Today is World Toilet Day; Group Asks Phoenicians, "Are You Squatting?"
Arizona Grenade Bust May Be Linked to Similar Bust in Mississippi
| www.politicsforum.com |
The weapons are suspected to have been headed to Mexico to fuel the drug wars going on between rival cartels.
Coincidentally, a similar bust was made Tuesday in Pearl, Mississippi and as luck should have it, the person arrested is a Phoenix resident.
Nope, They Weren't Listening -- Phoenix City Council Approves Cab Contracts
After today's council meeting, we have our answer. They weren't.
Now, technically, the council did pay lipservice to some of the issues we raised, asking city staffers to give explanations for what we reported. But when it came to satisfying skeptics (like us) who bother to actually look into this stuff, the answers they got were far short of illuminating.
Yet the council still voted to approve the new contracts with Visum Investments, Apache Taxi, and AAA Cab -- and members did it unanimously.
Budget Crisis "Devastating" ADOT; Department Announces it Will Lay Off 115 Employees
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| www.smartassstore.com |
"This is a perfect storm -- our revenues are down, we are suffering from the use of state transportation funds for other purposes, and the needs of the state are not decreasing," ADOT Director John Halikowski says in a press release.
Earlier this week Halikowski sent a letter to 90 ADOT employees, informing them that they no longer had a job, and he announced today that 25 more employees will meet a similar end before the year is out.
Nutty John Shadegg Apologizes to New York Mayor Over Kidnapping Comments
| www.slatecard.com |
| Congressman John Shadegg |
As we reported yesterday, Shadegg stood in front of Congress Monday night and warned New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg of a potential kidnapping attempt against his daughter if the trial of suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed were to take place in New York City.
Here's the video.
Sky Harbor Cab Companies' Proposals Continue to Unravel
We broke the news yesterday that one of the three companies that Phoenix is preparing to contract with for cab service at Sky Harbor, Visum Investments, has serious problems with its proposal: Its references don't check out, and its general manager's resume appears to be inaccurate.
Today we're discovering a potential problem with a second company, Apache Taxi -- a problem that suggests Apache also may have given inaccurate information to the city. And thanks to what we're learning, it appears possible -- though we can't prove it yet -- that Apache also doesn't actually qualify under Phoenix's requirements.
City staff wrote their request for proposals, or RFP, so that winning companies were chosen based on how much they were willing to pay. Companies offered as much as $19,777 per cab for the rights to pick up passengers at Sky Harbor.
But the city also mandated, wisely, that companies employ a general manager with at least three years' experience running a fleet of at least 20 vehicles.
Based on our research, Visum's general manager doesn't have that. But now, we're learning that it's possible Apache's general manager doesn't have that either.
Senator Robert Byrd Surpasses Arizona's Carl Hayden as Longest Serving Federal Legislator
| www.azfop5.com |
| Former Maricopa County Sheriff and Long-time Arizona Congressman Carl Hayden |
Today, West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd surpassed former Arizona Congressman Carl Hayden as the longest serving congressman in history.
Hayden served the state of Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate for 57 years (20,773 days). After his retirement in 1968, he was succeeded by Conservative golden-boy Barry Goldwater.
Before his gigs in Congress, Hayden was the territorial sheriff of Maricopa County, where he claimed he was made popular for extraditing prisoners and welcoming extradition officers from other jurisdictions.
It was too early for him to have his own reality show to help make him popular, like our current top constable?
Byrd, who turns 92 this week, broke Hayden's record today and was honored by his Senate colleagues.
2009 Stylos Awards Recognize Valley of the Sun Leaders and Talent
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Starting off with a group of bandanna-clad hip-hop dancers, Furious Styles Crew, busting out break-dancing moves and head spins on on the gleaming floor of the Phoenix Art Museum, it was pretty clear that the award ceremony was going to be a hit.
Founded in 2005 by El Break Productions, the awards aim to recognized local talent and leaders who've made a difference in the Valley and Latino community. This year, all 16 award-winners were voted on directly by the community via online surveys courtesy of El Break, Facebook and Myspace.
"Athlete of the Year" went to Arizona native Cynthia Moreno,19, who aims to represent the United States in the 2012 Olympics for women's boxing. Raquel Teran was awarded "Activist of the Year" for her efforts to protect human rights amid Sheriff Joe Arpaio's endless raids, and Danny Ortega -- local activist and immigration lawyer -- won "Personality of the Year" for his work in the community.
Inmate Sentenced to Death For Jailhouse Murder That Cost Maricopa County $500K; Thanks Again, Joe
| Pete Van Winkle (left) and his victim, Robert Cotton (right) |
This afternoon, 27-year-old Pete Van Winkle learned his fate in Maricopa County Superior Court after he was convicted of first-degree murder earlier this year.
Van Winkle was convicted of the infamous jailhouse murder of 28-year-old Robert Leroy Cotton, while the two were inmates at the Fourth Avenue Jail. The inmate's death ended up costing the county $500,000, but we'll get to that later.
Congressman John Shadegg Suggests NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Daughter May Be Kidnapped By Terrorists If 9/11 Trials Happen in New York
Sky Harbor Cab Service Update: It's Even Screwier Than We Thought
The Phoenix City Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow on contracts with three cab companies to serve passengers at
But a New Times' review of public records associated with the city's selection process reveals shocking irregularities with one of those company's proposals - omissions and misrepresentations so bad, the city should have no choice but to halt the process.
