Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles' assassination is ingrained in the state's collective memory, but there's so much to the story that most people don't know.

The big picture: You're probably familiar with details of Bolles' assassination — he was lured to the Clarendon Hotel in June 1976 by John Harvey Adamson, and was blown up with a car bomb as he left.

• Adamson claimed Phoenix contractor Max Dunlap hired him to kill Bolles over his coverage of liquor magnate Kemper Marley's appointment to the state racing commission.

Yes, but: That's only the beginning of the story.

• The Bolles investigation lasted nearly 20 years, spawned numerous related court cases and took some wild twists and turns.

Driving the news: My new book "Murder in the Fourth Estate: The Assassination of Investigative Journalist Don Bolles," available today, tells the full story of the case for the first time.

The intrigue: It reveals details that have been largely forgotten as the case has faded from memory, and others that have rarely if ever been publicly reported. For example:

Neal Roberts, a Phoenix lawyer who was connected to numerous figures in the case, was suspected by many but never charged.

• A witness claimed to have overheard Roberts say before the assassination that he wanted Bolles killed with a bomb so it would be "loud and clear," but many consider his account suspect.

Members of the Phoenix Police Department's intelligence unit purged files related to figures in the Bolles case.

• They said they were concerned about confidential files being publicly released during discovery in the 1977 murder trials. Others believed they were trying to hide something.

A mafia hitman from Chicago who became a federal witness claimed that he and his partner were given the original contract to kill Bolles, but turned it down after coming to Phoenix.

The intrigue: And the book explores what, if any, role Marley played.

Remember Don Bolles

Bolles' bombed car could be coming back to Arizona.

The big picture: Freedom Forum, which ran the Newseum, a Washington journalism museum that closed in 2019, is actively seeking a place to display Bolles' Datsun, Axios has learned.

The latest: The organization is "in the early stages of conversations with several institutions," Freedom Forum spokesperson Julia Majors told Axios.

• She declined to say who Freedom Forum is talking with.

Catch up quick: The Datsun went on display at the Newseum in 2008 but has been in storage since the institution closed.

Zoom in: At the end of last year, Freedom Forum adopted a new artifact preservation plan and it's "evaluating institutions that can provide long-term care, public access and educational value for artifacts," Majors said.

What they're saying: Rosalie Kasse, Bolles' widow, and Diane Bolles, his daughter, told Axios they support bringing the car back to Arizona.

Yes, but: David Bolles, the reporter's eldest child, told me during an interview for my book that he and his siblings don't want the car displayed.

What they're saying: George Weisz, the attorney general's lead investigator for the latter part of the Bolles case, called the car "a testament to journalists who put their lives on the line" and said Bolles was "a beacon of investigative journalism."

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The Navajo County Board of Supervisors appointed state Rep. David Marshall as its new county recorder — but the Arizona Constitution bars him from taking the office.

The intrigue: Legislators cannot hold other state, county or municipal positions during the terms to which they've been elected or appointed, according to the state constitution.

• Marshall's two-year term ends in January 2027.
• Election attorney Eric Spencer told Axios that Marshall would be subject to removal if he took the office.

Driving the news: Navajo County supervisors appointed Marshall (R-Snowflake) to the vacant recorder position Tuesday.

• County Attorney Brad Carlyon told us he didn't recall the constitutional provision until after the supervisors voted.
• He said he has since informed Marshall that if he accepts the appointment, it could be challenged in court.

Zoom in: Marshall is in his second term representing Legislative District 7, a mostly rural district that stretches from the White Mountains and southern Flagstaff to Apache Junction.

• He's currently running for Corporation Commission. It's unclear whether he'll continue that campaign.
• He did not respond to our messages.

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🏬 Phoenix-based developer Vestar is eying about 370 acres near TSMC for a mixed-use retail development. (AZcentral)

⚖️ A Pima County judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the rezoning for the controversial Project Blue data center near Tucson. (Arizona Public Media)

🚨 AG Kris Mayes is warning of an increase in scams targeting people who want to build backyard casitas. (KJZZ)

🗳️ Judges rejected two challenges to third-party candidate Hugh Lytle's campaign for governor, clearing the way for him to appear on the ballot. (Arizona Mirror)

Phone-free bars and restaurants are emerging across the U.S. as people seek to disconnect from screens and devices.

The big picture: This trend is emerging amid a societal shift, with several countries imposing social media bans for children and teens, some U.S. states prohibiting phone use at school, and more live events restricting phones.

Zoom in: Trophy Room, a phone-free cocktail bar inside Wren & Wolf, opened in 2023.

• "I think a lot of people are so attached to their phones that they're really missing the human connection," operating partner Thor Nguyen told ABC15 in late 2022.
• Arizona is one of at least 11 states that now have individual restaurants or bars with some form of phone restriction or a digital-detox incentive.

By the numbers: Consumer Affairs data from 2024 show Americans typically check their phones 144 times per day and spend about 4.5 hours on their devices.

Hold the phone