Free Republic

PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) - An Arizona father at the center of a high-profile case regarding the death of his young daughter has died. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found dead around 5 a.m. Wednesday in a home near 7th Street and Northern Avenue. Phoenix police said they are investigating his death as a suicide. KOLD reports that Scholtes was supposed to turn himself in by the end of the day after missing a court hearing. Christopher Ryan Scholtes, 38, was found dead around 5 a.m. in a home near 7th Street and...

The rock duo Daryl Hall and John Oates announced Monday they will not be playing Phoenix next month following an Arizona Diamondbacks game. Their manager Jonathan Wolfson told The Associated Press from Los Angeles that Hall and Oates will not play Phoenix July 2 because of their personal stance against Arizona's new immigration law.

A financial expert sensationally cut short an interview with entitled illegal immigrants who revealed they were $420,000 in debt but said they still 'deserved' a new Toyota Tacoma and a house with a pool. Caleb Hammer had a couple from Phoenix, Arizona on his YouTube show 'Financial Audit,' in which he conducts an audit of his guest's finances to help them get out of debt. The couple told the host in the episode, entitled 'These Illegal Immigrants are F***ed,' that they are Dreamers who came to the United States as children aged nine and five. Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who...

FLORENCE, Ariz. — The State of Arizona executed Richard Djerf by lethal injection on Friday at Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence.When asked if he had any last words, Djerf said he "did not."Witnesses to the execution said the inmate officially died at about 10:40 a.m. after some time was spent struggling to find a vein on Djerf's arm to insert a needle.The death penalty comes roughly 30 years after he admitted to killing four members of a Phoenix family.Court records show Djerf committed the murders for retribution of a "petty theft" of Albert Luna Jr., whose parents and two siblings were...

[FULL TITLE] Page 203 of IG Report says Loretta Lynch-Bill Clinton tarmac meeting was planned via Secret Service, FBI Stunning revelations from the IG report of DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz (an Obama appointee) suggests that the 2016 tarmac meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton was coordinated — contradicting their claims that the meeting was accidental and coincidental. In 2016, Lynch — the U.S. attorney general under Barack Obama — secretly met for 30 minutes with Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac in Arizona. At the time, then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was being investigated by the FBI...

We highlight the flourishing Catholic community life in Phoenix, Arizona — Erik Rosales takes us there.

A 19-year-old has been arrested for destroying a community memorial for Charlie Kirk at conservative non-profit Turning Point USA's headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Ryder Corral was charged with criminal damage and disorderly conduct for kicking over flowers, vases, flags and balloons as he forced his way through the public tribute. Disturbing footage and pictures show Corral wearing the exact same t-shirt and outfit worn by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson when he allegedly shot and killed Charlie Kirk last Wednesday. The shirt is black and long-sleeved with an eagle perched on an American flag between the words 'land of the free, home...

According to a witness, he traveled about 15 yards through the memorial, kicked over flowers, vases and flags and balloons

Record-breaking heat continues for parts of the desert Southwest into the weekend, with sweltering temperatures beginning to expand east into the Heartland.Extreme heat warnings remain in effect for parts of the desert Southwest -- including Palm Springs, California; Phoenix; and Tucson, Arizona.High temperatures are expected to reach well into the 100s and up to 115 in spots.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale advanced 0.4 percent for the two months ending in April 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the all items less food and energy index increased 0.3 percent. The food index rose 1.0 percent, and the energy index increased 0.7 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.) The Phoenix area all items CPI-U rose 0.3 percent for the 12 months ending in April. The index for all items less food and energy...

Residents of a small town in Arizona are reeling after a pastor was found murdered April 28 in his home. William Schonemann, 76, was pastor of New River Bible Chapel in New River, Ariz., where he was known as “Pastor Bill,” according to the Arizona Republic. Investigators with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have not released much information on the case beyond confirming they discovered Schonemann’s body the evening of April 28 after responding to a report of a deceased elderly male. They have not announced any suspects, arrests or motives for the crime. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office...

