Welcome to Courthouse Update, a weekly rundown of goings-on at the Maricopa County Superior Court.This week, the saga of a 2008 road-rage shooting comes to an end, two former employees of Valley high schools have court dates for alleged crimes against minors, and more:…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office has announced the hiring of a new “community liaison” oficer, one of many reforms required by federal Judge G. Murray Snow’s permanent injunction, issued October 2 in the ACLU’s big racial-profiling lawsuit, Melendres v. Arpaio. Deputy Hector Martinez is bilingual and a 10-year veteran of the…
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:…
Phoenix police counted 125 murders in 2013, two fewer than last year. The preliminary figure released today at the request of New Times shows the city hasn’t had the large reductions seen last year in many other major U.S. cities. New York City, for example, experienced 20 percent fewer homicides…
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is pissed off at the news crew at ABC 15.For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Sheriff’s Office has issued a public scolding of ABC 15’s news-gathering techniques, which this time includes a story about a helicopter crash that didn’t happen…
Here’s one for the irony-bin, none other than Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s stone-faced ex-Deputy Chief Brian Sands is acting as if he’s acquired a sense of ethics since saying sayonara last year to a nearly 30 year career with the Sheriff’s Office. Nah, he’s not objecting to the policy of prejudiced…
Listen, we’re not the ones who come up with this stuff. We’re just the messengers.That said, some industry research reportedly shows which states have the men with the largest penises. That industry research is that of an online condom retailer, Condomania, which gathered information on where it was shipping specific…
The Weather Channel has released a documentary on the Yarnell Hill Fire and the “nation’s wildfire crisis,” in something of a different look at the fire that killed 19 firefighters last year.In addition to a more weather-focused view of the events that led up to the deaths of the Granite…
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 ring in the new year…
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today ordered a full-court “en banc” hearing of Arizona’s voter-approved law that denies bail to undocumented immigrants accused of serious crimes. Since the challenge to the 2006 law appeared settled after a Ninth Circuit 2-1 ruling in June, the new order is a…
Those days of Steven Seagal playing policeman in Maricopa County several years ago will finally come to television screens — somewhere.The Steven Seagal: Lawman show, which was filmed for two seasons in Louisiana and aired on A&E now has a “lost” third season. This one was filmed with the Maricopa…
Although a Phoenix homeless shelter for veterans had to close its women’s section after only six months in operation, there’s a big effort to raise the funds to get it reopened.That includes an anonymous $10,000 donation, according to the people organizing the fundraising effort…
Good thing someone’s been keeping track of what parents named their children last year.The Arizona Department of Health Services released the list of the 100 most-popular baby names for boys and girls, with number one being Liam for boys (369 new Liams in 2013) and Sophia for girls (581 of…
No matter how many police reports we read through on a monthly basis, the criminal creativity, stupidity, and craziness never ceases to amaze us.Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s always something worse. From a pair of seriously disturbing murders to a cop gone wild to a lonely…
THE BEST THINGS I SAW | By Becky Bartkowski 2013, it’s been real — and really, really busy. That was especially true when trying to take in as much art, culture, comedy, architecture, and anything else I could get my eyes on this past year in Phoenix. In no particular…
One of my pet peeves is Latinos who pronounce their last names with Anglo accents. For example, Rod-driguez instead of Roh-driguez. Would love it if you address this. Personally, I believe we Latinos should educate Anglos on correct pronunciation. Gomez the Groper Before you start correcting Anglos and pochos on…
Today’s one of the best days of the year for hockey fans, with this year’s NHL Winter Classic being played between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.In fact, the match-up in Ann Arbor is just one of six outdoor games being played across the…
With contentious political races behind them, Kate Gallego and Laura Pastor are ready to take office on Thursday. Gallego beat out Pastor Warren Stewart to win the seat in District 8, and Laura Pastor bested Justin Johnson, son of former Mayor Paul Johnson, to win the District 4 race. Incumbents…
Al Melvin, a state senator running for governor, apparently has never heard of snopes.com. Nor is he showing interest in debunking anything after he was flambeed by his Twitter followers over the past week and embarrassed in news articles for misquoting Abraham Lincoln…
Connie Villa killed her 13-year-old daughter with her bare hands after the girl refused to take pills like her siblings in a plan to deprive her ex-husband of the children, police say. Citing “significant progress” in the investigation of the Christmas Day mother-on-daughter smothering of Aniarael Macias, Casa Grande police…
Barry Jordan, who killed an 11-year-old girl in a 2011 red-light crash in Phoenix, has been sentenced to 23 1/2 years in the state hospital. Jordan also received a sentence on Monday of lifetime probation this week for a 2009 case in which he offered to pay a woman to…
Maybe you caught this show on Sunday, too. The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed reports that dozens of vehicles intentionally blocked traffic while some performed stunts on parts of two freeways…
