Sue Sisley, M.D., is nearly blind. She can’t see out of her left eye and has minimal vision in her right, resulting from amblyopia, a condition she’s had since birth. Her remaining eyesight “doesn’t seem to be deteriorating further,” she says. But in recent months, Sisley’s been trying to train…
Tuning into The Russell Pearce Show on Saturday nights on Phoenix talk-radio station KKNT 960 AM can be illuminating. For example, on one recent episode, the recalled former state Senate president got off on the subject of public assistance in all its various forms. He suggested that if people would…
Governor Jan Brewer’s executive order creating the “Governor’s Office of Faith and Community Partnerships” is not sitting well with some atheist and civil-rights groups. Leaders of these groups, along with a couple of atheist politicians, delivered a letter to Brewer’s office this morning, asking for certain “safeguards” and “balance” in…
Dozens of allegations of widespread problems in the Arizona Department of Corrections’ health care system were made public yesterday. The claims come from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona’s big class-action lawsuit against the state prison system, which claims that the ADC’s health care services are wholly inadequate (to…
Four suspects in the Green Acre dog-death case, including the son of Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, should be charged with 21 felonies each, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said on Tuesday. “I’m confident that we have the proper evidence” for criminal charges, Arpaio told reporters at the office’s headquarters in…
Maricopa County officials violated the rights of a former deputy county attorney by firing her after she spoke to a local newspaper, a federal judge confirms. In an eight-page ruling last week that upholds February’s $638,148 jury verdict in the case, U.S District Judge Frederick Martone wrote that “more than…
The storm that caused record rainfall around Phoenix yesterday caused enough damage to force some homeowners out of their houses. There’s no way of telling exactly how many people were displaced from their homes because of flooding, but Red Cross officials tell New Times that a dozen people sought shelter…
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is sponsoring a training session for its prosecutors and other law enforcement officials on Muslim extremism, taught by individuals described as having an anti-Muslim agenda by various civil rights organizations. The all-day event, scheduled for September 19 at a hotel in Tempe, is titled “Understanding…
Fred DuVal’s campaign for Arizona governor has been airing campaign ads featuring Republican Grant Woods, a longtime friend and college classmate of DuVal’s. DuVal, the Democratic nominee, is running against Republican Doug Ducey in the November general election. Sure, Woods, a former Arizona attorney general, may have chaired Governor Jan…
A storm that crossed through Arizona yesterday produced the rainiest day ever recorded in Phoenix history, plus caused plenty of damage along the way. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton declared a state of emergency to deal with “extensive damage” flooding did around the city, especially to homes. Stanton said he and…
Monday’s record rainfall in the Phoenix area spurred officials to warn parents against letting their kids play in standing water. But with many schools closed across the Valley ’cause of the historic deluge, what else is there to do? At Harmony Park in Mesa near Val Vista Drive and the…
Welcome to Phoenix, where a few inches of rain have pretty much turned the city into Atlantis. Rainfall records are on pace to be broken, schools have canceled classes, power outages are being reported, and cars are floating in the middle of the interstate…
In case you missed any news action this week, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our recap of the most-read news stories of the week:…
So how does a crazy lady like Sylvia Allen become a member of the Arizona Legislature? Some dude has to fall off a horse. Literally. Back in 2008, it was state Senator Jake Flake, uncle of now-U.S. Senator Jeff Flake and former Speaker of the state House, who got bucked…
The attack ad that hits Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred DuVal for voting for tuition increases as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents isn’t going away. In fact, it’s now in Spanish, too…
When students are accepted to both Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, a majority choose to attend ASU, according to one set of statistics. It’s not a sure thing, but Parchment, a company that helps students transfer their official high school transcripts to colleges, looked at its users’…
Last week, we told you about a story from the nonprofit investigative journalism outlets ProPublica and the Center for Investigative Reporting that explored how a Chinese national gained access to all kinds of sensitive records, such as the Arizona driver’s license database, before he disappeared. The meat of the story:…
David Leibowitz, a political consultant who’s helping Felicia Rotellini, the Democratic candidate for Arizona Attorney General, posted a tweet implying that her opponent Mark Brnovich is being followed by thousands of “fake twitter accounts.” Funny because a quick (an inexact) check of Leibowitz’s more than 26,000 followers on twitteraudit.com estimates…
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, our inmates are looking especially…
Four protesters were arrested today in Phoenix at a rally focused on unionizing fast food workers and raising their wages. The two women and two men were charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing a thoroughfare, and failure to obey a police officer. All of the charges are misdemeanors…
Republican congresswoman wannabe Wendy Rogers has drawn first blood in the general election contest for Congressional District 9, represented by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. This morning, Rogers, who recently whupped ex-ASU quarterback, ex-NFL player Andrew Walter in the GOP primary by an astonishing 21 points, blasted as “sickening” and “exploitative” a…
A Tempe church is giving sanctuary to a Guatemalan immigrant who’s facing deportation as a result of a traffic stop. Reverend Eric Ledermann of the University Presbyterian Church says Luis Lopez-Acabal can stay “as long as it takes” to avoid his deportation.” Luis is our neighbor who has been here…
