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Recent Articles from Bill Coates
No more Pappas schools, but the mission continues
The Thomas J. Pappas schools in Phoenix and Tempe had one mission: educate homeless students. That mission collapsed, however, under the weight of large budget deficits. The schools, run by Maricopa County Regional School District, were closed in 2008.
Transportation one of many obstacles for homeless students
Tasha Sarmiento looked out the window of the Vista Colina family shelter as she waited for a school bus to bring her three children home.
Wired informant useful in investigation of boxing promoter
Perhaps lunch hour at a busy restaurant wasn't the best time to wire an informant for a meeting with an investigative lead. The noise of all those customers made it hard for detectives to understand just what Mary Rose Wilcox had to say. As it turned out, Wilcox, a Maricopa County supervisor and former boxing commissioner, didn't say much anyway.
Behind the lens: How photo enforcement really works
In 1880, two brothers discovered that an electrical current could be produced by applying pressure to some crystals. Maybe Pierre and Jacques Curie thought their discovery would lead to the light switch. But a modern-day speed trap was probably far from their minds.
Lawsuit settlement tosses rule on removing wolves for livestock kills
Mexican gray wolves no longer will be subject to the "three strikes and you're out" rule, thanks to a settlement reached between environmental groups and the federal government. The informal rule went by the bureaucratic sounding name of standard operating procedure 13 (SOP 13), which allowed wolves to be removed from the wild for attacking and killing livestock three times within a year.
Suit filed to block uranium-mine from opening near Grand Canyon
A trio of environmental groups has followed through on a threat to sue the Bureau of Land Management for giving a green light to a uranium-mine north of the Grand Canyon.
High-tech tools: Graphics, models help attorneys make their case
The first-person shooter animation recreated a showdown at a Sioux Falls, S.D., parking lot. But this was no video game. It was what Hells Angels' Chad Wilson saw when he confronted at least a half-dozen members of a rival motorcycle gang in 2006 and shot five of them with a .40-caliber handgun.
UpClose with Ken Chapa
Ken Chapa, 33, is to the go-to guy for productions that want to film in Arizona. His title is film office manager in the Arizona Department of Commerce. It's a role that requires wearing many hats. He markets the tax-credit incentives available to production companies that film in Arizona. (Another Commerce employee crunches the numbers.) He breaks down scripts for location possibilities and he[...]
All Aboard: Sky Train will make getting to Sky Harbor a moving experience
Don't blink while driving through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. You'll miss your terminal and spend another 10 minutes looping around on a motorway modeled on one of those circles in hell. But the future holds hope - at a cost of nearly $1.6 billion. It's the automated people-mover, officially known as the PHX Sky Train.
Bad blood over bad check leads to indictment of boxing promoter
Boxing manager Joe Diaz hopes the indictment of a Phoenix fight promoter leads to bigger fish - namely, former boxing commissioner and Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. Promoter Peter McKinn III was indicted Sept. 30 on five counts of forgery, theft, fraud and perjury stemming from a five-year-old dispute with Diaz. McKinn pleaded not guilty in an Oct. 8 arraignment.
Uranium rush: Sparks fly over mining near the Grand Canyon
The forces of nature that blessed Arizona with the Grand Canyon also provided high-grade uranium, trapped in nearby layers of rock. Whether the uranium is a blessing or a curse depends on whose side you take.
Casa Grande HOA stripped of powers over accusations of theft and fraud
A Casa Grande homeowners association was placed in receivership, following allegations that board members drained funds for their own benefit - including what was described as the "theft" of more than $600,000.
