Blogs

Manuel Nieto Jr., Manuel Nieto Sr. and Velia Meraz

By Ray Stern

Two Phoenix siblings who claim in an ACLU lawsuit that they were racially profiled and harassed by Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies both have criminal records.

As Manuel Nieto Jr. and Velia Meraz explained to me on Tuesday, their past troubles don't give anyone -- including Sheriff Arpaio's deputies -- the right to stomp on their civil rights.

Still, their status as ex-cons can't help but weaken their credibility as alleged victims.

More

By Paul Rubin

You may recall our stories on Gary Karpin, the disbarred Vermont attorney who moved to Arizona in the mid-1990s and proceeded to rip off a whole bunch of folks with his faux-lawfirm, "Divorce With Dignity." Here's the first of the stories, published way back in 2002.

That the guy is a blowhard became obvious to us during the reporting of the first story, as we noted in this item published after the story hit.

More

By Stephen Lemons

Kyrsten Sinema spanks Ward Connerly, pics to come. Some dood tips strippers with jive Jacksons. Yeah, I just said, "jive." College presidents want drinking age slashed to 18. (Talk about real men of genius!) Tucson po-po blows 99K on Bush trip. Why Sean Hannity's as dumb as he looks. Christina Applegate undergoes double mastectomy, declared cancer-free. ASU Sun Devils scrimmage at Camp Tontozona. Obama will pick running mate soon. (Why can't he just pick Michelle again?) The County GOP's lame-o response to Nathan Sproul's anti-Pearce fliers. And the peso's rise puts dollars in the pockets of Zona businesses.

Scottsdale dude tips strippers with fake scrilla.

Cut drinking age to 18, college presidents say.

Ex-Maryvale High wrestler wins Olympic gold.

Sun Devils’ scrimmage slideshow.

Kyrsten Sinema blasts Ward Connerly initiative with legal challenge.

Obama close to running mate decision.

Kyl to rep McCain at Dem convention.

Christina Applegate undergoes double mastectomy.

Maricopa Republicans’ lame response to Sproul.

This just in: Sean Hannity’s an idiot. No, really.

Democratic Diva denounces faith forum’s “McCheating and McLying.”

Tucson coppers blow 99K on Bush fundraising visit for Tim Bee.

Stronger peso equals boon for biz.

By Ray Stern

Pacts signed recently by top law enforcers in Arizona and Mexico seem to be a good step in boosting the crime-fighting cooperation efforts of both countries.

After all, as the Tucson Citizen noted in an opinion column on Sunday, "people and drugs flow illegally from Mexico into the United States," while money and guns go the reverse route.

Interestingly, though -- neither the pact signed by state Attorney General Terry Goddard on July 29 in Seattle nor the pact he signed on Friday in Hermosillo, Mexico mention the biggest elephants in the room: smugglers of drugs or illegal immigrants.

More

By Stephen Lemons

D.L. Hughely misses Bernie Mac, as do we all. Sgt. Tom Lovejoy beats Arpaio's ginned up charge on croaked K9. D-Backs fall to Astros. Dan Saban gets some face time on 3TV. Campers flee Grand Canyon floods. Mike Phelps swims past Mark Spitz's Olympic record. L-word royalty Ellen and Portia tie the knot. Slovenian Goran Dragic to sign with Suns. How the Short Creek raid led to the FLDS' YFZ Ranch. Gabby Giffords' spankin' new ad. And what we've all been waiting for: Olympic cheerleaders. Happy Monday, people.

Suns score Slovenian Goran Dragic.

D.L. Hughley mourns Bernie Mac.

Prop 300 law turns AZ scholars into dropouts.

Lovejoy not guilty in doggie demise.

Big Unit falters vs. Astros’ Oswalt.

Campers flee Grand Canyon dam bust.

Phelps surpasses Spitz.

Channel 3’s Beverly Kidd interviews Dan Saban.

DeGeneres, de Rossi d’hitched.

How Short Creek led to Yearning for Zion.

R-cubed on Gabby Giffords’ new ad.

And at long last, Olympic cheerleaders. No, really.

By Sarah Fenske

The Arizona Supreme Court declined today to halt the State Bar of Arizona's investigation into Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

Facing an investigation into his handling of the New Times case, as well as his showdown with Judge Timothy Ryan last summer, Thomas had claimed that the Bar was on a witch hunt and begged the state's highest court to intervene.

