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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.
Are struggling community banks prepared for a new threat?
Most community banks in Arizona are losing money, lending is down, and a veteran banker concedes that every day is a challenge. It was a little too challenging for two Arizona banks, which were closed by state and federal regulators Aug. 14. A third bank is operating under federal orders to improve what were found to be “unsafe and unsound banking practices.”
Growth industry: Native American farms reclaim heritage, expand operations
Agriculture was big business long before the first Spanish conquistador, Franciscan friar or American wagon train reached the Valley of the Sun. Centuries of canal-building, first by the Huhugam, followed by their descendents the Akimel O'odham people (also known as Pimas) and their Pee-Posh, or Maricopa, neighbors, brought life-giving water from the Gila, Salt and other local rivers to fertile[...]
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.
Angel of altruism: Where supermarkets saw trash; one man saw an opportunity
Just because it's unsellable doesn't mean it's inconsumable. Far from it, judging by the life work of John van Hengel. Van Hengel spent the last 38 years of his life proving this concept again and again. His efforts sprouted a global food-supply network that serves those most in need. And it has its roots right here in Phoenix.
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.
To search or not: Arizona officials react to high court ruling in school strip-search
To some observers, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that an Arizona school violated a 13-year-old student's rights by strip-searching her represented a defeat for officials working to stem the flow of drugs into schools. To others, the verdict upheld the idea that schools can sometimes act recklessly, even when fighting to keep illegal substances off school grounds.
At 73, ASU Indian programs director still truckin’ for students
In 1961, five Navajo students entered Arizona State University with little idea of what to expect. Today, the seeds planted by that group have sprouted into an American Indian student population of approximately 1,400 from 60-plus tribes, as well as several programs designed to recruit, retain and graduate those students.
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[...]
Top 10 jury verdicts in the United States in 2008
After steadily declining for years, the size of the top 10 jury verdicts in the United States rose dramatically in 2008.
Five ways the Kindle can be used by lawyers
With the recent release of the latest incarnation of Amazon’s personal digital reader, the Kindle DX, those unfamiliar with the device might assume its sole purpose is to allow users to catch up on Harry Potter while in transit, not to mention read their favorite legal texts.
Foundation for Legal Services & Education award winners
Hon. Barbara Mundell Mark Santana Law-Related Education Award Recognizes exceptional contributions of Arizona attorneys or law firms in furthering education and understanding of the role of the law in our... […]
