Letter: Hard not to be impressed with level of hypocricy

Letter to the Editor

Which one would be more hypocritical:

Gilbert school board votes to continue free, full-day kindergarten; tables vote on budget override

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

Gilbert district schools will continue to offer free, full-day kindergarten next school year following a vote Wednesday night by the governing board.

Patterson: Why won't politicians slow the growth of the unaffordable welfare state?

Guest Commentary by Tom Patterson

Dillie Nerios is a Florida food stamp recruiter. Her job is to sign up 150 seniors monthly in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Guzzardi: Immigration bill means 33 million more workers, 33 million more people

Guest Commentary by Joe Guzzardi

During the weeks preceding the formal unveiling of the ludicrously named Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2103, S. 744, the Gang of Eight authors dominated the headlines with their empty promises.

Stamper Brown: Is this what intolerance really smells like?

Guest Commentary By Susan Stamper-Brown

President Obama’s new “religious tolerance” consultant to the Pentagon, Mikey Weinstein, wants Christian military service members who openly talk about their faith in uniform to be charged with treason, which is a crime punishable by death according to military law.

Reagan: New generations aren’t adequately learning from history

Guest Commentary by Michael Reagan

History is one of our greatest teachers.

Letter: Brewer’s plan: nothing more than localized ObamaCare

Letter to the Editor

The Governor’s plan to add more than 300,000 Arizonans to the Medicaid rolls will do nothing more than facilitate and expand ObamaCare. Voters clearly expressed their will to reject implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) via Proposition 106 in 2010. If this expansion goes through…

Letter: I've made my last call to Mesa PD for help

Letter to the Editor

We had a shoplifter at our store just waltz out with a bag of chips, a peach (that he was eating) and a bottle of whiskey. I demanded the items back, he raised the bottle with “come and get it”. Now, my work has a strict no-physical-confrontation policy and I don’t want to risk getting fi…

Letter: Middle class vanishes while top 10 percent keep cashing in

Letter to the Editor

I am constantly amazed by how difficult it is for so many Americans to add two-plus-two and come up with four, and who continue to vote against their own economic self-interest. The facts are out there if they would only take a moment to consider the facts!

McClellan: No Gilbert rec center? Sure, let’s just privatize the whole town

Guest Commentary by Mike McClellan

It’s time to privatize Gilbert.

Patterson: Media’s coverage of Benghazi disgraceful, but not too late for 4th estate to shine

Guest Commentary by Tom Patterson

American journalism has disgraced itself in the matter of the Benghazi terrorist attack.

Letter: Let’s examine the facts about taxes

Letter to the Editor

Buzz words such as “subsidies” and “loopholes” have been thrown around by politicians for decades. If you’re seeking to impose punitive financial policies, these words are certainly more appealing than terms like “tax” or “penalty.” The Obama Administration is currently pursuing tax incre…

Letter: Look at successful gun control laws when passing more

Letter to the Editor

I just spent some time running numbers. The most successful gun control law in the U.S. was passed in Kennesaw, Ga., in 1982. The crime rate dropped 89 percent in the city, compared to the modest 10 percent drop state-wide, it has stayed at the same low level. If you are going to look at …

Turley-Hansen: Don’t look for real mothers on the front page

Guest Commentary by Linda Turley- Hansen

If you love that mother in your home, get rid of those babes spread out on the coffee table. I’ve had it with them. They’re not good for either soul — male or female! Why do we contemplate airbrushed, digitally altered, Botox laden, breast-enhanced illusions?

Letter: Regressive thinking prominent in politics today

Letter to the Editor

Regressive thinkers like Paul Ryan and Harvard economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, who just had their invalid austerity facts exposed by three researchers from UMass, are running scared now. So scared, in fact, that they are talking CRAZY.