Rebecca Albrecht

That means the Bar will be free to pursue its investigation--although, as we reported a few months ago, it will turn the probe over to an independent investigator.

The Bar announced Thursday that the investigator will be Rebecca Albrecht, who was a superior court judge in Maricopa County for 24 years and is currently an attorney with Bowman and Brooke LLP in downtown Phoenix.

Gary L. Stuart, who was with Jennings Strouse for 30 years, will serve as the investigation's probable cause panelist -- meaning he'll determine what evidence Albrecht can gather in her investigation, among other questions.

Both Albrecht and Stuart have good reputations within the legal community -- and neither is known as a lefty. That should help give credibility to an investigation that Thomas and his lawyers have criticized bitterly. (The Bar took its in-house investigator off the probe after Thomas and his lawyers filed their special action with the Supreme Court, complaining about the investigator's tactics.)

The court, however, brushed off Thomas' claims that the investigation needed to be taken out of the Bar's hands entirely.

More

By Ray Stern

You probably know by now that a couple of good old boys from Georgia are claiming to have found Bigfoot. Besides making a huge media splash nationally, a quick Web search shows the story's being featured locally in the Arizona Republic, Tucson's Daily Star, and local TV stations.

But Bigfoot also lives in Arizona, according to this Web page. This photo supposedly shows a whole Bigfoot family in the mountains of Northern Arizona. That's the poppa at the top right, supposedly, lending a hand to his wife and baby.

Funny thing about Bigfoot photos and claims, though -- they never pan out. Same thing goes for ghosts, psychics and space aliens. Even when an esteemed figure like former astronaut Edgar Mitchell is making the claim, the evidence never follows.

By Sarah Fenske

Expect more layoffs at the Arizona Republic in the next month.

That's the message the Republic's publisher, John Zidich, sent employees in an email yesterday. The paper's owner, Gannett, is reportedly laying off 600 employees at newspapers across the country. And even though the Republic has already lost dozens of big-name writers and editors to early retirement or jobs elsewhere, it's apparently not enough to spare the chain's third-largest paper from "involuntary reductions" -- a.k.a layoffs.

At one point, we were keeping a list of all the good writers who've moved on, from Jon Talton to Richard de Uriarte, but these days, it's almost easier to compile a list of who's left. With newspapers facing increased competition from the Web, and these terrible economic times, there are only few left.

You can read Zidich's complete email after the jump.

More

By John Dickerson

New Times reporting played a key role in the potential suspension of an Arizona physician’s medical license. The physician, Dr. Elliott Schmerler, was named in the April 10, 2008 feature “Dr. Loophole.” Though banned from performing cosmetic surgery in Nevada, Schmerler slipped through a licensing loophole to perform the same surgeries in Arizona, according to staff and a former patient of his.

At its August 5 meeting the Arizona Homeopathic Board requested that Dr. Schmerler voluntarily suspend his license while the board continues its investigation. That investigation was launched as a result of New Times findings, according to board meeting minutes.

New Times named Schmerler as one of at least six doctors who’ve come to practice in Arizona – after having their medical licenses pulled in other states.

Because Schmerler was once booted by another state medical board, he cannot secure a conventional MD license in Arizona. But Arizona’s alternative or “homeopathic” medical board routinely licenses doctors who’ve been booted from other states. Those homeopathic doctors then bear the initials MD(h) instead of MD – a subtle distinction that’s lost on most patients.

The homeopathic license arms disgraced doctors with conventional prescribing privileges. Homeopathic doctors aren’t allowed to perform conventional surgeries (unless of course they have a conventional MD license in Arizona), but New Times found some Arizona homeopathic doctors use their “alternative” license to practice the very conventional surgeries that got them booted from their previous state.

Schmerler is a case in point. He was expressly banned from practicing cosmetic surgery in Nevada. Because of a trail of patients who claim he maimed them and a past prison sentence for tax fraud, Schmerler can’t even apply to be an MD in Arizona. But he applied for and quickly received his MD(h), thanks to the homeopathic board.

More

By Ray Stern

A front page story in the Arizona Republic today told us all about Christa Parra, the 27-year-old Latina from Phoenix who's becoming a nun.

Yet the paper didn't mention Sarah Cieplinski or Jessica Wrigley, two other local women in their early 20s taking their final vows this summer. Sure, Parra is the first woman to join a particular Catholic order in the last 10 years, the Loreto sisters, but it's obvious the real hook of the story is this: Parra's a hottie.

