Next time you catch John Boorman’s classic 1972 film Deliverance, Phoenix lawyer Dennis Wilenchik may come to mind. Particularly during the notorious “squeal like a pig” scene, when a character played by Ned Beatty is raped by a Georgia redneck and made to crawl on all fours. Earlier this year, the pugnacious,…
Amid an outcry on social media that Arizona Governor Doug Ducey jumped the gun by announcing law enforcement had caught the I-10 shooter, the suspect, 21-year-old Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., claimed innocence during a court hearing earlier today. “All I have to say is that I’m the wrong guy,” he…
The Arizona Department of Public Safety announced this evening that it had arrested 21 year-old Leslie Allen Merritt, Jr., alleging he was the man responsible for at least some of the recent shootings of vehicles along the I-10 in Phoenix. Speaking at a press conference this evening, flanked by U.S. Marshal…
The Phoenix Police Department’s Use of Force Board has decided that the officer who fatally shot Michelle Cusseaux outside of her apartment last summer, Sergeant Percy Dupra, was in violation of department policy. The findings of the board, which is comprised of three citizens and three officers, runs contrary to…
A former marine sniper who suffers from mental illness is suing for $15 million after being run over in front of the Carl Hayden VA Medical Center two years ago following his discharge fr om the facility. Jason Cooper, 41, a California man who served in the Marine Corps for…
After threatening to shut down Planned Parenthood for months, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills Friday morning freezing its federal funding for one year. The 241-187 vote split almost perfectly down party lines, with only two Democrats voting in favor of the measures and three Republicans voting against them…
A student advocate group for veterans is insisting that the University of Phoenix drop sponsorship of its namesake stadium in Glendale and spend the millions of dollars on educating students. The outcry comes at a time when the institution is under substantial scrutiny regarding allegations of predatory recruitment tactics, staggering tuition rates,…
Twitter users this week were quick to call out Arizona Senator John McCain for his statements about the Environmental Protection Agency’s handling of the Animas River spill during a meeting of the bi-partisan Indian Affair sub-committee. “Don’t even try to say you care…you hypocrite,” one user wrote. “If you really…
The cry to halt “anchor baby” births is clambering toward fever pitch among Republican presidential hopefuls. But, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis, the issue isn’t as urgent as Donald Trump and company would like Americans to believe. Researchers estimate the number of babies born to undocumented immigrants…
A campaign to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older in Arizona has picked up 75,000 signatures already, an achievement that makes the proposal ever more likely to appear on the state’s 2016 ballot. J.P. Holyoak, chair of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, says today that his group…
A lively crowd attended the Arizona Republican Party’s presidential debate viewing party last night in Scottsdale and concluded, as one man said towards the end of the night put it: “The biggest loser tonight is Hilary Clinton because she can’t win against any of these candidates.” And, in fact, even…
The federal government is making shooting up the desert harder and harder to do. The latest loss to Arizona target shooters is a portion of the Sonoran Desert National Monument just southwest of metro Phoenix. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, acting on a court order from March, this week…
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee will take its turn diving into the politically messy and highly controversial Planned Parenthood debate. In a hearing Thursday afternoon titled “Protecting Infants: Ending Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Providers Who Violate the Law,” the committee will discuss bolstering two…
The Arizona Cardinals’ profitability increased 54 percent in 2015 under the direction of successful Head Coach Bruce Arians — proof that winning ways generate bigger bucks. The NFL team’s value, which had hovered between $800 million and $1 billion for the past decade, jumped to $1.54 billion this year, landing…
Three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi won’t be on the court when the Phoenix Mercury heads to the playoffs today, but she still plans to help fill the stadium. Taurasi purchased 333 seats for every Mercury home game and will have them passed out to fans on a first-come-first-serve basis. The…
A Mesa boy whose family won a major medical-marijuana court ruling in 2014 following threats from prosecutors has died at age 7. The life and legacy of Zander Welton will be celebrated at a service on Saturday that will be open to the public, says his mother, Jennifer Welton. “What…
Ahead of tonight’s second GOP primary presidential debate, a new poll conducted by the local consulting group, MBQF, confirms that Republican voters in Arizona overwhelmingly favor Donald Trump and Ben Carson. (29.9 percent and 21.3 percent respectively). Hundreds of Arizona Republican voters were asked over the weekend: “If the election…
Taxpayers pick up the tab for Sheriff Joseph M. Arpaio’s attorney’s fees, court costs and settlements in civil suits. Political contributors bankroll his campaigns. He and his wife Ava are millionaires, and own a number of pricey properties in the Valley. His salary with Maricopa County is more than $100,000…
Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan could give Rob Zombie and M. Night Shyamalan a run for their money when it comes to the production of sheer horror. Save for the fact that what Zombie and Shyamalan create is mere fiction that’s finished after a couple of hours in…
An active search and rescue mission continues along the Arizona-Utah border after a flash flood Monday afternoon killed at least eight people. Authorities from the Washington County Emergency Management Office say they are aware of five missing people in the Hildale, UT area — local news station KSL is reporting…
Whether or not you’re on team Trump, Wednesday night’s second Republican presidential debate should be very entertaining. Perhaps even more so than the first one August 6. The debate will feature the top 11 candidates — Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio,…
A new tree-ring study from the University of Arizona shows that snow levels in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, the central-California mountain range that supplies much of that state’s fresh water, haven’t been this low for 500 years. The study’s lead author, Valerie Trouet, tells Californians to brace for more record…