Letter: Oil companies paying their fare share

Letter to the Editor

American oil producers are in the crosshairs of the Obama Administration once again, this time the president is promising to force the Big 5 oil companies to pay their “fair share.” This begs the question: Who gets to decide who’s not paying enough? Who gets to decide which American taxpa…

Letter: State should not be in business of building more prisons

Letter to the Editor

The plan to build a new 500 bed maximum-security prison is bad public policy and bad economics for Arizona. Every other state is downsizing or closing maximum security prisons because they have learned that they are inefficient (they cost much more than regular prisons) and they are ineff…

Letter: What about Fifth Amendment rights?

Letter to the Editor

Every time I am stopped by the police I tell them I am taking the Fifth and refusing to answer their questions.

Letter: What price do we put on education?

Letter to the Editor

To those people who are petitioning the Gilbert School Board to not raise their property tax by an average of $36 a year so there will be some minute chance for the employees to get any increase in pay, I say this: Who is your employer? How about we all petition the CEO of your company an…

Dupuy: Illegal abortion and ‘The Way of the World’

Guest Commentary by Tina Dupuy

Illegal abortion and ‘The Way of the World’

Richardson: Arias conviction celebrated, but murder trials are a 50-50 proposition

Guest Commentary by Bill Richardson

It’s official: Jodi Arias is guilty of 1st Degree Murder in the death of Travis Alexander.

Letter: It’s sad what the Baby Boomers have done

Letter to the Editor

My Mom & Dad were born in 1921, married in 1943. They grew up during the Great Depression and lived through WWII. Tonight on PBS I watched “Celebration: Stephanie Blythe Meets Kate Smith” where an opera singer sang songs made famous by Kate Smith during the 30s-40s and WWII era. I onl…

Kerpen: Government can't be trusted with our health

Guest commentary by Phil Kerpen

The government can’t be trusted with our health

Richardson: Time for Tempe to fix university-area crime issues

Guest Commentary by Bill Richardson

‘Had I known about the crime problems around Arizona State University I would have never let Kyleigh move to Tempe.” Those are the words of Karen Montenegro, the mother of murdered ASU student Kyleigh Sousa.

The Vent: May 15

Your Commentary

“Is the SRP monopoly spending thousands of advertising dollars (consumer electrical power payments) to promote SRP or to promote Mayor Scott Smith’s run for governor?”

Letter: Government shouldn’t overreach in regulating midwives

Letter to the Editor

I am writing to discover if any of you will stand with practicing midwives of Arizona and the parents that use their services and oppose onerous restrictions on the practice of midwifery in Arizona.

Letter: Medicaid plan helps state stay competitive, serves most vulnerable

Letter to the Editor

The Medicaid Restoration plan put forth by Gov. Brewer is a prudent economic option that helps our state stay competitive while serving those who are most vulnerable. We need a solution that works with us to reinstate coverage for those in need, while remaining fiscally responsible by rei…

Jensen: Do we really still need the Dept. of Education?

Guest Commentary by Rick Jensen

When executives of corporations are caught aiding and abetting criminal behavior of their employees, the executives are prosecuted and the businesses are destroyed.

Letter: Self-righteous going after each other

Letter to the Editor

So, the town of Gilbert, that bastion of conservatism heavily populated with tea party extremists, is being attacked by that paradigm of conservative virtue, the Goldwater Institute, for daring to operate a gym that appeals to many. Talk about irony!

Letter: Boston sad, but why not what happens elsewhere in world?

Letter to the Editor

Horrible, the loss of three innocent lives in the Boston bombing! Then what word could one use to express the fact that between 158,000 and 202,000 civilians have died as a result of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan? It is understandable that the attack in Boston i…

Letter: Did bad call to ‘Mirandize’ Boston suspect come from highest level?

Letter to the Editor

It is now being reported the Boston bombing suspect was unnecessarily ‘Mirandized’ in the midst of the FBI interrogations from which the FBI was obtaining important intelligence re present and future terrorist activities. The question now is; did the attorney general’s Boston representati…

Brewer signs gun buy-back bill, halts destruction of weapons turned into cities

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Any chance of cities or counties conducting future gun-buyback programs is about to evaporate.

