Arizona is “leaning friendly” in the U.S. Army’s multi-state, two-month “Jade Helm 15” exercise, but that doesn’t stop some conspiracy theorists from worrying. “This spells trouble, if you ask me,” an anonymous e-mailer wrote us a few days ago. “This ‘drill’ may become active at some point, declaring martial law…
National media coverage of Arizona’s toughest-talking sheriff’s contempt trial paints a subdued portrait of Joe Arpaio, infamous for his ruthless opposition to illegal immigration, describing him as a “quiet, almost deferential,” “humble and weary retiree.” While some suggest the personality flip may signal the fall of a hero for the…
A jury found Jerice Hunter guilty Monday of murdering her 5-year-old daughter, Jhessye Shockley, in 2011. Hunter was the one to report Jhessye missing to police and even went to the state Capitol to bash police for not finding the girl. “I really think they should take the focus off…
While Sheriff Joe Arpaio was testifying in federal court last week in his civil contempt trial, there’s been movement in another lawsuit that could cause more trouble for Arpaio and taxpayers. Last January, as part of Arpaio’s crusade to arrest unauthorized immigrants in workplace raids, the Sheriff’s Office actually went…
Deputy Sean Pearce was ineligible for defensive-driving class because his speeding ticket involved a fatality, a Glendale judge found earlier this month. Pearce, a Maricopa County Sheriff’s office detective and son of recalled state lawmaker Russell Pearce, had been going 81 mph in a 40-mph-zone while tracking a murder suspect…
Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher has sent a strongly worded letter to the FAA, admonishing the agency for falsely characterizing its intent to work with the city and correct the noise problems associated with last year’s flight-path changes at Sky Harbor Airport. “I regret to say that the FAA has…
Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego is sounding the horn on the significant amount of debt faced by students after they graduate from college. “You should be able to go to a public university and graduate debt-free or as nearly debt-free as possible,” Gallego said this morning at his office in Phoenix…
“Arizona [Governor Doug Ducey] may hate the environment, but that doesn’t mean YOU have to!” That’s the message behind the reusable Doug DoucheBAG campaign. Conceived by Stacey Champion of Rogue Green — a Valley-based environmental group — and designed by one her friends, these canvas bags were a big “F…
A group of geology enthusiasts are rallying the public after the governor vetoed a bill that would have reopened the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, which has been shuttered since 2011. Senate Bill 1200, sponsored by Senator Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), passed nearly unanimously in both the Senate and the House…
Last week, we showed you the most popular states that Arizona’s transplants come from. This week, we’ll show you where native Arizonans have moved:…
Here’s my pick for the most ridiculous quote from MCSO Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan’s testimony in federal court Friday, during day-four of his and Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s civil contempt trial in downtown Phoenix: “It depends on how you define, `investigated your wife,'” said Sheridan, his face redder than a pack…
Channel 12 News (KPNX-TV) has split off from AzCentral after a 14-year partnership, and now hopes people visit its own site. The station will clearly struggle to draw a respectable amount of traffic to its site, 12News.com, for years to come. One big help would be an immediate improvement to…
“Chemtrails” are apparently a hot political issue in Arizona. Less than a year after state Senator Kelli Ward held a community meeting in her Lake Havasu district to address concerns from her constituents that the government is poisoning people with chemicals dumped from airplanes, another politician took heat over his…
A Yavapai County anti-legalization group that claims marijuana use lowers IQ seems to be in need of an IQ boost itself. MATFORCE, a coalition of cops and business leaders led by County Attorney Sheila Polk, put up at least one billboard in the Phoenix area recently that contains an incorrect…
In my line of work, it doesn’t get much better than a federal judge’s handing your column to a public official, and getting the accused pol to confirm the column’s facts, one by one, under oath. This is what happened on day three of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s civil contempt trial,…
At the end of the week, we bring you a roundup of visitors to the desert’s own Fourth Avenue Jail. To be considered for our Maricopa County mugshots of the week, get arrested, strike a pose, and we’ll take care of the rest. This week, we bring you a little…
A deal between Arizona State University and edX, a nonprofit Internet firm, aims to give future freshmen the option to take their first year entirely in MOOCs. The announcement by edX and ASU comes after a flurry of news articles last year critical of the “massive open online courses,” which…
Think To Kill a Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch doing Jedi mind tricks on an addled Emperor Palpatine. That’s what Stanley Young, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney in the ACLU’s big civil rights case Melendres v. Arpaio, resembled as he interrogated Sheriff Joe Wednesday afternoon during day two of Joe’s civil contempt trial…
The Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner was booked into the Maricopa County Jail Wednesday after an alleged domestic-violence incident. Goodyear police spokeswoman Lisa Kutis says Griner and fiancée Glory Johnson were arrested following a physical fight. Johnson also plays in the WNBA, as a forward for the Tulsa Shock, and was…
The Phoenix City Council approved on Wednesday the study of a city identification card. The idea behind such an ID card is to provide identification to those who don’t have a government-issued ID, mainly unauthorized immigrants…
Sankey Jim Reid of Kayenta was sentenced to 35 years in a federal prison last week for the brutal rape and murder of his friend’s 18-year-old girlfriend. As New Times reported last year, an FBI investigation showed Reid, 31, raped Nix anally in April 2014 after driving her to a…
Why do Mexican men have thicker hair than Caucasian men? Because I’ve seen more Mexican men with thicker hair and a lot more of it than Caucasian men. Why? Is it because it runs in the genes? (I am only asking about hair on the head, not body hair.) Frankie…
