The FBI believes that the infiltration in late June of Arizona voter-registration databases may be linked to foreign hackers who stole data from an Illinois election site, Yahoo News reported on Monday. Michael Isikoff, Yahoo’s chief investigative correspondent, reported that he’d obtained an FBI warning about cyberattacks on elections databases…
A north Scottsdale car dealership official bragged about its “out-of-step” cultural values after rescinding a job offer because the applicant was using a legally prescribed drug, according to a federal complaint filed last week. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleges that Bell Lexus of north Scottsdale had offered a job to…
Arizona’s medical-marijuana program could be in for substantial changes if voters approve Proposition 205, which makes marijuana legal for all adults 21 and older. Will Humble, former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, says the impact on patients will depend largely on the director of the Department of…
Mexican-American civil rights activist Dolores Huerta visited Phoenix last week to encourage Latinos to turn out and vote against presidential nominee Donald Trump. At an August 26 press conference with several other Latino leaders, including including U.S. Congressman Ruben Gallego and State Representative Rebecca Rios, Huerta called Trump “bizarre” and…
Let’s say you’re Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and a federal judge would like to see you behind bars, owing to the disrespect you showed while the landmark civil-rights suit Melendres v. Arpaio was unfolding in his courtroom. What is your response? A) Throw your 84-year-old carcass on the mercy of…
The parking lot for Deanna France’s indoor batting cages in Mesa has 10 handicap-accessible spaces marked with a clearly painted wheelchair symbol — four more than are required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. So she was confused, in June, when she was served with a $10,000 lawsuit for not…
At a press conference on Thursday, Arizona’s top law-enforcement officials announced that they have increased the reward for information about the Serial Street Shooter, saying they urgently need the public’s help to crack the case. The news conference at Phoenix police headquarters included Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Maricopa County…
The campaign manager for a group trying to raise Arizona’s minimum wage said on Wednesday that the effort was helped considerably by his own timely loan of $100,000. Bill Scheel is one of three founding partners of the public-relations and political-strategy firm Javelina, which Arizonans for Fair Wages and Healthy Families hired to…
The Phoenix man who narrowly escaped being killed in July by the Serial Street Shooter doesn’t want his identity revealed. “I’m just an ordinary young man who experienced an extraordinary miracle,” he says with a grin. He may be right about that. On July 11, the unknown assailant, who appears…
Talk about a win for science! The state of Arizona is finally backing out of its fight to require that doctors tell their patients that it’s possible to “reverse” a medication abortion. Also known as the “abortion pill,” a medication abortion terminates a pregnancy through the use of two drugs,…
Maricopa County’s death-penalty system is plagued by “overzealous” prosecutors and creates a high number of questionable death-penalty cases, according to a new Harvard Law School report. “Too Broken to Fix: Part I: An In-Depth Look at America’s Outlier Death Penalty Counties,” by the school’s Fair Punishment Project, identifies Maricopa as one of…
Whether you’re concerned about the impact uranium mining has on the air quality of the Grand Canyon or think the issue has been blown way out of proportion, you have one week left to share your thoughts with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality before the agency renews permits for…
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging thousands of signatures gathered in support of an initiative to increase Arizona’s minimum wage, clearing the way for it to appear on the ballot. Given that it hinged on the minutiae of Arizona law concerning ballot initiatives, it was…
A Mesa police supervisor was facing termination before he retired last week following his recent conviction for super-extreme DUI, a police spokesman says. Richard “Rick” Van Galder, who had more than 20 years on the force, was stopped in February with his wife, Teresa, a Mesa PD homicide detective, as…
Health officials have issued their second alert of the summer about a microscopic parasite that is spread in feces, can survive in chlorinated pools, and induces a nasty case of infectious diarrhea. The 100 victims officials know about are just the tip of the iceberg, warns Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical…
Social scientists have a term for young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who aren’t in school and don’t have jobs: disconnected youth. Starbucks has a plan for them. Late last week, the Seattle-based caffeinater to the masses held a press conference to unveil a free job-training program for…
Winter has come early for Sheriff Joe Arpaio, with a hard snowfall in August. Late Friday afternoon, federal Judge G. Murray Snow issued his long-awaited ruling on possible criminal contempt charges for Arpaio, his Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan, the MCSO’s former Professional Standards Bureau Captain Steve Bailey, and ex-Arpaio attorney…
On Thursday, a Maricopa County judge threw out a lawsuit challenging the pending Arizona ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry ruled that the plaintiffs had no legal standing and made no legitimate claims. The ruling appears to clear the way for the initiative,…
Advocates of criminal-justice reform in Arizona enthusiastically praised the U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement this week that it will phase out all federal private prison contracts. But proponents of privatization reached by New Times are equally quick to criticize the decision and to emphasize that it won’t affect state policy…
Clipboards in hand, they wave down grocery shoppers and fairgoers, sweat dripping down their faces in the 120-degree Phoenix sun. “Hey, can you sign a petition?” In what appears a noble testament to the cause of the day — raising the minimum wage, legalizing marijuana — they keep at it…
If you’re a Republican, you know things are bad when Democrats throw you a lifejacket by attacking your opponent. Democratic Congresswoman and U.S. Senate hopeful Ann Kirkpatrick and the über-liberal, pro-choice advocacy group Emily’s List recently stuck their noses in the Arizona GOP primary for Senate in support of Kelli…
Arizona Department of Economic Security Director Tim Jeffries has followed up controversy over his Lady of Lourdes e-mails by sending an e-mail to all DES staff calling out his “haters.” In an e-mail he sent out on Saturday to all 7,000-plus DES employees, the former businessman, whom Governor Doug Ducey…
