Saving Arizona’s Unemployed During his final days in management at the Arizona Republic, Steve Knickmeyer confided that he had been ordered to improve abysmal newsroom morale. He finally accomplished that goal, by “resigning.” “Short of finding out he was torn apart by rabid jackals, this is about the best news…
When Bill Clinton first ran for president, I was still living in Scotland. When an American friend came to visit me, I asked her, “So what do you think of Clinton?” “Clinton’s probably okay,” my friend said. “It’s just too bad she’s married to Bill.” My friend still voted for…
Ring Down the Curtain Robrt L. Pela’s review of The Wedding Present (“Between a Frock and a Hard Place,” January 22), a play by Marilyn H. Allen which has been four years in development at PlayWright’s Theatre, gives us ample reason that life is so difficult for new playwrights. Pela…
One of the first times I saw Big Pete Pearson and the Blues Sevilles was at Char’s Has the Blues, the club on North Seventh Avenue. I was chasing shots of Jack Daniel’s with ice-cold Rolling Rocks. At one point during the performance, Big Pete disappeared from view. But the…
Editor’s note: Paul Rubin and David Holthouse reported extensively on crystal methamphetamine in the December 18 issue in a 16-page special section, “Methology.” Valley drug cops busted 11 crystal methamphetamine labs during the first three weeks of January. One of them was a three-bedroom apartment in the 1700 block of…
Giant Sucking Trees Three national forests in Arizona are among the nation’s top 10 money losers when it comes to logging, according to a study conducted by the Wilderness Society. The study, which covers fiscal 1996, states that Tonto (ranked second), Kaibab (fifth) and Coconino (ninth) national forests generated little…
The press release looks pretty good. “One America in the 21st Century,” it reads. It’s the President’s Initiative on Race, and it’s happening in Phoenix. The president won’t show up, of course. But U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman will (freshly accused of accepting bribes when she was a White House…
Ill at Ease The overall tone of Chris Farnsworth’s article suggests that Dr. Ken Fisher’s reputation as a pillar of the community is long-standing, while his reputation for sexual impropriety in the workplace is more recent (“Dr. Fisher and Mr. Hyde,” January 8). It is true that the first actual…
We’ve said it all along, and now it’s official: Sheriff Joe Arpaio is a liar. And not much better can be said about his simpering cheerleader, former U.S. attorney Janet Napolitano, who hopes to be Arizona’s next attorney general. Can there be any other interpretation of the content of a…
“So, come in and meet the kids!” Ushering visitors into the dimly lighted family room of his Phoenix home, proud papa Shad Kvetko points toward the apples of his eye–an instant family he acquired from an out-of-state side-show operator. Clustered together atop a glass display are Kvetko’s five little monsters,…
It’s an archetypical Western story. Four earnest young cowpunks pile onto a bus and set out on the hardest road they can find, looking for life and adventure and irony. Along the way, they make people laugh and dance. They find unexpected success, then return home with an empty gas…
A petition citing numerous allegations including gambling irregularities is circulating to recall the leader of the Gila River Indian Community. The petition surfaced earlier this week, although it is unclear who is organizing the recall effort. The petition, which had not been filed with the tribal secretary for legal approval…
Herminia Rodriguez looks out the passenger window of her attorney’s car and sees Harrah’s Ak-Chin in the distance. “Oh, my God,” she says. “I just have this feeling they’re going to say no again. God have mercy.” Chico Rodriguez tries to put his wife of 36 years at ease. “Hey,…
On March 1, 1994, while awaiting trial on burglary, county jail inmate Matthew Creamer was beaten so badly there were blood blisters in his ears. Creamer filed numerous grievances, saying that he had been the victim of an unprovoked attack. But his attackers, two Maricopa County detention officers, swore that…
Slot Machinations Herminia Rodriguez doesn’t need a lawyer to go after her $330,000 winnings from Ak-Chin casino (“Lost Harrah’s,” Paul Rubin, January 8)! What she needs is a good PR person to contact every Indian casino in the country to explain that the perception of being mistreated at an Indian…
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…