Letter: AZ Medicaid another 'fiscal nightmare'

Letter to the Editor

The fight to expand Medicaid in Arizona continues as Gov. Brewer pushes the Legislature to pursue legislation to expand coverage to include folks up to 133 percent of poverty guidelines.

Reagan: Gosnell’s abortion clinic of horrors

Guest Commentary by Michael Reagan

Did you catch The Rev. Jesse Jackson the other night on CNN demanding a Senate hearing into why regulators never cracked down on that gruesome abortion clinic in Philadelphia?

Letter: Local Komen foundation arm supports Brewer's Medicaid plan

Letter to the Editor

Susan G. Komen Central and Northern Arizona supports Governor Brewer’s Medicaid Restoration Plan.

Letter: Current government more corrupt than previous 5 combined

Letter to the Editor

Why is it that when New Orleans was hit by a very strong hurricane, the Democratic party wasted no time demonstrating and condemning the Republican party, the president and all Republicans in congress for not supplying food, shelter and repairing or replacing homes that were completely de…

Poll claims Flake among least-favorite senators after gun-bill vote

By Michelle Peirano, Cronkite News

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jeff Flake’s vote against expanded background checks on gun sales earlier this month caused his approval ratings to drop, making him one of the “most unpopular” U.S. senators, a new poll says.

Letter: Obama administration makes Education a top priority

Letter to the Editor

America has always made a commitment to putting a good education within reach of anyone who is willing to work for it. The promise of a good education for everyone is part of what makes America great. As a person who works in the high tech industry, I am deeply committed and concerned abo…

Letter: Oil and gas loophole closure force taxpayers to foot bill

Letter to the Editor

So President Obama wants to end so-called “tax loopholes” for American oil and gas companies? Sounds like a good idea, until you learn that what the president is really asking. The “Close the Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act” essentially asks American taxpayers and businesses to shoulder the eco…

Letters: Gilbert’s great reputation being wiped away by elected officials

Letter to the Editor

At one time, the community of Gilbert had a great reputation. It had great schools and a proud economic future that led to Gilbert being one of the best communities to live in in the United States.

The Vent: May 19

Your Commentary

“Ann Kirkpatrick? Ron Barber? Raul Grijalva? Ed Pastor? Kyrsten Sinema? What do you think about the IRS harassment, Benghazi lies, and AP spying? He’s your President, not mine. You have been awfully quiet lately.”

Letter: Citizenship is not a bartering tool

Letter to the Editor

Folks, when did America’s greatest treasure, United States citizenship, become a bartering commodity for votes with the Hispanic/Latino community as per Sen. John McCain? When did America’s greatest treasure, United States citizenship, become a bartering commodity with the Hispanic/Latino…

Letter: ‘Radical’ Gilbert leaders not representing citizens

I feel it has become an embarrassment to the community of Gilbert to have three very radical (Town) Council members. No other neighboring city councils have such radicals that would want to protest federal grants for seniors and the needy.

Goldwater: We need a sunrise — not sunset — for energy choices in Arizona

Guest Commentary by Barry Goldwater Jr.

Recently I spoke out in support of a critical effort underway in Arizona: keeping the state’s rooftop solar industry alive. Like school choice and healthcare choice, solar choice should be a core part of the Arizona agenda, and my party’s message.

Letter: Supposed White House call for Missouri name list a test

Letter to the Editor

I now believe, because of what happened in Missouri recently, that expanded background checks are simply a federal back-door universal gun registration perpetrated by the Obama administration. I am totally opposed to it.

Radanovich: Conservatives -- No government is an island

Guest Commentary by George Radanovich

It ended soon after it began, this revolution. Not with a bang, or even a whimper. The soldiers, unsure of their cause, simply left the battlefield. As the sun set on the retreating army, the sun also set on the vision of a shining city on a hill, which remains darkened to this day.

Gilbert school board to discuss budget override election Wednesday

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

One week after a 2-2 vote by the Gilbert Unified School District governing board put into question future discussion about a budget override ballot issue, an agenda was posted showing the board will vote on the matter Wednesday night.