The records, which we finally obtained yesterday, show that one company, Visum Investments, has failed to comply with the city's requirements. Visum's references don't check out. Its proposed general manager appears to be lying on his resume. And, even though the city has insisted that there's no collusion between the two upstart companies recommended for selection tomorrow, Visum's proposal actually uses its supposed rival, the owner of Apache Taxi, as a reference.
And here's the worst part.
The Apache reference appears to be the only one on the proposal that's actually legitimate.
Crazy Day For Arizona Dems; Burton-Cahill Retires from Senate, Schapira to Run For Senate, and Tempe Republican Ben Arredondo's Now a Donkey
| Phoenix New Times |
| (From left) Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo, Representative Ed Ableser, some kid, Representative David Schapira, and Senator Meg Burton-Cahill |
The Democratic Party is mixing things up a bit.
At a press conference this afternoon, state Senator Meg Burton-Cahill announced she was retiring from the Senate, Representative David Schapira announced he will begin "exploring" a run for her Senate seat, and, straight out of left field, Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo, a Republican, will be running for Schapira's seat as a Democrat.
NHL Commissioner Says Coyotes Sale Expected by End of Season; Vows to Try to Keep Team in Glendale
Sarah Palin Book Tour Schedules Stop in Tempe
| www.babble.com |
On December 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the former GOP vice-presidential candidate will be at the Costco in Tempe to promote her new tell-all, Going Rogue.
Palin began her book tour on Oprah yesterday (where else), and it will be rolling across the country for the next month.
Centers for Disease Control: STDs on Rise. Look Out ASU!
McCain Camp Fires Back at Palin Over Going Rogue Allegations
NBC Newsman Brian Williams to Accept Cronkite Award Wednesday
| Brian Williams |
Williams, who just had a guest spot on the NBC comedy 30 Rock as the wise guy "Nicki Malarulo from Scotchdale, New Jersey," is well known for his admiration of the late Cronkite.
Mexican Gray Wolf Management Reclaimed by Government; Wolf Numbers in Arizona and New Mexico Too Small, Experts Say
| Image: Wikimedia Commons |
Management of Arizona and New Mexico's small population of re-introduced Mexican gray wolves will be returned to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service following a lawsuit by environmentalists.
A news release by the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that sued, states that wolf management had been heading in the wrong direction under a private committee set up to oversee the wolves' reintroduction to the wild in 1998. As part of the lawsuit settlement, Fish and Wildlife agreed to eliminate a rule made by the committee that required any wolf that killed local livestock three times to be euthanized.
The Mexican Wolf Adaptive Management Oversight Committee seemed more interested in "appeasing anti-wolf interests" than helping the animals, according to the release.Camelback High School Librarian Calls Students "Responsible" After Student Returns Book 51 Years Late
Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Phoenix Journalist Heads to Afghanistan
| www.pulitzer.org |
| Giblin (center) accepts the Pulitzer Prize with co-winner Ryan Gabrielson |
The Arizona Guardian announced this morning that Giblin will be working in Afghanistan for a year as a civilian spokesman for the U.S. Military.
Examiner.com (Who?) Wants New Times Out of Arizona; We'll Get Right On That
A writer at a Web site called Examiner.com has a beef with New Times and has called for our (gasp!) expulsion from the state of Arizona.
Get in line: Many have demanded this over the years.
In an article written yesterday, the Examiner's "libertarian examiner," Daniel Heller, got pissy over an event notice for a book-signing written by Night & Day Editor Clay McNear.
In the opening of McNear's piece, he says, "For a place with an overall IQ of about 32 -- to judge by all the shotgun-toting boobs sporting Sheriff Joe bumper stickers -- Phoenix has an ace literary scene."
Heller, a "fourth-generation Arizonan," was all butt-hurt.
Cardinals Crusader For Concussion Awareness Admits to Playing With Concussion Last Week Against "Da Bears"
| Cards Receiver Sean Morey |
Scottsdale Police Bust a Guy Exposing Himself to Kids at a Bus Stop
| Jose Francisco Arias Fernandez |
When they got there, he was gone.
This morning, police figured they would watch the area, just in case the perp came back. According to police, he did.
Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Declines $20K Bonus; Is She Out of Her Mind?
| www.tusd.k12.az.usa |
| TUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen |
Superintendent Elizabeth Celania-Fagen is in her second year as head of the district and evidently doing a good job, so the district's governing board gave her a $20,000 bonus.
In a move that could either be categorized as admirable or insane, Celania-Fagen gave the money back.
We called the superintendent's office to try to gauge her sanity -- turns out, she doesn't have a screw loose after all.
ASU President Michael Crow Named One of 10 Best College Presidents in Country
Mike Tyson's Latest Scuffle in L.A. Could Land Him in an Arizona Prison
| Tyson's mug after being booked into Maricopa County Jail |
In case you forgot, in 2007, Iron Mike was convicted of misdemeanor DUI and felony cocaine possession.
Chris Deschene's Eyeing Run for Arizona Secretary of State
Window Rock Democrat Chris Deschene announced Wednesday that he will file paperwork to form an exploratory committee for a possible run for Secretary of State.
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www.indnslist.org
Representative Chris Deschene
The office is Arizona's second highest and is currently held by Republican Ken Bennett, who is expected to run for reelection.
Described in his House of Representatives bio as a "community organizer at heart," Deschene says in a statement he is running to transform the office into something more than just storage space for government documents.
Deschene says the office should be used to criticize broader state-related issues.
Mike Tyson Scuffles With Photog; Then, They Get Each Other Arrested
One month to the day after telling Oprah he was done using violence to resolve his "issues," Iron Mike Tyson seems to be at it again.
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