Inspired Stupidity And now another black eye. For the Arizona Republic, natch. On its front page the other day it listed Bishop Thomas O’Brien, Evan Mecham, Charles Keating, Fife Symington and AzScam — scandals one and all to be sure. Then, as only the Republic can, the paper grasped its…
I still see you in your googly-wheeled Escalade, alone, cruising down the HOV lane at rush hour sporting your sky-blue “alternative fuels” license plate. But I no longer reach from my own fumigating jalopy to offer the spiteful spike of my middle finger. I have sold my portable tire spikes…
Momentous rulings about anti-sodomy and affirmative action laws stole headlines last week as the U.S. Supreme Court ended its term, but the talk at the Maricopa County courthouse was about another far-reaching opinion. By a definitive 7-2 vote, the high court sided with a convicted Maryland killer and said defense…
Death Row Death be not proud: Thank you for an article that had to be written. (“Off With Their heads,” Paul Rubin, June 26) Instead of placing pressure on the state Legislature and the county boards of supervisors for the money to conduct death penalty cases correctly (e.g., proper training…
Matthew “Scar” Haugen kneels in the middle of a wrestling ring preparing for battle. The gangly 20-year-old knots the laces of his dirty navy-blue sneakers and then gathers up several weapons. He grabs a battered kendo stick and throws it into an aluminum trashcan, along with several other tools of…
Bob Storrs looked spent last week as he left a Maricopa County courtroom after trying to save a young killer’s life. Storrs has been a criminal-defense attorney for nearly 35 years, and has tried many murder trials. But his defense of Tony Aguilar differed from the others in one major…
It was one of the least-publicized emergency sessions in memory, but one of the more momentous — at least for death-row inmates, the families of murdered victims, and taxpayers. Last July, then-Governor Jane Hull asked the Arizona Legislature to devise new laws in response to the landmark Ring vs. Arizona…
For the last decade, Archbishop Michael Sheehan has been a leader in a little known clique of American Catholic prelates known as the “fixer bishops.” They are the Pope’s relief pitchers in America. When a diocese or archdiocese is shelled by scandal, it’s the job of a proven “fixer bishop”…
Skin Flicks Facing hate: I was compelled to pick-up your magazine when I saw the swastika on the cover and I must say your piece was wonderfully powerful and compelling. (“Local Hero,” Susy Buchanan, June 19) I commend you for your coverage of this issue because people really don’t realize…
“The skinhead path leaves a trail of broken trust, lost comrades, and a little love and a lot of betrayal along the way. […] For the very unfortunate ones it ends behind bars for one reason or another. For these people there is no chance to ever make something of…
The Galloping Gourmet Ron Walker has set the foodies in town talking — not just because he bought one of the most celebrated restaurants in the Valley, but for his unique brand of charm. In April, Walker and his stunning bride, the lovely Margarita Lopez Walker, held a coming-out party…
When Phoenix native Angela Johnson moved back to the Valley after living in Los Angeles for eight years, she was prepared to leave the fashion industry behind. She had found success with Monkeywench, her own line of snowboard wear, and with her job as a designer for the popular streetwear…
Kick Asbestos The joke’s on us: Again and again, as I read all the stories of abuse, neglect and total lack of regard for human life and dignity, I am disgusted at the condition of our society (“Outlaw Dumping,” Robert Nelson, June 12). This is just another example of our…
NEAR SAFFORD — The five inmates weren’t told why they were being transferred to Fort Grant. Four of them didn’t really care. In prison, you take any change of scenery you can get, and Fort Grant, the frontier fort turned minimum-security prison at the base of the towering, pine-capped Mount…
Flour Power The letters appeared one Saturday morning last month on the southern side of the mountain like one of the gods wrote them with a giant stick of chalk. On Tempe’s once-doomed “A” Mountain, the letter G was interlocked with ASU’s infamous A, and then an E (with a…
I was ecstatic when the press release arrived on my desk two weeks ago. It meant I didn’t have to run for sheriff of Maricopa County. Instead, the release said, W. Steven Martin would be doing this desperately needed civic duty for me. Martin, the longtime king of country music…
Bert J. Martinez didn’t bring a toothbrush to court on June 2, but it would have been a good idea. At the end of a contempt hearing, Superior Court Judge Michael Jones sentenced Martinez to 48 hours in jail, to be served immediately, and fined him $450. Jones ruled Martinez…
SWAT Shop For all you do, this one’s for you: Thanks for the great article “Blue Crush” (Patti Epler, June 5). I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article and found it really interesting. I give the people in the SAU great respect and admiration for what they do. Unfortunately in our…
Every two weeks, on average, a Phoenix police officer intentionally fires a gun at a person. About half the time, someone is killed. That’s a lot of police shootings. The obvious question is why. Is there something wrong within the Phoenix Police Department? A New Times review of officer-involved shootings…
Newspapers are notoriously short of institutional knowledge. Writers, typically wandering iconoclasts inclined toward the negative, usually grow weary of a city after a few years and soon go searching for newer pastures. I had been at New Times only two years when executive editor Mike Lacey, who started this paper…
The first time Rexann Dees tried to kill someone with her car, nobody — not even Dees herself — disputed the fact that she was mentally disturbed. Her mental illness was significant enough for a judge to find her incompetent to stand trial, and dismiss the felony assault charges filed…
