Dec. 31 In Blogs: Charles Barkley, Indie Records, Strawberry Crush and "America's Worst Sheriff"

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We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Valley Fever:
Charles Barkley Sweats DUI Arrest in Unflattering Mug Shot

Local Man Who Turned in Suspected Would-be Child Molester Says He's Not a Pimp

Up on the Sun:
Local Indie Record Store Owners Weigh In With Their Favorties of 2008

Bounty Hunter: Post-hangover spa deals

Chow Bella:
Pop Culture: Strawberry Crush

Feathered Bastard:
New York Times Editorial Blog Names Joe Arpaio, "America's Worst Sheriff"


Local Man Who Turned in Suspected Would-be Child Molester Says He's Not a Pimp

A Valley resident who's responsible for putting a man behind bars on an attempted child molesting charge says he's not the "pimp" that cops have made him out to be.

As New Times and other media outlets reported on Monday, Phoenix police say the arrest of Dell Rainbow Vanderschuit, 35, (pictured) was thanks to a pimp who tipped them off. vanderschuit 1208.jpg

Our blog post provoked a profanity-laden response from a Phoenix apartment manager, Chris Johnson, (not pictured -- just to be clear),  who tells us he's the so-called "pimp" in the case.

Except he's really not a pimp, he says. And, according to his comment, our blog post was "tripe" and he wants to "come down there and slap the shit out everyone I see." 

Johnson published his first name and cell phone number on his comment and dared us to call him so he could tell us "fuck you." We called him anyway -- sometimes you just gotta say "what the fuck."

Mormon Magazine: Quit Energy Drinks Now and Avoid Being Slain by the "Destroying Angel"

If you know anything about Mormons, it's that they typically avoid coffee and other products with caffeine. Yet many Mormons recognize that caffeine isn't exactly heroin, and there appears to be a healthy debate within the Church of Latter Day Saints over the use of the drug.
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In the wake of an explosion of energy drinks in recent years that even has some mainstream scientists concerned, Mormon doctor writes in this month's copy of the Ensign -- the official magazine of the Salt-Lake-City-based church -- that overuse of the stimulant used by an estimated 90 percent of North Americans cause brittle bones, rage and even death.

While the good doctor may be right in that overdoing caffeine could lead to serious ailments, his extensive list of possible problems seems to be culled from every potentially negative article every written about the drug. Naturally, the biased Dr. Thomas Boud doesn't include a single word about the possible benefits of caffeine, which may be extensive. That seems pretty deceptive for a publication some gullible Mormons believe is inseparable from biblical Scripture.

Charles Barkley Sweats DUI Arrest in Unflattering Mug Shot

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Few people look good in a police mug shot, but this must be one of the worst sides of Sir Charles Barkley ever seen.

In a story covered extensively today by the national media, Barkley was arrested last night in Old Town Scottsdale on suspicion of DUI after he allegedly ran a stop sign in his 2005 Infiniti SUV. A Gilbert cop participating in a DUI task force stopped Sir Charles, noticed he reeked of booze and processed him for a citation. Cell phone pictures someone took of the arrest were obtained exclusively by the entertainment Web site TMZ.

Hot Links: Charles Barkley Gets DUI; Lobbyist Sues NY Times Over McCain Story; AAA Questions DPS Speed Camera Safety Study


2-2-1.jpgDo we still have to call him "Sir?" Charles Barkley, former Suns player and legendary local resident, gets busted for DUI. What's a misleading story in the New York Times worth? About $27 million, if you're Washington D.C. Vicki Iseman, and you've been accused of a possible affair with Arizona Senator John McCain. It seems some people just can't believe the DPS study on speed camera safety released earlier this week -- not even AAA. And speaking of DPS: The state troopers are changing their procedures for car searches in the hopes of avoiding racial profiling. The Suns had an impressive win yesterday over the Memphis Grizzlies despite star player Steve Nash being absent due to back spasms. Cash-starved cities are tracking down small-time landlords who aren't paying enough taxes. The end of free light rail rides is already upon us, but we can still ride it for free until 2 a.m. tonight, allowing us to celebrate the New Year properly sauced -- without endangering anyone or risking a DUI.


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Dec. 30 In Blogs: DMX, Light Rail, Psychics and More

AOB_11-1.20_F.jpgWe understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: 

Valley Fever: 


Up on the Sun: 


Chow Bella: 
 

Feathered Bastard:

Phoenix Light Rail Marks First Crash With Vehicle Since Opening to Passengers

 

light rail 4 rs with guard.jpgUh-oh. The light rail system has been operating with passengers for just four days and it's already been involved in a vehicle collision.

