by Matthew Holloway | Jan 24, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
On Monday, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) announced that detectives from its Anti-Smuggling Unit recently intercepted a vehicle on Interstate 10 driven by two illegal immigrants carrying 20,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition. During the January 17th traffic stop, a second vehicle, traveling with the first, was apprehended by the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office in Benson, AZ, carrying 10,000 rounds of .50 BMG ammunition.
According to the PCSO press release, the investigation has been handed off to federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF.)
Sheriff Ross Teeple, who began his term on Jan. 1st, said in a statement, “The violence of the cartels in Mexico has held that country hostage. This traffic stop highlights the exceptional work of our Anti-Smuggling Unit detectives as they continually work against these criminal organizations. It also highlights our great working relationships with our federal and local partners in a united front against these criminals.”
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) revealed in a lengthier statement that the seizure involved the Cochise County Counter Narcotics and Trafficking Alliance (CNTA), HSI, and ATF. Officials reportedly contacted the occupants of the vehicles who were identified by the department as “an asylum seeker out of Cuba,” “a U.S. citizen out of Texas,” and “two asylum seekers.” CCSO did not specify what country the second pair were from.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told Fox10, “These people were arrested. It took a lot of work.”
Federal law prohibits the purchase, possession, or transport of ammunition by an illegal immigrant or alien who has not yet been admitted legally to the United States under The Gun Control Act (GCA), or 18 U.S.C. § 922(g),
“It shall be unlawful for any person— who, being an alien—(A)is illegally or unlawfully in the United States; or (B)except as provided in subsection (y)(2), has been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa (as that term is defined in section 101(a)(26) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(26))); to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.”
Bernard Zapor, a retired ATF Special Agent In Charge and faculty member at Arizona State University, told Fox10, “One thing for sure is that U.S. ammunition is a massively sought commodity in Mexico. It is priceless.”
He added that the seizures held the hallmarks of cartel involvement saying , “There’s a couple of things that are very interesting about this: the way that it was being transported, it wasn’t concealed from the photographs of the arrests. It was very blatantly just stored in an SUV, which indicates to me that they probably had the crossing into Mexico completely arranged.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 23, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A new release from former Scottsdale City Councilman and Chairman of Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions (TAAAZE) Bob Littlefield has levied a serious accusation toward Axon. Littlefield alleged that the non-lethal weapon and bodycam manufacturer spent “a massive amount of money on so-called ‘petition blockers’” to counter city voters who were opposed to the company’s plan, which was backed by the defeated former Mayor of Scottsdale and his city council, to build 1,900 apartment units near the site for its new headquarters.
TAAAZE contended in the release, “The company doesn’t want the public to know the details.” The group continued, “That’s why it spent a massive amount of money on so-called ‘petition blockers,’ but failed to file a campaign finance report detailing its expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2024.”
“These ‘blockers’ stalked lawful petition circulators and tried to prevent Scottsdale residents from signing petitions to place Axon’s apartment project on the November 2026 ballot. It turns out Scottsdale residents can’t be bullied. Nearly 27,000 signed the petition in defiance of Axon’s intimidation tactics.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, TAAAZE laid out a case that the massive apartment development would “increase traffic, block views, increase the use of our scarce water resources and negatively impact public safety.” The group also objected on the grounds of the firm’s new headquarters harming the funding mechanism for Arizona Schools.
Littlefield said in a statement, “Axon’s failure to file a campaign finance report with the City of Scottsdale demonstrates a blatant disrespect for state law and the people who follow it every day.”
He added, “As a Vietnam combat veteran, I won’t be intimidated by hired ’petition blockers,’ billion-dollar companies, or threats from its CEO. I have always supported Axon’s plans to build its headquarters in Scottsdale. Now Axon is threatening to leave town if it doesn’t get its lucrative rezoning which amounts to a giant apartment subsidy. If that’s the case, I know lots of people who will help them pack.”
Axon canceled its plans to break ground on a new world headquarters in Scottsdale on January 9th citing on its website, “the recent emergence of local political opposition,” which has caused the company to consider alternate locations for its global headquarters.
Founder and CEO Rick Smith said in a statement posted on Axon’s website, “Scottsdale has been our home for over 30 years, and we’ve worked hard to build a strong future here. But the uncertainty caused by this referendum forces us to confront a tough reality: we can’t allow political games to put our mission or our team at risk. Our focus remains on saving lives, improving public safety and attracting the brightest minds to join us. If that means relocating to a community that fully supports those goals, we’re prepared to make that move. This type of political interference risks not only this project but also Arizona’s ability to attract and retain major employers in the future.”
Axon has claimed that the referendum championed by TAAAZE, “has been linked to Unite Here, a California-based labor union, and its local political arm, Worker Power Institute, which has previously targeted major Arizona projects, including the Arizona Coyotes’ arena development. That campaign ultimately led to Arizona losing a major sports franchise.”
