When recalled state Senate President Russell Pearce’s Ban Amnesty Now announced a “buy-cott” of New Times’ advertisers, I quipped that it was like being boycotted by the Ku Klux Klan. An exaggeration, to be sure, but not by as much as you might think.Take for example the comments of BAN…
Under Arizona law, “all books, publications, papers and audiovisual materials of a sectarian, partisan or denominational character” are prohibited from public schools and their libraries.Thanks to Governor Jan Brewer’s signature on House Bill 2563, that law now excludes the Bible.The Bible’s been declared OK, as the bill also allows high…
Peter Pocklington, former owner of the hockey’s Edmonton Oilers, has been accused by Arizona officials of scamming investors out of millions with bogus claims about a gold mine in La Paz County.This one has echoes of a ripoff we wrote about last week from the late ’80s called the Pannos…
Despite ranking among the top 20 in TIME magazine’s reader poll of the most influential people in the world, Governor Jan Brewer didn’t make the cut for the magazine’s final list — even after soliciting votes a little late.On the other hand, a DREAM Act proponent and undocumented woman living…
The bill to defend a gang of rogue prosecutors in Maricopa County: $1.5 million.At least former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and his bad-girl deputies, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander, now all disbarred or suspended, won’t be getting any more of their lawyers’ bills paid for by county taxpayers. Yesterday, the…
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is still trying to win a seat in Congress, despite the unflattering information about the sheriff that seems to come out with regularity during his campaign.First it was Babeu as Sheriff studboi1, and his ex-lover’s allegations that the sheriff threatened him with deportation — a…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio put out a press release to say deputies found a lot of weed last night — Steven Seagal not included this time.In fact, the press release says deputies have “arrested more than 20 illegal aliens and seized nearly two tons of marijuana” in the last…
James Peters, the Scottsdale police officer who made headlines in February for shooting and killing the sixth person of his 12-year stint with the department, is applying for retirement.According to a meeting agenda for Scottsdale’s police board for the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, Peters has submitted an “accidental disability…
Sometimes God allegedly tells people to run for public office, and sometimes He’ll allegedly tell a Mesa man that his neighbors are “terrorists” trying to murder him with chemical weapons, so it’s probably best to kill them first.For some reason, the cops weren’t buying the terrorist-neighbor story allegedly proposed yesterday…
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld — in part — Arizona’s voter-approved 2004 law requiring voters to show proof of citizenship before receiving a ballot.The Appeals Court en banc panel mostly shot down the challenges to the law, which had itself been upheld in Arizona U.S. District…
Former Democratic U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini — who’s currently on the Arizona Board of Regents — has been added to the roster of witnesses for next week’s Senate immigration subcommittee hearing on Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070.New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer, the chair of that subcommittee, initially tried to peg…
Contributions to congressional hopeful Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu barely trickled in during March, with the once-popular lawman pocketing a mere $6,700 in the wake of multiple scandals that have enveloped him, his agency and his campaign. By comparison, Congressman Paul Gosar, who is also running for a seat in…
Disbarred former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas can no longer rely on taxpayers to pick up his legal fees.The Board of Supervisors decided yesterday during executive session not to fund Thomas’ appeal of his disbarment, should he file one, county spokeswoman Cari Gerchick says.His former underling, Rachel Alexander, would also…
Maricopa County leaders retaliated against a county civil attorney for providing Sheriff Joe Arpaio legal help and for voicing her opinion to a newspaper, the woman claims in a lawsuit.Maria Brandon, a veteran deputy county attorney until her termination in June of 2011, says that her civil rights were violated, she…
If the season had ended last night, the Phoenix Suns would be headed to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the West after an easy 125-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.The performance from the Suns starters made the victory very unsurprising: 20 points and 10 rebounds from center…
Following a weekend series fraught with losses and angst, the Arizona Diamondbacks returned home to Chase Field on Monday night for a good ol’ fashioned stomping of a Pittsburgh Pirates.Fueled by a hailstorm of hits and homers, the D-Backs overcame some early stumbling by starting pitcher Joe Saunders and thumped…
Congratulations to the New Times reader known as Tommy Collins, you’ve won this week’s New Times You Write the Caption contest.On Friday, we asked readers to write the caption for the above photo of former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas holding a press conference after his disbarment.We picked the five…
Score a triumph for redistricting a little more than a half-year ahead of the November elections. The Payson Roundup reports that Republican state Senator Sylvia Allen has turned yellower than an egg-sucking cur at the prospect of running in the newly formed Legislative District 6, where a recent poll showed…
Former Mayor Phil Gordon Phil Gordon, Paul Charlton, Rick Romley and Terry Goddard sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today asking him to have Sheriff Joe Arpaio charged for abusing his power. Gordon’s a former Phoenix mayor; Charlton’s a former Arizona U.S. Attorney; Romley’s a former Maricopa…
Next week’s U.S. Senate immigration subcommittee hearing on Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 is shaping up to be more exciting than initially billed — at least as “exciting” as something aired on C-SPAN can get.Ousted state Senate President Russell Pearce, the author of the bill, has already committed to being in…
U.S. District Judge Neil Wake moved the start-date of a potential defamation trial against Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio to May 1, after County Supervisors have the chance to approve a settlement. The trial for the lawsuit launched by Thomas Lovejoy, a Chandler police officer who accidentally let his dog die in…
Lisa Aubuchon, the former Maricopa deputy county attorney disbarred last week along with her former boss, Andrew Thomas, has filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court. This afternoon, the county Board of Supervisors is in executive session to decide — among other things — whether Thomas and suspended lawyer Rachel Alexander could have any…
