Sedona News – Starting March 24, 2022, Sedona residents and visitors will have an easier way to get to some of the area’s most popular trailheads. The new Sedona Shuttle will offer free park-and-ride shuttle service to Cathedral Rock, Dry Creek, Little Horse and Soldier Pass trailheads. The trailhead shuttles will pick-up from two park-and-ride lots. Both parking and the shuttle ride are free. A Red Rock Parking Pass is not required at the trailhead. In addition: Trailhead shuttles serving Cathedral Rock and Little Horse trailheads will pick up from the North SR 179 park-and-ride lot located at 1294 SR…
Author: Tommy
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… and what eyes they are! The photo above is of a double crested Cormorant on takeoff with the explosion of water flying all around him … and then there are those remarkable turquoise eyes which adds to the beauty of this voracious consumer of small fish. Below is a shot of a Coopers Hawk that I got this evening whilst on the deck with One. It is a delight to have them back and time for me to get the bird feeder out to attract more food for them; I do enjoy the songbirds that a feeder provides and they in…
Cottonwood News – Brian Chartrand, who has thrilled crowds everywhere from Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom to Carnegie Hall, blends his soulful original work with a repertoire ranging from James Taylor to Radiohead. For this special evening, Brian will be joined by world-class musicians Todd Chuba, Lamar Gaines, and Mario Mendivil. Brian Chartrand Quartet will perform at the Old Town Center for the Arts, Saturday, March 26, at 7:00 PM. Brian Chartrand is a singer/songwriter based in Phoenix, AZ. He is a co-founder of The Sweet Remains along with Rich Price and Greg Naughton, writer of “Live from Laurel Canyon: Songs and Stories…
Verde Valley News – Organizations serving LGBTQ residents in communities across Arizona are invited to apply for grant funding through the Kellenberger + Tollefson Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy at the Arizona Community Foundation. The grant application will be available online at azfoundation.org/grants beginning on Monday, March 21 at 9:00 a.m. with final applications due no later than Monday, April 18 at 4:00 p.m. Through a competitive grant cycle, the Kellenberger + Tollefson Center will award funding to nonprofits, schools, municipalities, government agencies, tribal entities, houses of worship (for non-sectarian programs), and other organizations operating with a charitable purpose or with a nonprofit fiscal…
Verde Valley News – This week Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity celebrated the valuable contributions of AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who pledged to “get things done” for our nation as part of the annual AmeriCorps Week. The weeklong celebration also honors the contributions and support of thousands of local organizations that make AmeriCorps programs possible. In Arizona, approximately 6,800 AmeriCorps members serve each year. “We are proud to be part of AmeriCorps and grateful for the AmeriCorps members and volunteers who are getting things done for Arizona.” AmeriCorps members have made a significant impact on Arizona’s ability to…
Sedona News – This week you may have received a letter from the city of Sedona inviting you to take a survey about updating Sedona’s Community Plan. This is an essential first step for public input on the city’s general land use plan, which is updated every 10 years. If you have not yet received the letter, please check your mailbox in the coming days. Residents are asked to take the time to fill out the survey no later than April 4, 2022. The survey focuses on two basic questions: How important are the community values and vision from the…
By Tommy Acosta Let’s, for sake of this discussion, assume that eventually, after a reasonable amount of money has been stashed by the weapons-people, that the Russians win. Let’s go one step further and assume that true to their promise, the Ukraine soldiers fight to the bitter end, valiantly giving their lives in defense of what once was their country. Every last Ukrainian male over the age of 16 and under the age of 60, is killed. Now, we have millions of women with their children and grandparents that will come back to live their lives under Russian rule. Their…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory Everyone has their own gig. We are unique individualized experiencing vessels. Sometimes what another sees as truth fits us like a nice pair of stretchy jeans. Sometimes, it’s loose and baggy, or too tight to squeeze into. Fortunately, there are racks and racks of jeans, different brands, sizes to fit everyone, and quirky designs and a magic mushroom show of colors. There’s even a no-pants rack. Isn’t that cool! This Big Universe creates something for us all. These days many seem to be riding the rail of one – one right way, one way to see…
… first we have a Great Egret go airborne off the side of a very steep slope above the shore and glide out over the water of the lake seeking somewhere where we are not … thanks to some nice back lighting we have very fine detail in the wings and a sharp brilliant eye. In the lower shot we have been airborne for some time and are catching most of the Sedona metro area. In the foreground is the loop area and Oak Creek is within the emerald green trees snaking its way to the south. around the western…
Sedona News – The Mary D. Fisher Theatre is honored to be the home for the Met Live Opera programs for the 2021-2022 season, presented by the Sedona International Film Festival. The season will continue with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Don Carlos” on Saturday, March 26. There will be one show at 9 a.m. — a live simulcast as it is happening at the Met! Plan to come early as Russell Fox will lead a pre-opera talk one hour before the production. For the first time in company history, the Met presents the original five-act French version of Verdi’s epic opera of…
Verde Valley News – The 18th annual Native American Indian Disability Summit, under the theme “Gathering Native Voices to Build Strength Through Unity,” is Friday, April 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Desert Willow Conference Center, 4340 E. Cotton Center Blvd. in Phoenix. A virtual online component is available. The event is fragrance free to accommodate those with allergies, breathing conditions or multiple chemical sensitivities. There is no cost to attend the Summit, but registration is required. To register, visit www.ability360.org/american-indian-disability-summit. The Summit officially begins with opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. featuring the presentation of colors by the honor…
Sedona News – Coconino National Forest officials have implemented restrictions on climbing and other activities on a portion of the cliff face of an area known as the Peaks Crag in order to protect nesting peregrine falcons. Similar restrictions have been in effect over the last several years allowing the nesting peregrine falcon pair to successfully fledge one to three young each season, while still affording recreational climbing opportunities in the vicinity. The current Forest Order allows access from Forest Road 522 (Freidlein Prairie Road) to the climbing area north of the peregrines’ nest site. The Forest Service, with the help of…
… the northern migration is in full swing at Lake Pleasant is filled with birds and in a back water bay of the lake we jumped these mergansers and they had no option but to fly directly at us to get out of the narrow bay … and I got this shot as they flew at us. It reminds me a lot of the hunting we used to do as kids down in the Minnesota River bottoms. Saturday we headed down to Watson Lake near Prescott and was amazed at the amount of water in the lake … it is…
Camp Verde News – On Saturday, March 19 – Sunday, March 20, 2022, the Verde Valley Wine Consortium and the Town of Camp Verde will be co-hosting the 21st Annual Camp Verde Pecan & Wine Festival in Camp Verde, Arizona, sponsored by Yavapai College and their Southwest Wine Center, SRP and Larry Green Chevrolet. Celebrating two of the areas prime tourism draws – wine and pecans – the festival, which is FREE to all, will feature 13 Arizona wineries along with a variety of pecans for pairing, a very competitive Pecan Pie contest, a Budweiser Beer Garden, food trucks, 70+…
Cottonwood News – On March 12, 2022 the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Cottonwood Police Department, Arizona State Land Department, U.S. Forest Service and Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking participated in a joint operation to address ongoing problems with squatters littering and using State Trust and Forest Service land as a residence. A valid recreational permit allows up to two weeks of recreational camping in a 12-month period. Using the land as a residence is not permitted. Numerous subjects were contacted and warned that they were not allowed to abuse State Trust or Forest Service land. The participating law enforcement officers were…