That doesn't seem to bode well for the on-street system, which logged another minor accident earlier this month during its test phase. Whether the accident rate will pick up remains to be seen. Valley Metro has studied safety from other cities that had to learn the hard way, like Houston and Los Angeles, but knowing the Valley's drivers like we do, it's obvious some folks are going to get creamed.

 

Danica Patrick Ignored Scottsdale Photo Enforcement Ticket and Escaped Fine

patrick danica 2.jpgYou may have heard about Scottsdale resident Danica Patrick today, because it's big news when hot, young female race car drivers get speeding tickets.

We were going to pass along this tidbit to you with little more than a smokin' picture of Danica, 26, (at left) from her official Web site. Then we looked up Patrick's other speeding tickets on the Arizona Supreme Court's useful court info search site and found an interesting one from 2005.

It seems this latest speeding ticket is Patrick's sixth in three years, and three of those tickets were from photo enforcement sites in Scottsdale. The IndyCar star and Godaddy.com spokeschick paid two of the photo tickets, but blew off a third.

The Cat in the Tree: A Tale of One Phoenix Cop, His Neighbors and a Stubborn Kitty

cats.jpgCourtesy of the Sergeant Tommy Thompson,  public information officer for the Phoenix Police Department, we bring you this warm holiday tale.

Thompson did such a fine job writing this one up, we'll pass it along as is:

MEDIA ADVISORY

Last night and today a story has been running in the media concerning a Phoenix Police Officer and the rescue of a cat from a tree in his yard. There is some information that was not presented in the story.

Due to the lack of this information, the department has received negative phone calls and e-mails attacking the officer. The officer has even had derogatory things written on his sidewalk. In an effort to set the record straight, here is some information that was not presented.

On Tuesday, December 23rd, the owner of the cat contacted his neighbor, who is a Phoenix Police Officer, and told him he was staying with some friends and his cat was in the officer's tree. The officer said there was nothing he could do and believed the cat would come down on its own.

Later that night, the officer and his wife were wakened at about 11:30 p.m. to the sound of the cat owner in his yard calling, "Brutus, Brutus." The officer's wife spoke to the man and told him she was trying to sleep and needed to get up early in the morning. The man stopped calling until approximately 2:00 a.m. in the morning that same night, when the man starting calling again, "Brutus, Brutus." This time the family ignored the man.

Rapper DMX Pleads Guilty to Animal Cruelty and Other Charges

dmx earl simmons.jpgHis life on the run finished for now, DMX pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty today, finally 'fessing up to the fact that he treated his dogs poorly.

As reports from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office show, DMX -- whose real name is Earl Simmons -- left a veritable kennel of dogs in the hot sun last year at his Cave Creek house without enough food or water. The busy entertainer claims he had hired someone to take care of the animals, and that person is to blame.

New Year's Financial Resolutions a Good Idea for State Residents and Government, Says Treasurer

martin dean.jpgState Treasurer Dean Martin just put out a helpful list of New Year's resolutions that anyone could use to keep their finances in check -- especially state lawmakers.

State budget watchdogs like Martin and others have been sounding the alarm, but outgoing Governor Janet Napolitano and a fiscally irresponsible state Legislature have allowed government spending to grow way out of control. Sure, all those social programs are wonderful -- and there's no lack of needs out there -- but simply piling on more debt doesn't work.

Which leads to Martin's Number One resolution: Spend less than you make.

Excellent advice. But that sage wisdom and Martin's other resolutions have major shortcomings when applied to the real world, as we point out:

Glendale Police Officer Matt Brown Publishes Hilarious Memoir

51cuO80-vfL__SL500_AA240_.jpgWe remember Glendale cop Matt Brown as one of the better public information officers. Brown always was straight-forward and responsive, and had a sense of humor. Even when was in a hurry, all you had to do was mention Ohio State football and he'd suddenly find all the time in the world to chat. 

Matt dropped a copy of his new self-published memoir, Hats And Ties: Police Stories From Glendale, Arizona, And Other Excerpts From My Life (the cover of the book's pictured) by New Times' offices recently and we just got a chance to spend some time with it.

It's a hoot!

