10 Things You Never Thought You’d See in Arizona
Arizona can be unpredictable sometimes. From legal gay marriage to a Phoenix snow day, here are 10 things you never thought you’d see in Arizona:…
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Showing 7833 - 7854 of 32702Arizona Millionaire’s Ex-Wife Accused in Elaborate Murder Plot
The official investigations into the deaths of medical-sector executive Jonah Shacknai’s girlfriend and young son have long been over, but not everything is settled. According to authorities, 6-year-old Max Shacknai died from an accident under the care of his father’s girlfriend at his Coronado, California, mansion in 2011. Rebecca Zahau,…
Armando Ramirez, AHCCCS Agent and Ex-Cop, Accused of Defrauding Veterans’ Groups
Armando Jay Ramirez, a former Phoenix cop and state medical-fraud investigator, has been indicted on suspicion of defrauding veterans’ groups and state and federal agencies. Ramirez, 40, worked for the Phoenix Police Department’s South Mountain Precinct for about five years until his 2011 domestic-violence arrest in Casa Grande. Despite a…
Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week: Go Your Own Way
At the end of the week, we bring you a roundup of visitors to the desert’s own Fourth Avenue Jail. To be considered for our Maricopa County mugshots of the week, get arrested, strike a pose, and we’ll take care of the rest. This week, our inmates are the types…
Bill Montgomery Files Emergency Motion to Block Ruling on Bail for Undocumented
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery wants “full and fair opportunity” to prove in court why a recent ruling allowing bail for jailed undocumented migrants should not stand. The Republican politician put out a news release on Thursday evening saying he’s filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Ninth Circuit of…
AZ Clerks Objecting to Gay Marriage Urged by Religious Right Not to Issue Licenses
Arizona’s legalization of same-sex marriage last Friday has led to a drastic increase in the number of marriage licenses issued, but one conservative group argues that clerks opposed to same-sex marriage shouldn’t have to take part in issuing them. In the Maricopa County Superior Court Clerk’s Office, 292 marriage licenses…
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Viral Video of “Ballot Stuffing” in Phoenix Shows a Perfectly Legal Practice
A YouTube video with more than 400,000 views purporting to show “ballot box stuffing” in Arizona actually shows a completely legal practice. A.J. LaFaro, the chairman of the Maricopa County GOP, has been drumming up controversy by implying he witnessed voter fraud when an activist for the group Citizens for…
Montgomery Seeks Felony Conviction for Pot Patient Caught With Gram of Weed in Dorm
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is prosecuting a college student with a medical-marijuana card for felony possession of less than a gram of weed. Andre Lee Juwaun Maestas, a 19-year-old Arizona State University student, could end up with a felony on his record, probation and stiff fines because of the…
Phoenix Police Department Changing How It Handles the Mentally Ill After Fatal Shooting
About a month after a Phoenix police officer fatally shot a mentally ill woman, city leaders have announced a plan to change how the police department deals with the mentally ill. Michelle Cusseaux, 50, was fatally shot by Phoenix cop Percy Dupra on August 14, after police say she threatened…
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Ask a Mexican on Being Afraid of Drug Cartels
What do Mexicans in the United States think of the violent drug cartel problem currently in Mexico? Do local Latinos cringe with disgust or fear when they hear another drug cartel story on the news . . . or do they feel a sense of disconnect because they are living…
Mob Rule’s Rejects: How the Ninth Circuit Thwarted the “Will of the People” and Why That’s a Good Thing
Like a visual version of an earworm — you know, those songs that get caught in your head and you can’t get out — I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a famous 18th-century etching by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya called The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. It features…
A Historic Ruling Makes Gay Marriage Legal in Arizona, but LGBT Leaders Say Much More Must Be Done Here
At 10:36 a.m. on Friday, October 17, Michael Jeanes tweeted his followers: “Welcome All to the Clerk’s Office. Your marriage license awaits, and we are ready to serve you!” The most important word in the Maricopa County Superior Court clerk’s message was “All.” Soon security officers held open the doors…
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Shanesha Taylor May Not Have Enough Donated Money to Comply With Plea Deal
Shaneshsa Taylor may no longer have enough of her donated money to fund trusts for her children as required under a deferred-prosecution deal, a court motion states. Taylor became an Internet sensation after her March arrest for leaving her kids in a hot car during a job interview, in part…
James Woods, Blind Congressional Candidate, Buys a Gun to Exploit “Gun Show Loophole”
Did you hear the one about the blind man who went to the gun show? No, it’s not a joke — Democratic Congressional Candidate James Woods, who’s blind, actually went to a recent gun show in Mesa and purchased a revolver as a bit of a campaign stunt to denounce…
Joe Arpaio Gets In on Ebola Hysteria by Making Jail Guard Stay Home After Trip to Africa
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is making a detention officer stay home for the next three weeks because the officer visited Sierra Leone. Arpaio issued a press release announcing that the unnamed officer has been placed on administrative leave over MCSO’s fear of Ebola…
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Medical-Marijuana Patients Still at Risk for DUI Conviction, Appeals Court Confirms
Medical-marijuana patients are still at risk for a DUI conviction simply for having trace amounts of THC in their bloodstreams, the state Court of Appeals confirmed on Tuesday. In a 3-0 ruling with disclaimers by one judge, the court upheld the conviction of a Mesa man despite an apparent exception…
Fred DuVal Down to Doug Ducey in Latest Polls, but Remains Within Striking Distance
Two polls released this week but Democrat Fred DuVal down, but not out, against Republican Doug Ducey in the race for Arizona governor. One poll puts DuVal down 1 percentage point, and the other puts him down 5 percentage points, which, in current times, qualifies as good news for a…
Deputy Sean Pearce Still Being Probed by Glendale Prosecutors Over Fatal Crash
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Pearce is still under investigation by city prosecutors in connection with his speed-related crash that killed a man in December, New Times has learned. The job of the City Prosecutor’s Office is to prosecute people for misdemeanor crimes, meaning that Pearce, the son of disgraced…
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Paula Pennypacker Gives GOPer John Kavanagh Hell in Flaming Red LD 23
Keeping Kav on his toes: Pennypacker’s cable TV spot… In spite of a more than two-to-one registration advantage for tuskers in Legislative District 23, Republican-turned-Democrat Paula Pennypacker’s been all over GOPer John Kavanagh like white on rice in the general election contest for the district’s open state Senate seat. Pennypacker…
Wendy Rogers Skips Out on Debate With Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema
A debate between Congressional District 9 candidates essentially turned into a half-hour infomercial for Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, as Republican candidate Wendy Rogers skipped the event. “This candidate forum is not a debate,” Rogers spokesman James Harris explains in a statement to New Times. “Typically, a debate is something hosted by…
Muslims in Arizona Shockingly Normal (Video)
Are Muslims the new Mexicans? Turn on the TV, check out Twitter or make the mistake of listening to AM radio, and you’re almost guaranteed to get a red hot blast of Islamophobia. Even folks as enlightened as HBO’s Bill Maher are suggesting that there is something intrinsically wrong with…
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Maricopa County Issues Hundreds of Marriage Licenses on First Day Gays Allowed to Wed
Courts across Maricopa County issued nearly 300 wedding licenses on Friday, the first day of legal gay marriage in the state of Arizona. Aaron Nash, a spokesman for the Clerk of the Superior Court, tells New TImes that three times as many marriage licenses were issued on Friday than on…