tombstone1880.net/johnnybones/

Johnny Bones, ladies and gentlemen.

​There's a gentleman in Tombstone who goes by the name of Johnny Bones, and he's causing a ruckus.

Bones was arrested in February, and the American Civil Liberties Union now says Bones is being subjected to "malicious, unconstitutional" prosecution.

There's some real Wild West stuff going on here.

According to a report from the Tombstone Marshal's Office, Tombstone Councilmen Randall Davis and Jim Doherty came into the marshal's office asking what they were going to do about Bones -- who is known to the justice system as Ronald Koch.

The councilmen explained they've been getting complaints about Bones busking (street performing) for a few days, and violating some rules, including busking without a permit.

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recyclepower.org

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Peoria officials are looking at dropping residents monthly garbage fees by 13 percent -- from $15.06 to $13.10.

Hey, every penny counts.

But it's likely that wouldn't be the case if they city hadn't forced its residents to embrace curbside recycling a few years back.

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Peoria Police Department

Michael Zachary Zamora is a person of interest in a police investigation

​Early Sunday morning, Miles Romanski and his brother were near 75th and Peoria avenues, driving home, when police say shots rang out.

Miles, 24, was fatally shot in what police believe was a road rage incident. Miles Romanski leaves behind a pregnant wife and two step-children.

Now, cops say they need your help in finding a man who was in the area at the time, and possibly involved.

Peoria want to question Michael Zamora, an 18-year-old who is 5' 11" and weighs 160 pounds.
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​The Arizona Attorney General continues its inquiry into El Mirage and allegations that city officials used city resources to influence the outcome of an $8.5 million bond election on November 8.

The bond passed with a mere three-vote margin.

El Mirage provided some rather interesting responses to questions posed by the AG's office.

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​The Arizona Supreme Court ordered the City of Glendale to pay legal fees incurred by the Tohono O'odham Nation during court battles related to the city's opposition to tribal plans for a resort-style casino near the city.

The latest batch of legal fees are more than $25,000, and that, added to previous court decisions in favor of the Nation, puts the grand total $85,497.96 for fees and costs.

That doesn't include what the city has spent on its own legal and related fees.


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Umm...Merry Christmas?

​Nothing says happy holidays (in Arizona, anyway) like Santa, your toddler, and a machine gun -- and you can celebrate the holidays by getting a picture of all three at the Scottsdale Gun Club next month.

According to the club, "Santa's back with his bag of goodies" -- which happens to include an arsenal of machine guns -- and on December 10, it will give families the opportunity to have their pictures taken with Santa and his guns.

Even children will be allowed to be photographed while holding the weapons, the club says.

Arizona doesn't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to firearms -- the Tucson shooting, the fact that guns are allowed in Arizona bars, and "Operation Fast and Furious" certainly haven't helped the state's image. So it only makes (gulp) sense to arm children with high-powered machine guns for family Christmas cards.

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​A website touting support for a proposed $8.5 million bond in El Mirage is not only missing disclaimers about who paid for the site -- it's also misleads residents about who created it.

And MoiaGroup, the Tucson-based web-design firm incorrectly linked to the site is pretty upset. So upset, in fact, that they are offering their services to the community groups opposing the bond, and the increased property tax it brings.

New Times called the MoiaGroup asking for Jes McMasters, the name of the web designer listed on the bottom of the elmiragevoteyes.com  page.

One of the co-founders of the design firm tells us they don't know a Jess McMasters or anything about a bond election in El Mirage.


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Mayor Lana Mook

​As communities across Arizona -- across the country -- are desperately trying to attract new businesses and corporations to boost local economies, El Mirage is creating a headache for the city's only gas station.

We recently wrote about El Mirage city officials yanking their business from the Shell gas station on El Mirage and Cactus roads because the store owner is opposed to their proposed property tax increase.

A boycott apparently wasn't enough to suit city officials. They dispatched cops when a business owner took down political signs placed on his property.


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​El Mirage city officials, cops and firefighters filled up their gas tanks at the city's only gas station for more than a year and a half without any qualms about the fuel prices.

That's back when Joe David, the shop owner, was a political ally.

But now that David started opposing a proposed property tax increase in El Mirage, city officials are taking their business -- and city sales tax dollars -- to neighboring cities.

El Mirage spends about $20,000 a month on fuel costs, estimates David, who owns the Shell gas station on El Mirage and Cactus roads.

City Manager Spencer Isom did not return New Times' phone calls seeking comment.


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We remember Debra Weyermann from our long-ago days trolling for stories for the Sierra Vista and Bisbee dailies down at the Mexican border. She was known as "D" in those days when she covered the courts for the Arizona Daily Star, and did a bang-up job.

Kick-ass book by veteran journalist

​Fast-forward to now: Weyermann's newly published book, Answer Them Nothing, Bringing Down the Polygamous Empire of Warren Jeffs is a worthy read, even if you already know the outlines of the creepy tale of incest, rape, greed, power, and religious fanaticism..

Weyermann writes crisply and occasionally poetically and is at her best when recounting the chilling anecdotal accounts of heroic characters such as Ruth Stubbs, a young woman who finally escaped from the bizarre cult after enduring a nightmarish existence under the tyrannical leadership of now-imprisoned "prophet" Jeffs.

We were especially pleased by the extensive (and well-deserved) credit that Weyermann gives to our friend and former colleague John "The Senator" Dougherty, who broke the FLDS scandal wide-open in this paper.

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