Author: Tommy

Verde Valley News – MATFORCE, a primary prevention organization with a focus on stopping youth drug use before it starts, invites members of the community to attend two enlightening presentations by renowned speaker Doug Dolan, designed to empower individuals and organizations with knowledge about substance abuse and treatment strategies. Understanding Substance Abuse: Stages of Progression and Key Indicators 📅 Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025 ⏰ Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Join Doug Dolan as he provides a comprehensive overview of substance abuse, exploring the stages of progression and critical signs to recognize at each phase. Attendees will gain valuable insights into how substance…

Arizona News – A weekend closure of southbound I-17 in north Phoenix is scheduled Jan. 17-20 as the Arizona Department of Transportation starts a final series of closures needed for a pavement improvement project south of State Route 74/Carefree Highway. A primary detour route will be in place west of I-17. ADOT recommends drivers allow extra travel time, consider adjusting travel schedules and use the primary detour. Motorists should avoid using local streets east of I-17 that are not designed to handle freeway traffic. The upcoming closure for pavement repairs and bridge work is scheduled as follows: Southbound I-17 closed…

By Tommy Acosta Sedona, AZ — Drones fill the skies. Innocent pedestrians are mowed down by vehicles. Tesla trucks explode outside symbolic landmarks like Trump Tower. School shootings have become a grim regularity. Women are pushed in front of trains or horrifically set ablaze in New York City subways. Children fall victim to unspeakable crimes committed by those who slipped through the cracks of a broken immigration system. Gangs like Tren de Aragua terrorize tenants, taking over entire buildings in an assertion of lawless power. The chaos feels unrelenting. How much more can the human psyche endure? Fear seems to…

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Porcelain War”, showing Jan. 10-16 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. “Porcelain War” is shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPxIHYUXeEk Winner of the 2024 Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Documentary, “Porcelain War” is a stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the enduring hope and passion of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances. As war ravages their homeland, three artists — Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko and Andrey Stefanov — choose to stay in their native…

Sedona News – Chamber Music Sedona is pleased to present the second concert of its 42nd season as it welcomes venerated clarinetist David Shifrin and the internationally celebrated Miró Quartet to the stage on Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 3 p.m. Held at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Rd., Sedona, Ariz. 86336, the concert will honor the legacy of the “King of Swing,” Benny Goodman, with an extraordinary program of music ranging from Mozart to Peter Schickele to Goodman (including big band arrangements). “Rendezvous with Benny Goodman” will be preceded by a winter salon with…

Sedona News – The city of Sedona will again accept Christmas trees for recycling through Jan. 31, 2025, Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the city’s maintenance yard located at 2070 Contractors Rd. Trees dropped off for recycling must be free of lights, tinsel, ornaments, nails, stands and plastic wrapping. Please do not bring yard debris. The trees will be offered to the U.S. Forest Service to be used as erosion control in the national forest and mulch will be available to the community at the maintenance yard on a first come, first served basis. For…

Sedona News – Internationally acclaimed performers The Limeliters are making a Sedona stop on their national tour and will present a very special live concert on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, presented by the Sedona International Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucy5o5_1uzs The Limeliters launched their career in 1959 at San Francisco’s famous “Hungry i” nightclub and emerged as one of the dominant voices of the early 60’s folk music scene. They’ve been delighting audiences worldwide ever since, with their soaring vocal blend, eclectic repertoire and rousing live shows. Time Magazine summed up their appeal with…

… Monday I spent some time at the ponds on my way back from Cottonwood and this time focused on getting some shots of the young fish in two of the ponds. I thought they were fingerlings, but one of the guys from Game and Fish let me know that these fish are called “subs.” Fingerlings are generally considered to be such when they are 4″ or less … “subs” are a little bigger starting around five to six inches and up … “sub” is short for sub legal … in other words, if you catch one you must release…

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “40 Below: The Toughest Race in the World”, showing Jan. 10-16 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. https://vimeo.com/791538032 Meet the filmmaker, writer/producer/director Marius Anderson, who will be in Sedona for opening night on Friday, Jan. 10 to introduce the film and host a Q&A discussion following the screening. It’s been called the toughest endurance race in the world. Why would anyone do this, especially when it’s 40 degrees below zero? Set in Northern Minnesota, we meet Leah, a junk food eating scientist, and…

By David Stephen Sedona, AZ –The adoption of the pharmaceutical approach can be described as niche to AI safety. Pre-deployment testing and evaluation of OpenAI [o1], Anthropic [Claude 3.5 Sonnet] or others, only imply [circa] safety for those models, not general for AI. The misuses that are possible by AI tools across the internet [most times] may have nothing to do with OpenAI and Anthropic models. AI tools, for all kinds of purposes, are too numerous beyond what can be actively pre-tested or evaluated, by the US or UK AI safety institute. The pharmaceutical industry in most countries ensure that…

Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “All We Imagine as Light”, showing Jan. 10-16 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. “All We Imagine as Light” is nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture (Non-English Language) and Best Director for Payal Kapadia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mgQcpmYr_A The light, the lives, and the textures of contemporary, working-class Mumbai are explored and celebrated by writer/director Payal Kapadia, who won the Grand Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her revelatory fiction feature debut. Centering on two roommates who also work together in…

Verde Valley News – VERDE VALLEY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY joins the world in mourning the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and joins observances around the world to remember his life of service. He and Rosalynn Carter have served as Habitat for Humanity’s most famous volunteers over the 35 years they helped to build affordable housing with the organization. “It is with great sorrow that we learn of the passing of former President Jimmy Carter. His remarkable life of service to others leaves a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire the world” said Tania Simms, Executive Director of…

By David Stephen Sedona, AZ — Contents [from] which base AI models were trained, by contemporary creators of varying categories, with an expectation that their contents would be monetized, may have one possible option, amid others, for [how] AI companies may compensate for what they used: promotion. There are several base AI models, where the contents of several creators were used. This means that it is beyond just a few companies, but several of them, across continents. Some AI companies are making deals with major content companies, while there might be explorations for creators at other stages. However, compensating for…

… mid afternoon today I headed down to the ponds before doing my shopping at Bashas for eggnog, geez I love that stuff, cut it 50/50 with whole milk to make it last a little longer and Thanksgiving through New Years is the only time they seem to sell it. It was quiet and beautiful at the ponds and a pair of Belted Kingfishers were working two of the ponds that Arizona Game and Fish just stocked with fingerlings … a perfect size for our Kingfishers! The photo above shows the Kingfisher leaving his perch on the side of a pond to…

Sedona News – Keep Sedona Beautiful will hold its next Preserving the Wonder Speaker Series event on Wednesday, January 15 at 5:00 pm. Win Holden, former publisher of Arizona Highways Magazine will share “100 Years Grand – The Story of Arizona Highways Magazine”. As always, this presentation will be free and open to the public, and will be held at the KSB EcoHub, 360 Brewer Road in Sedona. Doors will open at 4:30. Please visit the KSB website, www.keepsedonabeautiful.org for details. April 2025 will mark Arizona Highways Magazine’s 100th birthday. How did a brochure produced by the Arizona Highway Department…