Juvenile InjusticeThe young and the restless: I truly applaud you for writing such a great article about the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (“The Hanging,” Amy Silverman, July 25). I have been a teacher at Adobe Mountain School for more than four years and know full well what Margaret Leon…
The kid had slashed himself with a razor-sharp rock up and down his arm, at least 20 times. Maybe 30. Horizontal cuts on the inside of his wrist, like you make when you are trying to kill yourself. No one reported the mutilation. That’s disturbing, since the boy is in…
In a stunning and welcome reversal, Bishop Thomas O’Brien is now apparently cooperating with the Maricopa County Attorney’s investigation of the alleged sexual misconduct of Father Patrick Colleary, whose sins you first read about in this column. The Phoenix Diocese not only agreed to comply fully with a grand jury…
The Spike is tired and yearning to be free of the overblown hand-wringing over the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent opinion that the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance violate the constitutional firewall between church and state, in this case, specifically, church and schools. Duh. Of course…
Belly Up to the BarCause and effect: I couldn’t help but read Amy Silverman’s feature on disbarred Phoenix attorney Gary Peter Klahr (“Old Glory,” July 4). I did so because I have had the fortune (or misfortune) to experience his presence firsthand. Ms. Silverman may have attempted to present an…
Ethan, Will and others who were there still talk about the scene that night. Two girls — a stripper and her friend — walked arm in arm through the living room of a villa at an East Valley resort hotel. Braless in matching bright halter tops, the girls wove their…
The Spike is happy to report that fat folks in Phoenix will soon have some place that loves them (no Southwest Airlines execs allowed). Club Go Figure (get it?) is set to open Friday, July 19, on Price and University in Tempe. Owners Ian and Linda Seasor have modeled the…
QUESTION: When a monsoon comes and floods the roads, should I drive through the water? ANSWER: Yes. Your vehicle is equipped with flotation equipment made mandatory following Ralph Nader’s investigation of the Disney hit Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If you are heroic enough to drive into the flooded area, you…
Street SceneNo more run of the mill: Now, if we could only do something about those jaywalking car sales people at the dealerships around 12th Street and Camelback (“Urban Menace, or Artistic Vision?” Patti Epler, July 11). I find myself dodging guys in white shirts and flying neckties every day…
For a while, it seemed, future archaeologists excavating this place would find nothing but sports arenas, parking garages and auto malls. Ringed by Indian casinos. But now, if all goes as planned, they might find the remnants of cleverly designed bridges, parks and trails — concrete and steel monuments to…
When PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) calls, The Spike gets visions of veggie burgers and rabid protesters throwing paint on fur. Yawn. But The Spike was actually intrigued by the latest stunt from the PETA people. Brandi Valladolid, a Scottsdale native and PETA activist, was going to…
Severe budget cuts have gutted the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency, and its executive director says he’s “deeply concerned” that the agency no longer will be able to do its job adequately. “It’s like a graveyard in here,” Duane Belcher says, gesturing to empty cubicles and vacated offices. “Doing what…
Man of PrincipleLegal wrangling: I would like to comment briefly on your July 4 cover story on my disbarment (“Old Glory,” Amy Silverman). Other than an excessive number of “cheap shots” at my housekeeping practices, the story is basically accurate — even if not comprehensive and complete. But there are…
The Spike has been following with great interest all the media rubbernecking at the Rodeo-Chedeski fire. While The Arizona Republic is covering one of the biggest natural disasters in Arizona history like it’s a plane crash — using half of its considerable staff to pump out relatively meaningless profiles of…
WHITERIVER — The Rodeo-Chediski fire has inflicted a blow upon the White Mountain Apache more powerful than death itself. The well-documented losses of homes and businesses suffered by the off-reservation communities strung across the edge of the Mogollon rim has been terrible. But the impact to the White Mountain Apache…
Burning Man Put it out already: I enjoyed the “Up in Smoke” interview by Robrt L. Pela in last week’s issue (Speakeasy, June 27). Enjoyed it, as in it was hilarious! Roger Egan from McDuffy’s needs to suck it up and move on. Why can’t he understand that our voting…
Gary Peter Klahr is eating. He grabs half a tuna melt in both hands and mows through it like a hamster, then shovels hash browns onto his fork with his fingers. Food falls out of his mouth as he talks, and by the end of the meal, Klahr’s cheeks and…
The road began from Highway 60 as an inviting blacktop, with the greasy coal black of new asphalt and a tight, bright yellow line down the middle. My 9-year-old and 5-year-old boys were giddy with the thought of spontaneous exploration. This is what dads do on camping trips. They provide…
Attorney General Janet Napolitano said at a hastily convened press conference on Friday that she is filing a class-action lawsuit against Southwest Airlines because of the company’s new policy of charging stout customers double the normal air fare. The airline’s intent to force fat passengers to pay twice the cost…
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating conditions at the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, ADJC Director David Gaspar announced in a June 18 memo to employees. ADJC officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, but George Weisz, deputy chief of staff and crime advisor to Governor Jane Hull,…
Death-row inmate Robert Comer says he’s “regained control” of his life, an ironic choice of words in light of a judge’s decision last week to allow his execution to proceed. U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver’s ruling came almost three months after she heard testimony concerning Comer’s current mental state…
Franklin Brown, whose controversial account of being ambushed and shot on Lower Buckeye Road in July 2000 once won him honors as one of America’s “Top Cops,” is no longer with the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix Police Sergeant Randy Force confirms that the department considers Brown to have resigned because…
