East Valley Tribune - EV Watchdog

Tempe 911 provider funds Hutson's re-election

Wed, 14 May 2008 22:28:28 -0700

Tempe City Councilman Hut Hutson took thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from an ambulance company after voting to give it a high-paying exclusive city contract.

Pinal sheriff plagiarizes in monthly letters

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:24:32 -0700

Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez has plagiarized more than a dozen times in his monthly letters since taking office three years ago, lifting text from numerous Web sites, journalists, lawmakers and even President Bush.

Governor makes secret deal with developers

Sat, 10 May 2008 01:31:42 -0700

Gov. Janet Napolitano eliminated key elements of a major transportation initiative this week, agreeing not to tax homebuilders in exchange for their support and $100,000 to kick-start the campaign.

Johnson argues to keep records private

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:35:09 -0700

Al-Qaida lurking about in Pinal County? Developer George Johnson says terrorists could target his water and sewer utility system if information about it were disclosed to the public.

Home burglaries spur south Scottsdale exodus

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:34:20 -0700

When Janice Davis visits old friends in her former south Scottsdale neighborhood, where she lived for 47 years, she is reminded of how much she misses her neighbors.

Living dangerously: ASU off-campus housing risky

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:51:04 -0700

A 20-year-old college student was held down by a group of men and raped inside her Tempe apartment.

Few Scottsdale burglary victims see cases solved

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:06:17 -0700

It took more than two years, but Betsy and Randy Olson finally got closure on a crime committed in their home in a matter of minutes - a burglary resulting in the loss of about $500,000 worth of property.

GRAPHIC: Scottsdale burglaries in 2007

Scottsdale wrestles with land deals gone bad

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 23:01:55 -0700

About $50 million for vacant land, which Scottsdale has no plans to use.

GRAPHIC: Area map of Scottsdale land deals

ASU needs more safety measures

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:21:15 -0700

ASU needs better tools to track and assess students’ behavior and to upgrade its emergency notification system for when worst-case scenarios become real, a university committee recommends.

Pinal sheriff's PR officer helps boss' campaign

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:45:40 -0700

Sheriff Chris Vasquez is running a tightknit campaign and bumping up his public affairs staff before a bid for a first full term as Pinal County's top law enforcement official.

Chandler eyes conference center - it'll cost ya

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:14:19 -0700

For two years, developers were buying up land and modest homes in one of Chandler’s oldest neighborhoods. Now, they’re joining forces with the city’s most powerful political forces to transform the area into a conference center showcase that could cost taxpayers as much as $35 million.

AJ plan: Parents pay for sports, field trips

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:17:35 -0700

Parents in Apache Junction will be out hundreds of extra dollars next year and their busing options will be drastically reduced if the school superintendent's budget proposal is adopted.

Arpaio changes story on Lovejoy arrest

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:06:20 -0700

Sheriff Joe Arpaio in September called his agency's high-profile arrest of a Chandler police officer "a tough decision that I had to make."

Records on possible water deal blocked

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:59:33 -0700

A rare confidentiality agreement brokered between a private developer and Florence is concealing the viability of a multimillion-dollar water and sewer utility that serves more than 20,000 customers in the Johnson Ranch area.

Police inaction angers victim of identity theft

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:35:52 -0700

Going by the string of gas purchases and ATM withdrawals on her recent bank statements, it would appear that Irma Judson is a plastic-savvy Mesa resident who loves to drive about town.

No parking spots for residents in potential dorm

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:11:20 -0700

ASU's Newman Center wants to make downtown Tempe home to 432 students in a high-rise dorm without building a single new parking space for those additional residents. The idea seems to fly in the face of Tempe's effort to require far more parking in new downtown developments than it had in the past.

Valley Iraqis are Thomas boosters

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:30:48 -0700

One of the biggest sources of cash for Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' campaign has come from a group of donors almost unheard of in Arizona politics.

Sepulveda funding report short on details

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:46:44 -0700

Chandler Councilman Martin Sepulveda has raised $20,000 for his re-election bid, the bulk of it from commercial developers or contributors linked to that industry, according to a review of campaign finance records.

Low diploma rates hurt UA, ASU loans

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:14:46 -0700

Low graduation rates at Arizona's public universities might keep students from an increasingly popular cash source for college expenses.

Council candidate's business could pose conflict

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:32:54 -0700

Cheryl Butler says her family of seven sweltered in their west Mesa apartment for at least a month last summer without air conditioning.

Arpaio resisting steroid policy

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:30:24 -0700

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is fighting a statewide effort to punish law enforcement officials caught abusing anabolic steroids.