… it was great to be down at the lake and on the water today … the spring migration is in full swing, and we got great shots of a couple of White Pelicans among many others we have not seen since last fall when the fall migration was underway. Above is a shot of a pair of double crested cormorants as they entered flight from the branch of a tree rising from the lake. The male has beautiful bushy black eyebrows which are just beginning to go white. Below is a photo of an Avocet in breeding plumage coming…
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Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “American Dreamer” showing April 5-11 at the Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres. “American Dreamer” features an all-star ensemble cast, including Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Danny Glover and Matt Dillon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip1M_fjL2Bo “American Dreamer” — based on a true story from Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life — is the story of Phil Loder (Peter Dinklage), a twice-divorced, frustrated, underpaid professor of economics, whose grand dream of home ownership is tragically out of reach. When an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way, Phil…
Arizona News – With Tax Day just a few weeks away, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is doing its part to take some of the hassle and stress out of filling out those forms. MVD’s online portal, azmvdnow.gov, conveniently provides a free summary of vehicle license tax and fees paid during 2023 for every vehicle registered in your name. “This is the simplest way for customers to get this information for filing their taxes,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “Getting this report just takes a few seconds and it’s much easier than going into each vehicle to collect…
Sedona News – To address growing concerns and changing conditions regarding motorized recreation in the Sedona area, the Greater Sedona Recreation Collaborative (GSRC) has issued a report to local, state, and federal land managers and jurisdictions. The report (Proposed Strategies for Motorized Visitor Use Management in the Greater Sedona Area) addresses three main motorized recreation challenges: 1) high volume of use and recreational demand; 2) limited physical infrastructure and sensitive environments; and 3) inappropriate or illegal user behavior. The report also includes consensus-driven proposed strategies to address these challenges including setting speed limits, issuing permits, route engineering, improving signage/barriers, increasing…
Verde Valley News – Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) announced that Adam Schneider MD, has joined the Orthopedic & Spine Institute (OSI) in Cottonwood at Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC). Dr. Schneider is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in general orthopedic fracture care and also on hand and upper-extremity conditions. He previously worked at VVMC from 2018-2021. “The Verde Valley is where my family and I call home and where we belong. I missed the good people at VVMC, who are like family. When I saw the job opening matching my particular skillset, the decision to return to the place we dearly missed…
By Rabbi Alicia Magal The JCSVV offers services and classes which are life-affirming and soul enriching. All are listed on the synagogue website, jcsvv.org. Visitors are welcome to attend services after security check. People who cannot attend or who live far away can access the service through zoom. Several classes, holidays, and special events are coming up in March and April. Check the website and plan to join us! The Shabbaton, expanded weekend of services and programs) begins with Erev Shabbat services on Friday evening, April 5 beginning at 5:30 pm in person and on Zoom led by Rabbi David Zaslow…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Ruby’s Choice” showing April 5-11 at the Mary D. Fisher and Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatres. “Ruby’s Choice” intricately weaves a poignant narrative around a teenage girl whose life takes a profound turn when she shares her space with her grandmother battling dementia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omYDwdk5jdA What begins as initial resentment transforms into a journey of love, self-discovery, and the revelation of long-held family secrets. Jane Seymour — celebrated for her iconic portrayals from the 1973 Bond girl Solitaire to Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman — delivers a…
Sedona News – Clean up and reduce your wildfire risk by disposing of yard waste during the annual Curbside Yard Waste Collection this April and part of May. Find your neighborhood’s pick-up day here: www.sedonaaz.gov/curbside and place material curbside by 4 p.m. the day prior to pick-up. Accepted for collection: Brush Tree limbs and trunks: Limbs eight inches or less and eight feet long or less Shrub trimmings Bagged leaves and pine needles. No more than 10 paper bags. No plastic bags. The total amount of debris accepted cannot exceed five yards or a pile no larger than 10 feet…
Arizona News – A Guttmacher Institute report based on surveys of reproductive-aged women in Arizona, Iowa, New Jersey and Wisconsin before and after the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade showed ripple effects on all aspects of reproductive care, including abortion, contraception and pregnancy care on people living in Arizona. The report found statistically significant evidence that barriers to accessing contraception have increased, sexual activity has declined, reports of receiving high-quality contraceptive care have decreased, and condom use has increased. “The long-term impact on reproductive-aged women includes potentially shaping attitudes towards becoming pregnant, changing their sexual activity and contraceptive strategies, and impacting their ability…
Sedona News – The Sedona Heritage Museum is set to once more host the M Bar Lazy B Chuck Wagon for the popular Chuck Wagon Dinner and a Movie program, on Saturday, April 20. Gates open at 4:30 pm, and dinner will be served at 5 pm. The film Virginia City will be screened in the historic Apple Shed after the meal. The meal will be prepared by award winning chuck wagon cook Bill Cowan and his crack team in cast iron prepared over open flames. Bill has a message for those who attended last year and are considering attending again this…
Arizona News – Yavapai Regional Medical Center proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Marylou Mercado to its Hospital Board. Dr. Mercado brings a wealth of experience and a passion for education and community empowerment to her new role. A first-generation Hispanic community college graduate, Dr. Mercado currently serves as the Vice President of Workforce and Health Sciences at Yavapai College. Throughout her academic and professional journey, Dr. Mercado has been deeply committed to empowering individuals through education. Dr. Mercado’s 28-year tenure in the community college environment and having received the 2024 Arizona Women in Higher Education (AWHE) Woman of the Year…
Verde Valley News – The public is invited to attend a free lunchtime presentation from Yavapai College’s new Provost on the state of modern education, and his ideas on the College, its potential and where it can go from here. Please join Yavapai College Provost Dr. Douglas Berry for “Provost Perspectives: My Journey and Our Future,” Thursday, April 4, from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., at Room M-137 on Yavapai College Verde Valley Campus. With extensive higher education experience as both faculty member and administrator, Dr. Berry holds a B.A. in Psychology, an M.A. in Sports and Exercise Psychology, and a…
By Rabbi Alicia Magal All in our community are invited to attend a weekend-long series of services, study sessions, concert, and workshops hosted at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, April 5 – 7, 2024. Rabbi Alicia Magal will co-lead along with guest Rabbi David Zaslow and his wife Devorah Zaslow. The topic of this weekend of study, story, and song will intertwine themes relevant both to Easter and Passover, although Easter will fall much earlier (on March 31) than Passover this year, since it is a leap year on the Hebrew calendar, with Passover beginning on the…
… I spent a while outside this morning while roasting a couple of pounds of coffee and did some shooting of the birds in the trees and greenery of the tee box and environs. I also switched back to my Canon L series 100-500 lens which is more than enough for anything close to the deck. In the top photo a Western Bluebird is hunting for food and spies an insect of some kind in the grass he is standing in and in the next frame he snapped his head and body down to get it and he got it…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “The Peasants” showing April 5-11 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. From the filmmakers of the Academy Award-nominated film “Loving Vincent” comes “The Peasants”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1in2FMBKmo “The Peasants” tells the story of Jagna, a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village – a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colorful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy. When Jagna finds herself caught between the conflicting…