The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced today that a criminal complaint has been filed against the uncle of a 5-year-old girl whose body was found decomposing in a Phoenix apartment last week.The complaint has been filed against 47-year-old Leonard Orta Jr, alleging first degree murder, child abuse, and abandonment or…
Former Congressman J.D. Hayworth picked up an endorsement today that wasn’t Joe Arpaio or Minutemen co-founder Chris Simcox.The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association announced today that it would support Hayworth in his bid to try to unseat Senator John McCain in the Republican Senate primary.Hayworth cites similar stances between himself and police…
A Canadian man was arrested at Sky Harbor International Airport after going into what seemed to be a drunken rage that left a Phoenix police officer with a broken ankle and Youtube viewers howling as the man — while wearing a Castrol motor oil T-shirt (classy) — tried to fight…
It’s official: Giant George, a great dane living in Tucson, is the tallest dog in the world.The Guinness Book of World Records announced today that George is, in fact, the tallest pooch on the planet, an honor his owner had been seeking since August.We wrote about George earlier this month,…
Something wicked this way comes, and no, it ain’t Macbeth, it’s state Senator Russell Pearce’s latest unconstitutional legislation, SB 1394, scheduled to be discussed in the state Senate Judiciary Committee today at 1:30 p.m. The bill makes it a class-four felony under state law for those found guilty of unlawful re-entry,…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is concerned that an ABC-15 (KNXV-TV) new director’s e-mail means the station might not be “fair and impartial” in his coverage of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The e-mail, which we obtained and published last week, had been sent to Maricopa County government by ABC-15 reporter Josh Bernstein…
During Tiger Woods’ robotic apology Friday, he claimed he was heading back to rehab to try to kick his poon addiction. If “sources close to the situation” — who spill their guts to a gossip Web site — are correct, Tiger may be doing so in Scottsdale.According to the celebrity…
A Phoenix woman was found beaten to death Friday morning in the apartment where she was living in Panama City, Panama.Denise Hiller, a wife and mother, was a computer-software expert working in Panama for a Colorado company that was working on a project expanding the Panama Canal.While working on the project…
A Valley man is in rough shape today after he was hit by a train Saturday night in Tempe.If you lived near train tracks when you were 12 years old, you probably know how cool it is to put a coin on the tracks and watch a train flatten it…
Picked by pre-season pundits to finish seventh, the Arizona State Sun Devils improbably moved into a virtual first-place tie with Cal on Sunday afternoon, as the Pac-10 men’s basketball into the homestretch. ASU beat the fading Arizona Wildcats 73-69 in an especially intense game yesterday afternoon down in Tucson that wasn’t decided…
Maricopa County elections officials are launching a new program to track ballot boxes with GPS. The goal is to be able to track all 17,000 pieces of voting equipment in the Valley. The program will be tested in March during school district elections, and is expected to be fully ready…
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: Joe Arpaio’s Chief Deputy David Hendershott Under Oath: It’s a Conspiracy! Up on the Sun:…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s popularity may be plummeting in Maricopa County — but he’s still the politician of choice for donors across the country.In fact, Arpaio’s most recent campaign finance report shows that the surly sheriff garnered a staggering $1.2 million in donations in 2009, much of it from…
A Phoenix man seems to have confused the iconic message of McGruff the Crime Dog. Rather than taking a bite outta crime, the man took a bite out of a cop last night after assaulting a woman, trying to steal a car, and getting shot by an officer.Last night around 10,…
The fastest drivers caught by freeway speed cameras in Arizona will be punished less, thanks to a policy change that halts the mailing of criminal speeding tickets. The state Department of Public Safety, which operates the highway speed-camera program, says the change — made without fanfare earlier this month — won’t likely…
On the same day that Tiger Woods announced how sorry he was for bonin’ cocktail waitresses and porn stars, the satirical newspaper The Onion made an announcement of its own: Tiger Woods will be making his triumphant return to the world of sex — obviously satirizing his probable announcement on…
The FBI’s bandit-naming department is at it again, and the latest bandit name is even dumber than yesterday’s “no tricks bandit,” who was shot last night by the Dirty Harry of the Scottsdale Police Department, as pointed out in another Valley Fever post. Check it out here.The FBI is now…
Most cops never shoot anyone, and even fewer will kill more than one crime suspect in their careers. Scottsdale Officer James Peters is different: He’s killed five four people in his 10-year career. On Wednesday, he was among several officers who shot and critically wounded another crime suspect. As a Channel 5…
The race is on to see whom the GOP will choose as its candidate to defend the Congressional seat getting vacated by Congressman John Shadegg, and there’s a new kid in town hoping to get the nod.Phoenix attorney Paulina Morris announced her candidacy yesterday on the lawn of the Arizona House…
Two former Arizona governors jumped on board the McCain train, endorsing “The Maverick” in his bid to fend off former Congressman J.D. Hayworth, the senator’s campaign announced today.Former governors Fife Symington and Jane Dee Hull will both back McCain in this year’s Republican primary.Hull, who became governor when Symington resigned…
For anyone who missed it, Tiger Woods made his apology to the world this morning. He’s sorry he hurt his family, let down his fans, blah, blah, blah. More important to Valley golf fans, it doesn’t appear that Tiger will be making the trashiest golf tourney on the PGA tour: the Waste…
Spiritual Warrior James Arthur Ray, the snake-oil salesman who organized a self-help retreat in Sedona that left three people dead and dozens injured, is claiming he’s broke.That’s funny… Part of his whole gimmick is bragging about his money and success, which he does quite often in media interviews and on…
