Sheriff Joe received a little support today from an unlikely source, the Rev. Oscar Tillman, President of the Maricopa County branch of the NAACP.I contacted Rev. Tillman to ask his opinion of a half-page ad that ran in the Arizona Republic yesterday comparing Arpaio to Birmingham, Alabama’s infamous public safety…
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: E.J. Montini, Take a Powder; Richard Ruelas, Take His Place, Please Up on the Sun:…
Here’s one fresh from the rumor mill:With John Shadegg’s long-overdue departure from the U.S. House of Representatives, there are rumors that Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon may be looking to take his seat.So, does Mr. Gordon really want to go to Washington? He’s certainly spent a lot of time there this…
The Arizona Cardinals have defied the odds once again and are heading to the divisional round of the playoffs to take on the Saints in New Orleans. The Cards weren’t favored to win last week, they weren’t favored last year in the playoffs, and, as you may imagine, they aren’t…
Arizona Senator John McCain and former Arizona Governor and Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano are ranked as some of the most influential Americans — within their respective parties — in the entire country, according to a report in the British newspaper Telegraph.Telegraph ranked the most influential Americans on both the…
We make it a practice (once) every year of making the trek to Vegas and donating money to the “cause,” that is, those poor casinos, by wagering on all manner of sporting events. Unfortunately, we were not up there last week to put down our hard-earned shekels on the four…
With Congressman John Shadegg throwing in the towel and announcing he would be retiring from Congress yesterday, there is no shortage of talk about who his potential replacement might be.One of those mentioned is Treasurer Dean Martin, who also happened to announce his candidacy for governor on Wednesday.Martin, however, says…
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard is doing something fairly out of character: Taking a stance on a controversial issue. Goddard sent a letter to the Arizona congressional delegation today urging them to oppose a provision of the national healthcare bill that has created some seriously hoopla lately.The “Nebraska compromise,” as…
If the latest heap churned from the rumor mill is true, the Phoenix Open (or as it is now less-glamorously known, the Waste Management Open) isn’t the only thing Tiger Woods won’t be coming to Arizona to participate in. The latest report from Radaronline claims that Tiger has checked into a sexual-rehabilitation center…
An ASU student lost a leg in the recent Haiti earthquake. Graduate student Christa Brelsford was volunteering to teach literacy in Haiti when the quake hit. She is currently recovering at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital and says she’s thankful to be alive…Higley Unified School District Supervisor Denise…
If the editors over at Phoenix’s daily fishwrap had half a brain, they’d relegate their star columnist E.J. “Milksop” Montini to checking typos in the classifieds, and make Richard Ruelas his replacement.Ruelas used to have his own column in the Rep back in the day, but apparently he had a tad too…
Barring a sudden change of heart or some hitherto undiscovered legal analysis, U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver indicated today that she will hand the Goldwater Institute a huge victory and strike down the “matching funds” component of Arizona’s publicly funded elections system.Silver made her intention clear in a “draft…
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: Walmart Gun Incident: Videos from Nativist Lynne Stevens and Pro-Immigrant Activist Dennis Gilman Up on…
Former homicide detective David Barnes — a key player in our cover story last year about dysfunction in the Phoenix Police Department’s homicide bureau — has been indicted on charges of perjury and harassment. Blogger Jeff Pataky, an associate of Barnes’ and the founder of www.badphoenixcops.com, has also been indicted…
Move over, rover, let Gary take over. In a tale that could seemingly only happen in rural stretch of central Arizona — or the hills of West Virginia — Chino Valley resident Gary Riley has been accused of sexually assaulting his neighbor’s dog. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says another Chino…
John Shaddegg’s not the only one with a retirement party in his near future — Congressman Harry Mitchell’s got one coming, too. Only, as far as we know, Mitchell has no plans to retire.It turns out that Mitchell’s Republican opponent, Dr. Chris Salvino, will be hosting the party on the…
Representative David Lujan made it official today and announced that he would be running for attorney general in 2010. Lujan has had an exploratory committee going for close to a year so this is far from a shocker. But another candidate for AG, former Assistant Attorney General Felecia Rotellini, who…
A Scottsdale company that distributes “e-cigarettes,” the robotic and arguably equally harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes, got some good news today from a federal judge: The Food and Drug Administration has to back off in blocking imports of the devices.The judge ruled in favor of Sottera, the distributor of the…
We thought that this time, maybe things would be different.Ha!Last month, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas filed a lawsuit against county officials and a few prominent judges, attempting to use RICO laws to show that these public officials are a “criminal enterprise.” Not surprisingly, considering…
Arizona Congressman John Shadegg is throwing in the towel; he announced today that he will not seek re-election in 2010.Score one for sanity in government.Shadegg, who’s antics during his tenure in the Congress have bordered on lunacy, is now one of 13 Republicans in the House of Representatives who will not…
Police are asking for the public’s help in tracking down a man they believe stole thousands of dollars from a charter school in Chandler.Stealing from a school — how, um, classy.Authorities say James Bassett, along with his wife, Laurie Bassett, embezzled more than $20,000 from the Dobson Academy School in…
Here are two disturbing videos regarding the Walmart gun-pulling incident I wrote about for the current Bird column. One is from the gun-puller herself, nativist Lynne Stevens, the other from activist/videographer Dennis Gilman.Stevens’ YouTube video is revealing, but not in a good way for her or her cohorts. She starts…
