This just in: The Arizona Supreme Court will revisit the appellate decision that struck down the city of Phoenix’s $97 million subsidy of the CityNorth development.Today’s decision to grant review is a victory for the city, which had fought for the right to give the project’s developers half of all…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s refusal to turn over public records as required by the law has once again cost taxpayers. The Arizona Supreme Court announced today it would not consider a 2007 case between the Tucson Citizen and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. That means an appeals court ruling from December, which requires the…
Governor Jan Brewer released her budget proposal today for fiscal year 2010 — as expected, she formalizes her opinion that a tax increase is needed. “Unfortunately, after considering every option, and after performing a painstaking assessment of our real economic situation, a temporary tax increase is necessary to bridge the…
Here’s something guaranteed to tick off the faithful, or at least give them something to pray about: a group of atheists, agnostics and humanists are set to convene in Tempe this week, and they’re bringing their godless message to a highway near you. You know, in a spot where hopefully…
In a memo to the Flagstaff City Council, City Manager Kevin Burke says he’s decided against offering free office space at the police building to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office:…
The typical roster of proposed laws has been postponed this year as lawmakers try to finalize a budget, but plenty of interesting bills are hiding in the wings. A long list of bills targeting illegal immigrants, for example, is being pushed by Mesa’s conservative State Senator Russell Pearce (pictured). In a…
In one new branch of yoga, the downward dog position requires a real dog. Amy Stevens, a Barbie-faced young entrepreneur from Mesa, is pushing the latest in ultra-trendy exercise options in a newly released DVD. Stevens, 24, isn’t the first to push “doga,” but claims she’s made the activity’s first and only…
The latest is, there’s a deal to put the name of the Tempe-based company on the jerseys of Phoenix Mercury players, which could open the door for similar sponsorship deals in professional sports, the Arizona Republic reports this morning. …
Police are accusing a Phoenix woman, her two young sons, and their friends of a series of local robberies, comparing the woman to the infamous Midwestern criminal of the 1930s, “Ma” Barker. Actually, this crime makes Ma Barker look like Mother Theresa. “It’s absolutely scary — and it’s disgusting,” says Detective…
Paybacks can be a major bitch. Just ask Max Scherzer. After getting blanked by the Arizona pitcher during an embarrassing 12-0 rout two weeks ago, the Atlanta Braves destroyed the 24-year-old with 10 hits over the first four innings of their 9-3 thumping of the Diamondbacks yesterday at Chase Field…
In a sports team precedent, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury accepted a sponsorship deal with identity-theft-protection company LifeLock. According to reports, the word “LifeLock” will replace “Mercury” and “Phoenix” on the team’s jerseys…Another alleged UFO over Valley skies has been explained as something entirely terrestrial. The FAA began receiving reports of…
About 200 people packed the pews at Encanto Community Church today at noon for a memorial service for Marcia Powell, the 48-year-old inmate at Goodyear’s Perryville Prison who died early the morning of May 20. This was following her confinement the day before in an outdoor cage where she endured…
For those who haven’t seen this, the AP is reporting that the Arizona Department of Corrections “has suspended the use of all outdoor holding cells while crews retrofit them to provide shade and water” following the heat-related demise of 48-year-old Marcia Powell. Of course, this comes too late for Powell,…
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: Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor Called Racist by the Racists Up on the Sun: Local…
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office denies that a Muslim detention officer was discriminated against because of his beard, citing Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that require a clean shave with face masks. The office’s response runs counter to what is claimed in the lawsuit filed today by Bosnian immigrant Sinan Fazlovic…
Downtown Tempe will no longer be the feeding ground of disreputable towing companies, thanks to changes by the city council. Visitors to the urban hotspot around Mill Avenue fell victim for years to highly aggressive towing companies that hooked vehicles up within minutes of an errant parking job. Hapless drivers were shaken…
Sinan Fazlovic, a Bosnian Muslim who moved to the United States in 1999, thought he had an understanding about his long beard when he was hired in 2005 as a jail guard for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the job, he says in a lawsuit…
You know it’s taken a turn for the surreal when an obnoxious lout like William Gheen is calling you a racist. Gheen is a nasty piece of work, the founder of the extremist nativist Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, which is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, burial place of Senator Jesse Helms…
New Times’ Valley Fever blog strives to give readers the best possible information about how the photo enforcement system works, from the first strobe of the flash to last minute of your Traffic Survival School (which, if you’re willing to exercise your rights and get lucky, you won’t have to…
Dan Haren set the pace for the Arizona Diamondbacks with a seven-hit, two-run, eight-strikeouts, no-walks performance in eight innings on the mound Thursday night.He improved his record to 4-4.And he got something he’s been denied in several starts this season: run production from his offense. Precisely, Arizona batters got 11 hits and five…
A 22 year-old Tuscon woman has been charged in the death of a Tuscon police officer. Lluvia Alejandra Dominguez was cited for failure to yield after hitting officer Peter Mannino while he was on his way home from a shift…Scottsdale resident Lawrence Cutler has donated a letter written by former President…
