We’ve been alternately bored/annoyed by the Arizona Republic’s series of top-10 lists devoted to summarizing the Aughts. We know it’s a good way to fill the paper during a slow news week and all … but, really, they couldn’t come up with anything more interesting than this? And go figure:…
A man serving a life sentence for sex crimes was found dead of an apparent suicide at the Arizona State Prison Complex at Florence on Saturday.The inmate has been identified as 47-year-old Monte McCarty. Police say McCarty was pronounced dead shortly before noon on Saturday, but declined to provide further…
Props to the spirit of country legend Hank Williams and YouTuber “politicatty.” The latter has borrowed the tune from the former’s Cajun-styled hit “Jambalaya” for an anti-Joe Arpaio ditty entitled, “Goodbye, Joe!” The lyrics are pretty amusing. Here’s a sample:Goodbye Joe. You gotta go. Take three guesses. Too much dough down…
Two Middle-Eastern men were detained by federal and local authorities Saturday night at Sky Harbor International Airport after passengers on their U.S. Airways flight told flight attendants the pair was “acting suspiciously.”The men weren’t running up the aisles screaming “Allah Akbar” — according to the FBI, the “suspicious” behavior that…
A guy trying to break into a home near Central Avenue and McDowell Road turned out to be a “star” of America’s Most Wanted — a suspect in the April beating death of a trucker’s helper. Phoenix police say they received a report of a man trying to force his way through the back…
If preliminary numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau hold true, Arizona is set to pick up a congressional seat when the census is complete. And the, um, “vast right-wing conspiracy” wages on. According to the newest data, Arizona is one of six traditionally “red states” slated to get a boost…
It used to be that winning 10 pro football games in two seasons was a milestone around here. This year, the Cardinals have won that many in just one season, making Arizona history. But the success hasn’t come without problems. The Cards beat up on the St. Louis Rams yesterday in Glendale 31-10…
Jolly Old Saint Nick must’ve been in an especially giving mood, as that mythical gift-giving elf dropped off a couple primo presents for the Phoenix Suns on Christmas morning: Not only did they get Leandro Barbosa into the starting lineup, but also a heartily lopsided home court victory over the…
A fire broke out at the Boeing plant in Mesa early this morning. Believed to be caused by a generator, the fire was quickly contained by firefighters and a sprinkler system. No injuries were reported…The Phoenix Fire Department may be cutting some programs to avoid laying off firefighters. The department could be…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas have defiled our town square with hanging corpses: five county supervisors, four superior court judges, two county administrators, three attorneys, an entire law firm, and (everywhere) Mexicans. All of this occurred in a single month, December 2009, when the two lawmen…
Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the big Melendres vs. Arpaio racial profiling lawsuit fired another salvo at the MCSO on Wednesday. In the latest bid for sanctions against the MCSO, attorneys from the firm of Steptoe & Johnson, lead counsel in the case, argued that the MCSO has persistently destroyed…
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants approval of his special prosecutors, now that the state Supreme Court has denied a request to stay the prosecution of Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe. We’re hearing this from Thomas’ office, which put out a news release today concerning the decision and two motions…
Wanted. New Times has an immediate opening for an editorial administrative assistant (35 hours per week). This position is perfect for an organized self-starter who derives satisfaction from handling multiple tasks and working independently on long-term projects. Ideal candidates will have a college degree, administrative experience, excellent communication, computer, grammar,…
Can you recommend a solid, accessible history of California and Arizona so I can learn what really happened when the U.S. gobbled Aztlán? La Chica Confundida The holistic classic in this genre of Rodolfu Acuña’s Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, but it’s a bit pricey, a problem that the…
Driving down Central Avenue a few weeks ago, I found myself listening to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” That’s not so strange. They must play that song a zillion times during KEZ’s month of “continuous Christmas music,” and I’m almost always tuned in. What is strange is that I…
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe could not be more different from Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Donahoe is as sober as, well, a judge and has exactly zero media savvy. The bellicose Arpaio lives for media “events.” Donahoe, who is the county’s criminal presiding judge, is nearing retirement. When the…
FEELING PINK A sad state of affairs: It has come to this! We are so desperate in Maricopa County that we are calling on the president of the United States to step in and stop obvious violations of civil and human rights by Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff…
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: Nativist Violence: “Angry Jim” and the Hatred and Bigotry He Represents Up on the Sun:…
Global warming threatens to sink Santa’s workshop and push reindeer toward extinction, a renowned climatologist tells New Times. As we’ve read in recent months, climate change could melt the ice cap at the North Pole during the summer in 10 to 20 years, according to some estimates. Scientists aren’t sure…
You can color us very, very surprised.We publicly predicted earlier this morning that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will oppose Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca Berch’s decision to appoint a “special master” to sort through the craziness in this county.Turns out, we were wrong.In an email, Thomas’ special assistant…
It’s either the most appalling lack of judgment we’ve ever seen — or the most amazing show of confidence in one’s ultimate vindication.Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, who faces 36 felony counts for failing to disclose loans from the nonprofit Chicanos Por La Causa, even as that agency received…
If you’re willing to pay the price, all sorts of high-priced machinery can be yours at the Barrett-Jackson luxury auctions in Scottsdale — and at the 2010 auction, buyers will be able to bid on a little piece of rock n’ roll history. Barrett-Jackson announced today that Buddy Holly’s 1958 Chevy Impala is on…
