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Godfather's Pizza CEO/Gop presidential candidate Herman Cain.

​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio met with leaders from the Methodist Border Mission Network at his Phoenix office this afternoon to discuss -- amongst other things -- some issues the group has with the sheriff's policies towards illegal immigration.

But that's not the big news -- the big news is that presidential candidate Herman Cain is coming to town next week to pucker up to Arpaio's derriere with the hopes that he'll endorse his candidacy.

"By the way...I have four presidential candidates, running for president, two have called, one has been here in this room," the sheriff inexplicably bragged to the Methodists during a discussion about immigration. "On Monday another one will be in this room talking to me. I'm talking about Herman Cain."

Given the recent problem's with the sheriff's 79-year-old memory, we figured we'd double check with MCSO spokesman Lieutenant Justin Griffin, who confirms to New Times that Cain and Arpaio are scheduled to meet on Monday.

And, of course, Griffin says the sheriff will likely hold a press conference.

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Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery has decided to charge a Mesa 16-year-old as an adult for the murder of the boy's girlfriend's mother.

​Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokesman Jerry Cobb tells New Times that the Mesa 16-year-old accused of murdering his girlfriend's mother will be charged as an adult.

The boy, identified as Braden Matthew Rockriver, will be charged with first-degree murder, a class 1 dangerous felony; and first-degree burglary, a class two dangerous felony, Cobb says.

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James King

In roughly the same part of Tent City where we snapped this photo of Joe Arpaio dodging pink panties thrown by female inmates -- as he sang a duet with an Elvis impersonator -- shrapnel hit a female inmate after a bullet was fired at the jail.

​If the heat doesn't get to ya at Tent City, a bullet just might...

A female Tent City inmate was rushed to the hospital early this morning after she was hit with shrapnel after a bullet was fired at the jail from outside its walls, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office officials tell New Times.

About 12:30 a.m., an unknown suspect fired a bullet at Joe Arpaio's infamous outdoor jail from about 120 yards away.

The bullet, MCSO Deputy Chief Jack MacIntyre says, hit a fan -- or something -- inside one of the tents. Shrapnel then hit the upper-left-thigh of a female inmate.

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Richard Chrisman is accused in the 2010 murder of Daniel Rodriguez.

​The mother of a Phoenix man senselessly shot by Phoenix police Officer Richard Chrisman last year has filed a $30 million notice of claim against the officer, the city of Phoenix, and the Phoenix Police Department for the wrongful death of her son.

Daniel Rodriguez -- and his dog -- were fatally shot by Chrisman when he and another officer responded to a domestic violence call at the victim's home. The call was placed by Rodriguez's mother, Elvira Fernandez, who according to the notice of claim, called police after she and her son got into an argument about a vehicle and he threw something into a wall.

"Every day, every hour, every minute and every second, since October 5, 2010, I regretted ever making that 9-1-1 call," Fernandez says.

Click here for all the details of the shooting.

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Arizona Senator Sarah Palin?

​Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, we learned earlier this week, is rumored to be planning to base her hypothetical presidential campaign in Scottsdale, but GOP sources tell New Times the one-time darling of the Conservative movement might be coming to the Grand Canyon State for a different reason: to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jon Kyl.

Sadly, it makes sense.

Arizona is the Mecca of Conservative kookdom, so it would be much easier for someone like Palin to get elected here than it would be for her to get elected nationally -- where the far-right-wing agenda is much less popular.

In fact, early polling numbers show that if Palin were to run for president, she'd probably never make it out of the primary.

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ESPN

Evan Longoria

​While Tampa Bay Rays all-star third baseman Evan Longoria is swinging away in Florida as his team prepares for the upcoming season, thieves back in Arizona took off with his $75,000 Chevy Camaro.

Longoria's 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS was one of two cars stolen out of the parking lot of a Chandler company between Saturday and Sunday. The other vehicle: a 1970 Buick GSX valued at $25,000, according to police.

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Sources inside the Pinal County Sheriff's Office say Sheriff Paul Babeu is prepared to fire controversial deputy Louie Puroll tomorrow. More >>

We will always remember Leslie Nielsen fondly for his classic comic portrayal of Detective Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun series and, of course, as the deadpan Dr. Rumack in Airplane!

 

​("Surely, you can't be serious?" someone asked him in Airplane! "I am serious," Rumack replied. And don't call me Shirley.")

Mr. Nielsen's death a few days ago at the age of 84 reminded us of a wonderful moment years ago at the Maricopa County courthouse in downtown Phoenix.

We stepped into an elevator on the way up to a trial on one of the upper floors. A well-dressed older couple crowded in at the last second.

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We read that in yesterday's Romenesko, a well-read insider blog about the media that appears on the Poynter Institute's excellent Web site. More >>