Tom Ryan, the crusading Chandler attorney who in 2011 exposed the shenanigans behind the diversionary candidacy of Russell Pearce’s fave Latina Olivia Cortes, is calling foul on news that Cortes-attorney Anthony Tsontakis has just scored a plum gig working as a legal beagle for the Republican-led state Legislature.Tsontakis defended the…
A U.S. Border Patrol agent and a corrections officer with the Arizona Department of Correction were arrested yesterday on charges that they helped a drug trafficking organization (DTO) smuggle drugs into the United States.Ivhan Herrera-Chiang, 29, a U.S. Border Patrol agent stationed in Yuma, and Michael Lopez-Garcia, 28, a corrections…
Former Congressman Matt Salmon wants to be a congressman again. He’s currently running in District 6 — and apparently is in the process of transforming from lobbyist to cowboy to appeal to the District’s far-right-wing electorate as he fights his way through a GOP primary with former Arizona House Speaker…
Fagala-phobic Arizona Congressman Trent Franks is obnoxiously conservative. Aside from thinking race/gender-based abortions are a legitimate problem in the United States (which it’s not), he thinks letting gay people tie the knot “literally is a threat to the nation’s survival” because it threatens the sanctity of traditional marriage.Cheating on your…
Get ready, Arizona: another John McCain-esque “build the danged fence” campaign ad is apparently on the horizon –this time, compliments of Congressional candidate Matt Salmon.GOP sources tell New Times Salmon headed down to the border last week to shoot an ad for his District 6 Congressional campaign. Apparently, he found…
President Barack Obama will be in Arizona on January 25 as part of a five-state swing across states Democrats feel are in play for the president in this year’s election.During his three-day, post-State of the Union trip, Obama also will visit Michigan, Colorado, Iowa, and Nevada — all states Dems…
As you may know, the Internet is “on strike” today. Well, not the entire Internet — just Wikipedia. Several other big-name, high-traffic websites — including Google and Craigslist — have “blacked out” their websites today in protest of a bill currently making its way through Congress that they say would…
State Senate Minority Leader David Schapira, a Democrat, announced yesterday that he’s running for Congress in Arizona’s newly formed District 9.Much to the minority leader’s chagrin, we’re sure, he’s not the only lefty with his eye on the seat — former state Senator Kyrsten Sinema also has announced that she…
As predicted, former state Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s not the only Democrat with her eye on Arizona’s new Congressional seat — this morning, state Senate Minority Leader David Schapira announced that he, too, will run in Arizona’s newly formed 9th Congressional district.Schapira’s announcement isn’t exactly a surprise to those familiar with…
There’s good news and bad news…The good news: the Scott Bundgaard freeway fight fiasco is finally over. The bad news: he might be replaced by state Representative Judy Burges — one of the first sponsors of Arizona’s humiliating “Birther Bill,” and the author of the “I didn’t pay enough fund”…
It’s baaaaack!Remember last year when the Arizona Legislature passed the infamous “Birther Bill?” And then Governor Jan Brewer — in a rare moment of sanity — vetoed it? Well, an amended version of the bill is heading to the Legislature — compliments of Republican state Representative Carl Seel.In case you…
Arizona’s GOP presidential primary, like New Hampshire’s, will likely be another race for second place — according to a recently released poll, former Massachusetts Governor (and one-time Joe Arpaio butt-smoocher) Mitt Romney has a double-digit lead over each of his opponents in the “Colt Single-Action Army Revolver” state.The poll, conducted…
A convicted child molester — who once was “mentored” by Republican state Representative Jim Weiers — was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning, where he was sentenced to some pretty serious prison time.Judge Peter Reinstein sentenced Arthur Vitasek to 559 years in prison after he was convicted of multiple…
There could be a new horse in the race to become the next sheriff of Maricopa County — retired Phoenix Sergeant/Nancy Grace suck-up Paul Penzone has filed paperwork with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office to set up an exploratory committee for a potential run to unseat Sheriff Joe Arpaio.Arpaio –…
Following the resignation of former state Senator Scott Bundgaard over the scuffle he got into with his former girlfriend on the side of a Valley freeway — and the legislative fiasco that followed — Democratic state Senator Steve Gallardo says he plans to introduce a bill that would do away…
Just days after Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu announced he’s running for Congress in Arizona’s fourth district, Republican state Senator Ron Gould announced that he, too, is entering the race. “After talking to residents of Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District during my exploratory phase, one thing has become clear, ” Gould…
In Governor Jan Brewer’s State of the State Address yesterday, she bragged about her plan to do something that apparently is unusual for a politician: keeping a campaign promise.To quote comedian Chris Rock, “you’re supposed to, you dumb motherfucker!”…
Governor Jan Brewer yesterday gave her third State of the State Address, during which she credited herself with taking “the helm” of the sinking ship that was Arizona’s economy and saving the entire state.At least she’s humble.See our post on Brewer’s speech here.Despite what she has to say about it,…
In case you were wondering why Arizona hasn’t fallen further into the depths of economic catastrophe, Governor Jan Brewer’s got the answer: Governor Jan Brewer.This afternoon, in her third State of the State Address (her second since using an immigration bill to get herself elected) Governor Glug-Glug discussed how “Arizona…
State Senator Scott Bundgaard resigned from the Senate this afternoon just minutes before he was supposed to testify in front of the Senate Ethics Committee regarding a scuffle he got into with his former girlfriend on the side of a Valley freeway.Bundgaard’s attorney, Andre Merrett, tells New Times that the…
*UPDATE* Bundgaard confirms to New Times that he has resigned. He says he’ll speak with us about it later today.State Senator Scott Bundgaard was scheduled to testify this afternoon during the Senate ethics hearing over the freeway fight he got into with his former flame Aubry Ballard. That didn’t happen,…
It seemed like only a matter of time, but Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu announced this morning that he’ll run for Congress in Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District.”The American people are sounding a giant 911 call on Washington,” Babeu says. “And I’m responding.”In a press release issued this morning, Babeu regurgitated…
