Barnett Lotstein, the face of ex-Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas’ legal baloney, has been hired at a Scottsdale law firm. Before he quit the job voters gave him in 2008, Thomas typically had Lotstein — his spokesman — answer all the tough questions. You know, questions like “Do you have…
State Senate President-elect Russell Pearce’s SB 1070 either directly or indirectly assisted in Arizona’s disappointing census numbers, which resulted in Arizona picking up just one Congressional seat, instead of two.That’s the message from a recent piece in Salon.com by Philadelphia-based journalist Daniel Denvir, “Did immigration law cost Arizona a seat…
The best thing that happened to Louie Puroll and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office yesterday was the standoff out at the Chandler Mall, a made-for-TV incident that put the deputy’s firing deep into second place, news-wise. Still, by now everyone who follows local news knows Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu…
The man who surrendered to police after a shootout at the Chandler Fashion Center yesterday was not Daniel Perez, a fugitive accused of shooting at a Department of Safety Officer last month who was accidentally released from custody in Pinal County days later. But the two men may know each…
Saw an Associated Press report this morning noting that Faleh Al-Maleki, the Iraqi native accused in the October 2009 so-called “honor killing” of his daughter Noor may be plea bargaining on the cusp of his scheduled trial. Al-Maleki’s murder trial is set to start later this month, but the AP reports…
Hilyard Scott, the dope arrested Tuesday in connection with the Christmas Day assault of state Representative Frank Pratt, may want to get a price check on the cost of a Rolex — the dude pawned the one he allegedly stole from Pratt for 900 bucks.A quick check of an online…
The final minutes of last night’s game between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers at US Airways Center were pulse-pounding, but Planet Orange ultimately lost to their Pacific Division rivals by a score of 99-95. Although Jared Dudley was definitely the star of the night, leading the Suns…
I was alerted to the problem of trash dumped on the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and am trying to track down more articles about the issue. That is how I found you. There are lots and lots of piles of trash — looks like clothes — in a wash in…
DYING DREAM It’s time to do something rational: Your analysis of the state of the illegal immigration problem in the United States was right on (“Return to Sender,” Jim Schutze, December 23). It’s true that nobody knows what this will look like when — and if — President Barack Obama…
Looking at rapper DMX’s life is like watching someone punch himself in the face repeatedly. One can easily picture a cherubic angel sitting atop one of the big black guy’s shoulders, telling him not to snort that line of coke or skip that appointment with his probation officer. But, on…
CHERNY FOR CHAIR In news I broke in my Feathered Bastard blog, former Democratic Attorney General candidate Felecia Rotellini has decided not to run to replace Don Bivens as chair of the Arizona Democratic Party (“Rotellini Out,” January 3). That’s the bad news. The good news is that an equally…
Note: For some reason the original ABC video won’t play here anymore, so I’m posting this YouTube video from radio host Carlos Galindo, who wisely captured this from the ABC sitePity poor state Senate President-elect Russell Pearce.He couldn’t be there for all the fun today in D.C. as a passel…
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:…
Since our earlier post about the shooting and hostage situation that occurred earlier today near the Chandler Fashion Center Mall, one suspect has been arrested, Chandler police confirm to New Times. Cops say they’re still ironing out the details, but any confusion that the suspect might have been fugitive Daniel…
A recent Arizona Republic story about a former top sheriff’s deputy running a restaurant should have been included in its commendable series on public pensions, it seemed to us. The story begins: Twelve years ago, after working for several years in law enforcement, Larry Wendt left his job as a deputy…
A total of six people are in custody in connection with last month’s fatal shooting of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, but none have been charged with Terry’s death, according to local media reports.The Arizona Daily Star reported that Ray Kondo, assistant chief for the U.S. Marshals in Tucson, said…
*UPDATED: Click here for update.Last week, when Daniel Perez was accidentally released from custody, authorities were quick to note that he should be considered armed and very dangerous. It appears they were right on both fronts.If you’re unfamiliar with the cluster fuck that allowed Perez’s accidental release, click here.Just before…
President Obama has signed into law a measure that requires that all prospective Customs and Border Protection employees undergo a polygraph test.It seems like a no-brainer, especially considering that federal officials who investigate corruption within the agency say that polygraph tests are an effective tool for weeding out bad seeds…
Some sad news to report out of the Maricopa County Superior Court: Judge Pendlelton Gaines, 66, died yesterday after a battle with cancer.Gaines, an 11-year veteran on the bench, was currently assigned to the court’s Criminal Department after serving in both the family and civil courts. Prior to his assignment…
Check out this killer debate, first aired in August on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 between state Senate President-elect Russell Pearce and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, Paul Begala, on the subject of changing the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship provision.The video was recently re-posted to CNN’s site, and is worth…
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office confirmed today what New Times first reported last night: Deputy Louie Puroll has been fired over comments he made to New Times reporter Paul Rubin following Rubin’s story on Puroll’s account of what happened the day the deputy claims he was shot by drug smugglers…
The Arizona Supreme Court delayed a decision yesterday on whether to go forward with setting a date for the execution of convicted murderer Daniel Wayne Cook — but not because of a controversial sedative used in the process, rather, the court is waiting to find out the status of a…
