An airport-based agent with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Atlanta, Georgia, believed he was shipping drug money and illegal guns to Mexican cartel members in Arizona, officials said Thursday. Agent Devon Samuels, 45, was among 13 people arrested today on suspicion of a multitude of crimes, including taking payoffs from — and providing…
The Phoenix City Council is expected to vote later today on whether or not to strip the northwest corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road of zoning restrictions that now limit the building heights to 36 feet.(Update: The council sided with property owners and removed the existing building restrictions; neighborhood…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon wasn’t always a travelin’ man. Believe it or not, the man who is now jetting off to places like China, Qatar, Dubai, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia, was once known for his aversion to hopping on a plane and leaving Phoenix. While he touts his travels…
Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander, all late of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, were the key figures in a damning 76-page disciplinary report released yesterday. They’re the ones who stand to lose their law licenses. But if you just scanned the report by out-of-state investigator John Gleason, you might have missed a few interesting…
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush and a possible GOP presidential candidate himself, doesn’t like Arizona’s controversial new immigration law because, he says, his children might look suspicious if seen walking on the streets of Phoenix.Bush is a staunch conservative — speaking out against…
The Phoenix Police Department has identified two individuals arrested after cops busted up a Phoenix drop house where authorities found nine children being held captive.Jaime Cruz-Gutierrez, 44, and Olga Marinos Fuentes, 41, were seen leaving the house just before it was raided by police last night. They were taken into…
Phoenix police have arrested three people — and rescued 11 children — after raiding a drop house last night.Cops were tipped off about the house by a woman from El Salvador who reported to the FBI that her three daughters had been kidnapped and were being held in Phoenix.Turns out,…
The U.S. Supreme Court announced this morning that it will decide on whether Arizona’s “Clean Elections” system violates the Constitution.The system was a hot topic during this year’s election cycle because several candidates — including Governor Jan Brewer and former Treasurer Dean Martin — were running as publicly funded, or…
Tom Tancredo, a one-time Republican presidential candidate and former candidate for governor of Colorado from the “Constitution Party,” has a certain Russell-Pearce-like (ahem) charm about him when it comes to the debate over illegal immigration, and it was on display in Denver on Tuesday night when he got to “ask…
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon just posted a blog titled, “The Truth … For A Change.”In it, Gordon blasts DiCiccio for his creative (that is, false) interpretation of budget figures to propel the idea that the average city worker gets $100,000.[Of course, it would be nice if Gordon applied that mantra…
Since Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard’s days are numbered, it’s likely that Deputy Attorney General Greg Stanton will put himself on the short list of politicos who plan to run for mayor of Phoenix.That list of potential candidates already includes Councilman Claude Mattox, Councilwoman Peggy Neely, and maybe Wes Gullett.Stanton confirms…
In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries:…
In case you missed it … Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio appeared on Sunday Square Off to talk to 12 News’ Brahm Resnik about the committee of “high-powered individuals” who had been meeting quietly.Watch the video .Resnik points out several contradictions about DiCiccio, including his general praise and belittling of city…
Jon Talton, author of Rogue Columnist, reminisces in his latest blog post that, once upon a time, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon “got it.” But no more. Talton writes that if “any historian cares to write about Phoenix’s collapse…the mayoralty of Phil Gordon will be an essential chapter.”Here’s a snippet:…
The passage of Proposition 203 will go down as one of the most memorable elections in state history.The final numbers are in, and Arizona’s medical marijuana has won by 4, 341 votes. There’s no turning back. The Maricopa County elections department, in a bulletin sent moments ago, reports that Monday’s…
Andrew Myers of the Marijuana Policy Project has been on edge since Election Day. Then came the 5:35 p.m. update of vote results. Observing the results from a small office in downtown Phoenix with his girlfriend and a couple of others, his demeanor suddenly changes. Instead of looking worried, he…
Proposition 203 is now winning. Arizona’s medical marijuana bill leads by 4,200 votes following counts of provisional votes today. Thousands of votes remain uncounted, but the new trend looks like it will be hard to beat. …
Andrew Myers, the campaign manager for Proposition 203, tells New Times tonight that he’s very hopeful the medical marijuana initiative will come out on top when all the votes are in. It seems like wishful thinking, but official figures show he might be right. Myers points out that provisional ballots…
If you were expecting to learn the fate Prop. 203 — Arizona’s medical marijuana initiative — tomorrow, don’t hold your breath. Election officials don’t expect to be done counting ballots until next week, which violates election statute, but, as we just found out, is not that big a deal.From the…
We heard a little rumor the other day that Wes Gullett, a deputy campaign manager for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and a long-time operative within Arizona’s GOP, planned on running for mayor of Phoenix. Today, Gullett confirmed the rumor — sort of.Gullett tells New Times he’s strongly considering a…
Phoenix Councilwoman Thelda Williams tells New Times that she isn’t part of a private committee pulled together by Councilman Sal DiCiccio, Pete Gorraiz, president of the firefighters union, and Billy Shields, a Phoenix lobbyist and former head of the fire union.”I was just on a e-mail list to get minutes of…
Proposition 203’s chances of passing rose a bit today, then fell some.With 89,000 early ballots and provisional ballots left to be counted, the game isn’t over yet.But the “yes” votes just can’t seem to get a solid break.Just before 4 p.m., the gap between “yes” and “no” votes closed further…
