The judge who ruled in favor of Mirabella in its lawsuit against a local music venue is on the ballot. Plus, AZ Hugs for the Houseless will be required to get a special events permit from the city of Tempe, and journalists gathered last week at ASU to denounce attacks on the profession. Join hosts Sonya Sheptunov and Naomi Dubovis as they explain this week's biggest ASU news stories on "State Press Play."
State Press podcast transcripts are produced by a third-party transcription service and may contain errors. The official record for State Press podcasts is the audio.
Sonya Sheptunov
Hi there, this is Sonya Sheptunov.
Naomi Dubovis
And I'm Naomi Dubovis.
Sonya Sheptunov
You're listening to State Press Play.
This week, Arizona Superior Court Judge Brad Astrowky, who voted in favor of Mirabella versus Shady Park is up for reelection. Arizona Hugs for the Houseless is adapting to a new permit requirement, and a group of journalists took a stand against recent attacks on the industry outside the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.
Naomi Dubovis
We've got all this and more for you this week. Tune in for the ASU community's top stories every Wednesday, right here, right now.
Sonya Sheptunov
Arizona Superior Court Judge Brad Astrowsky is up for reelection this season. If you haven't heard of him, this might ring a bell. Ostrowski ruled to put Shady Park under curfew in April. Shady Park has been involved in ongoing litigation with Mirabella, ASU's retirement community, since October 2021. Assignment Editor and Senior Reporter Alexis Waiss has been following the case and is here with us today. Alexis, thank you for being here.
Alexis Waiss
Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me.
Naomi Dubovis
So this case has been going on for a while now. How did it get to this point?
Alexis Waiss
About a year ago, I want to say in like June, something like that. We were getting out of the pandemic, Mill Ave started to become more alive again. But the thing is Mirabella but it was first constructed, it was during COVID. So the residents there they were used to the quiet they thought it was gonna be quiet. Then they got surprised a little later, apparently because Mill Avenue is no avenue. So then from there, they filed noise complaints and the lawsuit kind of carried from that. And it's been going ever since.
Sonya Sheptunov
What's interesting is that a month after the April ruling, Astrowsky stepped down from the Shady Park case, can you tell us why?
Alexis Waiss
Well, according the documents, what he says is basically, his courtroom assistant who was hired that week was working for the law firm that is defending ASU. So that creates a conflict of interest on his end, or at least the appearance of it. So then, hence why that's why I'm assuming he took himself off the case.
Naomi Dubovis
So you reported the story on Judge Astrowsky his reelection, which started as a Reddit post? Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Alexis Waiss
There's a basically a Tempe stream on Tempe channel, and I was just scrolling through it I curiosity, cuz I didn't even realize there was Tempe channel until later. To get all the Phoenix one. I just didn't follow that one. So I was like, Oh, this is cool. And I looked through, and I recognize his name and saw him on the ballot. And I was like, oh, okay, this is related to ASU. Students might want to know more about this judge. Because even like, as a regular voter, I don't even know that much about judges and what I vote for them. So I thought it'd be interesting for students to maybe get a little more insight on this guy.
Naomi Dubovis
And what was that reporting process like?
Alexis Waiss
It was really interesting, actually, I mean, even with, I didn't even know about the MLB case, until I actually found a blogger site, which I haven't seen in years. So that threw me off. And I didn't even know whether I really trust that too, because it was a blogger. And the person who wrote it was like this freelance investigative journalist that I didn't really know about. So I kind of put that part of the story aside for a bit until I researched it a little further, and I found other articles also confirming that. So I was like, Okay, wow, this sounds insane. And like a conspiracy a little bit, but it's actually true. And I felt like it was important to include my article and the misconduct. That was definitely something I wanted to verify to you. That was also mentioned in the comments that actually it was pretty easy to look up a lot easier than I thought it would be. Cuz the board that does look into misconduct for judges, they have all of their complaints online. So you can easily look that up by year. And you can like scroll through and see like, which judges got like which case complaints like which year? So yeah, that was pretty easy and pretty straightforward.
Sonya Sheptunov
So from what you've seen, how have students felt about the Mirabella versus Shady Park case? How have students felt about Judge Astrosky?
Alexis Waiss
I don't know if students really have a lot of thoughts about Judge Astrosky? Because I mean, one is, usually when you're talking about the case, you're not always talking about the judge, you're talking about how it's affecting people. So that's kind of why I did this story too, so people can learn more about him. Like this is the man who had this much impact on the Tempe community. Um, but I think definitely a lot of people do have thoughts about Mirabella. I mean, even you saw like the Wall Street Journal story come out about the whole thing like it's become national. And I think Fox News even did some commentary on it, too. It's just it's just an interesting decision to see a retirement home place in a hub for like college partying. And I think some students kind of think of that as strange also. So I think that's the main comment, but it's unfortunate for those who were were regular attendees of shady park now that those contracts are so limited, they can't Go to them as much anymore and that also helped a lot of local artists. So they may be struggling also, and I don't really know where they are right now, unfortunately.
Sonya Sheptunov
That was Senior Reporter and Assignment Editor Alexis Waiss. Thanks for being here today.
Alexis Waiss
Yeah, thank you for having me.
Sonya Sheptunov
For more on Mirabella, check out the article at state press.com.
Naomi Dubovis
Up next, we're highlighting more of our top stories this week. AZ Hugs for the Houseless is adjusting to a new permit requirements, and journalists are taking a stand against political criticism of mass media. Stay tuned.
