Indian Country Today
Headlines for Tuesday, June 29, 2021
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Indigenous comedy in the spotlight
The most famous punchline in comedian Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine is now the title of a new comedy book.
“My people are from Wisconsin,” Hill would say. “We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate problem.”
Scottsdale man accused of texting in fatal crash with Salt River officer to have case reconsidered
Man involved in fatal crash with Salt River officer was not texting during collision, court records say
For two years, the public was told a Scottsdale man was texting when he crossed several lanes of Loop 101 and killed Salt River officer Clayton Townsend. Now, a Maricopa County judge says the evidence does not support that conclusion. FOX 10 s Justin Lum reports.
PHOENIX - A Scottsdale driver accused of texting and driving before hitting and killing a Salt River police officer is having his case reconsidered by a grand jury.
Itâs technically been illegal since April 2019 for motorists to use a hand-held cell phone.
But until now the law allowed police to issue only a warning, though some communities had their own bans.
All that changes on Friday when the law gets real teeth.
How real?
A first time offense would result in a fine of up to $149, though it could be no less than $75. Subsequent violations could lead to fines up to $250.
It almost didnât happen.
Many Republicans favored a different measure that was aimed at âdistracted driving.ââ
Proponents of that version argued that the problem with simply focusing on texting and cell phone use is that it fails to address other things that people do.
PHOENIX A 2019 law about driving while texting becomes real in a few days.
It s technically been illegal since April 2019 for motorists to use a hand-held cell phone.
But until now the law allowed police to issue only a warning, though some communities had their own bans.
All that changes on Friday when the law gets real teeth.
How real?
A first time offense would result in a fine of up to $149, though it could be no less than $75. Subsequent violations could lead to fines up to $250.
It almost didn t happen.
Many Republicans favored a different measure that was aimed at distracted driving.