A meteor streaks across the early morning Valley sky on June 2. Ladies and gentlemen: your new presidential front-runner.
Giant inflatable Joe. Where can we get one?
Long thought to be a billionaire, Theranos CEO and purported part-time Valley resident Elizabeth Holmes may actually have a net worth of zero. Whatevs. We’d still date her.
Recommended reading: Paul Andrew Hutton’s The Apache Wars, lauded by historynet.com for its “excellent coverage of the long final war” between U.S. settlers and Apaches in territorial Arizona.
Mayor Greg Stanton partners with local hip-hop promoter Respect the Underground for an official “Phoenix Hip-Hop Day.” Nuthin’ but a G thang, baby?
Arizona joins the list of states legally contesting President Obama’s transgender bathroom decree. Is it just us, or are people thinking about this waaaay too much?
KPHO (Channel 5) reporter Jonathan Lowe is arrested and fired after defecating in public. Other than that, we don’t know squat.
Carlson Creek Winery opens a Scottsdale tasting room. Grab a glass of Rule of Three, one of the state’s best red blends.
Phoenix police officer Daniel Glasser is shot, killed in the line of duty. The first such police death in Arizona this year, and 36th nationally.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu advises campers to arm themselves against alleged “cartel hitmen” and “rip crews” in the desert. Sensible advice, or pathetic plea for attention on the eve of an election primary? You decide.
Channel 10 morning fixture Rick D’Amico announces retirement. Will flash last vaguely mishchievous grin August 1.
JANET NAPOLITANO
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After six years as governor of Arizona and four years as Secretary of We caught up with her just as school let out for the summer. |
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What do you do in your spare time these days? I read a lot of books, and review them, too. I’ve reviewed books for several newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. I enjoy the opera and other musical performances – and motion pictures – whenever possible. I follow professional sports, especially football, baseball and basketball. And I still love outdoor activities. |
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How is academia treating you? I recognized the importance of higher education when I was governor. Now, from the vantage point of a vast system of 10 campuses, five medical centers, three affiliated national laboratories and a division of agriculture and natural resources, I’m able to see and influence the impact on people and institutions not only in California, but across the globe. |
Where do you go for a great meal in California? One of my favorite restaurants is Chez Panisse, not only because the food is outstanding, but also because owner Alice Waters has been a partner in the Global Food Initiative I launched as UC president. |
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What do you miss most about Arizona? What about Washington? I loved living and working in Arizona, and still treasure the friendships I made there. Leading the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was the most difficult responsibility I’ve taken on, and I don’t miss the 24/7 pressure. What I miss most about both Arizona and Washington are my friends there – I’m not able to see them as often as I would like. |
How will you spend yoursummer break? I’m rafting down the lower half of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon this summer. |
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What is your take on Clinton vs. Trump? Do you think Arizona could “turn purple”? Speaking as an individual who supports Hillary Clinton, I believe she will be the first woman to serve as President of the United States. And I think she will win Arizona’s electoral votes. There’s a very good chance that Arizona will “turn purple,” once again. I certainly hope that happens. |
How do you feel about being on our Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band-inspired 50th anniversary issue cover? It’s an honor to be included. Plus, I love the Beatles! |
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O’pinion by Mike O’Neil |
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Election Rigging 101 We like to think we have a democracy. Candidates run, citizens decide. Democracy. In theory, yes. But voter laws restrict voting in ways that, while more subtle than Jim Crow-era literacy tests, serve the same function. Black churches organize “souls to the polls” operations on Sundays? End Sunday voting. Hispanic organizations collect early ballots? Criminalize “ballot harvesting,” which the Arizona legislature did this past spring. Here are some other common methods of selective disenfranchisement. Voter ID requirements. Arizona is among the 33 states with such laws. No big deal for the middle class – most of us carry several. But not all poor and elderly citizens do. (Some states have even made partisan choices of acceptable documents: gun registration cards are OK, but college IDs are not.) Felony conviction? No dice, even after you’ve served your time in many states, meaning 13 percent of all black males nationally can’t vote. Arizona is one of nine states that permanently ban at least some felons from voting, disenfranchising thousands of Arizonans. Forever. Advance registration requirements. Downscale voters tend to rent rather than own homes. Renters move more often. So advance registration requirements – implemented via state mailings – hit them harder. Voter roll purges. In Arizona, purging those who missed several elections was proposed, but not passed. On the other hand, there is a federal lawsuit investigation into our recent Presidential Preference Election about the number of citizens who found themselves unregistered or registered in another party. See a pattern here? Lawmakers try to justify these laws as fraud prevention, but have produced scant evidence of fraud – one George W. Bush-era Justice Department probe found just 26 cases out of 197 million. And it’s getting worse: 17 states including Arizona have implemented some of these restrictions in the last four years alone. If you tried these tricks in a middle school election, you would be sent to the principal’s office for a talk about fair play.
Mike O’Neil is a sociologist and pollster who hosts the public affairs program The Think Tank on KTAR-FM 92.3. |
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“When I heard that Tempe Town Lake was being emptied to build the dam, I couldn’t wait to get down there. Years ago, I was really bummed that I missed exploring it after the first dam burst and emptied the lake. Exploring a place like the bottom of Tempe Town Lake feels like a mini modern-day archaeological site, but seeing the exposed trash piled up and caked into the sediment was also a sad reminder of what lies beneath our scarce and beautiful bodies of water.” –madison kirkman professional photographer, describing her photo of tempe town 880 gallons of water were restored to the |
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CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS
Do you have a newsworthy photo or a shot that tells an interesting Arizona story? Submit your photo and the story behind it at phxmag@citieswestpub.com for a chance to be featured on this page.