The Vent: May 22

Your Commentary

“Why does it seem you only publish the partisan hateful comments? Are there no sane people out there who just want an honest government that will not lie to them or spy on them and not have to worry about the IRS harassing them just because they want to be left alone to live their lives i…

The Vent: April 28

Your Commentary

“When is the City of Mesa going to do something about the homeless downtown? They defecate and urinate in doorways of business and walking downtown is not a pleasant experience. It used to be a nice place, but that has changed.”

Wolfe Naimark: Children's safety in Legislature's hands with next budget

Dana Wolfe Naimark, Children's Action Alliance

The 2013 legislative session began with a unanimous vote in the House and the Senate to appropriate emergency funding for additional Child Protective Services staff. With that vote, lawmakers affirmed child safety as a top priority.

Arizona students nervous with loan rate set to double

By Jessica Boehm, Cronkite News

Putting herself through school, Shayna Stevens relies heavily on student loans to pursue a degree in secondary education at Northern Arizona University.

9th Circuit Court of Appeals strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Calling a woman's rights "unalterably clear,'' a federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down Arizona's nearly year-old ban on abortions at 20 weeks and beyond.

Study: Medical marijuana will create 1,500 jobs in Arizona

By Julia Shumway, Cronkite News

When Arizona voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2010, Steve Cottrell saw a way to combine his laboratory background and his interest in the plant he’d been studying since his 11-year-old son died of cancer more than a decade before.

Letter: 'Ag-gag' bill essential for exposing injustice

Letter to the Editor

“Despicable, unconstitutional, ridiculous, immature, idiotic, and mendacious.” And that’s just how Tennessee newspapers characterized the state’s “ag-gag” bill now awaiting governor’s signature.

The Vent: April 24

Your Commentary

“The great Obama is in charge of the sequestration. So what does this guy do? He goes to air traffic controllers and lays them off to cause the most inconvenience he can to American travellers. He could have gone to the nonessential personnel they always tell to stay home when there is a …

Kitchen Nightmare? Scottsdale restaurant reopens after bad reality TV experience

By Cristina Silva, The Associated Press

A Scottsdale restaurant planned to reopen Tuesday night after it temporarily shut its doors following an embarrassing reality TV experience.

Scarp: Substance, not form, at heart of petition rights

By Mark Scarp, contributing columnist

When our nation’s founders wrote the language in the First Amendment guaranteeing the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances,” there were no words describing the form of that petition.

Letter: Legislators' personal values don't belong in Medicaid debate

Letters to the Editor

As “Opponents of Brewer’s Medicaid plan speak out” it rapidly becomes obvious that they are obsessed with forcing their personal, misguided value systems on we citizens.

Navajo woman from Arizona at forefront of fight to change NFL team’s name

By Michelle Peirano, Cronkite News

WASHINGTON — Amanda Blackhorse is outraged when she thinks of the Washington Redskins, a team whose name and mascot are deeply offensive to the Navajo woman.

The Vent: May 8

Your Commentary

“Mesa judge Markel [Mark] Chiles was issued a citation for shoplifting recently. Will another judge give him the six months in jail and $2,500 fine just to set the punishment at a level others could receive? Watch for a slap on the wrist.”

Court rules in favor of Brewer policy that refuses driver's licenses to those in federal 'deferred action' program

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Thousands of Arizonans in the federal "deferred action'' program won't be getting licenses to drive, at least not now.

Religious freedom at center of legislation at Arizona Capitol

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

State senators gave final approval Wednesday to legislation supporters said enhances religious freedom while foes argue it will give people an ability to use their beliefs as an excuse to discriminate.

Letter: Laws regarding prohibited possessors need to be enforced

Letter to the Editor

My mother submitted a letter to the editor back in 2003.

Letter: Flake fails his people

Letter to the Editor

Once again, an Arizona senator has failed to follow the will of the nation but rather serves his pockets and a lobbying group. THE MAJORITY of Americans want some type of gun control. No one is asking to repeal guns... just control the psychotic individuals that can get a hold of weapons.

