The crime was so heinous, it made headlines across the nation — and sent some animal lovers racing to their phones to make death threats. Dr. Joshua Winston, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, had repeatedly punched a Chihuahua in the head, using such force that the poor dog’s…
By Sarah Fenske Nearly 22 percent of criminal cases tried by the office of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas last year ended with the defendant being found “not guilty,” according to statistics released by Thomas’ office. Thomas released the numbers in response to a press release from his opponent, Tim…
By Sarah Fenske Former County Attorney Rick Romley, a Republican who endorsed Andrew Thomas in 2004, announced today that this year he is endorsing Thomas’ opponent, Tim Nelson, instead. In a sharply worded statement released at a press conference in front of Thomas’ office, Romley, a 16-year veteran of the…
For a time, Jack Rose was the most notorious person in Arizona government. I know, I know: You’ve never heard of him. But even if he’s forgotten, the damage was clearly done. Rose’s selfish actions not only left the taxpayers on the hook for an unprecedented $60 million jury verdict,…
A happy experience at the lounge at the new downtown Phoenix Sheraton … who would have thunk it? By Sarah Fenske I totally wanted to hate District: American Kitchen and Wine Bar, the brand-spankin’-new restaurant at the brand-spankin’-new downtown Sheraton. In my other life, the non-food-blogger one, I am a…
The prosecutors said there was no “reasonable likelihood” that they could convict reporter Ray Stern. By Sarah Fenske The “disorderly conduct” citation against New Times reporter Ray Stern has been dropped at the request of prosecutors. Last week, Mesa City Prosecutor John Pombier asked the court to dismiss the misdemeanor…
When the Housing Authority of Maricopa County began the hunt for a new executive director, it had some specifics in mind. Its hire would be running the county’s public housing program — no small task. Naturally, the ideal candidate would be educated, with at least a bachelor’s degree, and have…
By Sarah Fenske Score another victory for New Times — and Arizona’s public records law. On Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s request to revisit the appellate court decision which spanked his department for stalling on public records requests filed by this newspaper. The court…
The perfect comfort food. By Sarah Fenske Every time I go to Cheese ‘n Stuff, the remarkable little deli/food shop on Central, I order the same thing. This is not the fault of the owners. They have an amazing variety of food here, from sandwiches made with Boar’s Head meats…
So far, we the people have given Sandra Kennedy $248,000 to run for the Arizona Corporation Commission. But when it came time to answer questions about that money last week, Sandra Kennedy was nowhere to be seen. A process server was attempting to serve Kennedy with papers demanding she appear…
Poor little sandwiches … By Sarah Fenske It might sound weird to a normal person, but I stopped going to KFC because of the Pepsi. There are two types of fast food junkies in the world: Coke people and Pepsi people. Some time during college, I realized I was a…
By Sarah Fenske Last week, I told you about the war about between pilots at the old America West and the old US Airways. Even though the airlines merged three years ago, the two groups of pilots are still operating under different contracts — and are facing off on the…
By Sarah Fenske It was an interesting idea. It just couldn’t work. Scottsdale gadfly Michael Merrill has long made no secret of his antipathy toward the Arizona Republic. The paper’s editorial staff tends to side, almost always, with the Chamber of Commerce crowd — and Merrill, suffice to say, has…
Let’s talk about the Palin family! Forget the war in Iraq, the screwed-up economy, the $3.57-per-gallon gas. How about those breeders, the Palins? Admit it: We are a nation obsessed. In the checkout lane this weekend, readers could choose among People (“Sarah Palin’s Family Drama”), the National Enquirer (“Sarah Palin’s…
Is this the best bread in the world? Or am I just a happy to be alive? By Sarah Fenske I didn’t even realize I was hungry. One minute I was sitting there, chatting away with my friends, and the next minute I’d knocked off an entire pastrami sandwich. There…
By Sarah Fenske Twenty-eight reporters and editors at the Arizona Republic have accepted buyout offers from the Gannett-owned daily. Sources say that executive editor Randy Lovely is telling staffers that the buyouts could help the paper avoid layoffs — but only if the economy improves. Uh oh. We’re also hearing…
A kid looks to see what all the fuss is about. Photo by Jonathan McNamara By Sarah Fenske Naked children! That shocking topic is the subject of ASU photography professor Betsy Schneider’s work. It was also the subject of New Times’ profile of Schneider, which ran August 14. As writer…
David Braid doesn’t look like a gangster. A pilot for US Airways, Braid has the friendly demeanor and wholesome blondness common to many Midwesterners — it’s no surprise to learn that he hails from Michigan. Now living in Mesa, the 46-year-old seems about as nice, and low-key, as they come…
8 for 2008: Last night’s primary gives us eight reasons why the AZ electorate is even stupider than previously thought By Sarah Fenske The results are in! Last night’s primary settled a lot of hot political races. Now we know that it’ll be Tim Nelson who takes on Maricopa County…
When Joe Lieberman is speaking, ya need a little spice … by Sarah Fenske I was gonna order the salad, I swear. Everyone warned me that once I turned 30, my metabolism would suddenly take a nosedive. This did not happen: I continued to eat like a horse and never…
The e-mail was sent to a female member of the Phoenix Country Club — and it was pointed. “Can you stop you[r] bullshit at PCC,” the e-mail demanded. “Nobody likes you and your type needs to go . . . The last thing we need is more lezzies like you…
Something went wrong. That’s what politicos from Tucson to Flagstaff are saying, as an unprecedented number of citizen initiatives have been kicked off this fall’s ballot. No one can remember the last time that any statewide initiative got booted after turning in its signatures. This year, we’ve already had three…