Al Sitter, Longtime Investigative Reporter and Don Bolles Contemporary, Dies

 Soon after I moved to Phoenix to work for this paper a generation or two ago, I asked a colleague named Andy Zipser about the competition down the street at the Republic and its then-sister paper, the afternoon Gazette. Zipser was a kick-ass reporter who recently had won the state's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Reporting (that's Bolles pictured, a few years before he was assassinated in 1976).

don%20blles-thumb-225x341-thumb-225x341.jpg  I remember him mentioning a few names: Chuck Kelly, Sam Stanton, and Andy Hall immediately come to mind. Zipser -- who had been a star at the Gazette before Mike Lacey recruited him for what became a very successful, if mercurial stint here -- also mentioned Al Sitter, whom I had been reading for years.

Sitter was but a few years from retirement then (okay, this was the mid-1980s), but, quite accurately, Zipser described him as an old-school curmudgeon who still could fixate (for better or worse) on a target like nobody's business.

Over time, he had done yeoman's work on such classic Arizona topics as land fraud, government waste, and dirty politicians and their minions.

 

Bear Market: Phoenix Suns at Memphis Grizzlies Tonight

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The Boston Celtics bought themselves an NBA Championship in 2007-08. The Los Angeles Lakers nearly stole one by snookering away the rights to All-Star forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies last February 1 for the NBA equivalent of nothing.

Oh, Memphis Coach Marc Iavaroni, a former Suns assistant, called Marc Gasol (pictured), Pau's younger brother, the key to the trade. Whatever you say, Marc.

Phoenix Suns fans spent the remainder of the season gnashing their teeth and hatching conspiracy theories - Lakers and Celtics in the NBA Finals? Can you say "power ratings"? Uh-huh. Told ya so - until Suns GM Steve Kerr did a little snookering of his own last month (at the expense of his former teammate Michael Jordan, no less) by sending a boatload of hooey to the Charlotte Bobcats for shooting guard/three-point champ Jason Richardson.

Shaq Leads the Way in Suns Victory Over Worst Team in NBA

  nash-250.jpgThe Phoenix Suns played all but nine minutes of Monday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Steve Nash, and the team seemed to pick up steam after its floor leader went to the locker room with back spasms.

Even if it was against the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Suns were solid on the road in their 110-102 victory.

Shaquille O'Neal led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. He was 10 of 12 from the field and -- amazingly -- 8 of 12 from the free-throw line.

Like we keep saying, give Shaq four days rest (the Suns last played on Christmas Day in that one-point heartbreaker against the Spurs) and he's a monster.

Coach Terry Porter seemed to have it all working against the 3-29 Thunder -- 60 points in the paint and 18 on fast-breaks.

 

Hot Links: Commuters and Families Pack Light Rail; Gas Averaging $1.50 in Phoenix; Terminator Entering National Archives


2-2-1.jpgDisneyland Phoenix: Valley residents continue to swarm onto light rail for fun, bumping elbows with weekday commuters. Hopeful patients praise the opening of a chain hospital in Goodyear designed to care for people with cancer. The Republican Party's grooming Congressman Jeff "No Earmarks" Flake as a future contender for governor or another high office. Stats bad and good: The one-year drop in Phoenix home prices was even sharper than previously reported, and local gas prices are now averaging a bargain-basement $1.50 per gallon. The County Attorney's office files charges in the terrible case of the two boys beaten to death with a baseball bat -- no statement yet about prosecutors seeking the death penalty, though. Looks like the University of Alaska, guy: Palin kid Tripp's born without voters having made his grandma vice-president. One of the coolest movies of all time, The Terminator, will be preserved in the National Archives until Judgment Day. Middle East violence is as hot as ever: Israel says there can be no truce now with Hamas.


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Dec. 29 In Blogs: Pimps, Light Rail, Cream Ale and More

"Save Our Secret Ballots" Group Includes Arizona in Anti-Labor-Union Plans to Change State Constitutions

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Arizona is poised to take center stage in the debate over a proposed national law that would ban workers from voting for or against labor unions in secret ballot elections.

A group based in Las Vegas called "Save Our Secret Ballots" is preparing to defend against the proposed law -- which is supported by Barack Obama and the mostly Democratic Congress.

The group, fronted by a Republican former Congressman from Oklahoma, is pushing for state-by-state constitutional amendments that would essentially require secret ballots to be used to form or join a union at a business. The effort is kicking off in Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nevada and Utah.

