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Recent Articles from Matt Bunk
Governor’s ’emergency’ meeting too little, too late
People who watched television news this weekend might be confused into thinking that Monday’s “emergency” meeting of Governor’s Office policy advisers is significant – as if some sort of budget solution will emerge now that the governor has gotten serious.
Another potential buyer says he’ll bid on the Tribune
An unnamed entity sent a letter of intent to buy the East Valley Tribune last week, but a second potential buyer has made it clear that he intends to make a bid for the newspaper in the near future. Steve Hadland, CEO of the Santa Monica Media Company, said he is still pursuing the purchase of the Tribune.
New laws take effect on everything from microbreweries to animal fighting
More than 160 new laws took effect on Sept. 30, the general effective date for legislation passed during the 2009 regular session. Many of the laws are technical changes to existing law. Others have more far-reaching impacts on the daily lives of Arizona residents.
Freedom paid out $3.7M in bonuses to top executives
Most Freedom Communications employees probably have never heard of the company’s MBO bonus program, but the higher-ups know all about it. The program paid out more than $3.7 million to... […]
Bankruptcy filings show Tribune publisher earned $334,000 last year
It’s a familiar story these days: Top executives reaping disproportionately large salaries and mind-boggling bonuses while executing poor business strategies and laying off hordes of employees. It’s happened in the finance industry, construction, automobile manufacturing, computer software and beyond. But now, we can count the newspaper industry among them.
East Valley Tribune to shut down; what’s next?
Freedom Communications has failed to muster an acceptable offer from anyone interested in buying the East Valley Tribune, and it’s planning to shut down the Mesa-based newspaper at the end of... […]
Poll shows high approval rating for Sheriff Joe
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio received a high approval rating in the most recent Cronkite/Eight poll. Sixty-one percent of Maricopa County voters said they approve or strongly approve of his job performance.... […]
Capitol Police leads gaze-test training, oversees ‘wet lab’
Dena Davison swore that she had drunk only six Captain Morgan and Cokes, but a police log next to the makeshift bar showed that it was more like eight. "The paper says eight, but I thought it was less than that," said Davison, 40, an assistant with the Arizona State Capitol Police.
Suspect detainment criteria outlined in handbook
It took about two weeks, but Sheriff Joe has figured out where he got the list of criteria to detain illegal immigrants. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office released a statement earlier this week that noted he will continue to use a set of indicators - including an inability to speak English, unusual appearance and the location where people are stopped - to detain people who might be illegal immi[...]
Sheriff Arpaio clarifies erroneous reference to U.S. law
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office just released the following statement. Rather than bloviate, I just pasted it below. But I will say it's one of the first times I've seen his office admit a mistake.
Sheriff Joe, a non-existent U.S. law and the next crime sweep
"You said some nasty things about me. I take it that way." That's how my conversation with Sheriff Joe started. He was offended that I had said on television that he was trying to use a non-existent federal law to justify the continuation of his crime-suppression sweeps.
Goldwater Institute report hammers Wilcox, DBE program
A report by the Goldwater Institute indicates potential problems with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program at Sky Harbor Airport and specific abuses of the system by Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox.
