Rimrock AZ (June 10, 2020) – A massage therapist working in the Sedona area has been sentenced to 24 years in state prison by the Honorable Michael Bluff of the Yavapai County Superior Court. Aaron Orrico, age 49 of Rimrock, AZ, was sentenced on May 14, 2020, for three separate counts of Sexual Assault. Orrico was previously found guilty of the crimes at the conclusion of a trial to a Yavapai County jury. The evidence at trial showed Orrico was a licensed massage therapist who was working as an independent contractor in the Sedona area. In 2016, over a nine-month…
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Sedona AZ (June 10, 2020) – The Sedona Heritage Museum will once again welcome guests beginning Monday, June 15.The Museum will reopen with regular hours, 7 days/week, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Simultaneous visitor numbers will be limited with spacing between entries. Visitors, volunteers and staff will be asked to honor social distancing and will be required to wear masks. Masks will be available for sale on-site, including locally handmade fabric masks. Hand sanitizer will be available and a disinfecting protocol will be followed during open hours. Audio tours will not be available for the foreseeable future. The Museum Gift Shop…
Flagstaff AZ (June 10, 2020) – The Coconino and Kaibab national forests of northern Arizona will implement Stage 2 fire restrictions across both forests at 8 a.m., June 13, due to increasing fire danger and the need to prevent human-caused wildfires during potentially dangerous fire conditions.The Kaibab National Forest will also temporarily close the Bill Williams Mountain watershed just southwest of the City of Williams due to the area’s susceptibility to uncharacteristically severe wildfire and the post-wildfire flooding that would result.
Sedona AZ (June 10, 2020) – On June 16, 2020 the Sedona Fire District will be holding the public budget hearing and there are four options for participating.In Person: 2860 Southwest Dr, Multipurpose Meeting RoomZoom Webinar: https://sedonafire.zoom.us/j/97936860659Telephone: 1-253-215-8782 or 1-301-715-8592 Meeting ID# 979-3686-0659Email: Send comments to: ktarver@sedonafire.orgPublic comments are limited to three (3) minutes in length and will be taken in advance through email or live during the meeting. Please see the following instructions for each method of participation:
Sedona AZ (June 10, 2020) – The Rotary Club of Sedona Village and the Rotary Club of Sedona Village Charitable Fund presented checks for $8,930 to eight area not for profit organizations recently. The grant recipients socially distanced at the Oak Creek Country Club for a morning recognition ceremony.“Each organization’s application highlighted a specific service or program which enhances our community” stated Rob Schaefer, Charitable Fund President. “Our club raises funds annually, through various means, to support worthy endeavors impacting the Verde Valley”.
By Ted Grussing… back from space and down to the ponds in Page Springs where a great blue heron is sticking a landing on the very edge of the berm between ponds … miss it and a go around is required less he slip down the plastic liner into the pond. He ends up there anyhow as shortly thereafter he nailed a nice fish in the pond and scrambled back up with trophy firmly speared on his beak.
TSIIZIZII, DINÉTAH (Leupp, Navajo Nation) (June 9, 2020) — The Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund (Relief Fund) marks its third month of operations as the Navajo Nation remains a hotspot for COVID-19. The Navajo Nation currently has 5,808 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 269 who have passed on in just three months as curfews and restrictions on businesses are lifted throughout the US.“Our all-volunteer leadership team remains steadfast and committed to diligently protecting the well-being and health of vulnerable Navajo and Hopi community members during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Relief Fund founder Ethel Branch. “That this effort has grown…
Yavapai County AZ (June 9, 2020) – MATFORCE’s Youth Poster Contest is an annual event held to raise awareness among youth about the risks of drug and alcohol abuse. Each year the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office assists in promoting this contest to students across the county.Deputy Scott Reed, Law Enforcement Education Deputy on the Community Relations Team with Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, has helped with this contest since it began. He stated, “I love being a part of the Youth Poster contest each year because the messaging and artwork the kids create are amazing. It’s an honor to be involved…
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”– Margaret Mead (1901-1978), anthropologistCamp Verde AZ (June 9, 2020) – As the world has become more interconnected, it is more important than ever to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has partnered with the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves to dramatically increase access to the themes and content presented in its national initiative “Choosing to Participate” with a poster exhibition designed to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect, and participation in classrooms…
By Ted Grussing… I just read an article in Sci Tech Daily about data reviewed from previous studies that indicate with an 85% probability that an earth like planet has been discovered orbiting a star that is emitting light within our visible frequency range and that it is within the zone that life can form. To be confirmed as a planet there must be a 99% certainty … launches in the mid 2020’s may be able to confirm these findings. This is really exciting, the possibility of humanoid type life somewhere else within our galaxy.
Verde Valley AZ (June 8, 2020) – The suicide rate in Yavapai County is nearly 3 times the national average and is continuing to increase. In 2019, 98 individuals committed suicide in Yavapai County, an increase of 17% from the 84 suicides in 2018. Suicides are predominantly occurring amongst our senior population. The age of decedents ranged from 18 to 95 with the average age being 62.1 years of age. 75 of the suicide 98 deaths involved individuals 50 years of age and older.
City of Sedona, major resorts, landmarks off limits to commercial helicopter overflightsSedona AZ (June 8, 2020) – In a major step forward for sustainability in red rock country, Sedona helicopter tour operators have agreed to “no-fly” zones encompassing the entire City of Sedona, it was announced today. Under the agreement, several major resorts and neighborhoods outside the city limits are also included where tour helicopters will no longer overfly. The City of Sedona, Yavapai County, the Sedona Airport Authority, Keep Sedona Beautiful, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, and helicopter operators Guidance Air and Sedona Air Tours announced the…
Sedona AZ (June 7, 2020) – Summer is here and what better way to welcome it than a Green Light Dance Band concert at the Posse Grounds Pavilion in West Sedona on Friday, June 12.This year the city celebrates its 4thAnnual Red Dirt Concert Series at the park, an event that has steadily gained in popularity and serves as a launching for all the great events during the summer months Sedona is known for.The music starts at 5:30 p.m. with opening act Devin Angelet, a popular pianist and singer known for her command of voice and a plethora of music…
Arizonans Urged to Take Prevention Steps to Protect Themselves and Their CommunitiesPhoenix AZ (June 7, 2020) – The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) on June 6 released the latest data related to COVID-19 cases reported in the state and the status of hospital capacity in the state.COVID-19 Cases in ArizonaAs the total number of COVID-19 cases surpasses 1,891,690 nationwide, Arizona has reached 25,451 cases. COVID-19 related deaths nationwide total 109,192, with 1,042 deaths reported in Arizona. Nationwide the percentage of positive tests is at 11%, with 7.2% COVID-19 positive PCR tests in Arizona.“As this pandemic continues to spread across…
Bill Nighy and Sam Riley star in mystery/comedy at the Mary D. Fisher TheatreSedona AZ (June 6, 2020) – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to re-open its Mary D. Fisher Theatre with the Northern Arizona premiere of the quirky new mystery/comedy “Sometimes Always Never” showing June 12-18.The Mary D. Fisher Theatre is re-opening following CDC guidelines and social distance seating at a limited capacity with the approval of Governor Doug Ducey and his staff.Alan (Bill Nighy) is a stylish tailor with moves as sharp as his suits. However, he’s spent years searching tirelessly for his missing son, Michael,…