As helicopters circled overhead and police officers stood guard, the seven-plus-hour “Rally for Free Speech” protest outside of the north Phoenix Islamic Community Center on Friday remained relatively uneventful. No arrests were made, no guns were fired, and though a few fights almost broke out along the edges of the event —…
Four Phoenix family members with former ties to Iraq’s Badr Corps were stripped of their naturalized citizenship status this month and have agreed to leave the United States in August. New Times reported on the family’s arrest in February. Hadi Assi Mubarak, wife Wahida Juma Odah and their two adult sons,…
Ann Kirkpatrick, a moderate Democrat and Arizona Congresswoman, announced on Tuesday that she would run against John McCain for the U.S. Senate in 2016. In a video published this morning, Kirkpatrick says she’ll take on challenges from education to the economy, and mentions her famous rival by name. “I respect…
Oral Arguments will begin this afternoon over a motion to dismiss Rodriguez v Swartz, a widely publicized lawsuit concerning the shooting of 16-year-old Mexican national Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez by U.S. Border Patrol agents on October 10, 2012. In question is whether, and under what circumstances, U.S. Constitutional protections and laws…
The Arizona woman who gained fame by earning $114,000 in donations after her arrest for leaving her two kids in a hot car will appear on the “Dr. Phil Show” this Thursday. Shanesha Taylor’s appearance on the popular, nationally syndicated TV show comes a week after a Maricopa County Superior…
Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego is getting significant pushback from some Republicans over Gallego’s proposal to let “dreamers” serve in the military. Gallego offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, encouraging the Department of Defense to allow people to serve if they’ve been granted deportation relief under the Deferred…
The first poll in Arizona for 2016 presidential candidates shows Hillary Clinton as the choice of Democrats, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as the leading choice of Republicans. Clinton’s lead at this point is fairly clear, as the choice of 58 percent of Arizonans, according to Public Policy Polling. Vermont…
Civil rights leader Jarrett Maupin and 13 “female abuse victims” will hold a press conference today alleging racism and misogyny at the Maricopa County Community College District. In a breathless news release issued this morning, Maupin writes of college teachers prohibited from taking bathroom breaks, rampant sexual harassment and victims…
Senator John McCain is in “big trouble” for the Republican primary next year, according to one pollster. Despite this primary election not taking place for well over a year, only 37 percent of Republican voters told Public Policy Polling that they generally support McCain for reelection, while 51 percent say…
“Arizona [Governor Doug Ducey] may hate the environment, but that doesn’t mean YOU have to!” That’s the message behind the reusable Doug DoucheBAG campaign. Conceived by Stacey Champion of Rogue Green — a Valley-based environmental group — and designed by one her friends, these canvas bags were a big “F…
“Chemtrails” are apparently a hot political issue in Arizona. Less than a year after state Senator Kelli Ward held a community meeting in her Lake Havasu district to address concerns from her constituents that the government is poisoning people with chemicals dumped from airplanes, another politician took heat over his…
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey yesterday held a ceremonial bill signing for legislation that provides a new tax break for certain religious groups. Ducey had previously been quiet on the controversial legislation that he signed in late March. The bill, backed by the Center for Arizona Policy, was vetoed by Governor…
Twelve Tucson activists who used their bodies to block two busloads of undocumented immigrants headed to expedited deportation proceedings in 2013 have been convicted of obstructing a highway and causing a public nuisance. Pima County Justice of the Peace Susan Bacal is expected to dole out sentences in July. The…
Arizona cities and towns will not be able to ban or tax plastic bags. Governor Doug Ducey has signed Senate Bill 1241, which declares that regulation of plastic bags is a matter of statewide concern and thus not subject to regulation by local authorities. Some states and cities around the…
Republican Senator John McCain again may face a primary challenge from the right. State Senator Kelli Ward of Lake Havasu City sent an e-mail to supporters saying she’s going to “test the waters” to see if she can drum up enough support to be a viable challenger to McCain. “As…
U.S. Senator John McCain will run again for the position he’s held since 1987, telling a local newspaper he has “a lot more to do” for Arizona and the country. Sure he does. And the 78-year-old will likely be reelected, too — in 2010, he kicked Democrat Rodney Glassman’s butt…
A new website launched two weeks ago by disgraced Arizona politician Andrew Thomas about the “threat” of ISIS appears to be defunct. Thomas, ignominiously disbarred in April of 2012 after abusing his power as Maricopa County Attorney, last year wasted $750,000 in Clean Elections cash for his failed bid for…
Arizona lawmakers yesterday approved a bill that would prevent the state’s cities and towns from banning or taxing plastic bags. Some states and cities have implemented bans and taxes on the bags to mitigate the waste or other environmental impacts, and it’s been reported recently that such bans are being…
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has vetoed a bill that would have banned police departments from setting quotas for traffic tickets. Though there have been reports of ticket quotas across the country, the same reports haven’t been coming out of Arizona, which Ducey mentions in his veto explanation. “While quotas for…
Thousands upon thousands of votes aren’t counted every election year in Arizona, according to a new report. The Arizona Advocacy Network, which is run by a onetime Democratic politician, released a report detailing how Arizona’s election laws affect voter turnout, and it doesn’t look good — through public records and…
Another attempt to ban the Common Core standards in Arizona schools has been voted down by state lawmakers. The Arizona Senate yesterday voted 16-13 to defeat a bill that would have banned the standards from being used in schools, thanks to a few Republican senators who joined the Democrats in…
Late Monday afternoon, Governor Doug Ducey vetoed state Senate Bill 1445, which would have prevented Arizona police departments from revealing the names of officers involved in violent incidents for 60 days. After successfully passing through the state Legislature last week, the bill was transferred to the Governor’s Office, and action…
