In case you’re wondering what 350 Arizona police officers were up to today, they were learning how to deal with any voodoo, witchcraft, or demonic possession that Mexican drug cartels might try to cast on law enforcement. According to the East Valley Tribune, Robert Almonte, the U.S. Marshal for the…
For the second time this month, a random person in a Philadelphia suburb received an unanticipated brick of weed in the mail from an Arizona address. Just two weeks ago an elderly couple in the town of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, opened a package with an Arizona return address with five…
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced today that he’s turning over some of the investigation into the Fiesta Bowl fiasco to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office because a conflict of interest exists between his office and elected officials who allegedly accepted — and failed to report — gifts and tickets to…
State Representative Andy Tobin has been pegged to serve as the new speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives following former Speaker Kirk Adams’ announcement that he’s leaving the Legislature.As New Times pointed out on Tuesday, Tobin is now tasked with keeping the Legislature in its place as a tool of…
Former TV pitchman J.D. Hayworth’s ego may have met its match — in the form of Congressman Jeff Flake and his well-stocked campaign coffers. We’re told by those in the know that Hayworth has decided to not square off against Flake in what would be a GOP primary for the…
Former Congressional candidate Mark Spinks is a big fan of state Republican Party Chairman Tom Morrissey. In fact, he recently sent a scathing e-mail to those looking to get the chairman booted from his post (we got a copy of it, which you can see below). However, sources tell New…
Mesa woman was asleep in her bed when she heard some rocks being thrown at her window. Curious, she went outside to see what was going on — and that’s when her ex-boyfriend — accompanied by his new girlfriend — started shooting at her.According to the Mesa Police Department, 18-year-old…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio recently tweeted that he will “speaking at [Arizona State University’s] Cronkite School of Journalism” today at 3 p.m.But if you’re expecting a repeat of the debacle that occurred in 2009 when Arpaio attended a public forum at ASU’s Cronkite School in downtown Phoenix, and questions from ASU dons…
A Scottsdale man was arrested yesterday for allegedly beating the crap out of a 62-year-old man after hitting on the guy’s fiancee at a Phoenix restaurant earlier this month.Jason Peter Bonal, 36, got pinched yesterday afternoon for the violent attack on the man after witnesses identified him as the attacker.According…
As I’ve pointed out in my cover story this week on Phoenix Law Enforcement Association president Mark Spencer and his sleazy ways, PLEA swallowed the Phoenix Police Department’s controversial kidnapping stats whole hog at one time. Long before they used them to bash ex-Police Chief Jack Harris as corrupt.Now like…
Arizona Legislature Self-promotion is the law in Steve Yarbrough’s perfect world. Jan Brewer again rejected a bill increasing the amount of money Arizona taxpayers can write off on their tax bills and give to private-scholarship charities, denying state Senator Steve Yarbrough’s second attempt to raise the amount of money each taxpayer…
Joe Saunders is fast becoming a problem for the Arizona Diamondbacks after failing, once again, to give his team a chance to win in a baffling 8-4 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies last night. Facing the Phillies with a chance to sweep, Saunders struck out eight hitters, almost matching his…
As Phoenix residents sacrificed during one of the harshest budget years in the city’s history — receiving fewer municipal services and paying a new food tax — certain city officials continued to enjoy lavish perks. Tickets to a luxury suite to watch big-name performers and Phoenix Suns playoff games are…
BULLY BEAT-DOWN I hate bullies, and I hate dumb rednecks, and I particularly despise redneck bullies who go on to become cops. So I think you can guess what I think about Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Joe Sousa, a vein-popping hick from Rhode Island, infamous for telling elected politicians…
Why does every Mexican rap/hip-hop song always contain the lyrics, “No paramos,” “Nunca paramos,” or some other logically equivalent statement (e.g. “Siempre avanzaremos,” “No acabaremos de seguir,” etc.)? Can’t you people be more original? I mean, come on! It’s not like you all speak a language that makes rhyming particularly…
BROKEBACK MCSO Too bad Joe will probably skate: Your story makes the whole SCA thing make sense (“Love Connection,” Ray Stern, April 14). I always wondered why Captain Joel Fox refused to give up the names of those involved for so long, and now we find out it was to…
Nobody would accuse Mark Spencer, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, of having a commanding presence. Pudgy and bespectacled, with spiked hair and a voice described by one of his allies as akin to Porky Pig’s, sans stutter, he hardly looks or sounds like a cop. His frumpy garb…
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:…
Former Chief Deputy Dave Hendershott, in a gushing, now-public goodbye to his boss, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, claims that a long-awaited report on his misconduct is “littered with hundred (sic) of flaws” and other problems. The document to which he refers is the 1,022-page report on an internal investigation into allegations by another high-ranking deputy with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Frank…
The Tempe Police Department is asking the public’s help in tracking down a guy authorities say has been exposing himself — and masturbating in front of — sun-bathing female 20-somethings as they lounge around pools at area apartment complexes.In the latest incident, which happened this afternoon, the unknown suspect was…
Good news, Phoenix Coyotes fans: the team’s not moving to Canada and will remain in the desert — according to the mayor of Winnipeg, anyway.The bad news: he’s probably wrong.Today, as Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs rejected a plan that would have partnered the city with the Tohono O’odham Indians in…
For the first time, the U.S. State Department has specifically mentioned Rocky Point in a travel advisory, citing recent cartel violence there as the reason. The small town on the coast of the Gulf of California has long been a popular vacation spot for Arizonans — but not so much…
