Democrat congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia was hit over the head and raped in Maricopa County while repairing a damaged campaign sign in August. "I need to let women know that it's okay to talk about it," she told me. Full story: www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/congres...

Congressional candidate is raped while repairing her campaign signs

Embarrassed, she initially didn’t want to report attack. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office's investigation is ongoing.

phoenixnewtimes.com

NEW: An Arizona police union endorsed Democrat Amish Shah instead of former Cardinals kicker Jay Feely, whom Donald Trump has endorsed, in the competitive House race. It's the first police endorsement in the contest. For @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona...

Arizona police union endorses Democrat in competitive House race

The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Arizona endorsed emergency room doctor Amish Shah over Republican Trump-pick.

phoenixnewtimes.com

In an interview with @morgfisch.bsky.social, GOP state Rep. Quang Nguyen called Turning Point COO Tyler Bowyer a "shitter" for tweeting a racist comment at him yesterday. Bowyer questioned whether Nguyen, who fled Vietnam when he was 12, can speak English.

Turning Point leader tweets racist dig at Asian GOP state lawmaker

Turning Point COO Tyler Bowyer asked GOP state Rep. Quang Nguyen -- who fled Vietnam as a child -- if he could speak English.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Alejandro Romero, the Tolleson student who was punched in the face by a school resource officer in 2024, is suing over it. An internal school district investigation already found the now-former cop, Eric Hendrix, used excessive force. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Tolleson student sues over 2024 beating by school resource officer

Ex-Tolleson cop Eric Hendrix punched and kneed Alejandro Vasquez Romero. A school investigation found it to be excessive.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Dilan Paredes, the Tempe eighth-grader detained by ICE outside his school alongside his mother in May, has returned home. Rep. Greg Stanton told us that the pair landed at Sky Harbor today after weeks in ICE lockup in Texas. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Tempe teen taken by ICE outside his school in May has returned home

In May, ICE arrested Dilan Paredes' mother before collecting him from school at her request. They spent weeks in detention.

phoenixnewtimes.com

The Krysten Sinema homewrecker lawsuit in North Carolina is about to get more personal. Sinema's attorney sought -- and is set to receive -- therapy records for the woman whose husband Sinema had an affair with. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Sinema wants therapy records for the woman whose husband she seduced

Kysten Sinema is being sued by the ex of her bodyguard-turned-lover, and she wants to see what the woman says in therapy.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Maricopa County supervisors put County Recorder Justin Heap on blast Wednesday for suggesting election workers could face felony charges for handling early-voting drop boxes: "incompetent," "egregious" @morgfisch.bsky.social in @phoenixnewtimes.com — www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/supervi...

Supervisors blast Heap for 'felony' threat before routine drop box vote

The Maricopa County recorder's lawyer warned that election workers could face prosecution. County supervisors were thoroughly unconvinced.

phoenixnewtimes.com

"This morning we attended the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office 'They Served Well' Memorial," county supervisor Mark Stewart wrote Friday. One problem: Two sources told us he wasn't there. So who, @morgfisch.bsky.social asks, is "we"?

County supervisor fibs about attending ceremony for fallen officers

Mark Stewart, who represents much of the East Valley, tweeted as if he attended a memorial for fallen officers. He didn't.

phoenixnewtimes.com

A new study says that if the rate of permitting doesn't pick up in Maricopa County, it'll take 262 years to close the Valley's housing deficit. From @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Study: We'll all be dead before Maricopa County builds enough housing

The Valley is short 56,000 housing units. Unless permitting speeds up, it'll be a long time before that gap closes.

phoenixnewtimes.com

As expected -- or dreaded -- the Phoenix City Council passed restrictions on feeding and treating unhoused people in city parks. Some say it'll make parks safer. Aid groups say it'll make homelessness worse for those experiencing it. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Phoenix OKs 'punitive' limits on feeding, treating homeless in parks

The ordinance places new restrictions on groups that provide food and medical treatment for unhoused people in city parks.

phoenixnewtimes.com

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Senate Republicans rammed a slate of three anti-Muslim bills through the legislature on Monday. A local civil rights group is weighing legal action in response. For @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/democra...

CAIR weighs legal action over Arizona's anti-Muslim bills

With the measures, Arizona's Republican lawmakers seek to associate a Muslim civil rights organization with terrorism.

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Maricopa County tracks how many kids get vaccinated against the contagious disease. As outbreaks rise, these Zip codes are least-protected: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/kids-in-these-valley-areas-are-at-highest-risk-of-catching-measles-40661287/

There are plenty of things to wonder about Ruben Gallego and Eric Swalwell. But whether Gallego spent campaign cash on his wedding hotel -- as suggested by the Daily Mail today -- isn't one of them. The Gallego campaign shared literal receipts.

No, Ruben Gallego didn’t spend campaign funds on his wedding hotel

Sen. Ruben Gallego faces scrutiny over his relationship with disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell. But a report about his use of campaign cash is misleading.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Want to be governor of Arizona? Are you willing to eat a taco on camera and, if so, can you do it while looking like a normal human being? Explaining today's very stupid gubernatorial, uh, beef. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Katie Hobbs and Andy Biggs are having a stupid beef about tacos

Debates over ICE and water conservation can wait. Today, we're arguing over who will eat a taco on camera.

phoenixnewtimes.com

The new Surprise ICE detention center is within a mile of Dysart High School, writes student Cali Overs. Students must pass by it every morning. "Our elected representatives have responded with silence, deflection or worse: telling us to get used to it."