Clint Bolick of the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, a conservative think-tank that recently thumped Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office, is one of the board members for Save Our Secret Ballots and wrote the proposed language for the constitutional amendment. It's just two sentences -- the first, short and innocuous, and the second, a lawyer's dream:

Sheriff Arpaio Touts Former Spokesman's Success as Agency's "First Hispanic" Deputy Chief

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Paul Chagolla, the former spokesman for Sheriff Joe Arpaio who many in the media found tough to deal with, has made history.

It turns out he's the first Hispanic in the long history of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to have ever achieved the rank of Deputy Chief.

Isn't that something? Our county follows the Anchorage, Alaska police department by seven years.

You'd think at least one other news outlet or blogger in town would have reported Chagolla's recent ground-breaking promotion, especially while the sheriff's appearance in a new reality TV show has been getting more than its fair share of press. The news about Chagolla was announced by Arpaio in a November 21 news release (and which we also somehow overlooked until now. When New Times spoke with Arpaio's media relations director, Lisa Allen, for a follow-up post on Chagolla a couple of weeks ago, she didn't mention his achievement.

Street Morals: Phoenix Pimp Squeals on Client Who Requested Child Sex

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Everyone has standards. Even a pimp.

Back in August, a Phoenix prostitute got a perverted request from a john: He'd pay $1,500 to have sex with her and a 10-year-old girl.

When the whore told her boss what the guy wanted, he was "infuriated," says Sgt. Andy Hill of the Phoenix police.

In a fit of ironic righteousness, the pimp stormed out to the street, flagged down the first cop that was driving by and ratted the john out, Hill says.

The pimp's good deed turned into a good bust for the cops, who arrested the john on Christmas Eve and had him charged with attempted child prostitution, a serious felony.

Despite the solid tip, it still took detective work to nail the suspected perv.

Trent Franks On Why We Should Support Israel Against Hamas: The Bible Tells Me So

Of the reasons someone might choose to support Israel, "God says so" would obviously count among the most irrational.

Yet Trent Franks, a Republican Congressman from Arizona, espoused this kind of rank superstition last night on KTAR (620 a.m.) radio in reference to the Jewish state's current war with Hamas:

"There's an old Abrahamic covenant that says, 'I will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse it,' and so I feel pretty confident it's a good idea to be on Israel's side," Franks said Sunday night on News/Talk 92-3 KTAR's "Jay Lawrence Show."

Franks, a Republican, added that Israel "is very much like we are and, if we turn our back on Israel, I believe that the equation will be so bad for America, so bad for the world, that we simply don't understand."

Franks has been a prominent supporter of Israel -- and now we know why. It's his religion, first and foremost.

Arizona Photo Enforcement Saving Lives, State Troopers Say

dps photo enforcement.jpgThe blanket of speed cameras on Arizona's freeways and highways has saved three lives a month, according to state estimates.

The Department of Public Safety, which runs the state's photo enforcement program, says

statistics show a major drop in property damage, injuries and deaths in the Valley corresponding to the program's roughly three months of operation.

No question about it: Photo enforcement has a Big Brother feel that breeds disrespect and even acts of vandalism.

But the safety angle cannot be ignored. Vehicles on the freeway have been driving slower in and around the speed camera zones -- as any local motorist could tell you -- and that has apparently been affecting the rate and intensity of collisions.

Icing on Cupcake: Phoenix Suns Take on 3-28 Okie Thunder Tonight

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Thunder star Kevin Durant after a dunk.

What's a surefire cure for depression? For the Phoenix Suns -- losers of a brutally heartbreaking game on Christmas Day to the San Antonio Spurs -- a cupcake; namely, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Arizona Cardinals Head for the Playoffs on a High Note With a Big Win Over Lowly Seattle

20cards_1_190.jpgFinally, we get to report good news about the Arizona Cardinals, who finished the regular season 9-7 -- just as we predicted they would when we named Ken Whisenhunt top head coach in the PHX in our 2008 Best Of edition.

Our prediction was based on the Cardinals going 8-8 last season behind injured-for-half-the-year Kurt Warner. Finishing .500 was a miracle.

In the Cardinals' 34-21 home win over the 4-11 Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, a healthy Warner threw four touchdown passes and went 19 of 30 for 263 yards.

On top of that, Edgerrin James (pictured above) -- who'd been benched for half this season -- rushed for 100 yards (he moved ahead of legendary Pittsburgh Steeler Franco Harris, he of "immaculate reception" fame, on the all-time list).

