We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: Speed Camera Pickax Attacker Gets Probation and Fine Governor Brewer’s…
The only thing more dangerous than a drunk driver is a drunk driver behind the wheel of a massive dump truck.But that’s who’s responsible for a chain-reaction collision on the westbound off-ramp of the Loop 202 at Country Club Drive in Mesa today, says the Arizona Department of Public Safety.Michael…
That was fast. Two days ago, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas fired off a Hail Mary to the Court of Appeals, complaining that superior court judges are biased against him and asking the higher court to intervene. Today a three-justice appellate panel dismissed Thomas’ petition for special action — without…
This just in from the Arizona Supreme Court:Arizona Supreme Court Vice Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch has been chosen as the court’s new Chief Justice.Berch was selected by the court to serve a five-year term as Chief Justice following the July 1st retirement of the current Chief, Ruth McGregor. Berch’s…
A man who attacked a freeway speed camera with a pickax back in December won’t go to jail, but must pay a fine of more than $3,500. He also has to serve a term of probation.Travis Munroe Townsend (pictured) was seen by a Department of Public Safety motorcycle officer on…
An interesting little spat is brewing over at the right-wing Sonoran Alliance blog, where our favorite, furry whipping post, the anonymous “Chewie,” has upset the elephant cart.Chewie has inside info, supposedly, that Governor Jan Brewer’s campaign manager, lobbyist and public relations expert Chuck Coughlin (pictured), is “behind” Brewer’s billion-dollar-a-year tax…
It’s kind of creepy: There’s a sudden knock at the door. You check to see who it is — and it turns out to be someone trying to save your soul. Or maybe they just want to sell you something. Either way, you wonder if they would have tried the…
It’s a bit counter-intuitive, admits local anti-tax activist Tom Jenney.The results of a new poll show that likely voters in Phoenix and Glendale don’t want a tax increase, and they don’t want to cut spending, either. “There is no such thing as a free lunch,” says Jenney, the director of…
This is Arizona!Two people were injured Tuesday night in a Cottonwood bar when a real, live bobcat bounced inside and started tearin’ up the place. Check out the coverage by Channel 3 (KTVK-TV) that includes surveillance video obtained from the bar and an article that describes what happened. Here’s a…
The Arizona Republic took a sober look this morning at the issue of a marijuana-based drug and the Phoenix company trying to legally earn cartel-level salaries with it. The article covered the toils of wealthy entrepreneur John Kapoor, who has invested $40 million of his own stash in his company,…
Deeee-Fence! We never thought we’d be saying this, but the Phoenix Suns won the last two games against tough Western Conference foes with solid D, and now find themselves on a 6-game winning streak. Of course, this offsets the 6-game losing streak the team endured immediately preceding, but let’s not talk about that now…
At a senate committee hearing Wednesday, senators both praised and poked holes in President Obama’s plan to send more troops to border states to combat Mexican drug cartels and associated violence, but Arizona Senator John McCain lauded Mexico President Felipe Calderon’s efforts to combat the cartels…Despite budget cuts, the Maricopa…
In honor of April Fools’ Day, I’m turning over the column this week to those who think America can stop the Reconquista. Following are the winners of my challenge to Know-Nothings a couple of semanas back asking people to explain in 100 words or less how they can hate the…
CRIMINALLY BROWN Joe’s an attention whore — nothing more: There’s nothing left to the imagination about this story. It’s crystal clear what Joe Arpaio is up to here. He’s hassling every brown-skinned person he can find, in the hopes he will find an illegal alien or two to [get kicked]…
CASTRO THE FIGHTER The Bird winged his way down to Nogales the other day to meet with Arizona’s only Mexican-born governor, Raul Castro. Sand Land newbies, who know the Grand Canyon State as a reservoir of hatred and discrimination toward anyone brown, may figure this finch finally has gone Froot…
Two years ago, a 28-year-old postal worker named Bryant Wilkerson was hit by a drunk driver, a teenage girl who’d been partying with her friends all day on the Salt River and had the blood alcohol content to prove it. That day, Wilkerson’s life changed forever, but not in the…
As I reported in last week’s Bird column, Guadalupe’s lickspittle Mayor Frankie Montiel has invited Sheriff Joe back to his square-mile town for Thursday’s town council meeting, and perhaps a meal of Mexican seafood. Arpaio’s return comes one year after the MCSO ran roughshod over that town in an anti-immigrant sweep,…
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: Peoria Bank Robber Cuts Hole In Wall, Surprises Bank Employees…
Here’s quick way to pay some bills: Buy one of the new CA$H4 tickets from the Arizona State Lottery that go on sale this Sunday, match four numbers and collect your $10,000. Just four lousy numbers — that’s a probability of one in 10,000, right? Well, it’s harder than…
Poor AIG. All it wanted was a few good bailout dollars, but taxpayers can’t seem to understand why it’s crucial for employees to attend lavish conferences and receive jackpot bonuses. It’s the company people like to kick around, so it fits that AIG is spending $100 million on an advertising deal with…
Laura Devany, a spokeswoman for state Senate Republicans, just won the Arizona Capitol Times “Best Government PR Person” award. She’d better sharpen her resume. The last two people picked for the award by Capitol Times readers, also both spokesman for Republican lawmakers, were fired from their posts. Nick Simonetta, a…
What the hell has gotten into Prensa Hispana, the Spanish language freebie you always see in racks at Mexican restaurants and grocery stores? In today’s March 25th edition, and teased on the cover, is a full-page puff piece on MCSO Deputy Chief Paul Chagolla, the much-despised former flack for Sheriff…
