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Recent Articles from Bill Coates
A Call to Arts: Phoenix program unites engineers with artists
Rosemary Lonewolf made a clay model of a scarlet macaw to present her idea for an art project. It was a piece of pottery that would fit in your hand. For the New Mexico artist, this was a natural.
Historic Preservation: Prop. 207 making it tougher for a city to save this old house
This William Grier House, built in 1901, could be among the last of its kind in Phoenix - a "unique example of colonial-revival style," according the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office. It could be the last of its kind in another way as well. It was placed on the city's register of historic properties in November 2007. No homes have been listed since.
From teen pregnancies to heart attacks, DHS statistician tracks health data
Sooner or later, Christopher Mrela will have your number - if he doesn't already. As the statistician for the Department of Health Services, Mrela is a man of many numbers. He's compiling them now for the "Arizona Health Status and Vital Statistics Report." It's due out in September.
Fraudulent flipping: State agency gets extended power to battle mortgage scams
The housing bubble in Arizona became a cash cow for the unscrupulous. Up until the bubble burst in late 2008, crooked investors and people involved in writing up loan documents bilked banks and homeowners out of millions.
Sotomayor a flashpoint for Hispanic vote
Stores have not reported stocking Sonia Sotomayor action figures. But as the first Hispanic and only the third woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, she has become one of America's top role models. Her confirmation also led to lot of political guesswork - namely if the state's Hispanic community will exact a political toll on the two Arizona senators who voted against seating her.
On cattle guard: Ag officer investigates crimes against livestock
Scanning the laptop bolted to a stand in the cab of his pickup, Darrell Hale ran down the list of complaints. Topping it was a call about horses with oozing eye infections. The call was made to Hale's employer, the Arizona Department of Agriculture. He's one of nine livestock officers in the agency's Animal Health and Welfare Program, all reporting to the state veterinarian.
Volunteers set tails Wagging: County animal control makes adoption top priority
Here's a bit of dog-pound math. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control has two shelters - one in west Phoenix and one in Mesa. Both rely on a total of some 400 volunteers to help care for and find homes for the nearly 56,000 dogs and cats taken in every year.
Court gives homeless another chance to plead case
Charles Butler showed up for Homeless Court in a white shirt and tie. He wanted to make a good impression on the judge. Other defendants appeared in Polo shirts and, in one case, Bermuda shorts. "I guess I overdressed," Butler, 48, said.
ASU students to study the classics — without opening a book
Philosophy Professor Ted Humphrey plans to share his appreciation of the classics with 40 to 60 incoming students this fall, assigning them more than a dozen works - from Aeschylus to Virgil. Academically, it's a heavy load. But in the a strict Newtonian sense, all those hundreds of thousands of words will weigh little more than a loaf of bread. That's because Humphrey's students will not be re[...]
GOP lawmaker starts ‘food fight’ with blind vendors
As a freshman lawmaker in 2007, Rep. Sam Crump's first order of business was to find a good place to eat at the Capitol. He had hoped for something along the line of a Paradise Bakery, a favorite of his. The Anthem Republican instead found cafeteria service run by legally blind operators under the state's Business Enterprise Program (BEP).
Bar convention offers free help for pink-slipped legal eagles
Lawyers have not been spared the pain of job loss in a moribund economy. Million-dollar partners have been let go by big New York City law firms. In Arizona, law firms have downsized by shedding associates, says Maria Bahr, director of lawyer assistance at the State Bar of Arizona.
From science to scents, animal trackers get creative
Biologists have long sought ways to pull back the curtain on wildlife. Over the past century, they have gone from banding birds to tracking whales with satellites.
