I had an interesting conversation following the recent debate between state Senate President Russell Pearce and his recall opponent, Republican Jerry Lewis, at Mesa’s East Valley Institute of Technology. As I was speaking with Pearce’s brother Lester, a Justice of the Peace, and listening to him apologize profusely for angrily…
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed out the death sentence of an Arizona death row inmate who was sentenced to die for the brutal 1981 murder of a man he targeted for being gay.Inmate Steven Craig James, 53, who’s been on death row for nearly 20 years, will…
We’ll be chiming in soon with our take about the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday that upheld the inadmissibility of the 1991 confession of Buddhist temple mass murderer Johnathan Doody. Killer Johnathan Doody gets a new trial–and the jury won’t hear his 1991 confession. The effect of the high…
Four custodial workers at Sky Harbor Phoenix International Airport are getting their jobs back, plus back pay, in a settlement between their employer, GCA Services, and the feds. Isabell Marquez, Yadu Rijal, Hamid Amiri and Geoffery Kachiolwa were fired from their jobs because of their support for their union, United…
The 2015 Super Bowl is coming to Phoenix, and if you believe the rhetoric from the self-righteous religious-advocacy groups, so are swarms of underage hookers looking to cash in on the testosterone surrounding the big game.No matter whom you believe, the Phoenix Police Department will be ready for the mythical…
President Obama doesn’t just want to seize the property of California medical-marijuana dispensaries and hit them with huge tax bills.Now the Obama Administration plans to prosecute people who place ads for dispensaries — and possibly the newspapers that print them.One of the four U.S. Attorneys in California, Laura Duffy, told…
Valley attorney Mark Goldman must have taken a memory pill since we last talked to him. In today’s testimony during discipline proceedings for former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas,, Goldman described how Thomas assigned him to dig up information about County Supervisor Don Stapley in 2007.Goldman, a wealthy lawyer…
We’ve all had those mornings after a night of heavy drinking where we wake up and say to ourselves “what the f**k did I do last night?”Chances are, the answer to that age-old question isn’t “pulled out my penis, fatally stabbed my friend, attempted to stab my girlfriend, and kicked…
“Hey, Sharon, want to file a lawsuit against Facebook?”We imagine that a conversation that included that line might have taken place last week between former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods and his executive assistant, Sharon Beatty.Beatty, we’ve come to find out, is the Scottsdale woman acting as a plaintiff in…
The Glendale Police Department has issued an Amber Alert for a 5-year-old girl who was last seen at an apartment complex near 6800 North 45th Avenue.According to the Glendale P.D., the girl, Jahessye Shockley, wandered away from siblings a little before 5 p.m. yesterday and hasn’t been seen since. Her…
Notwithstanding the delusional devotion of my lefty friends for Arizona’s Clean Elections system, I will be happy when the final nail is driven into its coin-filled coffin.Why? Constantin Querard, for starters. Far right political hacks such as Querard have cleverly gamed Clean Elections for the advancement of newbie wingnut politicos,…
According to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, “graffiti is not a harmless form of creative expression. It’s a destructive crime that victimizes entire communities by creating blight and encouraging additional criminal activity.”One of the more prolific Valley vandals contributing to the “blight” is “Shaggy,” a Phoenix “tagger” who currently faces…
We thought we’d be reporting here on the sentencing of a Phoenix woman who plea bargained to a reduced charge of “custodial interference” in the curious case of a young girl snatched from her East Valley home back in 2007. Brenda Byers-Couture had pleaded guilty to the charge at…
Over the past several weeks, the Tempe Police Department says at least two groups of thieves have stolen iPhones and other electronic devices from at least eight Arizona State University students on or near the university’s Tempe campus.The most recent heist happened Monday night.According to the Tempe P.D., the thefts…
The National Football League announced yesterday that it’s selected Arizona to host the 2015 Super Bowl.Landing the big game is definitely good for the state — the last time the Super Bowl was in Arizona, in 2008, it generated about $500 million in revenue for Valley businesses.But can the Super…
God, I love Republicans. Especially the crazy ones. They’re just way too easy. In fact, whether or nor state Senate President Russell Pearce survives the Legislative District 18 recall race, I’ll be heartbroken, as right now, every day is a day of Thanksgiving for me.Take this fake Web page by…
Kurtis Palmateer was arrested Saturday night after he called police to let them know that he’d just tried to kill his grandmother. Her offense: she failed to cook his dinner and has an annoying dog.According to court records obtained by New Times, Palmateer called police about 11:30 p.m. Saturday and…
State Senate President Russell Pearce and his political hatchet-bearer Constantin Querard must have Tom Ryan dolls they push pins into at night. Attorney Ryan, who brought the lawsuit that forced sham candidate Olivia Cortes out of the recall race in Legislative District 18, is coming after Pearce and Querard like…
If you know what’s good for you, don’t use the word “nigger” around anyone — but especially not around Carlos Gross, who allegedly beat a Mesa man with a baseball bat after he claims the man dropped an N-bomb while the two were chatting in the parking lot of a…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio met with leaders from the Methodist Border Mission Network at his Phoenix office this afternoon to discuss — amongst other things — some issues the group has with the sheriff’s policies towards illegal immigration.But that’s not the big news — the big news is that…
Super Bowl 49 will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium here in 2015, the National Football League decided today. It will be the third time the Valley of the Sun has hosted the big game. U of P Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2008, when the New York Giants…
Convicted sex offender/multiple felon Jamal Mitchell was in court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to his latest alleged crimes, which include murder.Mitchell was arrested last month and booked into jail on a laundry list of crimes, including child molestation, and armed robbery in addition to the murder rap.For…