ICE’s Surprise detention center is near my school. Does my congressman care?

My classmates must pass the facility every morning. Our representatives have responded with silence, deflection or worse.

phoenixnewtimes.com

A student from Surprise, Arizona calmly + methodically drags the town's leaders. They don't seem to care how a gargantuan ICE detention center will affect kids who have to walk past it to and from school new in @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/opinion/surp...

ICE’s Surprise detention center is near my school. Does my congressman care?

My classmates must pass the facility every morning. Our representatives have responded with silence, deflection or worse.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Court-ordered sheriff’s meetings in Maricopa County are unraveling. After being moved to the federal courthouse, attendees gave the federal monitor the bird at the last one. Now, the judge says the next meeting will be held on Zoom. For @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/maricop...

Judge moves sheriff meetings online after someone flipped the bird

Someone was so bold as to flip off the man overseeing the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in a federal judge's courtroom.

phoenixnewtimes.com

GOP congressional candidate Jay Feely says he wants to bring back American manufacturing. Until recently, he was selling campaign merch made in foreign factories. When we asked about it, Feely took down his online campaign store. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Feely shutters campaign store when asked about foreign-made merch

Ex-NFL kicker Jay Feely loves Trump, tariffs and bringing back American manufacturing. Except when buying campaign merch.

phoenixnewtimes.com

ICE agents were all over Sky Harbor on Monday. They...just kind of stood around. More from @morgfisch.bsky.social, who talked to travelers -- nervous, supportive, indifferent -- and TSA union leaders, who said no one told TSA employees about the ICE deployment.

ICE agents flood Sky Harbor airport, kinda just stand around

What were ICE agents doing at the airport? It's not clear even they knew.

phoenixnewtimes.com

NEW: Two years ago, over brunch, Trumpists working under Project 2025 began plotting ways for Trump to deploy the military on U.S. soil. Election-denier Jeffrey Clark suggested invoking the Insurrection Act. We have their files. Welcome to the Insurrectionist Brunch:

Insurrectionist Brunch: Trumpists plotted to deploy military on U.S. soil

Before the 2024 election, a cadre of MAGA loyalists met over brunch to plot ways for Trump to use the military domestically.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Phoenix police arrested Little Joe Lageman in 2024 for a hit-and-run. They dropped the charges a year later. He's now suing, claiming they arrested the wrong guy, chipped his teeth during the arrest and never considered other suspects. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Phoenix police arrested wrong man for 2024 hit-and-run, lawsuit says

Charges were later dropped against Little Joe Lageman, who says police did shoddy police work and ignored other suspects.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Former mobster Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano allegedly sexually assaulted an ex-employee of his production company. She says he forcibly kissed her, bragged about his erection and once had her collect his feces for a stool sample. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Ex-mobster Sammy the Bull accused of sexually assaulting employee

A woman who worked for Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano says he forcibly kissed her, talked about his penis and threatened her.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Yesterday, state Sen. John Kavanagh left a committee hearing in which his bill against ICE alerts was to be heard. The chair, Wendy Rogers, didn't know where he was. Then state Sen. Analise Ortiz showed her a livestream of Kavanagh on talk radio. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

GOP state senator ditched committee hearing to go on talk radio show

A senate committee was ready to hear Sen. John Kavanagh's controversial bill against ICE alerts. No one knew where he was.

phoenixnewtimes.com

If a 41-year-old Tempe resident detained by ICE is sent back to his home country of Iran, he will be executed, his attorney says. But the agency appears deadset on deporting him there anyway. Latest for @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/detaine...

ICE wants to send detained Tempe man to his death in Iran, lawyer says

The lawyer for Tempe resident Mehrzad Eidivand says he faces an execution order in Iran. ICE wants to send him there anyway.

phoenixnewtimes.com

Once again: Reporting, whistling, broadcasting, yelling and posting about the public activities of law enforcement is protected speech. If ICE isn't a secret police force, as MAGA types insist, then its broad-daylight doings sure ain't secret, either. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

A Republican wants to jail you for saying ICE is in your neighborhood

State Sen. John Kavanagh wants to outlaw even blowing whistles because ICE is near. But about that freedom of speech thing...

phoenixnewtimes.com

An Arizona lawmaker wants to criminalize people who alert others about the presence of ICE in their communities. It's a broad, far-reaching proposal that likely violates the First Amendment. Read the full story @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona...

A Republican wants to jail you for saying ICE is in your neighborhood

State Sen. John Kavanagh wants to outlaw even blowing whistles because ICE is near. But about that freedom of speech thing...

phoenixnewtimes.com

Measles has found its way into ICE's detention facilities in Arizona. Four Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation are demanding answers. An exclusive for @phoenixnewtimes.com www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona...

Stanton demands answers from ICE on detention center measles outbreak

Three measles cases have been linked to ICE detention centers in Florence in recent weeks. ICE has seen big outbreaks before.

phoenixnewtimes.com

“Do you know what it’s like to be in the operating room with a 23-year-old woman who’s been tied to a tree and raped so much you can’t tell the difference between her vagina and her anus?" A graphic Janae Shamp question derailed a state senate hearing. By @morgfisch.bsky.social:

Video: GOP lawmaker’s rape question derails Arizona Senate hearing

During a hearing about a border wall bill, GOP state Sen. Janae Shamp asked a civilian speaker a graphic question about rape.

phoenixnewtimes.com