It might not be hard to believe, but it turns out that a real estate investment company wasn’t really producing the 60 percent returns it advertised after the real estate bubble burst.The Department of Justice alleges Michael Stewart, 66, of Phoenix and John Packard, 63, of Long Beach, California, perpetrated…
Arizona’s list of illegal drugs soon could include kratom, an herbal product that’s been used as medicine in certain Asian countries for centuries.Kratom’s been for sale legally in certain stores around Phoenix for several years now, but the annual proposed update of Arizona’s banned drugs includes the alkaloids in kratom.UPDATE…
A study of financial data shows Arizonans generally are not in good financial shape, compared to the rest of the country.For example, about 32 percent of Arizonans, the fourth-hightest rate in the country don’t have three months’ worth of savings to cover expenses…
Arizona’s one of the few states where the levels of very religious and nonreligious people are about the same, according to poll results.In Gallup’s annual survey of religion across the country, researchers found that about 36 percent in Arizona say religion’s a big part of their lives and that they…
A Washington Post opinion piece penned by a pair of Yale University law professors argues that anti-gay legislation enacted in Russia isn’t that different from laws in some American states.Russia’s ban on promoting homosexual propaganda in front of children isn’t that different from the so-called “no promo homo” laws in…
The Humane Society of the United States is supporting four Arizona bills this legislative session designed to protect animals.Although the Humane Society generally gives Arizona good reviews for its animal-welfare laws, the organization’s president and CEO Wayne Pacelle is in town today for a “Humane Lobby Day.”…
Some Republican lawmakers still are trying to nullify federal gun laws they feel are unconstitutional.Senate Bill 1294 declares, “All federal acts, laws, orders, rules and regulations that are in violation of the second amendment of the United States Constitution, that are unauthorized by the Constitution and that violate the Second…
As promised, Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego has submitted a bill that would legalize marijuana possession in Arizona.Twelve other Democrats signed on to sponsor or co-sponsor the bill, House Bill 2558…
Phoenix is one of many cities around the country in which environmentalists plan on holding “vigils” to protest the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.Mind you, the proposed path of the pipeline doesn’t come within 1,000 miles of Phoenix…
Members of the state library association, county governments, and library districts around the state are warning about proposed legislation they say could gut library funding statewide.House Bill 2379, proposed by Republican Representative Justin Olson, would put a cap on the taxing capabilities of “special districts” around the state, which includes…
Thanks to the language differences among Anglos, Mexicans, and various Native American tribes, there are a whole lot of places around Arizona that no one really seems to know how to pronounce.Check out 10 such places, along with our best ideas for how they’re supposed to be pronounced:…
The team Governor Jan Brewer assigned to process and review the thousands of cases ignored by Child Protective Services reports that the root cause of the failure is that “demand exceeds capacity.”The “CARE Team” led by Charles Flanagan — who’s since been tasked with running the new agency that includes…
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:…
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is warning of “stepped-up DUI enforcement” around metro Phoenix metro on Super Bowl Sunday.”The Super Bowl DUI Saturation Operation will be highly visible and staffed by additional DPS Highway Patrol Officers along with those officers who are normally scheduled for duty,” according to one…
Arizona’s House and Senate both approved a proposal to spend more than $6.8 million to hire new employees at Child Protective Services, which includes $5.7 million in new spending from the state’s general fund.In addition to that, one legislator proposed dipping into the general fund for a little bigger special…
Remember Jodi Arias?The femme fatale might be a convicted murderer, but that doesn’t stop her from posting nuggets of wisdom to Twitter (with help from the outside). However, Arias announced yesterday that she’s going on a Twitter hiatus, so we thought we’d share the top 10 pieces of Arias wisdom:…
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.This week, our cast of characters create a…
The number of people apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Arizona last year was the lowest in 20 years.U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that there were 125,942 apprehensions last year, which still amounts to an average of 350 people per day…
The Arizona bill that would criminalize publishing sexual images that were shared in confidence is “almost certainly unconstitutional,” according to a University of Arizona law professor.House Bill 2515, proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, would make it illegal to “knowingly disclose, display, distribute, publish, advertise, or offer a photograph,…
Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan is retiring.Khan, who’s been chief since 2006, says he wants to spend time with his ill father…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office carried out its 76th and 77th “criminal employment” operations this week, and the results were unspectacular.The result of the 76th operation: One guy arrested at a Chili’s restaurant in Mesa…
Arizona voters “narrowly oppose” marijuana legalization, according to the latest poll on the issue.Scutari and Cieslak Public Relations’ poll is the fourth poll conducted on the issue in the last year, all by different polling companies. Two of the polls have showed voters supporting legalizing marijuana, and the other two…
