SEDONA, Ariz. – The city of Sedona issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting private entities to share their interest and ideas for the restoration and operations of the Sedona Cultural Park Amphitheater, a 5,500-seat outdoor performance venue located on city-owned land in West Sedona called the Western Gateway. The outdoor amphitheater was in operation primarily as a music venue from 2001-2003 and hosted nationally recognized artists. The city purchased the property in 2022 and is now exploring options to bring the venue back as a cultural and economic asset for residents and visitors. The city is seeking responses from…
Author: Tommy Acosta
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Sedona, AZ –As businesses continue to navigate a variety of situations involving employees, customers, and visitors, workplace safety remains a top priority. To help support our members, the Greater Sedona Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Sedona Police Department to offer an Employee Safety Training led by Commander Penner and Detective Guastalli. This practical, interactive session will cover:• De-escalation techniques and communication strategies• Personal and workplace safety best practices• Handling disruptive or challenging individuals• Recognizing potentially threatening behavior• When and how to engage law enforcement• Developing workplace safety plans and procedures This training is recommended for business owners, managers,…
Celebrating NARTA Class 60 and 30 years of NARTA training Prescott, AZ, – The Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy at Yavapai College graduated 19 new peace officers Thursday, June 4, during a command inspection, commencement and swearing-in ceremony at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center. The milestone event marked NARTA’s 60th graduating class and 30 years of preparing peace officers to serve communities across northern Arizona and throughout the state. “The profession you are entering is one of tremendous responsibility. Every day, peace officers are called upon to make difficult decisions, often in challenging circumstances and under intense pressure,”…
“The July 21 election is about more than candidates. It is about whether Sedona chooses stability, Home Rule, and responsible leadership — or risks creating uncertainty at the very moment confidence matters most.” Opinion by Al Comello, Sedona Resident Sedona, AZ — The July 21 election is about more than candidates. It is about whether Sedona chooses stability, local control, and responsible leadership—or accepts uncertainty at a time when confidence matters more than ever. Sedona’s property values are supported by more than its red rock scenery. They are supported by confidence: confidence in public safety, infrastructure, city services, financial stability,…
Sedona, AZ — My name is Rich Gay. I’m a 65-year-old Uptown Sedona resident who moved here 4.5 years ago with my wife because of the extraordinary natural beauty and small-town character that still inspire us every day. As the founder of a software company that managed large, complex projects, I bring proven skills in project management, fiscal responsibility, and delivering results. I’m running for City Council as part of the Sedona Residents First slate alongside Henry Silbiger for mayor, Lita Loesch Boyd, and Jean-Christophe Buillet. Together, we believe it’s time to put Sedona residents and local businesses first—before tourists,…
By Tommy Acosta Sedona, AZ — The music is humming, the wine is flowing, and the aromas of authentic Italian cuisine fill the air at BV’s Italian Kitchen, one of Cottonwood’s hottest destinations for dining and live entertainment. Drawing music lovers from throughout Cottonwood, Sedona, and the Verde Valley, BV’s has quickly built a reputation as the place where great food and great music come together beneath the stars. Now featuring six nights a week of outstanding local entertainment paired with delicious Italian specialties, BV’s has established itself as one of the region’s premier venues for an unforgettable evening of…
[SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY, AZ] Unify Sedona Verde Valley and the Sedona International Film Festival invite the community to a special Pride Month premiere screening of documentary The Dads on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in Sedona. Inspired by the Emmy Award-winning short documentary of the same name, The Dads follows a community of fathers of transgender and nonbinary children as they navigate the challenges of supporting their families amid a growing wave of anti-transgender legislation and social division in the United States. Filmed over the course of a year, the documentary captures intimate…
Organizations unite to premiere important films for Pride Mont Sedona, AZ — The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to partner with Unify Sedona to present “My Sunnyside” on Wednesday, June 3 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in observation of Pride Month. “My Sunnyside” premiered to rave reviews at the recent Sedona International Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9o4dl-VzrA True love can surprise you when you’ve already lost hope of finding a partner. Allie, a trans woman, and Jo, a trans man, knew from the first moment that they would be together. As the relationship of these two New Yorkers evolves through…
Sedona, AZ — The Sedona Heritage Museum and Fine Art Museum of Sedona are proud to announce their participation in the Blue Star Museums program. The Blue Star Museums initiative is a nationwide program which offers free admission to people currently serving in the armed forces and to their families. The Blue Star Museums program begins in May and runs through the summer to Labor Day, September 7, 2026. “We take immense pride in participating in this program every year. Members of our armed services and their families make sacrifices every day which ensure our safety and security. We feel…
By David Stephen Consciousness is a field of research that is resistant to change. Old ideas. Weak analogies. Collusion signaling. The difficulty of what is called the consciousness problem has to do with the collective decision, it appears, to keep consciousness research stuck. One of the people it seems, who both follows the program as well as benefit from consciousness as an impossible problem, is Jeff Sebo. Aside from that, there is also a persistent insistence with him to point attention in the direction of AI consciousness, almost by force. Like make all kinds of equivocations to just keep saying…
Keep Sedona Beautiful (KSB) celebrated outstanding community leadership on April 24, 2026 at its Annual Awards of Excellence ceremony, recognizing individuals, companies and organizations whose work supports KSB’s mission “to protect and sustain the scenic beauty and natural environment of Sedona and the Verde Valley.” KSB first honored Spring Graf, founder of Volunteer Sedona & the Verde Valley (VSVV), with an award for Community Service for creating a centralized hub that makes volunteering easy and accessible. Inspired by her work after the Maui wildfires, Graf launched the nonprofit in 2024. Since its founding, VSVV has grown from 26 to more than 75…
By Rabbi Alicia Magal Sedona, AZ — The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadowlark Drive off Route 179 in Sedona, is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. The JCSVV offers soul-enriching services, programs, concerts, and classes, all listed on the synagogue website, jcsvv.org. Office telephone: 928 204-1286. Visitors are welcome to attend services after a security check. Those who cannot attend in person can access the service through zoom. All are invited to Erev Shabbat service on Friday, June…
SEDONA, Ariz. – The Sedona Chamber of Commerce and the Sedona Lodging Council are sponsoring the Sedona Mayoral and City Council Candidate Forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Northern Arizona, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. The event will give Sedona residents and community members an opportunity to hear directly from candidates, learn more about their positions, and gain insight into key issues affecting the community ahead of the election. candidate_forum_layered_final The evening will include two separate forums. The Mayoral Candidate Forum will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by the…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory Sedona, AZ — A bit of me is falling apart. It happens. I’m a Raggedy Ann doll and my stuffing is poking out of the wounds of life. Those places that were tightly packed aren’t so rigid anymore. The traumas of life that compressed my natural beingness into me-ing-ness, the mistrust I unwittingly invited to distort this beautiful body, the ways I closed myself off from anyone who might hurt me, the anyone that became everyone, arms open wide in embrace with distance built right in, all of the ways we humans try to protect ourselves,…
By David Stephen There is a recent [May 28, 2026] report on National Catholic Reporter, Pope Leo calls to ‘disarm’ AI in major document, warns of technologic threats to humanity, stating that, “With the most authoritative document yet of his still-young pontificate, Pope Leo XIV directed the Catholic Church’s moral gaze toward the frantic pace of technological development that threatens human solidarity. With AI as its entry point, Leo used his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence, to articulate the church’s position on a wide range of contemporary crises, including…