Caffiend: Dutch Bros. Red Bull Smoothie

There aren’t too many variations of Red Bull drinks we haven’t tried. The seminal energy drink seems to blend well with just about any kind of booze, which makes for the equivalent of a liquid speed ball.But what if you just want the Red Bull energy boost? You could drink…

Hot Links: D-Backs Win, Building Implosion, and Dinosaur Bones

The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the San Diego Padres 7-4 Sunday afternoon, in their final home game of the season. Chad Tracy homered and Augie Ojeda drove in three runs for the victory. The D-Backs’ next game puts them on Giants turf Tuesday…The demolition of the old Mountain Bell/Phoenix Qwest building…

Hot Links: Gretzky Gone, Student Stabbed, Explosion Planned

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says it won’t prosecute a Peoria couple for taking nude photos of their young daughters in a bathtub because there is “no reasonable likelihood of conviction.” In a case that’s drawn national attention, Lisa and Anthony Demaree lost custody of their children for a month…

Hot Links: Brewer’s “Hell Hole,” Abortion Laws, and K-12 Online

Governor Jan Brewer was caught on camera referring to the State Capitol as a “hell hole.” Brewer made the remark at the Tucson Country Club, while addressing a group of Republicans. Brewer’s office says the remark was not referencing the city of Phoenix, but the budget battle at the Capitol…Federal…

Hot Links: A Police Sketch, Arson, and Text Message Bans

Since his arrest Monday by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, no prosecutor has stepped forward to take the case against Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley. As we reported Monday, the MSCO is recommending more than 95 criminal counts against Stapley, including real estate fraud…Glendale police have released a sketch of a suspected…

Hot Links: Massage Parlors, Drugs in Court, and a Mayoral Split

The City of Mesa has created a series of new restrictions for massage parlors, in an attempt to crack down on parlors that may be fronts for illegal activities. Among the changes is a requirement that massage-parlor owners register their employees with the city, and work logs that detail therapists’…

Caffiend: Mocha Bianca’s Depth Charger

“This might make hair grow on your chest,” the bald barista at Mocha Bianca tells me, as he prepares a mix of coffee and espresso he calls the “Depth Charger.””Of course,” he continues, rubbing his smooth dome, “It hasn’t worked on my head yet.”Mocha Bianca is just a few miles…

Hot Links: Pilar Thomas, Seat-Belts, and a Man with a Sword

Arizona attorney Pilar Thomas has been selected as the Deputy Solicitor for Indian Affairs for the U.S. Interior Department. Thomas is a member of the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe, and formerly worked for Phoenix-based law firm Lewis & Roca LLP…The Department of Public Safety has vowed to aggressively target people who…

Hot Links: Charity Dogs, Herds of Elk, and Newspapers for Sale

A California-based charity with facilities in Phoenix has been collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and income but has not been providing service on par with its revenue. According to a story in The Arizona Republic, Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind recently reported $7 million in assets,…

Hot Links: D-Backs Choke, Tribes Ban Mining, and 30 Twins

The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped another game last night, losing 5-6 to the San Diego Padres. Next up: the first of three D-Backs home games against the Colorado Rockies on Friday evening…A $30 million loan could help the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community build a new spring-training complex on tribal land…

Hot Links: H1N1 Vaccines, Phoenix Ranks 93rd, and Severed Arms

Nearly one million doses of the H1N1 vaccine are scheduled to arrive in Arizona next month, but not everybody will get a shot right away. Health officials are reserving the initial batch of shots for health-care workers, children, and expectant mothers, and say the general public may not get their…

Hot Links: Abortion Bills, Torture Murders, and Hunger Strikes

Planned Parenthood and the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights have sued to block enactment of House Bill 2564 and Senate Bill 1175, which would enforce new laws in Arizona that impose restrictions on abortions. Among the restrictions would be a mandatory 24-hour waiting period to get an abortion and the…

Hot Links: Gretzky Sits Out, Roosevelt Fires, and Parsley Recall

The Phoenix Coyotes ice hockey team started training camp on Saturday without coach Wayne Gretzky. While awaiting the decision of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in the sale of the team and team ownership, the “Great One”  thought it better to “sit back for a few days and evaluate,” according…

Hot Links: Remembering 911, A Dozen Beers, and D-Backs

  ​Some of the Phoenix firefighters who were in New York City after September 11, 2001 recounted their experiences to KTAR.com, including current fire chief Bob Khan, who says of being at Ground Zero, “To this day, it was a surreal experience”…Colleen Clark,  president of the governing board of Maricopa County…

Hot Links: Vandalism, Lawsuits, and a Chandler Mansion

Three Fountain Hills high school students have admitted to vandalizing cars in the neighborhood and tagging them with racist imagery and slurs. The only suspect being named is Alex Castellanos, 18. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says the students didn’t have a racial motive, and they will be charged with…

Hot Links: Cops on Buses, Graffiti on Cars, and Simpson’s Plea

Chandler Police are going back to school this fall, as officers plan to ride school buses to ensure drivers obey the laws around school buses, and stop when buses activate their “stop” signs. The penalty for a first-time violation is a $250 fine…A Mesa-based company called Dixon Golf has created a…

Hot Links: Weekend DUIs, Swap Meet Sweeps, and Coyotes

Phoenix police arrested 1,053 people in their “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign that began August 21. The campaign, which ended Labor Day, was designed to crack down on DUIs. Of the arrests, police say 359 were cases of extreme DUI…One local man, Joseph Cummins, was stopped on suspicion of…

Hot Links: D-Backs, Multiple Fires, and Obama’s School Speech

Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill yesterday which allows for the sale of some of Arizona’s public properties. House Bill 2010 dictates the state try to raise as much as $735 million by selling state-owned buildings and then leasing them back. Buildings that could be sold include the House and…

Hot Links: Big Surf, Prison Books, and NAU’s Porn Lawsuit

Big Surf water park in Tempe will close at the end of Labor Day, perhaps for good. Golfland Entertainment Centers, which has operated the park since 1991, announced yesterday it will cease operations of the park to focus on its other ventures. The El Paso-based company that owns Big Surf…

Hot Links: Uranium Mining, Balsillie in Court, and SRP Rates

Uranium mining could resume near the Grand Canyon this year, after the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued an air-quality permit to Denison Mines. The company plans to work the Arizona 1 mine, which hasn’t been mined for two decades. Conservationists and Native American groups oppose the mining, and express…

Hot Links: Tuition-Tax Rules, Museum Liquor, and GameStop

The Catholic Tuition Organization for the Diocese of Phoenix has changed its rules for tuition-tax-credit donors, disallowing donors to name recipients. Under the old plan, taxpayers recommended specific students for the scholarships. Critics of such programs, which are practiced by many private schools in the Valley, say it allows for…

Caffiend: El Salvador at Village Coffee Roastery

“What’s your specialty drink?” and “What’s the most caffeinated coffee you carry?” are pretty common questions at a coffee shop. Usually, baristas will give a specific answer: at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe, they recommended the iced toddy. At Gold Bar Espresso in Tempe, we were encouraged to try the…