As the saying goes, kids say and do the darndest things. And in Arizona, apparently the same goes for politicians, celebrities, civilians, school boards, judges, and even giant inflatable pumpkins. With the end of the year upon us, we bring you the 15 most absurd news stories of 2015. 15. Arizona…
The Arizona Chapter of the Council on American and Islamic Relations is calling on the FBI to investigate a recent vandalism incident at the Islamic Cultural Center of Phoenix that it believes may be an anti-Islam hate crime. Imraan Siddiqi, CAIR Arizona’s Chairman, says that ICCP employees discovered broken windows…
Diane Douglas’ assault case against State School Board President Greg Miller has been slapped down by Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. Douglas, the Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction who Miller once called “unqualified for the job,” claimed that the board president assaulted her on August 24 at a board meeting…
Horse enthusiasts, it’s time to celebrate! The U.S. Forest Service announced today that it won’t remove the Salt River Horses next week as planned, ending – at least for now – what has been a contentious months-long standoff between the government and members of the local community. “This is the…
CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer moderated a satirical debate between Arizona Senator John McCain and Minnesota Senator Al Franken before the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings faced off at University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale Thursday night. And it actually was funny. Imitating the format of a political debate, Scheiffer…
Gun-control advocates will hold a vigil Sunday at the “Release the Fear” sculpture in downtown Phoenix to honor victims of gun violence. “When we talk about gun violence, it doesn’t just affect the victims or their immediate family members,” said Geraldine Hills, founder of Arizonans for Gun Safety. “This takes…
Without explicitly saying that presidential candidate Donald Trump isn’t welcome in Phoenix, Mayor Greg Stanton essentially said just that when he issued the following statement about the country’s most celebrated— or reviled — political figure. “I hope that Donald Trump does not bring his hateful message of division and intolerance…
The forms have been filed, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ name will now official appear on the state’s Democratic primary election ballot. More than 100 of his local supporters gathered outside of Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan ‘s office Thursday morning as Jose Miranda, campaign coordinator for Arizona for Bernie Sanders,…
The American Civil Liberties Union challenged Arizona’s “racist and sexist abortion law” in federal appeals court this week, arguing that it is a gross violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. The law, officially the “Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2011,” is supposed to…
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey says he wants state agencies to make everything they do more efficient and that his office will issue scorecards next year to measure their efforts. Ducey began ramping up the state’s Government Transformation Office after taking office in January, calling the project his “Lean Transformation Initiative.”…
A Phoenix-based online university soon will offer cannabis classes to students looking for higher education in the marijuana industry. On Thursday, a survey course will begin at the private, for-profit online Dunlap-Stone University entitled: “The Modern Cannabis Industry.” The school also plans to implement degree programs in areas of the budding weed business,…
Surprised to hear that when CBS News put together a list of the 30 most heavily armed states in the country Arizona didn’t make the cut? So were many gun advocates, some of whom are now calling out the network for releasing what they say is an inaccurate and misleading…
Two days after the mass shooting in San Bernardino at an office Christmas party that left 14 dead and 21 wounded, about a dozen Muslims held a press conference in Washington, D.C. to announce their prescription for the radical Islamist ideology that reportedly inspired the slaughter. Authorities say Syed Rizwan…
A life-size Pac-Man game, a nightclub on wheels, jazz-playing robots — these are just a few projects that U.S. Senator Jeff Flake says taxpayers wasted their money on this year. In a snarky new report, “Wastebook 2015: May the Farce Be With You,” the junior senator from Arizona calls a…
“Just when you think [Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump] can stoop no lower, he does,” Arizona Senator Jeff Flake tweeted out after news of Trump’s call to block all Muslims from entering the U.S. made headlines. “Foolish,” is all Arizona Senator John McCain had to say about the statement. In…
After the recent mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado once again thrust the controversial debate about abortion politics into the national media spotlight, local resident Shamus Burns decided to take a stand against the anti-Planned Parenthood vitriol he saw around him by organizing a pro-Planned Parenthood rally…
California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent comment about Arizona’s gun laws being too loose not only constitutes an insult to each and every citizen of Arizona but is worthy of a public apology, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio declares. “I am offended, and every Arizonan should be as well,” Arpaio stated…
Thousands of streets crisscross metro Phoenix, and every one has a name. Some are self-explanatory or location-oriented (Central Avenue, Baseline Road), while others honor historical figures both locally and nationally (Washington Street, Winfield Scott Plaza, Thomas Road) or are tied to various landmarks (Camelback Road, Bethany Home Road, Indian School…
About one-third of the top positions for Arizona state agencies received a boost in pay for 2015, with many of Governor Doug Ducey’s new hires now getting paid substantially more than their predecessors. Arizona state employees received no general base-pay increase for 2015, and nationally, Americans saw wages increase by…
As of this week, citizens of Arizona can no longer keep monkeys, chimpanzees, or any other other non-human primates as pets, but they can have hedgehogs. Citing safety concerns and animal welfare issues, the Arizona Game and Fish Department recently updated a handful of its provisions regulating domestic and captive…
There have been 15 mass shootings in Arizona since 2013. This is according to Mass Shooting Tracker, a crowd-sourced database that media heavy-hitters like Vox and the Washington Post have cited since a heavily armed couple opened fire Wednesday at a service center for the disabled in San Bernardino, California,…
The Arizona Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world on Friday by signing ace pitcher Zack Greinke to a massive contract worth more than $206 million over the next six years. It was the greatest moment in Arizona sports history when the D-backs beat the New York Yankees in the 2001 World…
