Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke can’t find any chargeable offenses after a review of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s questionable travel habits and mismanagement of an inmate trust fund.Because the U.S. Attorney is still investigating Arpaio in connection with abuse-of-power allegations, and the sheriff’s office still faces a civil-rights probe,…
An act of criminal chivalry on Saturday resulted in a deputy getting accidentally tased and in a riverboat chase that sounds more like a human safari.The mayhem began at about 3:40 p.m. near the mud cliffs on the lower Salt River, when Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy C. Bradshaw attempted to…
A suspected drunk driver speeding north on the Loop 101 slammed his Hyundai into the back of an SUV early Saturday morning, killing the three people inside.Authorities still aren’t sure whether the victims in the SUV died from the impact or resulting explosion and fire Their bodies were severely burned, says…
DeeDee Blase, founder of Somos Republicans and the driving force behind the Tequila Party, takes political flak from both the right and the left. Democrats suspect her, and extremist Republicans loathe her for her calling out the GOP on the immigration issue.Whatever you may think of her, she’s essentially a…
In an apparent parking-lot-rage incident, a taxi driver and his passenger are accused by police of beating a man to death as the victim’s horrified wife watched.The act of impulsive violence erupted about 5:15 p.m. on Saturday at 1459 North Dysart Road, as the AAA Taxi pulled out of a…
At this point, I’m really beginning to wonder if state Senate President Russell Pearce is a sadomasochist. The sadist part is easy to see. But the masochism becomes more evident with each new legal maneuver by Lisa Hauser, the attorney working on behalf of Pearce and Pearce’s pal Franklin Bruce Ross,…
A beer-theft suspect whose attempted escape from police last year resulted in a crash that killed a pharmacy student will spend at least 25 years in prison.Berry Williams, 49, stole several 30-packs of beer from a west-side Circle K back on February 1, 2010, then sped from police who tried…
Police report this morning that 6-year-old Jacob Gibson died on Sunday, not quite a week after the horrific beating he received at the hands of his parents.Benny Gibson, 49, and his wife, Jennifer Edna Paul, 37, remain in jail — now suspected of killing, as opposed to merely brutalizing, their…
Vice Mayor Thelda Williams and Phoenix City Councilmen Bryan Jeffries and Michael Nowakowski plan to undo a deal that gave a nearly $100 million tax break to Chicago-based developer Thomas J. Klutznick.The trio are having a press conference at 2 p.m. outside of City Hall.Jeffries, recently appointed to the City Council…
The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the New York Mets yesterday with a 5-3 win to help solidify the team’s lead in the National League West.The D-Backs now lead the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants by two games in the NL West with just over a…
Several Arizona public high schools will participate in a program this year that allows students to graduate from high school after only two years.The program, the Move On When Ready initiative, was passed by the Arizona Legislature last year. It would allow students to essentially test out of high school…
In the span of a heartbeat, the championship dreams of the Arizona Rattlers crumbled into dust. Their near-perfect season is over and their visions of glory obliterated. Mere moments away from winning ArenaBowl XXIV at US Airways Center earlier tonight (and thus, capturing their third title in 19 years) the…
In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries:…
Two Valley cities rose to the top of a list of 25 “fun, affordable” cities compiled by a magazine that reviewed median home prices along with proximity to eateries and nightlife.The report from Better Homes and Garden Real Estate, which used data from Onboard Infomatics, reviewed 6,106 ZIP codes to…
We reported yesterday on the questionable ethics demonstrated by Phoenix mayoral candidate Peggy Neely as she helped the Klutznicks, Chicago-based developers who were filling her campaign coffers with political donations.Check out the story, now updated with some links to excerpts from the original court records and exhibits, depositions and e-mails…
Three African refugees who conspired to take a fake bomb through a checkpoint at Sky Harbor airport last week were likely trying to probe weaknesses in airport security, the FBI says in a federal complaint.Luwiza Laku Daman, 51, of Ethiopia, took the device in her carry-on bag through security on…
Superior Court Judge Hugh Hegyi just issued a ruling in state Senate President Russell Pearce’s legal challenge to his recall, dismissing the complaint brought by the legal beagle working on his behalf, Lisa Hauser.Hegyi agreed with the defendants — the Arizona Secretary of State, Maricopa County Elections, and Citizens for…
Governor Jan Brewer called today’s appeals court shoot-down of Obama’s mandatory health care plan a “major triumph.”Arizona was one was 26 states that sued the federal government over the highly contested, Democrat-launched plan to force nearly every American to buy health insurance. The stipulation was crucial to the plan since…
Police arrested a 36-year-old man yesterday after receiving new evidence in the case of a 14-year-old raped two years ago at a Buckeye park.Phonesavanh Nakhokkong of Buckeye was taken to jail after voluntarily driving to the Buckeye Police Department to discuss the allegation. Officer J. Kirby wrote in court records…
After Arizona lawmakers passed SB1070, calls for action by immigration activists were heard loudly in California.San Francisco and Los Angeles announced boycotts against the state — but reality quickly set in when city leaders realized such plans might come back to hurt them. As L.A. Weekly writer Gene Maddaus points…
This is one of the upsides to mobile phones:An astute witness’ prompt call to 911 early yesterday morning after seeing some punks breaking into a car resulted in the arrest of three teenagers.The caller told police that the men had broken out the window of a parked car in the…
Tommy Cattey, the Mesa resident who had filed paperwork to campaign against state Senate President Russell Pearce in the upcoming Legislative District 18 recall election, has dropped out of the race and endorsed fellow contender Jerry Lewis.Cattey, who made his announcement at the Wright House in Mesa this morning, told…
