The Mesa City Council unanimously have agreed on a plan that would keep the Chicago Cubs spring-training facilities in Mesa. The deal calls for the city to build the Cubbies an $84 million stadium if the team agrees to remain in the desert for another 25 years. That oughta be plenty…
Despite scads of losses lately, Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic has been on fire. After scoring a career-topping 20 points vs. the Golden State Warriors over the weekend, the “Slovenian Supernova” (as Suns announcer Al McCoy has dubbed him) one-upped himself last night against the Utah Jazz. Netting a…
Phoenix police officers continue to work, despite imminent layoffs. This week, Phoenix will eliminate some officers’ jobs, in an attempt to balance the city’s $245-million deficit. Phoenix PD already cut about seven percent of its positions last year…The Gilbert Unified School District is considering cutting students’ elementary music time. Under…
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, Walkin’ on the Water? Wacky, Nativist African-American Preacher Compares Sheriff Joe to Jesus…
A new grand jury convened by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has indicted Mary Rose Wilcox on 42 criminal counts after problems were alleged in the first go-round. Thomas’ office released newsof the grand jury’s finding this afternoon. Not only did a second grand jury manage to reach the same conclusion…
Sheriff Arpaio’s flacks are usually full of it, churning out press release after press release with the sole purpose of puffing up Joe’s jowly profile for the public. But once in a blue billy goat, they actually make a point, as was done with the January 21, 2010 press release, “Sheriff…
Treasurer Dean Martin got some welcome amore (Rat Pack pun intended) from the latest Rasmussen poll, which shows him as the front-runner for this year’s gubernatorial election. The news may be a kick in the head (Rat Pack pun intended — again) for the former front-runner, Democratic Attorney General Terry Goddard, who led…
Our (ahem) good friends at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have a new ad campaign, and it’s actually kinda funny: They are using a porn star to promote having pets spayed and neutered. It’s a nice change of pace after listening to crusty, old Bob Barker tell us to…
Usually, folks like to compare Sheriff Joe to rather nefarious historical figures, you know, like Bull Connor, Idi Amin, Augusto Pinochet, Benito Mussolini (well, they’re both Italian), and so on. But the Man from Galilee? The Prince of Peace? The Light of This World? Jesus Christ himself? That’s the insanity…
An alleged crime ring tied to local nightclubs, high-end car dealerships and the hip-hop community used millions in cash from a Mexico media family — but authorities don’t know why. With officials including Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon in attendance, police outlined the highlights of a suspected white-collar crime spree that resulted in the arrests of five…
Elizabeth Johnson, the mother of the missing eight-month old baby, Gabriel Johnson, appeared before a Maricopa County Superior Court judge this morning, via-video feed from the Maricopa County Jail and pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the child’s disappearance. Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, child abuse and…
If George Clooney and Bono didn’t woo you into donating money to the Haiti relief effort on Friday night, Uncle Sam might. The Internal Revenue Service is offering immediate tax relief for any cash donation made to the Haiti relief effort. This year, the federal government is offering the Haiti relief provision…
The Oprah-approved snake-oil salesman who organized the “spiritual warrior” sweat-tent debacle in Sedona that left three people dead and dozens injured, is finally speaking out publicly about the ordeal. James Arthur Ray sat down with Michael Joseph Gross of New York magazine last week for a little Q and A. However, a lot…
The Arizona Supreme Court today unanimously reversed an appellate court ruling on the CityNorth case, saying it erred when it deemed the city of Phoenix’s $97 million subsidy of the shopping center unconstitutional.But the unanimous decision hardly settles the issue once and for all — and is hardly a victory for the…
ormer Arizona congressman turned AM radio conservative squawk box, has quit his radio gig at KFYI-AM to begin a campaign to un-seat Senator John McCain as the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. No shocker here, Hayworth has been hinting at a coup attempt for months. Hayworth confirmed the move on Friday but…
Last week’s wet weather turned the west end of the Tempe Town Lake into a wide, rumbling waterfall over the weekend as runoff spilled over the lake’s inflatable dams. Tempe closed the lake and let air out of the rubber dams on Friday as billions of gallons of muddy rainwater churned down the…
The roundup of alleged crime ring members we told you about on Thursday also snared Mario de la Fuente Manríquez, a Mexican media mogul who owns cable TV companies, a Nogales, Sonora TV station and newspaper. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, and police officials are scheduled…
Somehow, some way the Phoenix Suns avoided a total disaster this weekend at US Airways Center. Instead, their two-game series was just a partial one. Sure, the team beat the Golden State Warriors, barely, on Saturday night, but losing to the inferior Chicago Bulls was pretty lousy. The Suns have…
A main broke on Sunday and flooded several central Phoenix businesses and homes with thousands of gallons of water. The owner of one of the damaged buildings, Phoenix Rising Now photography studio, says the water filled his basement from floor to ceiling. Crews were working on repairing the water-main Sunday…
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: Up on the Sun: Franz Ferdinand Singer Calls Epic “Arrogant Motherfucking Pig-Brained Arseholes” Arty Girl: Classes at…
With the capture of the “First-Aid Bandit,” later dubbed the “Band-Aid Bandit,” last week, there appeared to be an opening for a poorly named bandit to start robbing Phoenix banks. Not to worry — the “Déjà vu Bandit” has filled that void. Agents in the FBI’s Phoenix office are looking…
The Chicago Cubs organization seems to be playing government officials in Florida and Mesa like a playa trying not to upset his two girlfriends.Yesterday, team officials suggested that a deal to bring the Cubbies’ spring training back to Mesa was a few dotted i’s short of official.However, what Cubs brass may not…
