Sedona, ?AZ — Yavapai County, AZ – MATFORCE, a primary prevention organization that focuses on stopping youth substance use before it starts, is pleased to reveal the 2026 winners for its yearly #StayHealthy Essay and Youth Poster Contests. Both competitions saw participation from students across Yavapai County. Winners of the #StayHealthy Essay Contest Launched in 2019, the annual #StayHealthy Essay Contest invites young people to explore the impacts of substance abuse and express their thoughts with their peers and the community. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three finishers, ranging from $500 for first place to $100 for third.…
Author: Tommy Acosta
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By David Stephen Sedona, Az — There is a new [May 19, 2026] report on NPR, Minnesota becomes first state to ban prediction markets, stating that, “The new state law makes it a crime to host or advertise a prediction market, which it defines as a system that lets consumers place a wager on a future outcome, like sports, elections, live entertainment, someone’s word choice and world affairs.” “The prohibition extends to services supporting prediction markets, like virtual private networks, that could allow consumers to disguise their location and get around the ban.” “It would force prediction market sites like Kalshi and Polymarket…
SEDONA, Ariz. – Miramonte Homes, the general contractor for the new Jordan Townhomes apartment project, will conduct essential utility work that requires a temporary road closure on Jordan Road between Navahopi Road and Orchard Lane on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. The work involves sewer, waterline concrete collars and a new crosswalk on Jordan Road. In order to complete this safely and efficiently and allow for concrete cure time, both directions of Jordan Road will be closed between Navahopi Road and Orchard Lane. During this time, northbound traffic will be detoured at Navahopi Road, and…
Sedona, AZ — Unify Sedona Verde Valley and Sedona International Film Festival are partnering to present a special Pride Month screening of the acclaimed documentary My Sunnyside on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in West Sedona. Premiering to rave reviews at the recent Sedona International Film Festival, My Sunnyside tells the moving story of Allie, a trans woman, and Jo, a trans man, whose lives unexpectedly intersect and evolve into a profound love story rooted in resilience, family, and authenticity. As the couple navigates careers, parenthood, gender transitions, and the journey…
Sedona, AZ — Let’s keep it clean. Comments and letters from non-candidates endorsing or praising Sedona council candidates will be accepted. Comments or letters criticizing or disparaging candidates will not. Respectful questions can be asked of the candidates in the comments section. Everyone is free to post on any subject, especially city politics, as long as there is no criticizing the candidates themselves. The pages of Sedona.biz are always open to the public regardless of political persuasion. Candidates have been offered free space in Sedona.biz to bring their message to the community. Our comments section is the most lively in…
Sedona, AZ — The “In the Living Room Music Series” continues its eclectic season at the Sedona International Film Festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre with an evening of profound vocal power and spiritual resonance. Monday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m., series creator, award-winning songwriter, Shondra Jepperson hosts Abigail Earthshine Fisher, acclaimed opera singer who has graced the world’s most iconic stages and who is also a catalyst for transformational healing. https://vimeo.com/1182769638?fl=ip&fe=ec Abigail’s musical pedigree is extraordinary. Trained as a classical singer and cellist in a family of performers, her career includes appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and…
By Mike Schroeder Sedona, AZ — The July 21 vote is simply about who controls Sedona’s city budget. FALSE. The council always controls the budget, and under AZ statute there are three funding choices: Base – Based on an early 1980 number, some small cities still use that; Permanent Base Adjustment – around 54% or AZ cities use that, and growing; Home Rule – which by law must be voted on every 4 years, and IF FAILS, one of three things happen: 1. The city must use BASE, which in our case is not a good deal. 2. The city…
A stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Midwinter Break” showing May 22-28 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. “Midwinter Break” is a stirring meditation on faith, commitment, and the enduring power of love, as a longtime couple takes a life-changing trip to Amsterdam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeD_KEGIU_Q Retired long-time couple Stella and Gerry (Academy Award nominees Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds) travel from their home in Glasgow to Amsterdam for an impromptu holiday Traversing the beautiful European city, they find themselves freed from the staid…
Set to begin June 1, VVS to provide on-scene support for CVMO during domestic violence and sexual assault calls CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — In a collaborative effort to coordinate services, Verde Valley Sanctuary (VVS) entered an agreement with the Town of Camp Verde to assist the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office (CVMO) with crisis response calls involving survivors of domestic and sexual violence. According to the agreement, which was signed at the Camp Verde Town Council meeting May 6, VVS agrees to provide on-scene support during a domestic violence or sexual assault situation that CVMO responds to, as needed. This agreement…
Arizona School Administrators name her doctoral thesis tops in 2026 Prescott, Arizona — Psychology Professor Nichole Guzzo earned her doctorate this year – and then some. Last Wednesday, the Arizona School Administrators (ASA) notified Dr. Guzzo’s dissertation chair that her thesis was selected as the Top Dissertation from Arizona’s universities in 2026. Dr. Guzzo wrote “The Interaction between Course Duration and Discipline for Student Outcomes in Online Accelerated Courses,” as part of her doctoral studies at Grand Canyon University. It examined student outcomes in accelerated, online courses in Psychology, Math, and Biology versus traditional online learning models. “I think mine stood out…
By Charlene. Roth Sedona, AZ –Sedona physicians and Verde Valley clinicians often spend their best energy on patients, call schedules, and keeping a practice running, while retirement planning for doctors gets pushed to “later.” The tension is real: a demanding medical career can make it easy to miss the small decisions that quietly shape long-term options, especially when the Sedona lifestyle and community matter as much as the paycheck. Early retirement preparation is less about stepping away soon and more about protecting flexibility, so work choices, time off, and future living plans stay on their terms. The goal is clear:…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory Sedona, AZ — We live our lives balanced between human and divine. For some of us it is conscious; for others it hasn’t yet risen into the realm of faint possibility. As long as we have a body, as long as we are playing our role in the story of humanity, we will teeter on the brink, tottering back and forth between what appears to be two options. Divine: my definition is not at all what it used to be—the glorious essence of God, an other-worldly being, a co-creator of life, God, Goddess, holy, sacred. They’re…
By Rabbi Alecia 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, May…
Sedona, AZ – Again in 2026, members of the Rotary Club of Sedona Village hosted a Veterans Picnic at the Veterans Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. Village Rotarians presented a check for $15,000 to Julie James, Chief of the Center for Development & Civic Engagement. This financial donation supports the veteran patients discretionary fund. It was raised by three raffles held in front of Clark’s Market in the Village, donations from Clark’s Market, and generous donations from Villagers during 2025.. The picnic, made possible by a generous gift from Village residents Paul and Mara Majane, welcomed over 100 veteran…
The Rotary Club of Sedona Village celebrated a year of impactful youth service during its May 7 meeting, highlighting leadership programs, scholarships, theatre experiences and international exchange opportunities that benefited local students and families. One parent shared how Rotary programs profoundly affected their family: “It was really the most incredible experience hosting exchange student Samuel Knigge. It was really good for our daughter, too. She seems like a different person ever since RYLA (Rotary’s leadership camp). Rotary has been such an amazing influence on all our lives. Thank you, really, from the bottom of our hearts.” The Youth Services Team…