- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
A pair of Phoenix business owners claim the city screwed them in a railroad deal and ruined their livelihood. Now the husband-and-wife entrepreneurs have locked themselves inside their small compound, threatening to stay until they're forced out.
This plot could have been pulled from the Westerns section at the DVD store, but it's the real thing for King's World of Marble owners Seamus King and Alexandra Seals. They're being forced to move from the site near 44th and Washington streets, where the business has been for 14 years, to make way for a train route under construction that will ferry light-rail users to Sky Harbor airport.
The couple told Channel 15 news (KNXV-TV) in a report last night that "when things happen, we will peacefully leave." But a week ago, King was grousing to Channel 5 (KPHO-TV) that authorities "...will have to drag me off the property."
They highlighted their plight by writing "HELLNOWENOGO" and "JMCAINHELP" on the roof of the business. It's almost like they think John McCain will reach down from heaven to save them from the jaws of the city's bureaucracy.
Whether King and Seals will lose their World of Marble, or just their marbles -- tune in next time.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
