Last week, we reported on a synthetic Cannabinoid compound called JWH-018, which is sold in herbal-incense blends at head shops around the Valley. Smoking this compound is said to have the same effect as smoking marijuana, which has led lawmakers in Kansas to seek a ban on the substance (check out…
Health officials at children’s hospitals around the Valley say hundreds of Arizona kids have been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening respiratory virus. Known as RSV, the virus is a common cause of inflammation in the airways of the lungs and pneumonia, and its symptoms are similar to the common cold. A total…
Portrait of paranoia: Hendershott during his recent depo. Kudos to Channel 12 for the being the first outlet to post portions of MCSO Chief Deputy David Hendershott’s videotaped deposition in the big Melendres vs. Arpaio racial-profiling lawsuit. Hendershott was deposed by Steptoe & Johnson attorney David Bodney on behalf 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: Russell Pearce’s Legislative War on the Brown, and Why Voices Must Be Raised in Opposition…
Earlier this week, Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk took the stand to testify about her dealings with Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The testimony was ostensibly about the criminal case against County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox — Wilcox’s lawyer, Colin Campbell, had asked Polk to testify…
Arizona has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, and one gun-violence-prevention group claims they flat out “lack common sense.”We could have told you that — in Arizona, you can bring a gun to the bar with you for fuck’s sake.The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (named…
Yikes. We’re working overtime today to make sure the boss doesn’t send us a memo like the one Josh Bernstein over at ABC-15 recently received. To paraphrase: Stop smooching Sheriff Arpaio’s rear-end and start kicking it. As New Times writer Sarah Fenske pointed out in today’s cover story, Bernstein basically chugged the…
In a letter to commissioners of the Housing Authority of Maricopa County penned today, County Manager David Smith and the Board of Supervisors offered its assistance in handling allegations against the housing authority’s executive director, Doug Lingner.Those allegations were first raised in this New Times cover story. Among them were…
As New Times predicted back in January, when we first learned of David Hasselhoff’s new reality show, the former Baywatch star was spotted at the University of Arizona Wednesday, where he gave a speech to his daughter’s psychology class.”The Hoff” is in the process of filming a new, currently untitled…
The NBA trade deadline passed mere moments ago, and Amar’e Stoudemire is still a member of the Phoenix Suns. Yeah, we know you’ve heard rumor after endless rumor this week about how the Phoenix Suns superstar was getting a one-way ticket to either Cleveland or Miami. But such speculation ultimately…
We figured it was only a matter of time before the FBI came up with a new, lame moniker for the man responsible for robbing four Valley banks in the last week and attempting to rob another on Tuesday. We figured right.The FBI’s bandit-naming department didn’t disappoint, either. The federal…
Just in case you were worried that Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas aren’t wasting enough money on their jihad against other county officials, we’ve got news for you.Arpaio has now hired his own lawyer to represent his interests in Thomas’ piece-of-crap racketeering lawsuit. Start running the…
The Goldwater Institute released a new study today that argues property tax exemptions for large, metropolitan development projects are forcing cities to raise taxes on citizens to compensate for lost revenue.According to the report, the city of Phoenix has about $2 billion worth of property that’s going virtually untaxed and…
Police in Maricopa are looking for a man who has been trying to lure children into his van by telling them there’s candy inside.Seriously? The old, stereotypical “candy-in-the-van” trick was the best idea this creep could come up with?Police say the man has been cruising around the Villages at Rancho…
Ladies Valley-wide will have an opportunity to show off their naked ambition next week when representatives from Playboy will be in Phoenix in search of, um, talent.You know what that means, ladies: gym, tan, laundry.Reps for the tamest skin-mag around will be in Phoenix next week as they try and cast spots…
Geo Trackers are too damned small.A Tracker Vs. pickup collision figured into an article published in New Times last September, with the Tracker occupants coming out much worse.Now, in a similar — but even more tragic — vehicular mismatch, a suspected drunk driver in a 1980 full-size Chevy pickup crossed…
We wrote in a blog item the other day about the passing of 94-year-old Viva Leroy Nash, who was the oldest person on death row in the United States. Nash had been housed on Arizona’s death row in Florence since the early 1980s, after his conviction for murdering a young…
If the Phoenix Suns’ game Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks was the last game with Amar’e Stoudemire in a Suns uniform, at least the All-Star went out with a bang. Stoudemire scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Suns’ 107-97 loss, which snapped the Suns’ five-game winning…
The Arizona State Parks Board voted to close 13 parks last month, but cost estimates show that closing the parks might be more expensive than keeping them open. Closing Fort Verde Historic State Park, for example, will cost taxpayers $141,000 — about $46,000 more than it would cost to keep…
People talk about the costs of illegal immigration on our society. What about the savings? Has there been any research into how much more a meal at a restaurant would cost without Mexicans cooking and washing dishes? What percentage increase would we see with supermarket produce if migrant illegal laborers…
If Andrew Thomas were the one telling this story, he’d probably begin it on December 12, 2008. That’s the day Thomas, the newly re-elected Maricopa County Attorney, issued a subpoena to other county officials — demanding to see all contracts and procurement documents from the court tower about to break…
BASELINE DATA Subjected to the Cult of Rusty: Paul Rubin has opened up a real can of worms with this one and has subjected himself to the Cult of Rusty, whose membership consists of Rusty Stuart and [a few] other PPD wing-nuts who’re still pushing this Terry Wayne Smith thing…
