Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s release of more than 2,000 immigrant detainees in early 2013 wasn’t particularly extraordinary, according to an investigation into the matter. Senator John McCain has alleged that public safety was put at risk by the releases, and Governor Jan Brewer said she believed the releases were the…
The noose around Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne’s neck just tightened a little. On Monday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Mark Brain rejected Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne’s bid for a temporary restraining order against County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office is investigating, among other things, allegations that Horne has…
A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office employee is accused of leaking sensitive law-enforcement documents to a person the agency describes as an “anti-government” author. The employee, Joseph Asarisi, shouldn’t have had access to such documents, because he’s not even a law-enforcement officer — he’s been doing laundry for the Sheriff’s Office…
State Superintendent of Public Education John Huppenthal has made mixed statements about his stance on Common Core. Today, the incumbent may have flip-flopped still again…
The top contenders in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, Democrats Mary Rose Wilcox and Ruben Gallego, have launched political attacks on each other since the race got under way. And the war of words has only ramped up as we move close to the August 26 election. Now, Randy Camacho, a…
Mary Rose Wilcox owes between $50,000 and $100,000 in 2012 taxes to the IRS. It’s a debt she listed on her 2014 financial-disclosure statement and one that is getting paid in installments. And now, it’s getting used as political ammunition against her. Ruben Gallego, who’s running against Wilcox for a…
A death-row inmate’s fight against the Arizona Department of Corrections reading his letters to his attorney lives on. A court had initially dismissed Scott Nordstrom’s lawsuit seeking to prevent the ADC from reading legal mail, but the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week to reverse the dismissal,…
I have a confession to make: I love “dark money.” When it’s used to blast someone I don’t like, that is. In the hands of Tyler Montague, president of the Arizona Public Integrity Alliance, dark money is truly a beautiful thing. Montague is one of the folks in Mesa instrumental…
The primary election is two weeks away, early ballots have already hit mailboxes, and the latest polls show about half of Arizona’s Republican voters are still undecided on a candidate for governor. For you Republican voters, we made a flowchart that will help you select a candidate in less than…
Medical-marijuana patients from Arizona and other states could shop legally at as-yet-unopened Nevada dispensaries under a plan being developed by Nevada authorities. Chad Westom, bureau chief of the Nevada Division of Public & Behavioral Health, said on Monday that his state’s new medical-marijuana program will honor Arizona registration cards…
A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of about 33,000 Arizona prisoners is likely headed to trial this fall. Attorneys for the Arizona Department of Corrections had sought a summary judgment in the case, which would have prevented a trial, but U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake denied that motion. “It’s…
Matt Nelson’s slashing prices on new Justices of the Peace! That’s right, for a limited-time only, Tempe and Chandler voters can elect a new JP for 25-percent off the current price. Maybe. County officials say they aren’t sure taking a pay cut is legal; Nelson admits he didn’t research that…
The experimental drug used to treat two American health care workers infected with the Ebola virus was developed in part by researchers right here at ASU. They hope that the special plant-based technology used to create the Ebola treatment might be an important path to treating other infectious diseases…
Arizona has had a lot to offer to the scientific community over the years. From natural features, to discoveries, to inventions, and more, we bring you Arizona’s 10 coolest contributions to the world of science:…
Off-duty Phoenix firefighter Gary Johnstone was killed and two teenage boys were hurt after falling from a popular rappelling site Friday morning at Camelback Mountain. (See below for update and details about the second victim who succumbed to his injuries Friday night.) Johnstone, 50, had been with the fire department…
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:…
Two of recalled former state Senator Russell Pearce’s favorite people are getting skewered in some tasty TV attack ads: Pearce’s revenge candidate for state Senate in Legislative District 25, Ralph Heap, and Pearce’s longtime ally, current state House Representative and wannabe-state Senator John Kavanagh in LD 23. Heap, an orthopedic…
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery’s new campaign to prevent people from leaving kids and pets in hot cars leaves one interesting thing out — Montgomery’s name. Not one to turn a serious crisis into opportunity, Montgomery says he doesn’t want “to mix up the message” by making it look like…
Why is Sheriff Joe Arpaio endorsing Arizona’s sleazy Attorney General Tom Horne in the GOP primary? I’ll tell you why: because Arpaio always likes to have a prosecutor or two in his hip pocket. Should Horne lose the Republican primary to former Arizona gaming director Mark Brnovich, you can bet…
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and other immigrant-rights groups that are suing over Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s workplace raids want a judge to put an end to such raids immediately. The ACLU and others filed a lawsuit in June alleging that a pair of state laws used by Maricopa…
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 find some inmates in…
A coalition of immigrant rights groups held a press conference this morning to announce the launch of “Arizona Freedom Summer,” a campaign to get out the Latino vote in this fall’s elections…
