A Canadian man who tried to sell high-quality dinosaur fossils smuggled out of China to undercover agents at a Tucson gem show last year is getting booted out of the country and fined $25,000. Jun Yang of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, was caught hawking a rare, scientifically valuable fossil of…
When Victoria was 15, her father took her to the Red Light District in Amsterdam. “Vicky,” he said, pointing to the women dancing behind the glass of a shop window, “if you don’t go to college, you’ll end up like this.” More than a decade later, Victoria sits in a…
One of Arizona’s most prominent Latino-rights organizations has thrown its support behind Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. It is the first time Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA as it is more commonly known, has publicly backed any politician since its’ 2009 founding, said Tomas Robles, the nonprofit’s…
Six people are dead following a horrific scene in Phoenix early this morning in which police drew gunfire as they tried to rescue people inside a burning home. “You know, I heard things this morning and saw things as I’m down here that I haven’t seen in 30 years. I’ve…
Flying in the face of those who claim it would be unpopular to give the greater Grand Canyon watershed national monument status, a new non-partisan poll finds that not only is there tremendous support for it but that it cuts across geographical and political lines. “The results were overwhelming, and…
Karen Williams, former superintendent of Phoenix’s Alhambra Elementary School District, claims in a lawsuit filed this week that the district’s governing board fired her because she’s not a Latina. Williams, who’s African-American, served in the position from July 2010 until March 2015, when the district’s five-member governing board voted 3-2…
Arizona State University has partnered with Cisco Systems, Inc. to launch a project aimed at teaching minority youth how to become entrepreneurs. The grant-funded project plans to help an estimated 1,000 high school students and about 300 community college students create solutions to problems they see happening in their communities…
Arizonans for Mindful Regulation, the lesser-known marijuana-legalization campaign staffed mainly by volunteers, has reportedly gathered nearly 100,000 signatures. While it’s still a long shot, the effort’s leader, Jason Medar, is rousing his troops for a big push over the next five months to double that number. And he’s still vowing…
Feel left out of the Arizona medical-marijuana business? The Arizona Department of Health Services just announced that it will begin taking applications for new dispensaries this summer. This is the first time the state will be reviewing new applications for dispensary operating certificates since a lottery was held in 2012…
Arizona State University recently released more than 4,500 photos chronicling the Phoenix area’s development from a cowtown in 1884 to an emerging metropolis in 1947. The collection, available for perusal and download online, is one of largest collections of Phoenix photography documenting this time period. Some of the photos, recovered…
There must be 50 ways to leave your lover, goes the old Paul Simon tune, but most of them do not involve murder, mayhem, and the occasional car bomb. Here are 15 that we do not recommend you imitate, performed in various violent ways over the years by Arizonans. …
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye approved a power-line hookup for the father of an alleged mistress in January, sparking outrage among political observers and the 32 nearby households that remain in the dark. The issue blew up up in social media last week after Begaye failed to show up at…
Uber’s and Lyft’s independent drivers may soon be able to pick up passengers arriving at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just like they do at airports in several other cities across the United States. The Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board voted 5-4 Thursday night to approve a new policy that…
Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk was the only one of four panelists at a Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce marijuana event who wouldn’t say if she’s ever used cannabis. The morning panel discussion, “Breakfast with a side of … Marijuana?” was hosted by the chamber for a group of about 75 of its…
Arizona’s favorite Pope-boycotting congressman, Paul Gosar, had harsh words for employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, headed by probably his favorite Obama administration target. Apparently lumping all 15,000 EPA employees across the country together, he charged that they are a “collection of porn addicts, office thieves and drunk drivers… not fit to…
Those familiar with the history of the Vietnam War may recall that infamous line reputedly uttered by a U.S. Army major about the bombed-out South Vietnamese city of Ben Tre, to the effect that American forces had to “destroy the town in order to save it.” Same could be said…
An Arizona lawmaker’s proposal to stop dispensaries from moving out of their state-designated areas highlights the need for updated medical-marijuana program rules. The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act that voters approved in 2010 requires the state to adopt rules that govern what was then a fledgling program. Besides a few court-ordered…
A bill targeting notary publics who prey on immigrants by pretending to be lawyers and providing legal services cleared its first hurdle at the Arizona Legislature on Wednesday. Senate Bill 1271 passed out of the Senate Government Committee with a 6-1 vote. The measure would allow county attorneys, not just…
Dannie Kramer says she still doesn’t know why her son Anthony Singleton died in Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s notorious Fourth Avenue Jail. Singleton, 27, was picked up by Phoenix police at his mother’s home on October 21 on a bench warrant, after his failure to appear for a court date related…
Citing concern about terrorism, an Arizona House of Representatives committee passed two bills Wednesday attempting to encumber federal efforts to resettle refugees in Arizona. The first, House Bill 2370, sponsored by Representative Bob Thorpe (R-Flagstaff), prohibits the state from using resources to enforce, administer, or cooperate with federal efforts to…
A controversial proposal to give the Arizona Department of Agriculture authority over a herd of horses that runs free along the Salt River will be debated on the legislature floor, it was decided today. The Federalism and States’ Rights Committee voted 5-2 to move House Bill 2340 on to the…
Vanessa Hudgens, star of the 2006 hit movie, “High School Musical,” is under investigation with boyfriend Austin Butler for allegedly defacing a rock with their names in Sedona. Hudgens’ Instagram page documents some of her recent trip to Arizona’s Red Rock country, but the Valentine’s post featuring her and Butler’s…
