"Gangster Squad," a pulpy, violent tale of cops and mobsters in 1949 Los Angeles, rides an uncomfortable line between outlandishness and outright parody, and it's difficult to tell which is director Ruben Fleischer's intention. Which is a problem.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Two cousins who admitted starting the largest wildfire in state history each are facing up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine when they are sentenced Wednesday in federal court.

Each year, as forest fires rage across the state, it’s heartbreaking to see thousands of trees consumed by flames. Just a few months ago, the Gladiator Fire blazed through more than 16,000 acres in the Prescott National Forest; and last year, the Wallow Fire destroyed more than 530,000 acres of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, making it the largest forest fire in the state’s history. Unfortunately, many residents lost their homes in both of these fires, and all of us have lost so much that these tranquil forests have to offer.

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.”

Thomas Jefferson

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes." - Thomas Jefferson

Washington -- Arizona is one of several Western states with a higher-than-normal likelihood for large wildfires this summer based on unseasonably dry weather conditions, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

The East Valley is once again playing a major role in the effort to fight wildfires in the state.

The East Valley is once again playing a major role in the effort to fight wildfires in the state.

The East Valley is once again playing a major role in the effort to fight wildfires in the state.

Conditions that created the largest wildfire in Arizona history are going to be back again this year, state officials say.

Conditions that created the largest wildfire in Arizona history are going to be back again this year, state officials say.

Conditions that created the largest wildfire in Arizona history are going to be back again this year, state officials say.

When the Wallow Fire burned through eastern Arizona last summer, the Arizona Division of Emergency Management oversaw the state’s response from the State Emergency Operations Center in Phoenix.

Senate Republicans chose a Prescott rancher Thursday as president to replace Russell Pearce who was ousted from the Legislature entirely by voters in his Mesa district two days earlier.

"Don't you just love our court system. The two men responsible for the Wallow fire could get six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. It will cost us that much to house them for six months. The fire cost us millions and millions."

PHOENIX (AP) — Controversy over remarks by U.S. Sen. John McCain about illegal immigrants and wildfires flared again Thursday, as Hispanic politicians and activists reacted to the filing of federal charges accusing two U.S. citizens of accidentally starting the state's largest wildfire.

BIG LAKE – Gov. Jan Brewer was on hand when Big Lake General Store and its surroundings reopened Wednesday, proclaiming that the area burned by the largest recorded wildfire in Arizona history is ready for visitors.

PHOENIX (AP) — Federal charges have been filed against two cousins accused of accidentally causing the largest forest fire in Arizona's history by leaving a campfire unattended.