Keeping with tradition, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard made an announcement about the federal healthcare bill that was signed into law yesterday but failed to take a stance on the bill itself.(Pssst! Hey, Terry, when you want to be governor sometimes you have to pick a side.)Goddard announced today that…
Video of Mary Rose Wilcox in D.C. by videographer Dennis GilmanTelling the crowd at the big immigration rally on Sunday in Washington, D.C. that Sheriff Joe runs Maricopa County like a “police state,” county Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox urged listeners to call the U.S. Department of Justice and tell Attorney…
If you plan on heading to Mesa Community College tomorrow to protest Sheriff Joe Arpaio, you’ll have to leave your “Joe Sucks” sign at home — the fuzz isn’t allowing signs on the campus while the sheriff speaks with a group of college Republicans.Kevin Fosburgh, president of the Mesa Community…
If you’re compelled to seek advice on life from a guy who is about to stand trial for the “self-help” deaths of three people, you might as well jump in front of the next bus you see.James Arthur Ray, the “self-help” stooge responsible for organizing a “spiritual warrior” sweat-lodge retreat…
All good things must come to an end, but it sucks when they end in Chicago.The Phoenix Coyotes nine-game winning streak came to a painful end last night when the Yotes were shut out 2-0 by the Chicago Blackhawks, breaking a tie between the two teams for first place in…
After the controversial healthcare bill became law yesterday morning, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin unveiled her political hit list of the members of Congress she hopes to see voted out of office in November.In the Palin-ator’s crosshairs are three of Arizona’s five Democratic members of Congress, including Tucson Congresswoman Gabrielle…
Here is your guide to today’s spring training games, as well as a look at some of yesterday’s games that most Valley baseball fans actually care about (sorry, Rangers fans, there’s nothin’ here for you unless your boys happen to play against the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers, or the Cubs):Arizona Diamondbacks: Did not…
A gas leak has prompted the evacuation of about 20 homes in the area of Doubletree Ranch and Scottsdale Roads. No injuries were reported, and Southwest Gas has been notified, but Scottsdale Road is closed at Doubletree Ranch in both directions. Traffic is being diverted southbound at Mountain View and…
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: Russell Pearce’s Police State Bill on the Today’s COW Calendar, Will Sanity Prevail in Sand…
For the last two years, Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability have been on the outside looking in: The anti-Arpaio activists in the MCSA have been hassled, cut off, and even arrested at meetings of the county Board of Supervisors.Not today. Today the group had the floor for more than hour…
A Gilbert Rabbi was arrested today in the 2000 rape of a 7-year-old girl in New York City.The U.S. Marshals Service tells New Times that its Child Predator Apprehension Team and detectives with the New York Police Department picked up 45-year-old Bryan Bramley outside of the Temple Beth Shalom Synagogue…
The Housing Authority of Maricopa County’s executive director, Doug Lingner, is rejecting a settlement agreement because he wants a chance to “defend” himself — oh, and six months’ salary, too.”The Release/Severance package which has been forwarded me for signature is a completely one-sided document,” Lingner wrote in a letter to…
To guard against possible conflicts of interest, the Arizona Supreme Court has handed off bar complaints against Maricopa County Attorney Andy Thomas to a Colorado official. John Gleason, regulation attorney for the Colorado Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Regulation will now have the job of sorting out the various allegations of…
If anyone feels like protesting, we’ve got the venue for you.Despite getting heckled at a speaking engagement at ASU a few months ago, Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced today that he has no plans of canceling one scheduled at Mesa Community College on Thursday, despite threats that protesters will be on…
In a battle between a former and current police officer, the Phoenix police union’s sticking with the cop on the job. Even though the former cop is Phoenix City Councilman Michael Johnson, a longtime union supporter. Better to stand by Officer Brian Authement, a two-year officer who wrestled Johnson to the ground…
Just read a pretty detailed piece in the American Bar Journal about the crazy goings-on in our county — you know, the Joe Arpaio/Andy Thomas vs. Everyone Else show. It’s called “The Maricopa Courthouse War — An Arizona Showdown Over Populist Politics, Abuse of Power, and Pink Boxer Shorts,” and here…
A member of GOP Senate hopeful J.D. Hayworth’s campaign staff apparently thinks Senator John McCain — Hayworth’s opponent in the Republican primary — “turned [his] back” on his Navy colleagues.Shane Wikfors, Hayworth’s campaign field director, takes a jab at McCain on Twitter, attacking his service to the United States Navy, where…
Then, word came yesterday that Phoenix’s public safety manager (Police Chief) Jack Harris has asked the FBI to do its own “independent” probe into the recent incident involving Johnson (pictured). The feds also are going to be asked to monitor the local agency’s internal investigation…
A right-wing Southern blogger’s responding to the passage of the federal healthcare bill the way a pissed-off 12-year-old might respond when a neighbor hands out crappy Halloween candy.Mike Vanderboegh of Pinson, Alabama runs a blog called Sipsey Street Irregulars, dedicated to a “strict constructionist, libertarian point of view,” and has begun…
****Please See Update Below****Will we live in state Senator Russell Pearce’s dream police state, or will we live in the United States of America?That’s the issue at hand this afternoon as Pearce’s SB 1070/HB 2632 goes to the House Committee of the Whole for debate. The bill, which would greatly expand…
A 19-year-old man shot in the midsection during a fight outside of a Scottsdale house last week would have suffered worse injuries but for a well-timed punch, says the man’s father. Ted Leitner, a sportscaster for the San Diego Padres and other teams, told a San Diego Union-Tribune columnist that…
The Environmental Protection Agency released its second annual list of U.S. cities with the most energy-efficient buildings. Phoenix ranked number 20, just ahead of Ogden, Utah, and Charlotte, North Carolina.The EPA’s list is determined by the number of energy-efficient buildings in each city. Phoenix has 52 buildings with “Energy Star”…
