Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson, who is barred from seeking re-election because of city-imposed term limits, has already made plans for his post-council days. He and former Councilwoman Peggy Neely are linking their political-connected circles to start a consulting firm dubbed Johnson-Neely Public Strategies…
This is only a drill. Repeat . . . Forty-eight emergency sirens located within 10 miles of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating station are expected to sound off today as part of an annual federal requirement. They’ll perform a practice blast at noon and at 12:30 p.m., authorities say. Don’t…
More activists were arrested Tuesday at Attorney General Tom Horne’s office in Phoenix after another protest of Horne’s lawsuit to make DREAMers ineligible to pay in-state tuition at community colleges.This time, activists held a sort of mock funeral for the dreams of the young people being denied in-state tuition, as…
The Canadian teenager accused of threatening to kill Sheriff Joe Arpaio was arrested again for — you guessed it — threatening to kill Arpaio.The youngster, whose name hasn’t been released throughout this whole saga, apparently utilized a “contact us” form on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office website to leave his…
Two Border Patrol agents received prison sentences for violating the civil rights of men they found trying to smuggle marijuana in southern Arizona five years ago.Agents Dario Castillo, 25, of Yuma, and Ramon Zuniga, age 31, of San Luis, were each sentenced to two years in prison, plus three years…
Phoenix cracked the top 10 in a listing of the best cities for people 35 or younger.The “mostly scientific guide” produced by Vocativ, a news website that relies on data mining, includes all the important stuff — you know, like the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment, the cost of…
This weekend, a charity is hosting a “celebrity roast” of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.Chris Kattan from Saturday Night Live and comedian Joey Medina are supposed to be a couple of the roasters. In case they have trouble coming up with material, we’ve made a list of the top-10 lines to roast…
A 23-year-old man was detained by South Tucson police this summer, and held for more than five hours so he could be questioned about his immigration status, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona.The ACLU is getting involved in the case, as a challenge to section 2(b) of…
Phoenix police arrested two young men suspected of killing 17-year-old boxing champion Alexis Urbina in September.According to court documents obtained by New Times, 22-year-old Robert Chavez and 23-year-old Joseph Corrales are accused of killing Urbina so they could steal his cell phone, laptop computer, and other electronics from him…
After Apple announced last week that it’s going to have some of its components made in Mesa, it’s like Arizona gets to play Silicon Valley for a bit.Governor Jan Brewer is in Taiwan of all places, while there are several rumors that other large companies are interested in manufacturing their…
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (Highway Patrol) plans to issue speeding tickets to people caught texting while driving, starting next year.This is due to an interpretation of state law that says you can’t drive at a speed “greater than is reasonable and prudent.”…
A 19-year-old woman was killed and three young men were injured in a shooting at a Laveen house party over the weekend.Phoenix Police Sergeant Trent Crump says the four people were shot outside the house around 11 p.m. Saturday as the party was breaking up…
People associated with Anonymous, the collective of Internet activists, threatened to protest at the Phoenix VA hospital over an employee who doesn’t actually work there.As part of Anonymous’ operation to seek justice for a 2-year-old Phoenix girl who allegedly was abused to death by babysitters last year, people associated with…
Welcome to Courthouse Update, a weekly rundown of goings-on at the Maricopa County Superior Court.This week, a former band teacher pleads guilty to charges in a sex case, an attorney goes to trial on a murder charge, and more:…
It ain’t 2014 yet, and already Attorney General Tom Horne is taking it on the chin in a new TV ad, demanding that he return the nearly $400,000 in donations that two county attorneys say were improperly used on Horne’s behalf in his successful 2010 general election run against Democratic…
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 superintendent of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind was inappropriately reimbursed for thousands of dollars in travel expenses, according to state auditors.The superintendent of ASDB, a state agency, is Robert Hill, who’s been on leave for several weeks amid several complaints filed against him…
A dam on the west side of Tempe Town Lake is expected to be completed by the end of 2015 — and it won’t be made out of balloons this time.In 2010, one of these balloons (“bladders” is the term the city uses) burst, emptying, oh, 750 million gallons of…
The Goldwater Institute is pressing agencies for details of the “incentives” deal used to lure Apple to open a manufacturing facility in Mesa.In a press release, the Goldwater Institute says media reports indicate people from the “Arizona Commerce Authority, the City of Mesa, and Maricopa County have signed confidentiality agreements…
A Mesa man who thought he hired a hitman to kill his grandfather made Facebook posts taking credit for the murder — which never happened, police say.In fact, according to Mesa police, 20-year-old Devin Almejo unknowingly hired an undercover police officer to kill his grandfather, in exchange for a year’s…
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 offenders each have a signature…
Our October 31 article on self-defense laws in Arizona had two mistakes, as far as we know. Culling information about the Trayvon Martin case from media reports, we misidentified the beverage Martin had on him when he was shot by George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012, as “an Arizona Iced…
