By Rabbi Alicia Magal Sedona, AZ — The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadowlark Drive off Route 179 in Sedona, is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. The JCSVV offers soul-enriching services, programs, and classes, all listed on the synagogue website, jcsvv.org. Office telephone: 928 204-1286. Visitors are welcome to attend services after a security check. Those who cannot attend in person can access the service through zoom. All are invited to Erev shabbat service on Friday, January 2…
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Sedona, AZ — SAVCO is pleased to invite author Steve Snyder to their January 8th meeting taking place in the New Room at the Sedona United Methodist Church, 110 Indian Cliffs Rd, Sedona, AZ. The event will begin at 6:00 PM with a brief SAVCO business meeting and followed by a presentation from Steve Snyder. During his talk, Steve will share insights into his father’s World War II experiences and discuss the compelling story captured in SHOT DOWN. Author of “SHOT DOWN” Steve’s dedication led him to spend four and a half years conducting thorough research, ultimately resulting in the publication of his award-winning…
Camp Verde, AZ — The Town of Camp Verde will host a series of public Open Houses in January to review updates made to the draft 2026 General Plan based on feedback already received and to gather additional community input before the plan advances. Over the past three months, the Town has received extensive and thoughtful input from residents, stakeholders, and community partners through surveys, meetings, and outreach efforts. That feedback has directly informed revisions to the draft General Plan. “These Open Houses are an opportunity to close the loop with the community,” said Town Manager Miranda Fisher. “We want residents…
Article by Al Comello, Sedona Resident Brigitte Bardot died today at 91. Sedona, AZ — And with that simple fact, the world gets handed one of its oldest lessons again—without apology, without special effects. I knew of her only as a teenage boy, an image that didn’t seem real. But her passing brought a thought to my mind, a bit poetic, a bit prophetic, but it seemed appropriate for me to put it down in black-and-white. I wrote this sentence on a chat exchange with a friend, and it landed like a bell. “Even a sex goddess is frail in…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory Sedona, AZ — It’s easy to get sucked into non-duality, to think it is the answer. It’s true, well as true as anything is true. It’s the closest to describing what this is that I have found. I don’t argue that at all. Do you hear that sucking sound? I get it! That’s right. It makes sense. Hell no! Nothing makes sense, absolutely nothing, other than to the mind who has little boxes to check off. We are here and yet, we’re not. Duality seems to be the enemy of discovering Not Two, and yet it…
By Bear Howard Sedona, AZ — Cattle Are Led to Slaughter Cattle are not forced to slaughter. They are guided. The modern meat industry learned long ago that fear slows the process. Calm animals move more efficiently, resist less, and follow a carefully engineered path without understanding where it leads. Curved chutes, controlled sightlines, and gentle turns are designed to reduce panic while concealing the outcome. The system does not work through cruelty, but through design. We are now being promised the same kind of efficiency in the human economy. Artificial intelligence is being sold as the new path to…
By David Stephen — What is survival? Survival can be described as the outcome of using an advantage to overcome a barrier to existence — in an instance or over an interval. Several factors can transmit that advantage, food, water, tools, strength, and so on, but the most important factor for survival is intelligence. Simply, intelligence is at the frontier of survival. Intelligence is defined, conceptually, as the use of memory for an expected, desired or advantageous outcome. It is intelligence that is used to evade predators, trap preys, master tools, plan ahead and much more. The capacity of intelligence is…
Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Mountains of the Moon’ premiere Dec. 26-30 Connections between sport, life music and earth set to tunes of the Grateful Dead The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Mountains of the Moon” showing Dec. 26-30 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. In “Mountains of the Moon”, world renowned artist and skier, Chris Benchetler explores the unseen connections between sport, life, music, and the living earth — set to the timeless tunes of the Grateful Dead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlY-gn7yVyM Captured almost entirely at night using cutting-edge cinematography, lasers, animation, and projection mapping, the…
By Steve Segner — SEdona, AZ — I watched the City Council’s annual retreat online on Thursday, December 18, and I appreciate the candid, goal-setting discussion. Seeing the council, the city manager, and staff work through priorities in public is the government doing its job—and doing it well. Late in the afternoon, the discussion turned to the city-owned property in West Sedona commonly referred to as the Western Gateway. It was clear you are weighing competing and consequential ideas—open space, an event facility, commercial uses, and housing. There are no easy answers, and no one ever said serving on the…
SEDONA, Ariz. – The city of Sedona will accept Christmas trees for recycling from Dec. 26, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026, Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the city’s maintenance yard, located at 2070 Contractors Rd. Trees dropped off for recycling must be free of lights, tinsel, ornaments, nails, stands and plastic wrapping. Please do not bring yard debris. The trees will be offered to the U.S. Forest Service to be used as erosion control in the national forest. For more information, call the city’s Public Works Department at 928-203-5063.
Twelve bachelors, twenty-one practical nursing degrees awarded Friday Prescott, Arizona (December 16, 2025) – The future of health care in Northern Arizona took center stage at Yavapai College on Friday afternoon. Thirteen Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates; forty-four Associate of Applied Science in Nursing graduates and twenty-one Practical Nursing graduates received a rock star-reception at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center, streaming down the aisle to a soundtrack of “Pomp & Circumstance,” that could barely be heard for all the cheers. “You’ve demonstrated the tenacity and fortitude necessary to be successful in a highly skilled profession.” Yavapai College…
Sedona, AZ — The SAVCO Christmas meeting, held on December 10, 2025 at the Juniper Bar & Grille was a joyful occasion that brought members together in a festive atmosphere. The event fostered camaraderie among attendees and highlighted the spirit of service that defines the SAVCO organization. Members reminisced about the year’s significant achievements while enjoying seasonal refreshments and music, making the gathering a memorable highlight of the holiday season. During the evening, SAVCO demonstrated its commitment to the community by awarding a total of $12,500 to six Sedona-area nonprofit organizations. The recipients were: The Hope House Community Library Sedona…
By David Stephen Sedona, AZ — There is a recent report in The Washington Post, Counterterrorism officials vetted Guard shooting suspect before he entered U.S., stating that, “The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House this week underwent thorough vetting by counterterrorism authorities before entering the United States, according to people with direct knowledge of the case.” If the United States would vet individuals of certain provenance to keep out threats, does the effort cease after they are on the US homeland? There is a recent report on NBC News, Noem says National Guard shooting suspect was ‘radicalized’ in…
Cottonwood, AZSip on a flight of award-winning wine and take in a panoramic view of Old Town Cottonwood with family and friends this holiday season while enjoying a farm-to-table meal at Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria. Merkin Vineyards will be open on Christmas Eve (12-8 pm) and Christmas Day (2-8 pm), as well as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (11 am-8 pm), with special holiday menus available (see below). Reservations can be made online at merkintrattoria.com. Additionally, the Caduceus Ventura Room–an intimate 90-minute first-class guided wine and dining experience–will be available on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day…
Sedona, AZ –The Sedona Heritage Museum will host Morgan Leigh as its next speaker in the Sedona Stories Speaker Series. Morgan’s talk will take place at 10 am on Thursday, January 8, in the historic Apple Shed at the Museum. Morgan Leigh is a stroke survivor, author, storyteller, and unshakable believer in second chances. Her new book Stroke Warrior is not just a memoir; it’s a testament to what it means to fight for your future when your body, your brain, and your identity are rewritten overnight. Diagnosed with a brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation) and multiple aneurysms at 18, Morgan lived with uncertainty for years.…