A Petri dish of right wing insanity and goofiness. That was my impression of the April 15 Tea Party that took place on the grounds of the Arizona state capitol and drew thousands in a mass fit of anti-Obama rage. Sure, not everyone there was a complete moon-howling loon. (After all,…
Image: www.grandcanyonskywalk.com The Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, which runs the glass-bottomed Skywalk path on the Canyon’s rim, is seeking a new front man. The company put a prominent ad in the Arizona Republic on Sunday seeking a new CEO, and has also advertised the position on at least one…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has filed felony child abuse counts against a Mesa stripper who left her toddlers alone while she visited a boyfriend. Samantha Abernathy, who turns 21 this week, returned to her Mesa apartment about 10:45 a.m. last Sunday, admitting to waiting police officers that she’d been gone…
Anti-abortion license plates are for sale in Arizona, though you wouldn’t know it from mainstream news sources. The contentious legal battle to allow the “Choose life” plates, which started after Governor Janet Napolitano rejected the plan, was covered adequately by news outlets. Now that people are actually buying the plates, coverage has been limited…
The score was knotted 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth Sunday at Safeco Field in Seattle when the unthinkable happened. Well, it would’ve been unthinkable except we’re talking about the hard-luck Arizona Diamondbacks. Veteran Tony Clark, who’s about the only true first baseman the D-Backs have left because of injuries, dropped…
National Park Service officials at the Grand Canyon rescued a Colorado man after he fell on his head during a hike. A helicopter airlifted the man to Flagstaff Medical Center, but NPS officials declined to say what the man’s condition was…A Phoenix mother accidentally shot her 12-year-old daughter Sunday night…
Today the Reverend Al Sharpton achieved what no one else has achieved before in Arizona’s civil rights struggle for the undocumented: the bringing together of African Americans and Latinos on the issues of racial profiling, immigration reform and the 287(g) program. After meeting with those who’ve suffered racial profiling at the…
In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Up on the Sun: Arty Girl: Save money at MADE art boutique tonight! DJ Dossier: Glory Hole…
The Homer News in Alaska last night covered Scottsdale resident Joe Pinto’s catch of a 575-pound salmon shark on Monday, giving some more details — including the fun factoid that Pinto’s an environmental planner for the Maricopa County Department of Transportation.A few seconds of Googling reveals that he’s also the…
So-called “Border Czar” Alan Bersin and other Homeland Security officials met with state Attorney General Terry Goddard today to discuss how to get different agencies working better together. During the meeting, Bersin (pictured above) reportedly called Arizona, “the most lawless corridor on the Southwest border.” We have no idea what…
An hour after Valley Fever called ex-Green Bay Packers player Tony Mandarich (above) for comment about a lawsuit filed against him by an ex-girlfriend, an offending Web site with pictures of the girlfriend no longer works. Mandarich never called us back, but our message may have had an effect. The…
Wired’s online site published an excellent photo recently of one of the weather balloons reported by wishful thinkers in the Phoenix area as a potential alien mothership. In May, we tried to disabuse believers of the idea that a scientific balloon viewed from the ground had extraterrestrial origins. But another balloon floating…
A former Green Bay Packers player famous for his use of steroids has been sued by an ex-girlfriend who claims he posted sexually explicit pictures of her online — under her own name. Tony Mandarich of Scottsdale, who recently released a tell-mostly-all book about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, purchased…
President Obama seemed to express support for major immigration reform during a speech at the Esperanza National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. this morning, promising better border security and a form of amnesty for illegal immigrants. Obama says, “we’re taking steps to strengthen border security, and we must build…
Two women who work in a Valley Wells Fargo bank claim their manager instructed them to stop speaking Spanish to Spanish-speaking employees, says a civil rights lawsuit filed in Superior Court. The white manager “didn’t like” when they spoke Spanish and told them to speak English, even when trying to…
Gannett Blog reports that the media company might be preparing for more across-the-board layoffs. The blog, which has done a good job predicting previous layoffs, says it receives a comment recently from one its best sources that says: 1. Principal executive and Chief Financial Officer Gracia Martore has ordered layoffs…
Twenty-four runs in the past two games? What’s gotten into the Arizona Diamondbacks hitters? Whatever it is, fans hope the barrage will continue after the team took two of three games, including a 12-5 win Thursday night, against the Kansas City Royals. Starting pitcher Dan Haren wasn’t overpowering, but he…
Things looked mighty bleak midway through Arizona State’s baseball game against North Carolina yesterday afternoon. Then, down 4-0 in an elimination game at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium, the Sun Devils loaded the bases for previously unsung outfielder Kole Calhoun. Calhoun deposited a pitch into the right-field bleachers to tie the game,…
Incoming Arizona Board of Regents president Ernest Calderon is proposing a plan that would cut the cost of four-year degrees. The proposal would allow students to attend community college for three years, and then an Arizona university their final year…A Mesa woman reportedly shot two home invaders Wednesday night. The…
In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Feathered Bastard: Joe Arpaio Confronted by Channel 5 Over Video of Crying Child Robbed of Her Parents…
A Phoenix pharmacy and its owner have been indicted for selling up to $8 million in human-growth hormone to doctors without receiving prescriptions. An announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix also says the Compounding Center, 4045 East Bell Road, and wholesale division manager Sean Shaffer advertised anti-aging products based…
The Department of Public Safety released the names of victims in two major roll-over accidents from earlier this month on southern Arizona highways. It’s a list that punctuates just how huge these two tragedies were: June 6, on State Route 82 Injured: Isaias De La Cruz-Gonzalez, 21 of Guatamala; Jose…