Parra's good looks even rated her top billing in recent stories about young women becoming nuns by the Catholic Sun, the Phoenix Diocese's newspaper, and Arizona State University's State Press.

More

By Stephen Lemons

Jackson Browne sues RNC and Old Man McCain over Running on Empty. (Should be McCain's theme song.) Sgt. Tom Lovejoy could get six months in K9 death, all because of Arpaio. Only six souls sign up for ICE self-deport plan. Meanwhile, Nickel Bag busts 100-plus hunting Hispanics in west Valley. Mom abandons 8-year-old at Glendale bus stop. Conjoined twins delivered in PHX. U.S. women take silver, gold in gymnastics. D-Backs win series. Melissa Etheridge at the Dodge. And Mary Kim Titla attempts history by becoming first Native American woman in Congress.

Lovejoy trial for doggie death starts.

Arpaio’s West Valley sweep collars 100-plus.

Po-po pop DMX in Miami.

Only six nationwide sign up for ICE self-deport plan.

Conjoined Kingman twins delivered by C-section in PHX.

Dunn helps D-Backs win series.

U.S. women take gold, silver in gymnastics.

Amundsun signs with Suns.

Native American woman seeks to be first elected to Congress.

Boy abandoned at Glendale bus stop.

Jackson Browne sues Grampa McCain over song.

Melissa Etheridge does the Dodge.

By Paul Rubin

When word came to us recently that current Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Peyton Thomas underwent a procedure on a shoulder, the first question we had was, "Which one?"

Should have known it was the right one. The guy is so conservative that he probably had his left wing surgically disabled some time ago.

The photo, as any sports fan knows, shows former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling.

Connection?

Both are mouthy conservatives (but, hey, Schill sure could come up big in the clutch!) with shoulder troubles. Notice the tork on the big right-winger, um, right-hander's arm.

That's all we need here in Blogville!

More

By Stephen Lemons

Nappy defends prejudiced polecat Russell Pearce, plans to bore Dems at convention. Nickel Bag Joe persecutes Hispanics in the East Valley. Satan keeping Joe's spot in Hell warm. Buckeye pool closed by nasty crypto bug. D-Backs done-in by Rockies. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will probably play in KC, according to Coach W. Hold the mayo: Whites to be minority by 2042. D.L. Hughley's in town. Julia Child, WWII spy? Eight hundred pot plants confiscated in Gilbert. Cops go on 7-11 run for Funyuns, water.

Governor defends Nazi-hugger Pearce.

Nappy to speak at Dem convention.

County Attorney race a loot-magnet.

Buckeye pool closed by crypto.

Arpaio hunts Hispanics in West Valley.

Rockies rout D-Backs.

ASU track champ chases gold in Beijing.

Ankle injury won’t hobble Cards’ Rodgers-Cromartie in KC.

Julia Child, French chef, U.S. spy.

White bread no more: Ofays a minority in 2042.

Eight hundred pot plants seized in Gilbert. Brownies still at large.

D.L. Hughley rocks Tempe Improv for three nights.

By Ray Stern
Want to know how to find the Ellis-Shackelford house (pictured above), the "only intact mansion along the downtown portion of Central Avenue?"

This colorful map and accompanying key allows computer users to find many such historic sites in downtown Phoenix. It's somewhat addictive -- zooming in on different buildings and trying to figure out how they fit into the town's past and future. Well, addictive for a few fun-filled minutes, anyway.

Property owners may even be surprised to know their home or business falls under the historic category. The City of Phoenix offers this easy FAQ for those who wonder just what the heck a historic designation means.

By Ray Stern
Within a few short years, accidents like the one that happened to Ashley Mortensen last night will be less common.

Just as breakaway steering columns, safety glass and even rear-view mirrors were once seen as optional safety measures, backup-safety technology is poised to become standard on all vehicles in the near future, possibly saving the lives of people like Mortensen.

When a 53-year-old man accidently kills his 21-year-old daughter because he can't see her standing behind his hulking Ford F-250 pickup, the blame can't be assigned solely to pilot error. Police say Peter Mortensen was not impaired by drugs or alcohol.

The fact is, all vehicles have rearward blind spots -- some worse than others. And at least some of the reason for so-called "backover" deaths seems to be due to that inherent flaw.

More