The drive from Phoenix to Safford can take three and a half to four and a half hours, depending on the traffic and your respect for speed limits. Not because it’s that far; it’s well under 200 miles. But the roads are narrow and treacherous, and the speed limits consequently…
At precisely 6:42 p.m. on October 11, Herminia Rodriguez struck it rich. Or so she thought. The 64-year-old Phoenix grandmother was playing the “Quartermania” slot machine at Harrah’s Ak-Chin, a popular casino about 40 minutes southeast of Phoenix. With her husband, Chico, seated next to her, Rodriguez punched the spin…
The accusations against Dr. Ken Fisher seem more like a case of mistaken identity than of sexual abuse; surely, you think, these people are not talking about the same man. One Dr. Fisher is a well-known and respected physician who began treating AIDS at a time when many physicians literally…
Where’d Fife’s Dough Go? Although they won guilty verdicts on seven felony counts, federal prosecutors haven’t stopped working to assure that former governor J. Fife Symington III winds up in the slammer. With sentencing looming February 2, prosecutors continue to pick apart Symington’s personal finances in an attempt to show…
Law and High Order This is a letter of praise for the article titled “Methology,” by Paul Rubin and David Holthouse (December 18). This special report provides an insightful and in-depth look at the dark horrors of methamphetamine use in Arizona. Perhaps–just perhaps–this article will help someone to quit, or…
On Christmas Day, Jackie Brown, the latest film by Quentin Tarantino, opened. It’s two and a half hours long. Surprisingly for a Tarantino film, there’s not much violence. Unlike his other films, it’s based on character rather than action. Not all critics have seen it that way. But that shouldn’t…
Simon and Garfunkel. Martin and Lewis. Sonny and Cher. It’s not uncommon for famous, successful teams to split up. Now it’s happened again. Christopher Gross, the talented chef behind Christopher’s and Christopher’s Bistro, and longtime partner, Guy Coscas, have gone their separate ways. Like most breakups, it wasn’t pretty. Blame…
A Seering Flash The Flash’s official predictions of significant happenings in 1998 (actual events may vary): January 1–Kansas State plays Syracuse in Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Both teams are colorful. January 2–Sandra Dowling exchanges all her Christmas gifts for slacks. January 3–New River is renamed New Crater. January 4–Several ASU hoopsters…
I know a man who swears that the best foundation on which to build a lasting friendship is mutual loneliness, desperation and self-loathing. He says the best place and time to meet new people is in a dive bar on Christmas Day. I can’t say I’ve experienced anything that lasted…
Tree Tops Hats off to Michael Kiefer for his excellent two-part feature article “Government by Litigation” (December 18 and 11). Regarding the statement that “less than 10 percent of the nation’s timber comes from the national forests”: According to the most recent U.S. Forest Service records, the total timber for…
Sometime around the year 2000, the Arizona Department of Transportation is scheduled to begin building the last leg of State Route 101. The final stretch will run from where the highway currently dead-ends at Glendale to Interstate 10, five miles to the south. Now, as plans jell, the path of…
Try as he might, Otis Thrasher can’t help but laugh. It’s only been a few days since surgeons removed his cancerous prostate gland, and the last thing the recently retired and highly decorated Arizona Department of Public Safety narcotics officer wants to do is launch into a full guffaw. But…
Maria Sepulveda’s father so offended her, she doesn’t want anyone else from his native Chile to come to the United States. Or at least not many more. As a spokeswoman for a national association which seeks to virtually end immigration–legal and illegal–she’s paid to promote the idea that the country…
He subscribes to the National Enquirer, lives for tabloid TV and trawls the Internet for wire-service reports of horrific crime. And last fall, Ryan McNamara’s sensation-fueled jag finally spiraled toward its inevitable conclusion. Reeling from the lurid imagery that bombarded him daily, the 19-year-old Arizona State University student could no…
Fly Me to the Roof Bank One Ballpark’s builders pulled out the stops last week in an effort to get the $354 million project on schedule–they hired a helicopter to hoist roofing material onto the west end of the stadium’s movable roof. The helicopter flew on December 17, lifting material…
On a bulletin board in the break room at the City of Phoenix’s Squaw Peak Water Treatment Plant is a notice to all employees: “As an organized employee, you have the right to be represented by your union steward at an investigatory interview.” That advice comes in handy at Squaw…
And Jesus was a sailor When he walked upon the water And he spent a long time watching From his lonely wooden tower And when he knew for certain Only drowning men could see him He said, “All men will be sailors, then, Until the sea shall free them” But…
Bury Graham After reading Barry Graham’s work during the past few months, I was not surprised at all to see him singing the praises of a no-talent literary thief like Kathy Acker (“The Fury of Kathy Acker,” December 18). Only Graham, with his dysfunctional viewpoint on life and minimal writing…
A Convict’s Warning What I do find appalling is that there are a lot of people in here simply for having big mouths and a lack of common sense. I estimate that only 25 percent of the crimes of manufacturing and conspiracy to manufacture meth were actually directly involved in…
“Better Than Hawaii” It’s 3:43 in the morning and Cyndi and Shana are coloring. They’re dressed for comfort in sweat pants and tee shirts; long hair pulled into ponytails. Markers and crayons are scattered about them on the living-room carpet, and it’s easy to imagine them as little girls, playing…
When Jane Hull became governor last September, she quickly announced that she did not intend to have state policies decided in court. “I try not to comment on what was done before,” she says in her middle-school principal’s voice. “My attitude is that we don’t do well in court, usually,…
Meth Roots Methamphetamine is an all-American drug. It should come as no surprise that many embrace a high that can make running errands feel like the quest for the golden fleece. As early as the 1830s, the French writer Alexis de Tocqueville wrote: “It is odd to watch, with what…
