The right-wing Goldwater Institute released its “legislative report card,” and if you’re buyin’ what the institute’s sellin’, then liberty is on the decline here in Arizona.Well, at least, the Legislature’s not as Goldwater-y as it has been in years past, according to the report card.However, since the recipient of the…
The wildfire burning just miles away from Yarnell — where 19 firefighters were killed while battling another blaze — is 85 percent contained.The fire’s expected to be completely contained this evening, and the 850-acre blaze hasn’t really threatened the nearest sign of civilization, which is Yarnell…
In the days and weeks following the deaths of 19 out of 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots in the Yarnell Hill Fire, Governor Jan Brewer and Arizona officials have pushed for federal disaster money to help foot the bill for the fire-recovery effort. In early August, FEMA denied Arizona’s request for…
Guess who’s coming to the Arizona solar-energy debate? That’s right, it’s none other than President Barack Obama, through his non-profit advocacy group Organizing For Action. The OFA recently sent out an email blast and created a web page that encourages people to send a message to the Arizona Corporation Commission…
A Tempe man abandoned an apartment full of cats last month, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.Almost all of the cats somehow survived without food, water, or air conditioning, but all of them didn’t make it — one cat was found dead in a kitchen drawer…
Welcome to Courthouse Update, a weekly rundown of goings-on at the Maricopa County Superior Court.This week, the state rested its murder case against former Phoenix cop Richard Chrisman, Chris Simcox may be offered a plea deal, a frat boy may get off the hook in a flaming Everclear incident, and…
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, all of our alleged offenders have…
In the aftermath of the Yarnell Hill Fire, which killed 19 of the 20 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, reports indicate that the city wants to rebuild its crew.While it’s still in the planning stages, it may not be the best idea, considering the issues surrounding the crew that…
Pollsters say Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s job-approval rating is 37 percent.Although that seems extraordinarily high, it’s the lowest rating the Behavior Research Center has found for Arpaio since it began polling on the subject in 1996…
To alter a line from the great Gil Scott-Heron, the revolution will be UStreamed. In a demonstration Wednesday at the Phoenix Field Office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DREAMers, undocumented moms, and U.S. citizens laid siege to the facility, in one instance blocking a bus filled with ICE detainees…
There’s an astounding amount of people who were fooled by a fake news article claiming Arizona was instituting “gay-to-straight programs” in public schools.We noticed that several people actually thought this was real, but, checking through Twitter, there are perhaps thousands of people freaking out over this completely fake program. Check…
A court-ordered halt to an Arizona law that bans the state from contracting with organizations that provide abortions has been upheld by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court. In a 32-page ruling, the appeals court makes ground beef of arguments by Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne and Tom Betlach, Arizona Health…
It appears that there has been no shortage of alcohol-related high jinks in Tempe in advance of the new semester.Classes start today, and the Tempe Police Department has been running a “Safe and Sober” campaign, with an emphasis on alcohol-related crimes. The result: 371 arrests in three days…
If you’ve spent considerable time in Phoenix, you might wonder if anyone in this city knows how to ride a bicycle, since the cyclist appears to be an endangered species in the downtown area.However, a study by the Arizona Department of Transportation seems to show that people come to the…
A press release that reads like it was written by the Onion’s junior-varsity squad apparently tricked some people into thinking Governor Jan Brewer was trying to turn Arizona’s gay schoolchildren straight.”Beginning November 1st of this year, the state of Arizona is implementing a mandatory school program designed for all children…
The Feathered Bastard reports that it looks like former Minuteman/alleged child molester Chris Simcox is landing a plea deal on those kid-diddlin’ charges.The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office may seem to hand out plea deals like candy on Halloween, but it seems like a cheap move to offer one to a…
In a nutshell, you inspired me to rediscover my culture, my pride as a Mexican and love for my people (though is hard to love my own people at times). I’m writing a college paper on Latin American issues — more specifically, on Mexican apathy, which is deeply rooted here…
A Granite Mountain Hotshot’s father is certain the blaze that incinerated his son and 18 others could’ve been controlled — easily. Dave Turbyfill zooms in on a Google Earth map of a boulder-strewn box canyon just west of Yarnell, where his son and 18 other members of the Granite Mountain…
At a pretrial conference Wednesday before Commissioner Virginia Richter, deputy county attorney Yigael Cohen signaled that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office will be offering a plea deal in the case of former minuteman leader Chris Simcox. Simcox, 52, was arrested June 19, and is currently being held nonbondable on six…
Jesse Hernandez, the chair of the Arizona Executive Clemency Board, gave an improper raise to a woman in the office he was dating, an investigative report shows. The heavily redacted report (below) by the human resources division of the Arizona Department of Administration details that and eight other incidents state…
Lawyer for Jodi Arias filed a motion today seeking all the Twitter accounts and Twitter handles of jurors picked for her upcoming penalty-phase redo. Arias and her lawyers are concerned that jurors may be improperly influenced by Twitter conversations they received, or from tweets sent to them, the motion obtained…
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Someone far, far away from Maricopa County has been arrested for threatening to blow Sheriff Joe Arpaio to greasy chunks.It’s possible you’ve heard this one before because this happens to be the fourth time an alleged “bomb threat” has been made against…
