Author: Tommy

Sedona News – Emerson Theater Collaborative is pleased to announce that Craig Schneider has joined its Board of Directors, bringing valuable expertise in the financial arena to further the organization’s mission, which is to explore timely themes and issues through new, original works and modern theatrical classics. They develop and nurture both emerging and professional artists and collaborate across the artistic disciplines. Craig Schneider is a recognized leader in the financial planning, insurance, personnel management and sales sectors. with a proven track record of serving the following businesses during his long career:  Erie Malleable Iron Company (Assistant Personal Manager), Mutual…

… I love this place and every once in a while it is fun to imagine what the Sedona area looked like before it was Sedona … just another nameless place on the map, but it had been visited and made home by the Sinagua for hundreds of years, perhaps a thousand years. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon restoring the photo above to what it must have looked like back then … all traces of humanity have been removed! I worked this photo up in 48″ x 24″ format if you are interested in one that size…

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Sedona debut of “What the Constitution Means to Me” — a live theatrical production starring Alex Keiper — on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18 and 19 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. “What the Constitution Means to Me” was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Play and two Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Play. It was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her…

Sedona News – Members and guests will launch the 2025 Great Decisions programs on Monday January 27 with a discussion of “American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads.” The program will be held from 10 a.m. till noon at the Community Library Sedona, 3250 White Bear Road. The incoming administration will face a world that has changed dramatically in recent years.   Disorder seems to be spreading, posing challenges to America’s leadership and to the post-war global system. Many Americans are questioning the foundations of post-war policy. How will the Trump administration seek to put “America First”? What could be done to…

Sedona News – The Arts Academy of Sedona in collaboration with The Verde Valley School is kicking off the celebration of America’s Black History Month with a reading of the work of The acclaimed poets Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston.  Both Hurston and Hughes are considered to be pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African American literature.  Both were defining figures during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and their words still profoundly echo today.  This free celebration of their writings takes place on Wednesday, January 29, at 2 pm at the Verde Valley school. Zora Neale Hurston wrote groundbreaking works…

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is once again proud to present “Red Rocks Magic” for an encore performance — an extraordinary audience-driven magical experience — on Saturday, January 25 at 4 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. This is Sedona’s #1 magic experience! Mentalist Brett Barry presents his mind-boggling Sedona themed magic show, exploring the incredible power of the mind and the unseen connections we have to one another. Red Rocks Magic is a “sleights of mind” tour-de-force, with extensive audience interaction and this will not be your typical magic show. The 75-minute journey promises an…

By Bear Howard Bear Howard Chronicles Sedona, AZ — In the wake of devastating natural disasters, the true measure of leadership is not found in pointing fingers but in rallying collective efforts to address the crisis. Yet, in the United States, particularly in the aftermath of tragedies like the wildfires in Southern California, Maui, and Northern California, the discourse has often devolved into political blame games. Listen to Narration by AI. The far right, along with some mainstream conservative politicians and pundits, has been quick to use these disasters as an opportunity to vilify Democrats and Californian policies, sidelining the…

By Amaya Gayle Gregory I wonder … if I hadn’t had the experiences life granted me, who would I be? If instead of adversity I had been given ease, abundance, and love, would I be this version of me? It doesn’t seem so. Looking at a friend’s pictures, a friend who hasn’t seen death, who still is surrounded by all of her loved ones and seems to have more than enough of most everything, it triggered wonder. I love that … when my triggers don’t arise out of fear but curiosity. Had I been her, or if Kenny had lived,…

Camp Verde News – On 01-09-2025 at approximately 0850 hours, Camp Verde Marshals Office Deputies responded to assist Copper Canyon Fire and Medical for a report of male subject involved in an industrial accident that had just occurred near the 700 block of Finnie Flat Road in Camp Verde AZ. The initial investigation revealed that a 59 year old resident of Cottonwood AZ. was working on a large pipeline when the pipe became airborne striking the worker and falling on top of him. Other workers on scene rushed to assist and had to utilize heavy equipment to lift the pipe…

By Sean Dedalus Sedona, AZ — I don’t know what happened to the Publisher of Sedona.Biz, the once moderate and reasonable journalist, Tommy Acosta. Or maybe I do. He must be pulling our leg. In Mr. Acosta’s last Opinion piece, Cauldron of Chaos, Acosta pins together a necklace of current events and concludes we are on the verge of a “cosmic reckoning”. Acosta throws paint on the canvas with each hand slapping the slop on the imagination of the readers. He says in Georgia, a young college student jogging on campus was raped and murdered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal…

… on another January day not that long ago I was in the air getting shots of the peaks and the lenticular clouds some miles behind it formed by the wave coming off the peaks. Conditions were perfect for the formation of the wave … a stable air mass a few hundred feet above the surface and very high winds aloft. You can see the outrageous plums of snow coming off the peaks … excellent orographic lift in front of the peaks as the mountain bent the wind from horizontal to vertical and as it raced over the top of the peak,…

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Sedona encore of the powerful, life-affirming and uplifting “Every Brilliant Thing” — a live theatrical production starring Michael Doherty — on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18 and 19 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, sponsored by Health First Foundation Northern Arizona. “Every Brilliant Thing” — by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe — is an award-winning, one-person play that The Guardian calls “heart-wrenching and hilarious … one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression — and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see!” Could…

Sedona News – Sedona’s newest transit service, Sedona Shuttle Connect, launched at the end of August 2024 and has been getting rave reviews, as residents and visitors discover how easy and economical it is to use. In response to questions raised by the community, we developed a Three-Month Report Card providing details about the service’s first months of operation. It shares performance stats like where riders are going, what it costs and how it is funded. This fall was a breaking-in period for the new service and the technology that enables it. You can use your smartphone to request, track and pay…

Sedona News – The Arizona Community Foundation would like your help in recognizing the outstanding individuals and nonprofit organizations in Sedona and the Verde Valley. Community members are invited to submit a nomination in the following categories: Philanthropist of the Year Nonprofit Organization of the Year Volunteer of the Year Business Benefactor of the Year Community Collaborator of the Year The nomination process is simple. Starting on January 14, visit azfoundation.org/sedona to submit a nomination online and to find out more about the award categories. Nominations must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 14, 2025 to be considered. Awards will…

Camp Verde News – The Town of Camp Verde invites residents to participate in a new Survey designed to gather community input for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget. This survey offers an opportunity for residents and those who work in Camp Verde to share their priorities, ideas, and concerns to help guide decisions that will impact the community. “We value our residents’ input and want to ensure their voices are heard in shaping the future of our town,” said Town Manager Miranda Fisher. “The feedback from this survey will play a critical role in determining how resources are allocated…