The first practice for the Arizona Cardinals in pads — the one where the hitting begins — seemed for an instant to be the final practice that would matter. Safety Tyrann Mathieu knocked a blocker into quarterback Carson Palmer, who went down in a heap, momentarily stunning players, coaches, and…
The group trying to recall Arizona Superintendent of Education Diane Douglas filed a complaint with the state Attorney General’s Office this week after an educational nonprofit passed on an e-mail it received from Douglas’ chief of staff, Michael Bradley. Members of the Coalition to Recall Diane Douglas contend that Bradley’s…
Self-help guru and ex-con James Arthur Ray is trying not to let the 2009 deaths of three people at his Arizona sweat lodge extinguish his once-promising motivational-speaking career. On Friday, Ray is scheduled to return to Phoenix for a “one night only,” question-and-answer session called: “A Night of Solutions.” “James will…
As the 41st U.S. Senator voiced support for President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran this week, further shrinking the chance any Republic effort to block the deal in Congress will succeed, a different tactic to undermine the negotiations is brewing in Arizona and a handful of other states. The…
The air quality at the Phoenix RV park where 62-year-old Maggie Torres lives is so bad that she bought her dog goggles to protect his eyes when he hangs his head out the car window. “I am afraid he is going to get particulates in his eyes,” she said. It’s…
Dozens of cities across the country have tried to fight overcrowded, mass-breeding operations – i.e., “puppy mills” – with legislation that bans commercial pet sales. These laws usually stipulate that pet stores may only source animals from shelters and rescue operations, and as such, are incredibly controversial. Proponents say they go…
It’s puzzling that in the age of Uber and Lyft, hundreds of Valley residents are expected to get pulled over this Labor Day weekend and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. But it always happens during long holiday weekends, despite the many warnings in the media. Last year, law enforcement…
The Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo will roll into the Phoenix Convention Center for three days in October, with 300 exhibitors, prominent guest speakers, a job fair, and other events expected to draw thousands. (Full disclosure: New Times is the media sponsor of the conference, along with the title sponsor,…
Jessica Burlew, a Glendale teenager charged with killing a 43-year-old man she met online, signed a plea bargain this morning after spending the last 594 days in jail. In exchange for a guilty plea, the state will charge her with second-degree murder and recommend a 10-year sentence with no possibility…
Phoenix motorists taking the I-10 over the long Labor Day weekend will have more to worry about than just holiday traffic. They face the unnerving prospect that a windshield, a side door or the gas tank of their vehicle could be pierced by a random bullet, fired by an unknown…
Arizona’s medical-marijuana patients now can patronize newly opened dispensaries in Reno and Las Vegas and possess up to 2.5 ounces anywhere in Nevada. Arizona, like some of the other 23 states with medical-marijuana laws, allows people with valid medical cards from other states to legally possess marijuana in Arizona, but…
You can’t fault Sheriff Joe Arpaio for lack of chutzpah. The guy continues to beg for campaign donations while his contempt of the federal court in the ACLU’s big civil rights case Melendres v. Arpaio is costing us beaucoup bucks. Check this recent gimmicky e-mail (below) desperately seeking any cash you’ve…
Moments after bragging about the double-safety feature on his handgun, and then attempting to demonstrate how it works, 23-year-old Phoenix resident Christen Reece shot himself in the head. “You know, there’s not really a lot to the story other than don’t drink and shoot guns,” explains Jim Molesa, chief deputy…
When I first heard the news that Subway’s Jared Fogle had confessed to having sex with minors and possessing child porn, like most sub-sandwich-loving Americans I was shocked. But I also wasn’t entirely surprised that he had a secret sleazy side. That’s because 10 years ago, while he was married to…
On a warm late August afternoon, 51-year-old U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist, Daniel Sarr, and a co-worker were hiking in a remote and rugged area of the eastern Grand Canyon as part of a study of riparian ecology. The two men were supposed to meet up with other researchers at…
Arizona babies are the least likely in the country to be vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest immunization survey. About 84 percent of the state’s children between the ages of 19 and 35 months have received the MMR shot,…
One day after Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye formally requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency help his government deal with the fallout of last month’s Gold King Mine spill, the FEMA team from Region IX is set to meet and discuss a possible response today. Begaye’s letter specifically requested a…
A Phoenix man held in connection with the May 3 attack in Garland, Texas, wants a new lawyer and claims in a handwritten letter to the court that the FBI took two DNA samples from him without permission. The document was released publicly on September 1 and obtained by New…
Sarah Louise, a 20-year-old Arizona State University student, is a passionate advocate for legal marijuana who isn’t content to sit on the couch and dream of better drug laws. She’s an energetic and savvy activist who leads a local chapter of the national group Students for Sensible Drug Policy and…
Almost 36 hours after a microburst exploded over downtown Phoenix and Tempe and brought high winds, hail, dust, and more than an inch of rain in some locations, residents and the cities are still in recovery mode – thousands are still without power, dozens of intersection traffic lights are dark,…
Let the ‘Recall Diane Douglas Games’ begin! The campaign to recall Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Diane Douglas, filed the necessary paperwork with the State Secretary this morning, and can now legally begin collecting signatures. But having spent the last ten months since the November 2014 election organizing and…
U.S. immigration authorities incarcerate Mexicans at a much higher rate than immigrants from any other country, according to an analysis by BuzzFeed News. Seventy-five percent of Mexicans who are facing deportation for non-criminal reasons are being held in detention centers. By comparison, Immigration and Customs Enforcement locks up just 39…
