After a decades-long court battle with Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his predecessors, a lawsuit alleging poor conditions in the Maricopa County jails is finally moving forward. Health and corrections experts are currently examining conditions in Arpaio’s jails, in connection with Hart v. Arpaio, a class-action lawsuit brought by Phoenix attorney…
By Ray Stern How close did I come to getting arrested by Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies today? As Maxwell Smart would say, “Missed it by that much.” These cowardly MCSO deputies refused to identify themselves. The problem: I had the nerve to want to look at the same public records…
Master debunker Mark “Gravy” Roberts’ video blasting the BS 9/11 conspiracy theory of a controlled demo out of the proverbial H2O. WITH A WIMPER: Wannabe-PhD Blair Gadsby crapped out today on his Looney Tunes hunger strike in front of U.S. Senator John McCain’s Phoenix office. Gadsby announced this afternoon on…
By John Dickerson It’s the worst kept secret in town that the Arizona Republic is a sad and sorry shell of its former self. (Revisit Sarah Fenske’s 2007 cover story on the topic if you’re not clear on the details.) And it’s the second-worst kept secret in town that the…
By Ray Stern Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to know what you think about his approach to illegal immigration. Well, only if you agree with him. But we encourage those who disagree with him–or outright hate what he’s doing–to flood a special hotline he’s set up for his supporters…
Investors in Main Street Glendale (artist’s rendering above) claim Mortgages Ltd. hasn’t forked over the multi-million-dollar loan it guaranteed. By John Dickerson Mortgages Ltd. executives held a much-anticipated conference call with investors this morning, to explain the company’s fate after the death of CEO Scott Coles on June 2, a…
I’m on deadline all day Tuesday, and so, alas, will likely miss the following. Wish I could be there to report on the tsunami of insanity that will deluge the Arizona state Capitol as Blair “My kingdom for a hotdog!” Gadsby and a rabid horde troofer tards storm the Legislature…
By Andrea Custer It sounded like a crowded Irish pub at the Irish Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix; a sound that would make James Joyce, or at least his fans, quite proud. The Great Hall was packed with brewers and beer enthusiasts for the 2nd Annual Bloomin’ Beerfest on Saturday…
By Jonathan McNamara First Friday First Friday got a little freaky this weekend. Then again, what would you expect when conspiracy theorists and cyborgs with Thor helmets start mixing it up? Summer of Sound The Premiere, Cut Throat Logic, Zion-I and a few more members of the local hip hop…
By John Dickerson Avoid the enforcer by visiting speedtraps.org. I was driving behind an important story source (who shall remain anonymous) when a Department of Public Safety patrol car pulled alongside me (not behind me) with flashing lights ablaze. I slowed down, thinking the patrolman was on his way to…
By Ray Stern The small ad by something called “AZ Green Dining” in the Cafe section of this week’s New Times couldn’t help but catch my eye (after a co-worker pointed it out, that is): “The New Times 4-17-08 edition printed lies about biodiesel.” I had written the article in…
By Jonathan McNamara Kevin Patterson is a drunken, lying, tiny balls having, STD-carrying, half naked, sad excuse for a poet good only for sleeping with illiterate whores in foreign countries. At least that’s what his friends said. Kevin Patterson (left) will be passing the Grand Avenue Live torch to new…
9/11 hunger artist Blair Gadsby and Republiloon Karen Johnson, pictured conferring outside the offices of U.S. Senator John McCain on hungry4truth.com. Look, up in the sky. It’s a black helicopter. No it’s a drone aircraft piloted by a Mossad agent. Bzzzt. Wrong again, false flag-boy, it’s TROOFER MAN! And he’ll…
By Ray Stern Following a rancorous public debate, the Phoenix Police Department last month toughened its policy toward illegal immigrants, allowing cops to report people to tederal immigration authorities far more often than before. But Phoenix officers still aren’t supposed to ask about immigration status during routine traffic stops. The…
In light of reports that Mesa fruitcake and state Senator Karen Johnson is lobbying U.S. Senator John McCain to meet with 9/11-denier and starvation artist Blair Gadsby, I’d like to offer McCain a few reasons why he should never, ever bow to the whims of wackos like Gadsby and those…
First, it was the Native Americans, then it was the blacks, then the Japanese. For a while, Muslims. Now, I fear that American prejudice will soon overwhelm Mexicans. It’s one thing to get called a dirty Jap or border hopper, but tell me: Is it possible that America will cause…
FED UP WITH JOE Doddering Joe: Whatever you think of Joe Arpaio, the codger’s too old to be sheriff of Maricopa County. At almost 76 (he’d be 80 by the end of his next term!), he’s showing his senility every day with the stupid things he does (“Brown Out,” Stephen…
The number one purpose of the Missionette program, according to its Web site, is “to win girls to Jesus Christ through love and acceptance.” It’s the Girl Scouts, only sponsored by your local evangelical church: uniforms, merit badges — and lots of talk about Jesus’ edict to “go and make…
CRACKPOT KAREN Like Larry King or the species of common cockroach, the 9/11 “troof” crowd will never completely croak. Just when you think these cretinous mental cousins of Holocaust deniers have been obliterated by intellectual neutron bombs debunking their moon-howling inanities — like last year’s two-hour documentary 9/11 Conspiracies: Fact…
Herman Teague loved his new job as a greeter at the Wal-Mart Supercenter just off the 101 and Raintree Drive in Scottsdale. It wasn’t about the money, about $180 a week before taxes for part-time work, or the benefits (the company provided none to him). Teague was living off Social…
By Paul Rubin Talk about getting it wrong. Political pollsters in California’s capital city of Sacramento had Mayor Heather Fargo favored to win yesterday’s primary by about seven percentage points over former Phoenix Suns basketball star Kevin Johnson. Instead, K.J. drove right past the two-time incumbent on his way to…
By John Dickerson Mortgages Ltd. CEO Scott Coles, 48, was found dead on Monday in his $11.3 million home. The cause of death has yet to be determined, but the unfortunate event may fit the scenario of CEO suicide during an economic downturn. Mortgages Ltd. isn’t a small-time residential loan…
