Dear KJZZ Listeners,

This fall promises to be a busy one on my beat, which includes covering Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. When I first arrived in Phoenix in July 2012 to be the Fronteras Desk correspondent here, one of my first assignments was to cover the trial in the class action racial profiling case brought by Latino motorists against the sheriff's office. Three years after that trial, the case is still generating news.

As avid listeners of KJZZ know, Arpaio and some members of his staff are facing contempt of court for violating court orders in that case. At KJZZ we've kept you informed about all the twists and turns in this ongoing saga, including secret invstigations revealed in court testimony, and the sheriff's lawyers' efforts to get the judge disqualified from the case for alleged bias. In the past few days, the judge has allowed the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene in the case.

Sheriff Joe is arguably the most famous sheriff in the country, and national shows have also taken an interest in KJZZ's coverage.

Now we are gearing up for the next round of contempt hearings that will begin in late September. There will be at least eight days of hearings. For me, that will mean getting to the federal courthouse early to snag a seat near the only electrical outlet, so I can keep my laptop charged while I take notes. The federal court doesn't allow microphones inside the courtroom, which makes producing these stories for radio a bit of a challenge. If something newsworthy is revealed during testimony, during a break I can call the newsroom and do a debrief with Steve Goldstein or Mark Brodie to air on The Show or All Things Considered. And when court is adjourned at the end of the day, reporters try and get comments from the attorneys from both sides. Then it is time to rush home to produce the story you will hear the next morning. I write a more extensive version of the story for kjzz.org as well.