According to AZCentral, leaders of both Unite Here, the union Axon referred to, and TAAAZE have denied the union had any connection to the effort. The outlet reported that Littlefield told reporters Unite Here agreed not to launch its own petition drive as to avoid “compromising” the efforts of TAAAZE. However, he could not confirm or deny that canvassers from Unite Here were circulating petitions for the group.
“I could imagine that somebody would do that,” he told the Arizona Republic. “But we don’t have any formal setup with them at all.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 22, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Last week, the newly elected Scottsdale City Council voted to repeal the city’s sustainability plan, a controversial measure championed by former Mayor David Ortega.
A statement emailed by Councilman and Vice Mayor Barry Graham ahead of the council’s vote outlined the serious concerns he and his colleagues had with the sustainability plan. He wrote that the plan “passed in the 11th hour by the lame-duck Council calls for city government to:
- Reduce your household trash-output by 90% in 15 years.
- Ration your electric usage—regardless of power source.
- Ration water usage for single-family homes while giving businesses and apartments a pass.
- Outsource local control to the agendas and politics of county government.
- Redirect your tax dollars to speculative environmental programs.
- Subject your home and business to monitoring and auditing.”
He added, “Because the prior council majority refused to compromise, the new council must consider whether to repeal and replace the plan with one that focuses on sustaining our economy, finances and quality-of-life.”
The vote during the first meeting of the newly constituted council, however, ended in newly elected Mayor Lisa Borowsky voting against the repeal and creation of a Sustainability Task Force to draft a replacement strategy, drawing immediate criticism. The vote nonetheless carried without Borowsky’s vote by a 4-3 margin, and the plan has been repealed.
The activist account on X, Scottsdale Voter, characterized the Sustainability Plan as the “Scottsdale ‘Green New Deal’ forced through by four 1-term lame-duck losers,” and condemned Borowsky following the vote. They wrote, “We’re in shock We worked hard to elect Mayor Borowsky[.] We knew Solange Whitehead is desperate to influence new councilors, just like when she ‘got ahold of Tom Durham.’”
They continued, “The Scottsdale ‘sustainability plan’ was one of disgraced Mayor Ortega’s proudest legacy pieces. It was a ‘green new deal’ shoved down Scottsdale’s throat. And Borowsky voted to protect it.”
On her campaign website, Borowsky pitched as a Key Issue that she would “Develop a 20-year strategic plan focused on sustainability, economic diversity, and livability, engaging stakeholders in crafting a vision for the city’s future.”
According to the Resolution, the interim City Manager will work to establish a Community Sustainability Task Force that will examine the fiscal, population, and conservation needs of the city before making recommendations for a new plan.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 22, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The inauguration of President Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States was the most prominent over-arching news story of the day on Monday. The reactions of Arizona’s elected leaders ranged from joy, excitement, and relief to cautious rapprochement, vehement rejection, petulant accusations, and denial.
Support for Trump by Republican members of Congress and other prominent figures has been consistent in Arizona, while unexpectedly some Democrats have taken a moderate, even conciliatory stance toward the President.
Tucson-area Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani posted from within the Rotunda writing, “Honored to attend the inauguration of our 47th President — Donald J. Trump! And I look forward to working together and delivering for the American people[.] Congratulations, President Trump!”
In a subsequent ‘selfie’ with Trump, Ciscomani quoted the President’s inaugural address writing, “’In America, the impossible is what we do best.’ —President Donald J. Trump [.] Now we get to work fighting for the American Dream!”
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) posted to the social network writing, “It’s a new day in America. Our long nightmare is soon over. 4 yrs of divisiveness, failures, corruption, weakness will be replaced w/ hope, strength, prosperity & American greatness. I look forward to working w/Pres Trump 2 make the future of this great country great, once again.”
Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) told AZCentral, “As President Trump retakes office, here’s my promise: I’ll work to find common ground when it’s in Arizona’s best interest.” Stanton emphasized that he would remain loyal to the “fundamental freedoms,” of Arizonans.
District 5 Republican Andy Biggs, who announced his exploration of a gubernatorial run on Tuesday, posted “Hail to the Chief,” and told Trump, “Welcome back, Mr. President.”
Freshman Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh appeared with Trump’s Voice of America Director Designee Kari Lake in a Newsmax spot during the President’s arrival at St. John’s Episcopal Church. He shared video to X writing, “We will pass President Trump’s America First Agenda as quickly as possible.”
During the inaugural festivities, District 4 Rep. Eli Crane wrote, “We made it. Today is January 20th, and Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as President of the United States. The greatest political comeback of all time. Now the real work begins. Let’s go!”
He added a short panoramic video of the Capital Rotunda’s interior in the lead up to the ceremony adding, “So thankful to all of the Arizonans that put in the work to get to this moment.”
