In an act of political cowardice, Governor Jan Brewer signed state Senator Russell Pearce’s police state/bigot bill SB 1070 into law, characterizing it as “another step forward in protecting the state of Arizona.”With a boycott of the state threatened and thousands gathering at the state Capitol to protest the bill, I’m…
Does Nik Richie’s new wife know about his legal bills? Richie, founder of the Scottsdale-based thedirty.com Web site, lost a $1.5 million judgment last year for posting a La Porte, Texas, woman’s picture with snide comments about her herpes infection. More lawsuits could be on the way, one Canadian magazine reports…
With the future of Luke Air Force base in doubt, the Fighter Country Partnership sees a powerful ally in Senator John McCain. The coalition of air base supporters, headed up by local developers and establishment-types, endorsed McCain today in his battle against former Congressman J.D. Hayworth for the Senate seat…
A 27-year-old murder suspect was busted at a Tempe elementary school with a handgun on Wednesday as she picked her daughter up from school. Damaris Shayna Davy, who’s unemployed and homeless, was also under investigation for two instances in the past week or so when she pointed the same…
Over the objections of the President of the United States, and a wide array of police, civil rights and religious groups and leaders, Governor Jan Bewer is expected to announce the signing of Russell Pearce’s bigot bill SB 1070 at 1:30 p.m. today.Brewer just called a press conference for that…
President Barack Obama unloaded on Arizona today, blasting state Senator Russell Pearce’s bigot bill SB 1070 as “misguided” and irresponsible during a naturalization ceremony in the White House Rose Garden for 24 active-duty service members.But he didn’t let the federal government off the hook. Indeed, he blamed Arizona’s legislative actions…
The Phoenix Suns looked a lot like team that is in complete control of their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, even though they’re up just 2-1 in the series. The Suns led by as much 31 points, on the road, Wednesday night as they rolled to a 108-89…
Is Governor Jan Brewer ready to become the most hated woman in Arizona by signing SB 1070?That’s the query I directed toward Brewer as she stalked out of the Chicanos Por La Causa 41st Anniversary Dinner, the cries of “Veto the bill” echoing behind her. Brewer maintained the silence of…
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: Feathered Bastard: Raul Grijalva Urges Boycott of Arizona, and Scott Rasmussen Proves That a Majority of Arizonans…
Back in May 2004, we published a cover story entitled “Indian Givers,” which broke the news about a remarkably devious study conducted by genetic researchers at Arizona State University. The piece described how those researchers, led by Dr. Therese Markow, a nationally known genetics-research professor then at the university, had misled members…
The west Valley city of Surprise will begin mailing photo-enforcement tickets to scofflaw motorists starting Monday — and we expect many of them to be in the trash by next Friday. As most Arizonans — and many out-of-state visitors — should be aware by now, mailed traffic citations aren’t valid…
As expected, the Arizona Medical Board has tossed out the latest series of allegations against a Valley psychiatrist whose misdeeds have been well-chronicled in our paper for years. The so-called “watchdog” agency dismissed the allegations against Dr. Joseph Franzetti, a duplicitous operator (in the photo) who collected about $250,000…
Governor Jan Brewer announced this afternoon that she won’t take any action today on a contentious anti-illegal-immigrant bill. Instead, Brewer says she’ll unveil a new border security plan at a news conference scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Papago Park Military Reservation, 5636 East McDowell Road. An e-mail sent to the media…
Rick Romley had several interesting announcements today at his news conference, besides slamming a proposed law that some believe would turn Arizona into something resembling Nazi Germany of the 1930s. Here’s the lowdown on the staff changes: *Paul Ahler will be returning to his role as Romley’s chief deputy. *Carol…
The harsh anti-illegal-immigrant law before Governor Jan Brewer is “tearing our community apart” and should be vetoed, Interim Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said today. Romley, in his first major news conference since replacing Andrew Thomas, said that besides the negative consequences in Valley neighborhoods, he also has “significant”…
Arizona state House Representative Russ Jones has penned an opinion piece for CNN, offering excuses for Russell Pearce’s bigot bill SB 1070, which now sits on Governor Jan Brewer’s desk awaiting action.I also penned an opinion piece for CNN on SB 1070, lauding the nine students who chained themselves to the…
A local chapter of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, Local 383, is suing its parent organization in a fight over territory. LIUNA’s general president, Terence M. O’Sullivan, based in Washington D.C., informed the Local 383 last month that it was giving Mohave County to a Nevada-based subsidiary, Local…
It’s rare that a story about a rabid bobcat attacking a human being could ever be considered lame, but given Arizona’s recent history with these foamy-mouthed felines, the latest tale is a bit of a yawner. We all remember the rabid bobcat that burst into a Cottonwood bar in March…
At 6:53 p.m., 13 minutes following first pitch, it looked like the Arizona Diamondbacks were set to lose another game. At that time, St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder Colby Rasmus sent an Edwin Jackson pitch over the right-field wall at Chase Field. Score after a measly half-inning: Cardinals 3, D-backs 0…
A Scottsdale couple is accused of abusing their 4-month-old daughter. Police say that Zachary Wilson, 21, and his baby mama, 18-year-old Latovia Jones, abused the child and that Wilson admittedly used to quiet the baby by placing her face down on a bed and forcefully pushing down on her back… A Tucson…
Though there are literally hundreds of variations on the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine, most are offshoots of two main versions of the story, named for the people who supposedly heard Jacob Waltz’s dying words. In the Petrasch version, Waltz is a softie who makes several fateful mistakes…
I have a friend who frequently wears a T-shirt that boldly states in big, badass Old English letters, “Hecho en México.” Five facts follow: • He was born 23 years ago in the United States, in Bellflower, California, • His truly Mexican parents were nowhere near Mexico when he was…
