Free Republic

Aurora Innovation said it has tripled its driverless trucking network to 10 routes as it prepares to expand autonomous freight operations across the southern United States. The Pittsburgh-based company said its latest software release enables its Aurora Driver autonomous control system to operate on longer lanes, serve direct customer endpoints, and navigate a wider range of adverse weather conditions. The company touted these as key steps as the company moves toward scaling commercial operations. With the addition of Phoenix to its network, Aurora now operates driverless freight lanes between Dallas and Houston, Fort Worth and El Paso, El Paso and...

The Gateway Pundit reported that Mark Holodnak, a local Realtor and the Legislative District 12 Democratic Party Treasurer in Arizona, came under fire after he was seen chasing young women and screaming obscenities after they took a photo with ICE agents in Arizona. Holodnak was caught on camera with a group of leftists harassing the girls after they reportedly took a photo with agents at Zipps Sports Grill, a popular Valley restaurant chain, that has come under investigation for federal law violations likely related to immigration. Fifteen locations have been shut down since Monday, and anti-ICE protesters have shown up...

A man is facing federal charges after investigators said he got on an Air France flight in Phoenix Monday despite not having a valid boarding pass and then refused to get off the flight. Court documents said Qais Ahmad Tillaw bought a ticket online around 2 p.m. for an Air France flight leaving the Valley. However, the airline canceled the boarding pass minutes later because of an “unauthorized credit card.” He showed up at Phoenix Sky Harbor, ditched his rental car at Terminal 4 and headed to the TSA security checkpoint. The FBI said he made it through security despite...

Court documents allege trafficking, stash houses, and employing illegal immigrantsA federal investigation is underway into a Phoenix restaurant owner accused of harboring undocumented immigrants and employing them in a “sophisticated operation” across the Valley. According to a federal court filing, Yung Lau, the owner of multiple sushi restaurants, is accused of human trafficking and knowingly employing people who are not citizens of the United States. Lau has at least partial ownership of Sakura Sushi locations in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Gilbert. Court documents show that undocumented workers were living in “stash houses” in the East Valley. Some workers were reportedly...

During a brief interview on MSNBC, Clinton said she was "eager" to speak to authorities and "pleased to have the opportunity" to assist the Justice Department. Clinton would not say, however, if she has been told whether or not charges would be filed against her. "I am not going to comment on the process," she told Chuck Todd, just hours after she was interviewed by the FBI. "I have no knowledge of any timeline," she added. "This is entirely up to the department." Clinton reiterated that she never sent or received material marked classified on her private server. "I'm going...

PHOENIX — Police say a man and an 8-year-old girl have died, and two others were seriously injured after a shooting in a parking lot in South Phoenix on Saturday. The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m., near 19th Avenue and Baseline Road. Witnesses tell police they saw a man, identified as 28-year-old Tyrone Dee Chilly, and the driver of an SUV, identified as 30-year-old Quincy Jay Polk, exit their vehicles and engage in a physical altercation. A woman and three children were also inside Polk's SUV during the altercation. At one point, Polk and Chilly returned to their own vehicles,...

Disgraced ex-TV anchor Stephanie Hockridge will spend the next ten years behind bars for her role in a multi-million-dollar COVID fraud scheme – serving her time in the same cushy lockup as notorious sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The 42-year-old, a former Phoenix TV anchor turned entrepreneur, was sentenced in Texas federal court Friday and ordered to cough up nearly $64 million in restitution for the bogus Paycheck Protection Program loans she helped secure during the height of the pandemic, the Justice Department announced. Hockridge, found guilty in June of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, will report to prison on Dec....

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")