Meanwhile Freshman Democrat Rep. Yassamin Ansari ,who took the seat of now-Senator Ruben Gallego, blew off the inauguration, eschewing it for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event in Phoenix. Posting to X, Ansari derisively noted the attendance of big tech figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, X’s Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai: “Nothing to see here… just Donald Trump’s inauguration… front row featuring the richest men on Earth excited to get even richer at the expense of working people.”
Follow Democrat Rep. Raúl Grijalva issued a call for his fellow radical leftists to resist Trump writing, “Democrats must stand up to Trump’s worst impulses and grifting tendencies if we are to come away from this a stronger, more prosperous nation.” He also criticized Trump for his recent successful meme-coin launch, calling it a “brazen and unethical money grab.”
Sharing video of the historic moment, the AZGOP called Trump’s inauguration, “The beginning of a new era for this country!”
Pointedly, the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) opted not to mark the inauguration at all with neither a post to social media nor a press release on its website. Rather, the ADP chose to publish a post honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. almost as if in denial that the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States happened.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 21, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne praised the heroic actions of Tucson Police Officer William Bonanno, deployed under a Department of Education program to Legacy Traditional School-East Tucson, after he was able to arrest armed suspect Daniel Hollander, 31. Hollander was reported by parents for “acting erratically” in the school parking lot and was arrested, armed with a knife and loaded handgun.
In a statement published by KVOA following the arrest, Horne told reporters, “Today we avoided the nightmare of an armed maniac harming innocent people on a school campus. The School Safety Officer who sought out and arrested this suspect deserves the highest praise. His presence on campus is due to funding provided by the School Safety Program managed by my department and demonstrates the value of this program so that incidents like this do not become tragedies.”
In a post to X, Horne wrote, “The School Safety Program helped save the lives of innocent children yesterday. Thank you to the School Resource Officer for helping to avert tragedy. I will fight to have an SRO on every campus to keep students safe.”
In an article from the Arizona Department of Education, Horne said that the actions of Officer Bonanno saved the lives of 20 students and saved their parents from having their lives ruined by the grief that would have resulted. He emphasized that the narrowly-averted tragedy serves to demonstrate the need for Arizona lawmakers to take action and fund more armed officers on school campuses, while calling upon them to ramp up criminal penalties for suspects entering school grounds with intent to injure or kill innocent people.
Horne said:
“For years, I have been pushing for more police officers in the schools, saying repeatedly that if a maniac Invades a school and kills 20 students as has happened in other states and could happen here, their parents would never recover. If they learned that the school could have had a police officer to defend their children funded by the Department of Education, and decided not to, you can imagine what they would feel about that decision making. By the skin of our teeth, we avoided that nightmare by a police officer, newly funded by the Department of Education annually, on the job arresting a man who was in a room with 20 students and additional adults, who said that he was going to make the students immortal by killing all of them.”
He added, “Only the heroic actions of the School Safety Officer, William Bonanno, prevented a catastrophe. He undoubtedly saved lives because of his incredible professionalism in that he was experienced enough to act quickly rather than wait for backup. The presence of an armed officer has sadly become a crucial element of campus safety, and this incident proves that beyond a doubt. The heroism of this officer means that more than 20 families have not experienced the tragic death or injury to an innocent child. As a parent who has suffered the loss of a child, I can tell you that you never get over it.”
“We cannot allow the status quo where not enough schools have armed officers to continue. More funding for officers and legislation that allows retired officers to become School Safety Officers or Resource Officers should be passed. Representative Matt Gress is sponsoring such a bill, HB 2074, which has passed the House Education Committee. It needs to be fast-tracked through the legislature and signed by the governor as soon as possible because, as we saw yesterday, lives are at stake.”
As reported by AZCentral, Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmar told a Thursday presser that Officer Bonanno discovered Hollander sitting in the school gymnasium talking to himself. Not long before, students had filled the gymnasium waiting for classes to start. The Chief revealed that Hollander admitted he had been using narcotics for “several days” and admitted he was at the school with the intent to harm children.
“I can tell you with the preliminary history of this individual, it wouldn’t have been somebody that was probably on our radar,” Kasmar added.
Horne is urging the legislature to pass House Bill 2074, which is now out of committee, in order to push more funding out to districts to fund additional School Safety Officers.
State Rep. Matt Gress who sponsored HB 2074 said in a statement, “What happened in Tucson yesterday was an act of heroism that nearly became a terrible tragedy. Lives were saved because an armed officer was doing his job at the Legacy East campus. This proves that, sadly, no space is entirely safe, and we must do everything we can to protect innocent lives. My legislation will do that, and I call on all my colleagues, regardless of political affiliation, to get this bill passed, and I also call on Governor Hobbs to sign this bill when it reaches her desk. It is an essential, non-partisan issue that needs immediate attention.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