After years of sellers calling the shots, some of the hottest pandemic-era housing markets are now grappling with a surplus of listings — and not enough willing buyers. According to real estate brokerage Redfin, April saw nearly half a million more homes listed than buyers in the market, the largest gap since at least 2013. But this supply surge hasn’t translated into a wave of closings. Instead, home sales have stalled in many areas, particularly across the Southeast and Southwest, where inventory has ballooned past pre-pandemic norms. In Miami, for example, there were almost three times as many sellers as...

The State Board of Education suspended Jesse Ruiz's license for two years after finding he wrote inappropriate messages in students' yearbooks. (the message was "hail satan")

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Three people are dead and five others were injured after a shooting at a restaurant in a Phoenix suburb Sunday night, police said. Police received calls reporting shots around 7:45 p.m. at El Camaron Gigante Mariscos & Steakhouse, Glendale Police Department Officer Moroni Mendez said during a briefing. Mendez said three people died from their injuries and five other people were injured by gunshots or shrapnel, KPHO-TV reported. “Obviously there was a lot of people here,” Mendez said. “A lot of people that were attending some sort of event. Anyone who has information, please come forward and...

A 24-year-old brutally killed a young woman as she enjoyed a morning hike because he believed he was a transgender woman and was jealous of her beauty, according to police. When policer asked the alleged killer about Heike before his arrest, he reportedly said: 'That's what I would want to look like.'

A beloved Arizona yoga teacher who vanished after he set out for a would-be romantic meetup with a blind date last month has been found dead. The body of Marcus Freiberger, 45, was discovered at a rock quarry in Phoenix, about 6 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, on March 19 — nearly one month after the scheduled date, AZ Family reported, citing the Phoenix Police Department. His sister, Tina Hall, broke the news of her brother’s death on Tuesday in a heart-wrenching Facebook post. “It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news that Marcus...

Sara Haines, co-host of The View, has warned that the Democratic Party’s unhinged screaming and volatile behavior at rallies is not fixing the country and is making things worse for them. Whoopi Goldberg noted that progressive leaders like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are engaging at rallies “at a moment when leadership roles on the left are wide open.” Goldberg also recalled how Sanders showed in his recent interview that he was “not ready to talk about future party planning yet.” Sanders recently accused ABC “This Week” host Jonathan Karl of asking a “nonsense” question about...

Most people worry about their bike or car being stolen — not their home. But that’s exactly what happened to D’Andrea Turner when squatters took over her Phoenix home and sold it without her knowledge. “It feels so surreal,” Turner shared in an interview with ABC 15 Arizona. “I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. Really, I didn’t even think something like this could happen.” But it did. After Turner’s ex-husband, Keith — a long-haul trucker — left the house unattended for a period of time, two strangers, Aaron Polmanteer and Lledera Hollen, forced their way in. Once inside,...

PHOENIX — On the night of March 13, 1997, thousands of Arizonans looked up and saw something they couldn’t explain—a massive, V-shaped formation of lights hovering in the sky. Twenty-eight years later, the Phoenix Lights remain one of the most infamous UFO sightings in U.S. history, fueling speculation, debate, and ongoing scientific curiosity. Among those who witnessed the phenomenon firsthand was Dr. Lynne Kitei, a former medical professional who was so profoundly impacted that she left her career in medicine to study the lights full-time.

Not quite six years ago, wildfire expert Jack Cohen, who lives in Missoula, Mont., visited Pacific Palisades to instruct firefighters and property owners on how to protect homes against wildfires. Three days of training, including a tour of the community, left Cohen hopeful, but the feeling faded when it became clear that his lessons were not going to be fully implemented. This week’s tragedy has left him with a deep sadness. Respected by fire agencies across the country, Cohen and Pyne have found their straight-talk admonitions often disregarded or dismissed. Sensitive to losses and suffering, both said they are motivated...