Needing votes for Medicaid plan, Brewer considers approving funding stop for Planned Parenthood

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Scrambling to find votes for her Medicaid expansion plan, Gov. Jan Brewer said Thursday she is now willing to approve legislation to stop Planned Parenthood from getting any of the funds.

Arias Trial: Case now turns to whether she lives or dies

By BRIAN SKOLOFF, The Associated Press

The jury has rendered its verdict — Jodi Arias is guilty of first-degree murder — but the trial is far from finished.

Gilbert school board votes against future discussion of budget override

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

The Gilbert Unified School District governing board failed to approve Tuesday night future discussion about placing a budget override renewal on the November 2013 ballot.

The Vent: May 8

Your Commentary

“Mesa judge Markel [Mark] Chiles was issued a citation for shoplifting recently. Will another judge give him the six months in jail and $2,500 fine just to set the punishment at a level others could receive? Watch for a slap on the wrist.”

Letter: Valley’s mass transit improved, but pedestrian safety forgotten

Letter to the Editor

I have been using the Valley’s mass transit system for several years. Actually, I had to buy a car when I first moved to the Valley fourteen years ago because the mass transit at that time was close to non-existent. I moved from Denver where having a car is great, but not really necessary…

Thiele: Assessing your physical, mental health during mental health awareness month

Guest Commentary by Shawn Thiele

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this week is Women’s Health Week. It’s an opportune time for you (or the women in your life) to assess both your physical and mental health.

The Vent: May 12

Your Commentary

“Out of respect for the victims, I refuse to name, watch or listen to the accused, while the victim is six feet under, robbed of their precious lives! I began this promise, to victims, starting in 1995. I blackout all media that creates a rating circus, totally disrespecting the dead... s…

The Vent: May 4

Your Commentary

“The richest American company Apple is going to borrow billions & billions to run the company, probably from themselves because you don’t have to pay taxes on borrowed money. While a venter worries about the homeless defecating and urinating in Mesa. When is congress going to stop the…

Education scholarships open to thousands of Arizona students in poorly performing schools

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Thousands of students in poorly performing public schools could soon get what amounts to a voucher from the state to go elsewhere -- or even get educated at home -- a move that could remove hundreds of millions of dollars a year from public schools.

Philadelphia abortion doctor Gosnell guilty in 3 babies' deaths

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia abortion doctor was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder and could face execution in the deaths of three babies who authorities say were delivered alive and then killed with scissors at his grimy clinic, in a case that became a flashpoint in the nation'…

Brewer working new path to expand Arizona Medicaid program

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Facing a recalcitrant Senate president, Gov. Jan Brewer said Monday she is working instead with individual lawmakers in her bid to expand the state's Medicaid program that may need to bypass Andy Biggs.

Not One More: Cyclists advocate for safety, awareness for fellow riders (w/ video)

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

A lone, painted white bicycle sits at the side of Usery Park Road near Bush Highway.

East Valley students earn Flinn Scholarships

TRIBUNE

Three Hamilton High School students are among the 20 selected for the 2013 Flinn Scholarship, an competitive and merit-based award that provides a comprehensive educational package at an Arizona public university.

Tempe’s 1st medical marijuana dispensary open for business

By Allison Hurtado, Special to Tribune

By the time a client parks their car and walks up to the front doors of Harvest of Tempe, the southeast Valley’s only medical marijuana dispensary, he or she, their license plate, and their car have all been caught on camera.

Law creates easier path for districts to put poor Arizona teachers on probation

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Gov. Jan Brewer signed a measure Monday to make it easier for schools to get rid of teachers who are not performing up to expectations.

AZ house speaker: Brewer's Medicaid proposal unacceptable, let voters decide

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Calling the governor's proposal unacceptable and politically dead at the Legislature, House Speaker Andy Tobin unveiled his own new plan Tuesday to expand Medicaid, one that would give Arizona voters the final say.

