Author: Tommy Acosta

Advanced technology provides easy access to road conditionsPhoenix AZ (March 8, 2019) – A modernized, mobile-friendly Arizona 511 Travel Information System website and phone line are now available from the Arizona Department of Transportation. The new system uses the latest technology to provide a customized experience with real-time updates from ADOT, the premier source of information on Arizona’s highway system.The new AZ511.gov website allows users to save their favorite routes and most used traffic cameras. Before leaving for a destination, drivers can log onto AZ511.gov to view incidents along their route, get estimated travel times to their destination and receive alternate route…

Cottonwood AZ (March 8, 2019) – Friends of the Verde River (Friends) is excited to welcome Tracy Stephens who is heading up the habitat restoration program at Friends. Tracy joined Friends on March 6th. Friends’ restoring habitat program ensures that the strip of vibrant greenery alongside the Verde River and its tributaries provide quality habitat for wildlife, such as river otters, bald eagles, great blue herons, and supports healthy river functions for fish and wildlife. Our work supports recreation both on the river and in the surrounding landscape. We work collaboratively with members of the Verde Watershed Restoration Coalition to achieve…

Camp Verde AZ (March 8, 2019) – The next Music in the Stacks, a free monthly concert series, will take place on Thursday, March 14th at 5:30 pm in Camp Verde Community Library’s Fireside Room.  Music in the Stacks is a showcase of local and national musicians who entertain regularly in Northern Arizona. There are 4-6 different performers during the show, with a rotating variety each month.

By Karen Mack, Youth Services LibrarianSedona AZ (March 8, 2019) – StoryWalk is ready and waiting for you at Sunset Park.  Come celebrate with us!  On Tuesday March 12, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., visit the park for family fun when Sedona Public Library officially opens its permanent and public early literacy project: StoryWalk.The upcoming Tuesday event will include simple craft activities, face painting, games and snacks for young children and, of course, a chance to experience a StoryWalk firsthand.  It also gives us an opportunity to thank those who made this Sedona Public Library project possible.

By Ted Grussing… a good thing to do and here is a shot I took on Monday morning looking north … in the foreground is the N side of Long Canyon, continuing bottom to top, beyond it a little you can see a grey bank and this is the northern rim of West Fork and of course on the horizon  left to right we have Kendrick Peak a couple of unnamed ridgelines and cones and then the San Francisco Peaks and on the peaks left to right, Humphreys Peak, Agassiz Peak, Freemont and Doyle. Cloud base was less than 9,000’ as…

Sedona AZ (March 7, 2019) – In a Celtic celebration for St. Patrick’s Day weekend, “Ally & The Boys” will perform an exciting mix of jigs, reels, airs and songs in this live Celtic music concert at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre in Sedona! Featuring Rick Cyge on guitar, mandolin and vocals, Lynn Trombetta on flute and Irish whistles and Allen Ames on violin and mandolin, this group is “Pure Celtic-crossover magic!” Advance priced tickets are on sale now for the Saturday, March 16, 2019, 7:00 p.m. performance.

Sedona AZ (March 7, 2019) – Verde Valley Sanctuary is pleased to announce that the Living Room renovation project at the Verde Valley Sanctuary shelter is now complete.  Thanks to the vision and design of Erin Rieger of Desert Willow Interior, the women and children living at the shelter now have a beautiful and tranquil new living space.The shelter is made up of two houses and can accommodate 28 victims of abuse.  The shelter has been furnished over the years from generous donations made to our Twice Nice Thrift stores.  With the frequent turnover, the houses undergo a tremendous amount…

Phoenix AZ (March 7, 2019) – The Arizona Community Foundation’s Center for LGBTQ Philanthropy has selected Kathie J. Gummere, J.D. to serve as chair of its steering committee. The committee, made up of professionals with diverse backgrounds, helps guide the Center’s work.Kathie Gummere is an attorney in private practice focusing on estate planning, particularly for gays and lesbians and unmarried couples. She is a past political consultant and lobbyist for the Arizona Human Rights Fund, now known as Equality Arizona. She sits on the National Family Law Advisory Council for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and is a member…

Sedona AZ (March 7, 2019) – The Sedona Parks and Recreation Department needs lifeguards.Department staff members have been working to increase hours at the community pool to meet demand. Last year the department offered a spring season with limited hours, three days a week, the city’s earliest opening. Our recreation and aquatics supervisor has set a goal this season to open April 1 and expand the offering to five days a week for both swimming and aqua fitness classes.But there’s a problem: not enough lifeguards to staff the facility.  

Cottonwood AZ (March 7, 2019) – Friends of the Verde River (Friends) announces the cancelation of the annual Verde River Runoff event that was scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 16, 2019.First and foremost in this decision is the safety of all event participants, including boaters, guides, and volunteers. Extreme high flows on the Verde River since the beginning of 2019 and continuing fluctuations in water levels have made it impossible to ensure that the race course would be clear and safe for our over 150 boaters.

Sedona AZ (March 7, 2019) – Keep Sedona Beautiful (KSB) has announced its 40th Annual Native Plant Workshop to be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at the Verde Valley School, 3511 Verde Valley School Road. This year’s annual event is at a location new to the workshop because of the school’s extensive gardening and composting program.The day will begin at 7:45 with check-in, coffee and muffins along with time to peruse the silent auction items that form the basis of KSB’s largest fundraiser of the year. Vendors will have garden-related items for sale.

Sedona AZ (March 7, 2019) – Snowed out in February back in March, Red Earth Theatre returns to Tlaquepaque with two performances (at 6pm and 7.30pm) on Thursday March 21st with a twist on Valentine’s Day in the Chapel at the Patio de la Camilla. ‘Love is Just a 4-Letter Word’, the title of a song from Joan Baez and featured in this show, includes poetry, prose, music and thoughts about love in all its variety, how it works (or doesn’t) drawn from a variety of cultures and eras.

By Ted Grussing… a benefit to going through and cleaning out the portfolio periodically is that you find some gems that you either didn’t see before or simply overlooked because your mind was searching for a different subject matter. Whatever the cause, this one slipped by me a couple of years ago and it is of a male Gambel’s Quail perched in the Pinion Pine in our backyard standing watch for the rest of the covey of quail feeding on the birdseed and cracked corn I had scattered on the ground. I shot him with a Canon 1D-X and the…

Prescott AZ (March 6, 2019) – Yavapai Justice & Mental Health Coalition Project Manager, Nancy Gardner, rolls out the first phase of Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Intervention program. A critical component for 1st Responders & School Personnel is working with our community and youth to provide resources and help to those who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use problem.  In order to recognize signs and symptoms that a community member may need this type of support, the Yavapai Sheriff’s Office has completed the first phase of the Mental Health Awareness Training Project. In partnership with…

Sedona AZ (March 6, 2019) – Clancy Sage will offer a bread-baking workshop at the Sedona Heritage Museum on Monday, March 18th, at 11:00 a.m. Participants will learn how to make Irish Soda bread. Attendance is limited, so call now to reserve your place. Bring an apron, mixing bowl, and large mixing spoon. At the end of the class, each person will take their bread home to bake, so you should plan your schedule accordingly.  The fee is $7 per person. RSVP required.