State Senator Russell Pearce’s plan to add a state surcharge on the cost of taking defensive driving school to pay for the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s crime lab contains one major problem: A $45 surcharge on motorists taking the classes already exists, and Pearce’s proposal for a new surcharge of…
Should the State of Arizona carve out an exemption to its marijuana ban for the pot-worshipping, neo-Zoroastrian Church of Cognizance? That was but one of the legal issues at stake during oral arguments on February 18 before the Arizona Supreme Court in the case of the State of Arizona vs…
There’s nothing like knowing something is worth an expensive pricetag — as long as you’ve got little choice but to pay for it. Days after a prominent Arizona Republic story about how lawmakers are scrambling to find funds for the cash-poor Arizona Department of Public Safety crime lab, the agency…
One last word on photo enforcement this morning (unless it isn’t): A reader recently sent us a few pages of info obtained from a Phoenix company called “City Photo Radar Information LLC,” which explains how to avoid the process servers who are sometimes dispatched when motorists blow off speed camera…
A commenter on our recent post about process servers who fib plugged a computerized speed-camera-finding unit called GPS Angel, claiming it “knows where all the speed cameras and red light cameras are…” We assume “Todd Gerson” works for GPS Angel or its PR firm, since he left the same basic comment on several national Web…
The less said about the ASU men’s basketball team’s effort against an average Stanford team in last night’s loss at Wells Fargo Arena, the better. Hard to believe it’s been just a month since the Sun Devils humilated the Cardinal by 30 points up in Palo Alto, California. This time, Stanford took it…
As the saying goes, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” Well, considering the current tongue-lashing dished out by Shaquille O’Neal at Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, the hate is all-encompassing for the Suns’ big man. The triggering episode occurred Tuesday night in Orlando during Phoenix’s 111-99 loss…
A toddler missing since yesterday morning has been found and is okay, according to Mesa police. Police have not said whether or not they’ve located the man they believe abducted the boy, Michael Spurgeon…The Valley surgeon who operated on Phoenix Suns player Amar’e Stoudmire’s eye says his recuperation could take…
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: Watchmen in Mesa? Unidentified Bicyclist a Hero in Attempted Abduction…
If you don’t like the $1.2 million in earmarks shoved into a Congressional spending bill headed for a vote in the U.S. Senate, it may be tough to get ahold of the man responsible: Indicted Former Congressman Rick Renzi. USA Today reports that Renzi is one of several former…
In December, we told you about a New Times employee who received a photo enforcement citation from Scottsdale with rather suspicious phrasing choices. We took the court to task for implying our colleague would certainly have his license suspended if he ignored the ticket. This patriot chose not to waive…
The electric bill for the Metro light rail system is slightly different than yours, naturally. For one thing, it’s not just one bill — it’s about 125 separate bills. There are bills for each station, bills for the juice in the overhead lines that make the 90-foot-long, 50-ton rail cars…
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Larry Grant upbraided the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office this morning for allowing the Sheriff’s Office to give a sealed deposition to a newspaper reporter. The deposition, of East Valley developer Conley Wolfswinkel, had been subject to a protective order, agreed to by both sides in…
Judge Michael Gordon’s cupboard-sized Phoenix courtroom was packed Wednesday afternoon with supporters of both Courtney Bisbee and Bisbee’s parents Camille and Tom Tilley. Family court seldom gets that kind of action. The Tilleys were there to petition the court for visitation rights to their granddaughter, Bisbee’s daughter, Taylor Lee. As regular readers of…
If only there could be these kind of Watchmen around for every criminal:Mesa police say a bicyclist who saw a young girl being accosted Wednesday morning charged into the situation and shoved the suspected kidnapper to the ground.Police say a 15-year-old girl on her way to Mesa Junior High School,…
Coming off two spirit-crushing overtime losses last weekend in Washington, the Arizona State Sun Devils try to regroup tonight against Stanford in a 6:30 game in Tempe. ASU’s Pac-10 championship hopes went out the window with the back-to-back defeats, and now the team is playing for a decent seed at…
Two of Shaquille O’Neal’s old teams on the road in two nights. Two losses. Tuesday night, it was to the Orlando Magic, and Wednesday it was to Dwayne Wade, Shaq’s brother in arms in the 2006 NBA championship, and the Miami Heat. It wasn’t Shaq’s fault that the Phoenix Suns lost to…
After budget cuts and a drop in enrollment, the Mesa Unified School District is making plans to possibly cut 310 teacher positions next year…What the puck? Despite being eight months behind in rent to Jobing.com Arena, the Phoenix Coyotes won’t have to pay any fines or penalties and have an…
Let’s get this straight: Millions of dollars are being hacked from Arizona university and college budgets. Entire university programs are being eliminated. There’s talk of actually closing down some of ASU’s satellite campuses. ASU employees are forced to take furloughs. The downtown Phoenix arts community is tenaciously hanging on by…
For proof that art lovers are about more than schmoozing and sipping cheap wine from plastic glasses, one need look no further than Art Detour, the free, self-guided tour of downtown artist studios, galleries, and art-friendly businesses. Now in its 21st year, the Phoenix tradition, which typically draws upwards of…
GOING MEDIEVAL Clearing a few things up: I want to thank New Times for its interest in my life and what we at Elliptical Mobile Solutions are accomplishing. I believe it is important to show the public that the heart of American innovation is still alive in these tough times…
DEFYING ARPAIO By any measure, the massive anti-Arpaio march that rocked Phoenix was a success — and then some. Organizers from the L.A.-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which spearheaded the “Stop Joe Arpaio” parade on Saturday and brought Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha to town,…