It was good to see Whisenhunt (pictured below) live up to our best coach honor by inspiring his offensive line to play well enough to establish some semblance of a runnng game, something that's been missing from the team's repertoire almost all year.

 

Hot Links: Light Rail Riders Out in Force; Former State Football Star Danny Villa Faces Charges; Oil Prices Rise


2-2-1.jpgLight rail riders came, they rode, and they conquered the Valley during the historic opening weekend of the new 20-mile train line. Today will be the first test of the tracks for commuters. If you make minimum wage, you're about to get a decent raise. Damning allegation: Danny Villa, the former Arizona State University football star and Cardinals player, is being held in Tucson by authorities on charges that he had sex with a child over 14 in Massachusetts. Now that Republicans are in charge in Arizona, anti-abortion laws appear likely. Police arrest seven would-be bandits during the botched robbery of a dollar store after the getaway car rams a police cruiser. When gas prices start going up again soon, you can thank Israel and Hamas.

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Dec. 26 In Blogs: Light Rail, Golden Cousins Meaty Girl and More

Local Politicians and Journalists Help Test Out Light Rail Before Tomorrow's Grand Opening

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From left: Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, and light rail CEO Richard Simonetta.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith called Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman a game show host, light rail CEO Richard Simonetta called Spawn's Todd McFarlane "Scott," and Hallman called potential light rail vandals pigs - all before dawn at the METRO media preview held this morning in Tempe.

Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings "Troubled" by AIG Hiding of Name at Phoenix Conference; Calls for Hearings

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Congressman Elijah Cummings says he's "troubled" at the taxpayer-supported AIG's attempt to hide its name at a November conference in Phoenix, a smoking-gun detail first unveiled in this blog.

The fact that AIG tried so blatantly to cover up its excesses receives prominent mention in a recent letter by the Democratic Congressman that calls for hearings into the insurance giant's use (or abuse) of billions in bailout funds.

Cummings' letter makes it clear his anger is directly first and foremost at AIG's payment of millions of dollars in super-sized bonuses to certain employees following the bailout. But he's also ticked at the company's lavish conferences, like the November 5-7 get-together at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort, which he calls "luxury junkets."

In response to my questioning, (AIG Chief Executive Officer Edward Liddy) sent a letter on October 30 indicating that AIG was canceling more than 160 corporate events.  Unfortunately, media reports in the same time period told a different story. Specifically, I am deeply troubled by reports of a corporate event in early November at Squaw Peak Hilton in Phoenix, Arizona, where the company took deliberate steps to remove its name from any signs at the event in an effort to "maintain a low profile."  Media reports indicate that the event in Phoenix cost about $343,000 but AIG has claimed it covered only about $23,000 of this cost, with "corporate sponsors" financing the difference. Yet, at least one of these "corporate sponsors" is an AIG subsidiary company.

Boo Birds: Will the Arizona Cardinals Actually Try to Win Regular-Season Finale?

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Don't tell us that you're surprised. Really, did y'all expect anything different besides the same ol' bloody Cardinals?

Since the team's division-clinching victory against the lowly St. Louis Rams on November 2, your Arizona Cardinals have lost four of their last five , including the previous two against the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots by a combined 82-21. During the laugher in Foxboro, Massachusetts., Cards QB Kurt Warner threw for only 30 stinkin' yards, leading the offense to four first downs and 45 total yards through three quarters.

Gross.

Merry Effen Xmas, Phoenix: San Antonio Edges the Suns With a Buzzer-Beater

This year's Phoenix Suns are playing better than ever. They've looked good in the last six games. Unfortunately, they're 3-3 in those contests against (save for the New York Knicks) good teams.

Turnovers have killed the Suns all season, and while they've gotten better at protecting the 180px-Act_tim_duncan.jpgbasketball lately, ham-handed botches are the main thing separating them from the NBA's elite.

Their 16 turnovers last Saturday were good enough against the Denver Nuggets, who had 21. But not good enough against the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day.

Phoenix committed the same number of turnovers, 16, against Tim Duncan (pictured) and the Spurs in Thursday afternoon's nail-biter at US Airways Center, but the Big Fundamental's team only committed eight.

If not for the difference in turnovers, the Spurs wouldn't have been in any position to break our hearts and win the game on a three-pointer at the buzzer, 91-90.

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