Author: Tommy

Sedona AZ (June 21, 2021) – Come celebrate Fourth of July at the Sedona Community Pool from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a free 1.5-hour session of recreation swim. Listen to some tunes brought to you by DJ Dom with Downtown Brown Productions, savor a tasty treat from the Merkin Gelato Wagon and enjoy organized activities with the lifeguards. To participate, reserve your 1.5-hour time slot starting at 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. to take a free dip in the Sedona Community Pool. Pre-registration online is required. Registration opens June 28, 2021. Sedona Community Pool COVID-19 safety precautions…

Flagstaff AZ (June 21, 2021) – Due to fire danger, dry conditions, and persistent wildfire activity during a time when firefighting resources are sparse, the entirety of Coconino National Forest will close for public safety, beginning Wednesday (June 23) at 8 a.m.A full forest closure means that the public is prohibited from entering any part of Coconino National Forest at any time. Only those with private inholdings will be allowed access to their property, as well as personnel providing utility support where necessary, and firefighters performing their duties.

Public can help by texting “SENDWATER” to 41444Phoenix AZ (June 21, 2021) – Water is the essence of life, and it’s just as precious for Arizona’s wildlife.As drought conditions continue to worsen across the Southwest, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is preparing for another record-setting year of delivering lifesaving water to thirsty Arizona wildlife. AZGFD trucked and airlifted an unprecedented 2.4 million gallons of life-sustaining water to catchments throughout the state in 2020. With little relief in sight, AZGFD anticipates hauling close to 3 million gallons of water in 2021.

Yavapai County AZ (June 21, 2021) – “Decriminalizing Mental Illness and Addiction” is the topic of Mental Health Monday on June 28th, 10-11:30 AM, via Zoom.  The program has been organized by NAMI Yavapai and the Northern Arizona Peer & Family Coalition and is free to the public. The program will feature three speakers as follows: 

 Sedona News (June 21, 2021) – After consulting with local County Emergency Managers and District Rangers, it has been determined that effective Friday, June 11th, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. Sedona Fire District (SFD) is moving into Stage II Fire Restrictions. Sedona Fire District joins Coconino County, Yavapai County, Coconino National Forest and other local fire jurisdictions in this action. These restrictions prohibit all solid fueled open fires, fire pits and campfires. During the period of fire restrictions, no burn permits will be issued and existing burn permits are hereby suspended. Fireworks and other pyrotechnic displays are prohibited, unless permitted by the Fire…

Sedona AZ (June 20, 2021) – Voodoo Macbeth, the story of the groundbreaking 1936 production of Shakespeare’s classic tale with an all-Black cast directed by then-untested 21-year-old director Orson Welles, was named Best of Fest at the 27th Annual Sedona International Film Festival.The annual 10-day event, rescheduled from its usual end-of-February timeline because of the coronavirus pandemic, featured more than 180 films.Voodoo Macbeth takes place in a Harlem neighborhood battered by economic strife and hardship where director Rose McClendon convinces co-director John Houseman to help her bring Shakespeare’s Macbeth to the Harlem community at the Lafayette Theater using funding from FDR’s New Deal.

By Ted Grussing … so, we rescued this little lady Wednesday evening; Wednesday evening she was hydrated and checked out … Thursday, more hydration and six baby mice … Thursday evening, about 22 hours after we first got her, Rachelle and Evan placed her on a branch about 20′ above the ground near the nesting tree and mom saw us put her back up there. I stayed on the back deck for a couple of hours to make sure all was well. About an hour after she was placed up in the tree, I saw her glide down to the…

The City of Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 102 Roadrunner Drive, Sedona, Arizona regarding the proposals listed below. At the public hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will review, take public testimony, discuss and possibly take action regarding the following proposals:Request for approval of a Major Community Plan Amendment to the Future Land Use Map from Single- family Low Density to Multi-family Medium and High Density and Conceptual Zone Change from RS-18 (Single-family Residential) to RM-2 (Multi-family Residential High Density)…

Sedona News (June 18, 2021) Soundbites Grill in Uptown Sedona is not only known for its mouth-watering fare and breathtaking views of the famed Sedona Red Rocks but also for the fabulous live music it offers almost every night of the week.Not only does the restaurant feature some of the best musicians in Northern Arizona but also hosts national touring acts that love to play on the Sound Bites stage.A state-of-the-arts sound system and lighting add to the luster of their featured bands, creating an almost New York City rock club/supper club ambiance for their shows.Sedona locals and visitors alike…

By Amaya Gayle Gregory I felt fractured, split apart and sought to be whole but with every aspect of myself I attempted to rehabilitate, I created more division, splitting myself into smaller and smaller pieces, some okay, others less so. In the process I fractured the world into tiny bits, spiritual and material, organic and poisonous, healthy and dangerous, acceptable and not. I felt unworthy and ached for inclusion but was unwilling to include those parts of myself I saw as undeserving. Inwardly, I could not honor my own path, my own way of being in the world, the turns and twists…

By Tommy Acosta(June 17, 2021)Yesterday, I saw a sight in the Safeway parking lot that just about broke my heart.Parked next to me was this car, and when a woman opened the door and got out of it, I noticed that the car was totally packed with suitcases and belongings, blocking all the car windows save for the windshield. There was not an excess inch one could pack anything into. The realization struck me that this woman was living out of her car.She was haggard, shabby and unkempt. Her face was worn with worry and her eyes were dulled. I…

By Ted Grussing… just imagine surviving the brutal heat we have been experiencing and whoops, you tumble out of the nest before you have fledged. Down through the branches, picking up some pine needles in your wings as you head down … wings extended and while not able to fly, you glide to a perch below the nest just a few feet above the ground … and it is late in the day, the temperature is still 102F and there is no way back to the safety of the nest. Predators are all around you … odds of survival are…

Cottonwood AZ (June 17, 2021) – Friends of the Verde River has landed one of the first ever grants from the brand new 4Rivers Fundin May 2021. Friends of the Verde River works collaboratively for a healthy, flowing Verde River system. The Verde River flows through the center of Arizona, from the Chino Valley to the Phoenix metropolitan area. The 4Rivers Fund is administered by the Grand Junction-based Forever Our Rivers Foundation and was generously seeded with $1 million by The Walton Family Foundation earlier this year. It will supply annual grants to protect four southwestern waterways, forever.Forever Our Rivers plans to grow the fund…

Sedona AZ (June 17, 2021) – Members of the Verde Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild will have their spinning wheels humming for “Monday at the Museum” at the Sedona Heritage Museum on June 28th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The spinners’ guild was formed over 35 years ago by Mary Pendleton of the Pendleton Weaving studio in Sedona along with a few weavers in the Verde Valley. The guild continues today with some 40 to 50 members actively pursuing Fiber Arts such as weaving, spinning, basket-making, dyeing and knitting. They would be happy to share their art with you,…

Sedona AZ (June 17, 2021) – In commemoration of the founding of our country, Rowe Fine Art Gallery applauds the independent nature of its artists who continue to blaze new trails in their mediums. Free Spirits opens Friday, July 2, at 4 p.m., and continues throughout the month. Stop into the gallery and see how freedom translates to canvas, bronze, stone or wearable art.