The Vent: May 1

Your Commentary

“I don’t know why everyone is complaining that the Gilbert school board cut salaries, eliminated the teachers’ voices from negotiations, and secured all the power of decision making for themselves. After all, this strategy has worked very successfully in Communist Russia, Nazi Germany, an…

Districts wait for word from AZ lawmakers about public education funding

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

School districts in the East Valley are working the numbers to figure how much they will have to pay utilities, pay teachers next year or spend on textbooks.

Letter: Negative back-and-forth expected

Letter to the Editor

I find it so routine, the negative comments regarding the recent “Mirandizing” letter to the editor. The comments as to which TV news reporting agency is the most biased is a banal and moot point which will never be put to rest. As are the comments about watching Law & Order, et al. T…

Gilbert school board members ask district to look for more cuts

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

The Gilbert Unified School District would have to to cut another $5 million from its budget if an idea to maintain the current primary property tax rate takes hold.

Arizona Taxi drivers now subject to random drug testing

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

For the first time ever, drivers of taxi cabs and limousines in Arizona will soon be subject to random drug testing.

FDA: Morning-after pill OK for ages 15 and up

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The government is moving the morning-after pill over the counter but only those 15 and older can buy it — an attempt to find middle ground just days before a court-imposed deadline to lift all age restrictions on the emergency contraceptive.

Report: Tempe high schooler told police he made device years ago

The Associated Press

Tempe police say a high school senior told police that an improvised explosive device found in the student's home was made by him years ago.

Arizona legislators spar over use of daily prayer time

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

When is a prayer not a prayer?

Key Arizona Tea Party groups say IRS did not give them additional review

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

The decision by the IRS to take a closer look at Tea Party finances apparently did not affect some key organizations in Arizona.

Poll suggests support for McCain in Arizona dwindling

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

A new poll suggests that the state’s senior senator has pretty much worn out his welcome in Arizona, at least as far as representing them in Washington.

West Valley casino opponents receive favorable court ruling

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

A federal appeals court gave foes of a new Glendale casino new hope it could be legally blocked.

Scarp: Thoroughly modern motherhood

By Mark Scarp, contributing columnist

Time marches on.

Graduation: Mesa student takes early leap to join Class of 2013

By Michelle Reese, Tribune

Graduation is just days away. Then, they’ll be moving on to the next phases of their life.

Arias Trial: Jurors deadlock, mistrial declared on penalty phase; retrial set

Associated Press

The jury in Jodi Arias' trial was dismissed Thursday after failing to reach a unanimous decision on whether the woman they convicted of murdering her one-time boyfriend should be sentenced to life or death in a case that has captured headlines worldwide with its sex, lies, violence.

Tempe's Corona del Sol finishes 6th at national U.S. Constitution competition

TRIBUNE

Parents and family greeted Tempe's Corona del Sol High School’s Competition Government Team at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport this week after it returned home from a sixth-place finish at the national We the People competition in Washington D.C.

Push to get Arizona Hispanics to polls fails to make big changes

By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

Three years ago, in the wake of a new Arizona law aimed at those in the country illegally, tens of thousands converged on the Capitol with a message: Today we march, tomorrow we vote.

Arias Trial: Guilty of first-degree murder; penalty phase begins

The Associated Press

Jodi Arias was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday in the gruesome killing of her one-time boyfriend in Arizona after a four-month trial that captured headlines with lurid tales of sex, lies, religion and a salacious relationship that ended in a blood bath.

After completion of Diving Lady, preservation interest switches to Buckhorn Baths

By Stacie Spring, Tribune

Nearly a month after the Diving Lady was again restored to her perch high above Main Street, the focus of the Mesa Preservation Foundation has shifted to restoring and reopening the also-historic Buckhorn Baths Motel.

Government program helps Valley landscaper verify immigration status of employees

By Navideh Forghani, ABC15.com

A Phoenix company is taking extra steps to make sure every employee is working legally here in the Valley.

Work begins on pedestrian bridge in Chandler

ADOT

Work has started on a project to add a pedestrian bridge over Loop 101 (Price Freeway) in Chandler, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.