Stay out of the race for retiring Congressman Ed Pastor’s seat in Congressional District 7 — that’s the message that more than a dozen Latino community leaders and business owners sent today to Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema. A flurry of hopefuls announced their interest or intention to run for the CD7…
The percentage of money that Arizona school districts are spending on actual classroom instruction hit a new low in 2013.The Arizona Auditor General has been monitoring this figure only since 2001, but Arizona districts spent less than 54 percent of their available operating dollars in the classroom in 2013 –…
Two former detectives fired from the Florence Police Department received good news from the officials at the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training. AZ POST, the body that certifies police officers to carry a badge and a gun, informed both police officers in February that the state board is not…
A Laveen-based group shipped nearly two tons of pot through the U.S. Mail in the past three years, a federal indictment states. Oneil Watson (a.k.a. Richard Powell), was indicted on Friday, and Kerry Ann Hoo, Marlon Powell, Albert Kelly, Rebekah Robertson and Priscilla Zuniga were indicted on February 25th in…
A 1-year-old boy spent Friday night in a stranger’s backyard after apparently being abandoned there by his mother, according to police.The residents of the home, near 57th Avenue and Indian School Road, thought there was a stray cat making noise in their backyard all night, police say. When they took…
Galaxy Gaming, a Nevada-based table-game company, has been approved to do business in Arizona casinos — despite being banned in California. Dishonesty by Robert Saucier, the CEO of Galaxy Gaming, was cited in a ruling by a California judge last year as the main reason for a gaming-license denial. But…
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:…
The Tempe City Council unanimously approved a law to prevent businesses from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and to protect other rights.The new ordinance prohibits businesses from discriminating on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, familial status, age, disability, and military…
On Wednesday evening, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062, pointing out that it had nothing to do with her legislative priorities, like passing a budget and fixing Child Protective Services.By Thursday afternoon, members of the Arizona House of Representatives were back to discussing and advancing bills pushed by the…
Governor Jan Brewer signed the repeal of last year’s House Bill 2305, a bill that made several controversial changes to the elections process in Arizona.After a coalition of non-Republican groups quickly gathered enough signatures to put the issue to voters after the bill’s passage last year, the Republican majority decided…
Senate Bill 1062 is gone, but certainly not forgotten.For the second day in a row, activists from Citizens for a Better Arizona protested the connection between lawmakers and the lobbying group behind SB 1062, the Center for Arizona Policy…
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 the museum of…
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is leaving behind the old “State of Downtown” speech this year and instead turning it into a “Celebrate Downtown” address. He plans on delivering his message at 7 p.m. this Saturday at the Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. 2nd Avenue (one block west of the Van Buren…
Guadalupe’s come a long way from the days when Sheriff Joe Arpaio laid siege to its mean streets, hunting for illegal immigrants. On Wednesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved two groundbreaking amendments to Guadalupe’s contract for police protection with the Sheriff’s Office. The first requires that deputies…
Democratic Congressman Ed Pastor announced today that this will be his last term in Congress.Pastor will have spent 23 full years in Congress when this term expires. He was first elected via special election in 1991, to replace Mo Udall, who retired for health reasons…
A bill that would all but destroy the public’s ability to receive public records critical of the government has been approved by a State House committee. The bill, HB 2419, sponsored by Representative David Stevens, a Republican from Sierra Vista, would allow government agencies to charge $20 an hour for…
One man shot another man in the face inside a 7-Eleven store in Chandler Wednesday night, according to police.The man’s injury isn’t life-threatening, but this is the second time in less than two weeks that a customer of a Chandler business shot another customer inside the store…
The Arizona Legislature has proved incapable of sneaking craziness past the Daily Show.Although Governor Jan Brewer announced Wednesday evening that she had vetoed SB 1062, the so-called “religious freedom” bill, the Daily Show and host Jon Stewart already had their smackdown of Arizona ready to go…
For being so buddy-buddy with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Republican Representative John Kavanagh actually has some pretty good jokes about the old man.Kavanagh dropped some funny lines during a roast of Arpaio, and despite Kavanagh still championing SB 1070 to this day, he mostly poked fun at Arpaio’s racial-profiling practices…
David Armstrong’s music is out of this world. At least that’s how he explains it. According to the Minnesota-based musician’s website, his “spirit guides recently turned him onto a being named The Traveler.” Armstrong communicated with it, and The Traveler “brought David music from various Alien races to help humanity…
Why is there in every Mexican family a jealous cousin driven by insecurity? Must Excuse Vulgar-Ass Lingual Expression Take your pick. It’s because: a) Your dad unwittingly insulted their dad back in the rancho when they were boys, and your cousin was taught to hate you as a result, b)…
Back in the dark ages, Republicans used to be all about the economy, stupid. A chicken in every pot, a home-entertainment center in every living room. Take, for instance, our last great Republican president — William Jefferson Clinton. He demonstrated that a Democrat (in name) could be pro-business, and during…
