On a sunny September afternoon, the pulsing sounds of reggae rise from a red brick house in downtown Phoenix. Inside, chinking guitars and bouncy bass lines resonate through the wood floor in the front room, where Casper & The Mighty 602 Band are rehearsing for an upcoming show in New…
CAGE TIME After wading through the Arizona Department of Corrections’ recently released doorstop report on the cage death of Marcia Powell, I’m not sure whom I’d rather see get a taste of Powell’s open-air sunbake: acting ADC director Charles Ryan, his pathetic excuse for a boss, Governor Jan Brewer, or…
In a letter to Barack Obama dated Monday, September 28, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus called on the President to terminate the 287(g) program, and cease all of the so-called Memorandums of Understanding authorizing local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration law. The letter — which is signed by Chairwoman Nydia…
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: Trent Franks Backs Off Barack Obama “Enemy of Humanity” Remark; He Really Meant “Enemy of…
With all the abortion and gun talk, local media has overlooked some of the other laws going on the books today, one of which extends domestic abuse rights to unmarried people.Before today, domestic-abuse laws only applied to married couples, people that have a child together, and people related by blood.It…
Is there anything in the world more captivating than watching the evening news and seeing some idiot weaving in and out of traffic with a fleet of police cruisers speeding after him?The answer, in out humble opinion, is no. It’s impossible not to watch. It’s dangerous and stupid to run from police,…
It’s a good thing, too, according to DHS spokesperson Laura Oxley, because Arizona H1N1 outbreaks are “widespread” — the most serious CDC classification. This means more than half the counties in the state have reported swine flu cases.Since April, 1,935 Arizonans have been infected by swine flu, and 27 have died,…
There were lots of tough questions — and even a few chuckles — as the highest court in the state grappled with the constitutionality of the city of Phoenix’s massive tax incentive for the CityNorth project in oral arguments this morning.A decision isn’t expected for months, and the court didn’t…
Phoenix Suns head Coach Alvin Gentry is giving away 7,000 tickets to tomorrow night’s game at US Airways Center. Following Suns and Mercury GM Steve Kerr’s lead, Gentry has bought out all the upper-level seats for the Phoenix Mercury’s match-up against the Indiana Fever for game two of the WNBA…
Want to piss off a judge? Show up to court a little bit late.A ruling handed down this morning by the Maricopa County Superior Court shows that judges are pissed, but not at those on trial. They’re pissed at the cops who are supposed to get them to the courthouse on…
One of Arizona’s famed former guests of the county announced today his entrance into the world of mixed martial arts. Rapper DMX, or Earl Simmons, as he is known to his mother, recently served time in the Grand Canyon State after getting convicted of drug possession, animal cruelty, and theft, Now he…
Certain parts of a new law placing restrictions on abortions were blocked by a judge in Maricopa Superior Court late yesterday afternoon.Planned Parenthood introduced the lawsuit earlier this month, after the bill was signed by Governor Jan Brewer.The law includes provisions that require women wait 24 hours between their initial in-person visit and…
A distraught homeowner was killed by police after he fired shots at officers from inside his home. The man, whose name has not been released, was reportedly upset that his home — near 31st avenue and Bell Road — had been sold at auction, and had fired shots at the…
For bloggers, Trent Franks is the gift that keeps on giving… Obama-must-die-preacher Steven Anderson of Tempe’s Faithful Word Baptist Church and Congressman Trent Franks, unofficial Robert Mitchum lookalike, should really get together at a pizza buffet one of these days for lunch. They have so much in common. Here’s what their…
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: Trent Franks Reinserts Foot-in-Mouth Over Wing-Nut Birther Insanity Up on the Sun: Eye Candy (and…
Migrant deaths in the Arizona desert have spiked 20 percent in fiscal year 2009, according to statistics from the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector. Border Patrol agents found 191 bodies in the desert between October 1, 2008 and the end of August. During the same time period the year before, there were 159 deaths…
Governor Jan and the Brew Crew have ordered all state agencies to present her with a plan to cut each agency’s budget by 15 percent.Brewer is calling the move only an “exercise.” She’s giving the agencies until October 9 to explain to her the most efficient way to cut some…
About two weeks ago, Chandler police arrested a pastor for having sex with a 14-year-old girl in his congregation.Police say 25-year-old Josh O’Bannion admitted to having sex with the girl at least three times over the the last few months, while serving as youth pastor at the Christ Life Church in…
The idea of guns in a bar sounds about as stupid, unbelievable, and flat-out dangerous as Snakes on a Plane. Somehow, this is not some cheesy Sam Jackson movie riddled with F-bombs and stupid plot lines, this is what reality has become in Arizona.As New Times reported in July, the Arizona…
It’s likely to be the hottest ticket in town: Oral arguments on the CityNorth case at the Arizona Supreme Court, scheduled for tomorrow morning.Now, you might think we’re being sarcastic — who wants to watch a court hearing? much less a Supreme Court hearing on a civil case? — but…
At a breakfast with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce this morning, Arizona State University President Michael Crow told members, “We want to be physically present in Chandler.”Remember a few months ago, when Crow was talking about having to shut down two of ASU’s campuses as a result of cuts to…
We’ve tracked the bleatings of Trent Franks, a Republican congressman who represents the northwest part of Arizona (including Kingman and Lake Havasu), for years, ever since Hall of Fame crackpot guv Ev Mecham appointed the guy to head the Governor’s Office for Children back in 1987. Franks, the pasty-faced dude…
