A group of same-sex couples have filed a federal lawsuit challenging Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage.Several Arizona laws outlaw aspects of same-sex marriages in the state, including Proposition 102, passed by voters in 2008, which states that the only recognized marriages in the state are “a union of one man…
A survey of Phoenix residents suggests that people are generally confused about what happens if they don’t have health insurance at the end of this month.Consider that there are about 1 million uninsured people statewide, and only about 60,000 have purchased health insurance through the exchange established by Obamacare –…
It can be difficult to keep up with all the lawsuits surrounding Arizona’s litany of recent laws imposing restrictions on abortions.In one of those lawsuits, filed over Arizona’s 2011 law banning sex- and gender-based abortions, the plaintiffs are appealing the dismissal of their challenge to the law.The National Asian Pacific…
A grand jury has indicted former NFL safety Darren Sharper on sexual assault charges for alleged assaults that occurred in Tempe in November.Sharper was charged last month with drugging and raping two women in Los Angeles, and a few weeks later, authorities in New Orleans issued a warrant for Sharper’s…
As expected, Governor Jan Brewer will not be seeking a third term in office.Although the Arizona Constitution prohibits a governor from holding that office “for more than two consecutive terms,” Brewer has been insisting for several years now that she might be able to run for a third term. She…
Phoenix voters will likely be voting on reforms of the pension system for city employees, which includes actually phasing out the program, and replacing it with a 401(k)-style plan.A right-wing group called the Arizona Free Enterprise Club started its effort to collect signatures to put this on the ballot in…
A 55-year-old Oklahoma man has been arrested for allegedly mailing a “bomb” to Sheriff Joe Arpaio last year.The package addressed to Arpaio’s office was intercepted by postal inspectors in Flagstaff in April. A federal indictment of Gregory Lynn Shrader confirms what a law-enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told…
The Arizona House of Representatives voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a bill that would make it a felony offense to share someone else’s nude pictures without his or her permission.Arizona is among several states that are taking up so-called “revenge porn” legislation this year…
Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton will be at Arizona State University next week for the family’s annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University.According to an announcement from the Clinton Global Initiative, more than 1,000 college students from around the world are expected to attend the meeting, which revolves around…
A bill that was blasted by animal-rights advocates as an “ag gag” proposal was watered down a bit before being passed by the House yesterday.In its initial form, House Bill 2587 would have made it a crime to not turn over evidence of livestock abuse within five days — which…
Although Arizona’s Senate Bill 1062 ultimately did not become law, there’s more where that came from.We’ve detailed how the Center for Arizona Policy hasn’t skipped a beat in pushing its Christian-right agenda at the state Capitol, with bills promoting tighter abortion restrictions, and additional tax exemptions for religious organizations. Meanwhile,…
A waiter at a Chinese restaurant shot a cook in the head Sunday afternoon, police say.According to court documents obtained by New Times, there were at least 15 people eating in the Good China restaurant, near 67th Avenue and Thomas Road when 33-year-old waiter David Ong shot a cook who…
If you’re an Arizonan, you may have had a better chance at avoiding a cold than people from the other 49 states.According to a Gallup survey, they called 500 Americans every night for a year to asked whether they had colds or the flu a day earlier (among other questions)…
Well before the controversy over Senate Bill 1062, there were complaints that Center for Arizona Policy lobbyist Cathi Herrod’s power at the Capitol essentially made her an unelected lawmaker.In recent weeks, activists have protested at Herrod’s office, complaining that it certainly appears that Herrod, an unelected lobbyist, has too much…
In case you missed any news action this week, we’ve got you covered.Here’s our recap of the most-read news stories of the week:…
A Tempe police officer accidentally discharged the probes from his Taser while showing it to a middle school class, police say.One of the probes hit a 14-year-old girl in the arm, while the other probe struck a wall. The girl was not hit with the electrical current, since both probes…
A group claiming an association to the hacking collective Anonymous says it plans to “expose” the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in the coming weeks.There are Twitter and Youtube accounts associated with the group, which claims to be doing a “tactical investigation” on the plant, located about 50 miles west…
A former member of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s posse was arrested by MCSO deputies on child-pornography charges.According to the Sheriff’s Office, 73-year-old Roger Byg was a posse member in the old-folks community of Sun City and even had served on the posse’s board before resigning early last year. MCSO’s computer crimes…
At the end of the 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.People tend to look pretty glum in mugshots…
The “rebound” of home prices in the Phoenix area might be over, according to the monthly real estate report from Arizona State University’s Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice.According to the report, “the market conditions suggest prices will struggle to make any further upward progress in 2014.”…
No U.S. Senator gets worse reviews from his constituents than Senator John McCain, according to poll results.About 30 percent of the Arizonans polled by Public Policy Polling said they approve of McCain’s job performance, whereas 54 percent said they disapprove…
Yes, horse and dog massages are real services offered by real people who operate businesses in Arizona.However, according to two women who have filed a lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court, the state veterinary board has told them to stop providing their services, insisting that they need to be licensed…
