Early in childhood, The Spike spoiled its frilly pink Easter dress by firing a double-barreled shotgun at a watermelon. The dress and The Spike landed in a large heap on the ground — torn, muddy and decidedly unhappy about the condition of the beloved pink organza. But The Spike was…
FLAGSTAFF — A decade-long, high-stakes financial and environmental struggle that stretches from a 1,000-year-old Hopi village to Southern California electric users is rapidly coming to a head. At stake are hundreds of high-paying jobs on the Hopi and Navajo Indian reservations in northeastern Arizona; they could be lost if the…
All About Cats and Dogs Pooper scooper: Thanks for your article exposing the fraudman, Bill Heywood (“The Big Stink,” Amy Silverman, September 26). Every time I listen to his unprofessional radio talk show, my stomach turns. He does not have a clue about the events of the day and gives…
Susan and Bill Heywood put Mister Laguna, their red poodle, to sleep on Groundhog Day, 1996. Most people honor a pet’s death with a few tears. The Heywoods thought an annual black-tie affair at the Arizona Biltmore would be more fitting. Several years later, the Scratch & Sniff Awards dinner…
If you’re wondering how your state could spend so little on critical services yet still collapse into a budget crisis, look no further than this little phrase in Arizona tax law: “. . . and common areas used as an airport.” This line will cost you and other Arizonans hundreds…
On August 26, longtime mental-health advocate Jack Harvey stepped into familiar haunts to deliver some God-awful news. “I just had to let people at the office know that I’m not doing so well, that I’m pretty sick at the moment,” says Harvey. The “office” houses the Mental Health Advocates Coalition…
From the Heart Heartfelt thanks: Thank you for the article you did on Dr. Teodori (“Prince of Hearts, Paul Rubin, September 19). He is a wonderful man and many people have been praying for him since his accident. He saved my niece in July of 2001 by repairing her heart…
Having just turned 19 in July, Michelle Branch hardly looks the part of an elder statesperson in a rock ‘n’ roll movement. But having scored the earliest success with a formula that’s already been copied by a string of other young-chicks-with-instruments, Branch has become to the Avrils and Vanessas what…
Three-year-old Xzavion Gonzales looks up at his mother in a preoperative room at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “Am I gonna die, mama?” Xzavion asks Samantha Blier, moments before a doctor gives him a shot to make him sleepy. Blier is taken aback. No, you’re not going to die, she says, you’re…
Before the September 10 primary, The Spike thought it would be fun to devote this week’s column to all the wackos who lost the election. A parting shot at some folks we didn’t expect to see for another two to four years — the gay bashers, the home schoolers, the…
Cops call it “building the jacket.” If you’ve got a guy you want to ruin, you start throwing crazy allegations at him or start listening to crazy allegations about him. Then you conduct sham “investigations.” Then you make sure the allegations and investigations start piling up in his personnel file…
Crotch Talk Macho macho man: Regarding Amy Alkon’s rant equating big SUVs with small penises (“Guys With Small Penises,” September 12): I drive a Toyota truck, but I live full-time in a 35-foot-long, 11-foot-tall motor home. It averages about six miles per gallon. Based on Amy’s assumptions, I must have…
Advice columnist Amy Alkon had a delicious secret. In her spare time, she’d been actively insulting the owners of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with an inspired piece of performance art. This past spring she wrote about her one-woman campaign in our sister publication in Los Angeles. The column ignited a…
The Spike is happy to report that justice has prevailed and politics have failed in the case of former Phoenix Fire Department deputy chief Robert “Hoot” Gibson. The man who for decades kept the fire department supplied with everything from engines to rubber boots was forced to resign six years…
Inmates on the Internet are a problem Gary Phelps would rather not have to deal with. The state Department of Corrections official was quite happy when House Bill 2376 was passed two years ago. Inmates were already banned from direct Internet access, but the new statute prohibits third parties from…
Amateur PornIt’s a naked jungle out there: I have had it with prudish politicians who want to punish harmless fun (“Porn U,” Robert Nelson, September 5). Anytime Brian Buck wants to run for higher office, he’s got my vote. Fred Burton Phoenix Police ProblemHethinks thou protesteth too much: Many years…
Hundreds of bodies glisten in the hot sun of a hazy Philadelphia summer day. Lanky young men in baggy shorts and backward baseball caps wind their way through a dense crowd, pausing to glance at teenage girls in tight tank tops and shorts. Young families crowd side-by-side with raucous twentysomethings…
The Spike loves a good public thumping, especially in cases where the public has been thumped first. And so The Spike is tickled to see that the wrongdoers at the Wilson Elementary School District are about to get a long-overdue comeuppance. For the past couple years, two wayward school board…
The young lovers came from different sides of the tracks. Brian Buck (his real name) was a hardworking, hard-partying member of Arizona State University’s naughtiest fraternity, who appeared destined for greater things in ASU’s student government. Calli Cox (her stage name) was the hardworking, hard-partying member of the porn industry…
Man Down Children should be seen and not heard: I have a hard time believing that something like this can go on in America (“Lost Hope,” Amy Silverman, August 22)! This is disgraceful. Paul Hewitson’s daughter should be put in jail, but not before she pays him all the money…
Alfredo Gutierrez is one of Arizona’s greatest living statesmen. In contrast, Janet Napolitano, his rival in the Democratic primary for governor, has a nice résumé. Gutierrez grew up in the Mexican-American shantytowns of the mines around Globe, an experience that forged his resolve to dedicate his life to fighting for…
Felony prosecutor Juan Martinez is despised by many defense attorneys, mainly because he relentlessly plays hardball on the job. He rarely plea bargains, seemingly is always in trial, prepares his cases meticulously, and usually wins. No matter what Martinez’s adversaries may think of him personally or professionally, though, no one…
