. Suckers? What other sort of spineless sots would let their lovers…