Sonya Sheptunov
The city of Tempe now requires AZ Hugs for the Houseless to apply for a special event permit to hold their picnics. AZ Hugs has provided the Tempe community with meals resources, support and human connection for the past two years because their events have grown. However, AZ Hugs needs a new special event permit. According to Tempe Public Information Officer Susie Steckner, "the city has a long history of collaborating with nonprofit and community groups," Stegner said. "We are committed to deepening those relationships to explore new approaches to serving those in need." But AZ Hugs volunteer Kevin Kansas says special events permit is purely political. Founder and ASU alumnus Austin Davis says he's taking it one step at a time. The organization held a mobile version of their event last Sunday. To find out more, check out the article by Andrea Ramirez at statepress.com.
Naomi Dubovis
ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus seems to be the center of political speeches and campaigns this election season. A group of former journalists held a press conference last Wednesday at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law to speak out against attacks on the press. Over 60 former journalists signed a statement saying that these attacks undermine democracy. Former broadcast reporter Marlene Golan Woods read this statement in response to gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake denouncing Arizona PBS Lake held a separate press conference a week prior after PBS scheduled her opponent Democrat Katie Hobbs for a 30 minute interview. This decision was made because lake was scheduled for a 30 minute q&a In lieu of a debate and PBS wanted to make the coverage of each candidate equal. Lake condemned the decision in her speech and in a statement published October 12. She said "Arizona PBS, a supposedly objective taxpayer funded entity, is working overtime to help elect Katie Hobbs." In response, the journalists at last week's conference said, "questioning the press challenging it is part of what we do in a free Republic. But bullying reporters for political gain is unacceptable and unpatriotic." For more details, read the article by Kira Learmonth at state press.com.
Rubyanne Moley
Hey, I'm Rubyanne Moley. I'm the Social Media Manager here at the State Press. Want to be the first to know what's happening on campus? Check out the State Press Twitter account @statepress. From breaking news to in depth investigations and hot takes - if it's happening at ASU, we've got you covered @statepress on Twitter.
Sonya Sheptunov
As we near the end, here are our favorite stories from this last week. A touching insight piece from State Press Echo Editor Claire Van Doren was my favorite story this week. Claire was lucky enough to see My Chemical Romance and Florence & The Machine back to back last weekend and she wrote about it! For many of us, going to see your favorite bands perform is a deeply intimate experience and it certainly was for Claire. In her article, she recounted the feelings of isolation and yearning for community that come with knowing you're queer from a young age. Over the years she found that community through queer friendships. But for a while music was her comfort, and an outlet, for an isolating reality. Last weekend allowed her to see that she was never really alone. Claire writes, "My community was always there singing the words right next to me. I just couldn't see them yet." How about you Naomi? Do you have a comfort band?
Naomi Dubovis
My comfort band is Queens of the Stone Age.
Sonya Sheptunov
I love their song "The Way You Used To Do," That's my favorite song by them!
Naomi Dubovis
I love "First it Giveth," that's one of my favorites. I was actually just listening to "Everybody Knows You're Insane" on the way here on the shuttle, it was great.
Sonya Sheptunov
You have great taste. Read the full story from Claire Van Doren at statepress.com
Naomi Dubovis
KJZZ's Tom Maxedon reported on the Black Theatre Troupe showcasing of a new comedy called barbecue. The play centers around a family who tries to perform an interview Attention on one of the members during a barbecue. Playwright Robert O'Hara aim to highlight the prevalence of reality TV shows like intervention, which showcases how addiction affects people's lives. Director Ron May said that the play also alludes to the color line as each scene switches between a black and white cast may also mentioned the concept of Shawn in Florida, which is when someone derives joy from another person's suffering. Honestly, it sounds like a really interesting piece of commentary. I never thought of using a reality TV show to inspire a play. Like can you imagine a Kardashian-era bachelor-inspired opera?
Sonya Sheptunov
Absolutely not. I have absolutely no idea what that would be like.
Naomi Dubovis
I mean, I'm not a playwright. But maybe if anyone out there is a playwright, Kim Kardashian as just the strongest mezzosoprano in the world. That'd be his call. That would be something that would be something a sight to behold truly, I will write a story on it. If that happens, make sure to listen to this story at kjzz.org.
Sonya Sheptunov
Thanks for listening to this episode of State Press Play. But don't pause us just yet. So you don't miss a single episode, follow the State Press on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Naomi Dubovis
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at State Press.
Sonya Sheptunov
To learn more about the stories we talked about today, check out the articles online. You can find all of these stories and more at statepress.com. Thank you to Alexis Waiss for being here with us this week. This show was edited and produced by the State Press podcast desk.
Naomi Dubovis
Thank you to our editor Kate Ourada, and to our managing team - Andrew Onodera and Angelina Steele. Our music is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.
Sonya Sheptunov
I'm Sonya.
Naomi Dubovis
And I'm Naomi.
Sonya Sheptunov
You've been listening to State Press Play. See you next week.
Kate Ourada is in her 5th semester as the editor of the podcast desk and is doing her best to spread her love of audio journalism. She works in radio as a reporter and board operator. Kate has a passion for creative writing, her cat and making niche playlists for her friends.
Sonya Sheptunov is a podcast producer at The State Press. They take an interest in data, counterculture, and all things nerdy. In their free time you can find them drinking too much coffee or attempting to crochet.
