The Phoenix Suns former big man (and ex-Sherriff’s, um, deputy), Shaquille O’Neal, is suing a Phoenix man for use of the nickname Shaq received when he first came to the desert. The word in question — like the Valley’s great saguaro cactus — exists almost nowhere else in the world. That…
Representative Judy Burges is at it again. The Skull Valley Republican, who’s introduced such laughable legislation as the “I didn’t pay enough fund,” which asks taxpayers to donate money to the state to help Arizona out of it’s current financial nightmare, has introduced a new bill that feeds the controversial fire…
The trial for the man accused of murdering a speed-camera operator as he sat parked on a Valley freeway has been delayed so psychologists can determine whether he is competent to be tried.Thomas Patrick Destories, 68, was scheduled to stand trial on January 11 for a first-degree murder charge stemming…
Arizona Republic political reporter Matt Benson was pegged last week as the newest addition to Secretary of State Ken Bennett’s office.Benson, who has been a reporter for at the Republic since 2005, has joined Team Bennett as the secretary’s communications director. The move, however, seems fairly sudden, and the Republic…
Winchester, the small Oro Valley cancer-surviving dog that was found semi-conscious and lying in a pool of his own feces on New Year’s Day, died Thursday after fighting off death for about two weeks.Winchester went missing on New Year’s Eve and was found by a dog-sitter in his owner’s yard…
Political rookie and Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker is putting his gubernatorial ambitions on hold for a few days to mull over a possible run for the District 3 Congressional seat.The seat is currently held by Congressman John Shadegg, who announced last week that he won’t be seeking re-election. Parker,…
The Democratic candidate to fill Ted Kennedy’s vacant Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat made one of the biggest errors a Boston-area politico could make last week: She called Curt Schilling a Yankees fan.On the radio show Nightside with Dan Rea, Massachusetts Senate hopeful Martha Coakley inexplicably claimed that the Diamondbacks former…
“[The Cardinals] defense is effing worthless” and “if Neil Rackers has a job tomorrow I’m becoming a Saints fan” were two of several utterances that could be overheard at the Cadillac Ranch in Tempe by disgruntled fans after the Cards 45-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. And they…
Here’s one fresh from the rumor mill:With John Shadegg’s long-overdue departure from the U.S. House of Representatives, there are rumors that Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon may be looking to take his seat.So, does Mr. Gordon really want to go to Washington? He’s certainly spent a lot of time there this…
The Arizona Cardinals have defied the odds once again and are heading to the divisional round of the playoffs to take on the Saints in New Orleans. The Cards weren’t favored to win last week, they weren’t favored last year in the playoffs, and, as you may imagine, they aren’t…
Arizona Senator John McCain and former Arizona Governor and Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano are ranked as some of the most influential Americans — within their respective parties — in the entire country, according to a report in the British newspaper Telegraph.Telegraph ranked the most influential Americans on both the…
With Congressman John Shadegg throwing in the towel and announcing he would be retiring from Congress yesterday, there is no shortage of talk about who his potential replacement might be.One of those mentioned is Treasurer Dean Martin, who also happened to announce his candidacy for governor on Wednesday.Martin, however, says…
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard is doing something fairly out of character: Taking a stance on a controversial issue. Goddard sent a letter to the Arizona congressional delegation today urging them to oppose a provision of the national healthcare bill that has created some seriously hoopla lately.The “Nebraska compromise,” as…
If the latest heap churned from the rumor mill is true, the Phoenix Open (or as it is now less-glamorously known, the Waste Management Open) isn’t the only thing Tiger Woods won’t be coming to Arizona to participate in. The latest report from Radaronline claims that Tiger has checked into a sexual-rehabilitation center…
Move over, rover, let Gary take over. In a tale that could seemingly only happen in rural stretch of central Arizona — or the hills of West Virginia — Chino Valley resident Gary Riley has been accused of sexually assaulting his neighbor’s dog. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says another Chino…
John Shaddegg’s not the only one with a retirement party in his near future — Congressman Harry Mitchell’s got one coming, too. Only, as far as we know, Mitchell has no plans to retire.It turns out that Mitchell’s Republican opponent, Dr. Chris Salvino, will be hosting the party on the…
Representative David Lujan made it official today and announced that he would be running for attorney general in 2010. Lujan has had an exploratory committee going for close to a year so this is far from a shocker. But another candidate for AG, former Assistant Attorney General Felecia Rotellini, who…
A Scottsdale company that distributes “e-cigarettes,” the robotic and arguably equally harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes, got some good news today from a federal judge: The Food and Drug Administration has to back off in blocking imports of the devices.The judge ruled in favor of Sottera, the distributor of the…
Arizona Congressman John Shadegg is throwing in the towel; he announced today that he will not seek re-election in 2010.Score one for sanity in government.Shadegg, who’s antics during his tenure in the Congress have bordered on lunacy, is now one of 13 Republicans in the House of Representatives who will not…
Police are asking for the public’s help in tracking down a man they believe stole thousands of dollars from a charter school in Chandler.Stealing from a school — how, um, classy.Authorities say James Bassett, along with his wife, Laurie Bassett, embezzled more than $20,000 from the Dobson Academy School in…
Arizona State University has made a deal with the Justice Department to stop using popular electronic readers like the Kindle until they are made functional for the blind. ASU is one of three universities participating in a pilot program that gave Kindles to students to see how they would work — as opposed…
James Ray, the salesman who led a self-help seminar that left three people dead and dozens injured, went out and got some lawyers, and as you could probably imagine, they don’t think he broke any laws.As part of hundreds of documents released yesterday by the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, a letter…
