DeeDee Blase, founder of Somos Republicans and the driving force behind the Tequila Party, takes political flak from both the right and the left. Democrats suspect her, and extremist Republicans loathe her for her calling out the GOP on the immigration issue.Whatever you may think of her, she’s essentially a…
At this point, I’m really beginning to wonder if state Senate President Russell Pearce is a sadomasochist. The sadist part is easy to see. But the masochism becomes more evident with each new legal maneuver by Lisa Hauser, the attorney working on behalf of Pearce and Pearce’s pal Franklin Bruce Ross,…
Superior Court Judge Hugh Hegyi just issued a ruling in state Senate President Russell Pearce’s legal challenge to his recall, dismissing the complaint brought by the legal beagle working on his behalf, Lisa Hauser.Hegyi agreed with the defendants — the Arizona Secretary of State, Maricopa County Elections, and Citizens for…
Tommy Cattey, the Mesa resident who had filed paperwork to campaign against state Senate President Russell Pearce in the upcoming Legislative District 18 recall election, has dropped out of the race and endorsed fellow contender Jerry Lewis.Cattey, who made his announcement at the Wright House in Mesa this morning, told…
Funny thing about the ruling Republican caste here in Sand Land: they like to give themselves meaningless awards that look legitimate to the unskeptical eye, in a bald attempt to trick the electorate into thinking that they’re a bunch of good guys and gals.Case in point, the “Friend of the…
The $102,000 bill for the job of rooting out high-level corruption at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office included $351 for a five-and-a-half-hour meeting in January between an investigator and Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But New Times has learned that a transcript of the interview is nowhere to be found among more…
If I didn’t know that his fundraising appeals are written by the usual political hacks, Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s latest e-mail blast would make me doubt the man’s sanity.Not that there isn’t plenty of reason to doubt it otherwise, but an e-mail blast sent out yesterday signed by Joe rails about…
As you may have heard, the son of Dave Hendershott, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s shamed former chief deputy, was stopped over the weekend for his second (alleged) DUI in two weeks.The DUI stop was made about 10 a.m. Sunday.Jeffrey Hendershott, 29, is yet to be charged — charging, Phoenix…
Phoenix police confirm to New Times that for the second time in two weeks, Jeffrey Hendershott, the son of ousted former MCSO Chief Deputy Dave Hendershott, was arrested for DUI.The kicker: the DUI happened at 10:30 in the morning.According to the Phoenix Police Department, the younger Hendershott was stopped Sunday…
The product of some right-wing wag or the latest example of dirty pool from the camp of state Senator Russell Pearce? I’ll opt for a little of both, as the phony Twitter account under the name of Legislative District 18 recall candidate Jerry Lewis is just the sort of sophomoric…
Congratulations to the New Times reader who goes by the handle Mikey1969, you are the proud winner of this week’s New Times You Write the Caption contest. On Friday, we asked readers to provide what they think would be an appropriate caption for the above photo. We picked the five…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio yesterday announced that it was “about time” immigration activist Sal Reza be convicted of a crime for protests held in opposition to SB 1070 last year.He also had the gall to say the whole protest was a publicity stunt.”The protest was staged to receive national…
Most press releases we receive from law enforcement agencies are to alert the media of a crime that was committed, or a case that was solved — ya know, things law enforcement agencies are actually supposed to do.From the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, however, the vast majority of the press…
State Senate President Russell Pearce was a no-show today to the hearing that could, hypothetically, save his hide in the upcoming November 8 recall election in Legislative District 18. Ditto the official plaintiff in the legal challenge to the recall: Mesa resident Franklin Bruce Ross, who also had better sheep to…
Immigration activist Sal Reza was convicted last week of failing to follow police orders during a protest last year over Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB 1070, and according to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, “it’s about time” Reza’s convicted.”These activists willfully disregarded the law causing a severe disruption to the…
Last week, we asked our readers to offer suggestions for a caption for the above photo we snapped of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at last week’s Elvis-themed panty party at Tent City for New Times’ You Write the Caption contest.Once again, you didn’t disappoint.We had nearly 50 responses in…
Monday morning, oral arguments are scheduled to begin in the legal challenge to the recall of state Senate President Russell Pearce. Lawyers representing the Arizona Secretary of State, Maricopa County Elections and the recall committee Citizens for a Better Arizona will square off against attorney Lisa Hauser, who has identified herself…
Above, you can see the photo we snapped of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at his Elvis-themed panty party at Tent City earlier this week.Arpaio sang a duet with an Elvis impersonator as female jail inmates threw pink panties at him. Then there was cake…and expired ice cream.We witnessed this…
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio today challenged the Department of Justice “be fair” and publicly say his office doesn’t practice racial profiling.”As a matter of fairness, the DOJ should go public and say we don’t racially profile,” the sheriff grumbled at a press conference this afternoon, “but I won’t hold…
“My name is Raul and I’m going to kill your racist fucking Sheriff because he is a racist.”That’s what 36-year-old Raul Rentiera Rivera told the Phoenix police dispatcher when he twice called 9-1-1 last Friday…
Who is Olivia Cortes, and why has she filed to run in the November 8 recall race against state Senate President Russell Pearce in Legislative District 18?Over the weekend, I paid Cortes’ modest condominium in Mesa a visit. A woman identifying herself as Cortes’ sister came to the door. She…
Two Pinal County men were arrested last week for stealing two tons of hay from a dairy just south of highway 287.The hay, the victim of the theft told police later, has a street value of roughly 500 bucks.Pinal County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle with a…
