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False Profit: How an El Mirage Preacher Swindled Followers

Guadalupe Davila Jr. isn't standing at the pulpit of his small church in El Mirage preaching to the congregation about living a godly life. He isn't inside the baptismal font, waist-deep in water and immersing new members and cleansing them of their sins. And he's not at the church's learning...
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Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week: Shakin’ My Head

Just about every 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, most of our featured Fourth Avenue visitors will...
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Search for ASU Freshman Jack Culolias in River Basin Ends

After searching an additional area of the Salt River basin for 19-year-old ASU freshman Jack Culolias, Tempe police finished their search of the area Friday evening, almost one full week after Culolias was last seen at Tempe Marketplace.Investigators had finished the search on Thursday, but were back searching again the...
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Best Thrift Store for Plaster Deities

Salvation ArmyLast time we were here, we got a Virgin of Guadalupe with a chipped ear and an Infant of Prague whose index fingers were gone. The time before that, we got a plaster Jesus with real vinyl hair. And although we sometimes see religious statues in other thrift stores, this is the only place in […]
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Riding High: Arizona’s Zero-Tolerance Stance on Pot and Driving

A couple of large mason jars full of green buds sit on the coffee table inside Tad Zaccard's west Mesa mobile home as he talks about his marijuana-DUI ticket. "I'm a grower," admits Zaccard, a 46-year-old nutrition adviser who works for a local hospital. As one of the state's 38,000...
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What’s Your Most Horrifying Kitchen Accident Story?

Welcome to Chow Bella's Bites & Dishes, where Valley chefs and restaurateurs respond to a question New Times food critic Laura Hahnefeld has on her mind. Have a question you'd like to ask? E-mail laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com. Miss a question? Go here. Screams. Blood. Gore. No, it's not your favorite spooky movie...
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Inside an Arizona Drug Smuggling Gang

His boss had just bought the white sedan he drove; it still was fitted with Mexican license plates. He had no insurance, and his only identification was a fake Mexican driver's license — now tucked against $140,000 in cash in a black backpack resting on the floor of the vehicle's...
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Psycho Killer: Jodi Arias’ Kinky Death-Penalty Trial

Prosecutor Juan Martinez rapid-fires questions to murder defendant Jodi Arias, bouncing through timelines, appearing to want to confuse and scold as much as to elicit useful information. Arias sometimes gets confused and upset. She admits she can't keep her stories straight. She intermittently breaks down sobbing, especially when forced to...
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Do Republicans Really Want to Ban Porn and Tipping Strippers?

Many Republican candidates for state and federal office would like you to believe that they want people to go to prison for selling porn, and think tipping strippers should be illegal.The lobbyists at the Center for Arizona Policy released the candidates' answers to their questionnaires for this year's elections, which...
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Bill Tonnesen, Contentious Tempe Developer, Aims for Immortality

Bill Tonnesen is distracted by dog shit. A wet, orange-brown turd on a concrete paver at one of the several rental properties he's recently renovated has stopped him dead in his tracks. "Oh, noooooo!" Tonnesen moans, pointing at the mess. "How did that get here? We'd better . . ...
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Bill Horist @ Trunk Space

"I'm not of the 'avant-garde über alles' mindset," guitarist Bill Horist says on the phone from Seattle, where he's lived and launched tours since 1995. "I like all kinds of music. People say they like all kinds of music, and sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I like a lot...
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We’re Doomed: Scientists Discover Sweat-Licking Bees

Just in time for the forecasts to hit triple digits and for us all to stock up on deodorant and tank tops, scientists say they've discovered and are now analyzing the Lasioglossum gotham, casually called the "sweat bee." Yes, instead of flowers or melty popsicles, the sweat bee is attracted...
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Phoenix Food Nerds Unite on Dominic Armato’s Discussion Board

Local food blogger Dominic Armato is a gastro-geek on a mission. He wants to build a grassroots coalition of people who are passionate about food, and to that end, he has launched a discussion board called PHXfoodnerds.com His aim is to bring Phoenix food-lovers together for food-related events, impromptu restaurant...
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Joe Arpaio and Barack Obama Protested by Puente Moms and Their Children

Many would like to believe that even the most guileful and nefarious of individuals are capable of compassion, particularly toward the weakest among us.Sadly, human behavior argues otherwise. To rationalize away the sufferings of others is a fairly easy mental trick, and when the payoff for doing so is political power, pangs...
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Thrice Takes a Break

"Hiatus" is a tricky word. More often than not, when a band tosses the term out there, it's shorthand for "we're breaking up, guys." Dustin Kensrue of influential post-hardcore, post-metalcore, post-pop punk, post-pretty much everything O.C. rock band Thrice insists this isn't the case when it comes to the band's...