Arizona

An Arizona college student passing out American flags with friends Friday for the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 was forced to move after campus officials accused her of hindering foot traffic and lacking the proper permit. Despite the university's denials, the event organizer said officials violated her right to free speech.

Northern Arizona University student Stephanee Freer was confronted by four university officials and one police officer the week of Sept. 11 and told she could not pass out U.S. flags inside the university building. Freer told the Arizona Daily Sun that she and other students were initially passing out the flags and other patriotic material outside, but fled indoors when it began to rain.

University officials, however, told the students they were violating event rules listed in the student handbook and would need to either move the event outside or move to another section of the building. The section they were told to move to is less visible to the public, Freer said. more >>

A shocked Arizona community found out today that the Phoenix Goddess Temple, which appeared to be a church on the outside, was really a house of prostitution.

Phoenix police say they spent the last six months working an undercover operation digging into the business in Maricopa County. Investigators say they discovered workers performing sex acts on customers.

Evidence gathered by detectives revealed that male and female “practitioners” working at the Temple were in fact performing sexual acts in exchange for spiritual monetary “donations.” more >>

The death of an Arizona patient could be linked to the deadly German E. coli epidemic that caused 29 deaths and sickened thousands, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday. The outbreak has alarmed doctors, who have never seen such an aggressive intestinal bacteria before.

U.S. health officials say the epidemic was more deadly than previous outbreaks because it combined dangerous characteristics of two different strains of the bacteria. The unusual combination of traits makes it more likely for infected people to develop a potentially fatal kidney complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, researchers said.

There are already five confirmed cases in the U.S., but the Arizona man would be the first death directly linked to the outbreak in Europe. more >>

NASA commander Mark Kelly announced today on his Facebook page that he is retiring from the U.S. Navy and leaving NASA, effective October 1.

“Words cannot convey my deep gratitude for the opportunities I have been given to serve our great nation,” he wrote. “From the day I entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the summer of 1982 to the moment I landed the Space Shuttle Endeavour three weeks ago, it has been my privilege to advance the ideals that define the United States of America.”

Kelly is married to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who underwent surgery last month to repair her skull. She was shot in the head in January at a constituent event in Tuscon, Ariz. Kelly said he wants to be with her as she continues to recover. more >>

Strong winds of up to 50 mph on Sunday are expected to fan the flames of eastern Arizona’s Wallow Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history.

The three-week old Wallow Fire, which has burned over 500,000 acres, is now 38 percent contained. But the hard work of some 4,000 firefighters is threatened by winds that could toss flames miles away and ground special water-pouring helicopters instrumental in the fight against the blaze.

While most of the national attention is on the Wallow Fire, which has moved into New Mexico, down south near the Mexico border the Monument Fire has forced the evacuation of nearly 7,000 people from the town of Sierra Vista by Saturday afternoon. more >>

Southern Baptists recently announced their rejection of the new NIV Bible at their annual convention in Phoenix, Ariz., saying they could not commend the translation and its use of gender-neutral language.

The resolution introduced by author Tim Overton of Muncie, Ind., passed by at least a 2-to-1 margin, and only received a handful of opposing votes, Baptist Press reported.

“Southern Baptists repeatedly have affirmed our commitment to the full inspiration and authority of Scripture,” the resolution states. “This translation alters the meaning of hundreds of verses, most significantly by erasing gender-specific details which appear in the original language.” more >>