Author: Tommy Acosta

Tommy Acosta is the publisher, editor, and lead opinion writer of Sedona.biz, the hyperlocal cyber magazine known as "The Voice of Sedona and the Verde Valley." He writes on local issues, politics, national affairs, culture, and personal reflection, often with a provocative or satirical tone.In addition to his work as a writer, Acosta is a working musician and reflexologist. He has written extensively about the challenges Sedona's musicians face, noting their low pay despite the town's vibrant music scene.Acosta describes himself as a "political actualist," rejecting strict party affiliations and instead focusing on how people are manipulated by political processes. His coverage spans local Sedona issues, tourism, short-term rentals, cultural events, community building, as well as national commentary and critiques of political figures, sometimes through imaginative pieces like "What Would Tommy Do?"Acosta is deeply engaged in Sedona's cultural and spiritual community, advocating for local musicians, artisans, and businesses, and writing about Sedona's unique identity as a spiritual and artistic hub.

Sedona AZ (September 28, 2016) – Come enjoy fall in Sedona at the annual Pumpkin Splash on October 22, 2016 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., in which the Sedona Community Pool will be home to 300 pumpkins ready for the picking, right out of the water. There will be swimming, organized games on deck with prizes, pumpkin decorating, bobbing for apples, a scarecrow throw, treats for sale, goodie bags, and at the end, a pumpkin for everyone participating to take home. New this year, Trunk-Or-Treat, by SummitLIFE, will feature decorated car trunks outside the gates of the pool that kids…

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Sedona AZ (September 27, 2016) – Phyllis Voren, award-winning N.Y. and L.A. comedian, who was recently featured in the Poet’s Corner series, is bringing her popular Comedy-Improv workshop to the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub October 6 – November 10, 2016, on Thursday evenings from 6 -7:30 p.m. The workshop is limited to 12 participants who will then ‘play it forward’.

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By Ted Grussing… I love all cats and kittens, well is there any creature quite as sweet? Okay, they sharpen their claws on furniture and if you cure them of that they likely will use you as a sharpening tool. So, I came on this photo of a Bobcat kitten I took last year and because he was leaning on a rather forlorn looking wall, I never did anything with the images. So, tonight it was either paint the wall or put him in a setting more appropriate to his (maybe her, do not want to be sexist) place in…

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Camp Verde AZ (September 27, 2016) – On September 25, 2016, around 7 PM, the Camp Verde Marshals Office forwarded a 911 call from a woman reporting that her sister, who had been kayaking on the Verde River, was overdue. The kayaker, a 46-year-old woman from Camp Verde, had very little experience kayaking and was unfamiliar with the river. Her only supplies included a small amount of water, some trail mix, sunflower seeds, and a container of beer. The plan was for her to kayak alone on the Verde River beginning upstream from the West Clear Creek intersection to Beasley…

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By Ted Grussing… transported through wonderful realms of beauty by music … I’ve been listening to more of Carly Simon’s music tonight and about the time I was going through folders looking for something to send out tonight she was singing her version of “Love of My Life” and I was drawn to my roses folder and I found this one that I shot a couple of years ago on a walk in Ocean Colony in the rain. It was just one of many in the yard of a neighbor of Ted & Sus’, but it drew me in and…

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Sedona AZ (September 26, 2016) – Award-winning comedian Shane Maus “destigmatizes and demystifies psychedelics” in this fun and entertaining show that is “part stand-up, part hilarious stories of experiences, and part Ted Talk”. Part of Shane’s 65-city tour, “A Good Trip with Shane Mauss” comes to the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub on Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

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Award-winning documentary kicks off “DOCtoberfest” at Mary D. Fisher TheatreSedona AZ (September 25, 2016) – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present a one-night only special premiere of the award-winning documentary “Seed: The Untold Story” on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 4 and 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, followed by a community discussion and Q&A.The film premiere officially kicks off the festival’s new “DOCtoberfest” series, which will feature a selection of award-winning documentaries premiering during October and early November.

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Sedona AZ (September 24, 2016) – In June 2016, the city of Sedona conducted a nation-wide recruitment for the position of Chief of Police, and upon review, a search committee narrowed down the finalists from thirty-three to fifteen, and after phone interviews, to the top seven candidates.After Police Chief Ray Cota’s resignation in June 2016, the city of Sedona hired retired Police Chief Ron Wheeler as Interim Chief of Police. Wheeler committed to staying with the city until a new Chief of Police is hired and present.

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Sedona AZ (September 24, 2016) – The Sedona Heritage Museum will host a history presentation, artist’s demonstration and pottery sale on the topic of Mata Ortiz pottery on Friday, October 7 at 11:00 a.m.John Bezy, geologist and co-author of “The Artistry and History of Mata Ortiz,” has worked with the potters of Mata Ortiz for 30 years. He will offer a presentation on the history, inspiration, and appreciation of this unique regional art form.

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Microsoft will NEVER initiate UNSOLICITED phone calls or web “alert” screen notifications regarding computer repair! Watch out for fake websites claiming a “fix.” Check the address bar!Verde Valley AZ (September 24, 2016) – Last year, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office received several complaints regarding an ongoing scam involving fraud suspects representing themselves as “Microsoft” technical support employees. These scammers convince their “customers” to spend several hundred dollars as part of the fraud. In recent weeks, YCSO has taken new complaints regarding this scam and would again like to warn computer users of the ploy.

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Sedona Film Festival hosts award-winning art documentary at Mary D. Fisher theatreSedona AZ (September 24, 2016) – Sedona International Film Festival joins theaters around the world for a special premiere of the award-winning Art on Screen presentation of “Bosch: The Garden of Dreams”. The event will show in Sedona on Monday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre.“Bosch: The Garden of Dreams” commemorates the fifth centenary of the painter’s death with a major exhibition entitled “El Bosco. The Centennial Exhibition”.

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Flagstaff AZ (September 23, 2016) – Coconino National Forest plans to manage vehicle access to Lockett Meadow over the next couple of weekends to ensure public safety and allow safe travel up and down the road that leads to the meadow.During the weekends of Oct. 1-2 and Oct. 8-9, Forest Service personnel will be positioned in Lockett Meadow and also at the bottom of the road that leads to the meadow (near the junction of Forest Roads 552 and 418). Once the maximum capacity of approximately 50 vehicles has been reached in Lockett Meadow, personnel will manage traffic and allow…

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By Ted Grussing… look better than the close up shots of the formations … you get the beautiful detail of the portions of the canyons that are close and the vast expanse of the canyons as they go back into the distance and the sweep of the canyons flow through the image. Haven’t measured it, but it looks like there are several hundred square miles of canyon to explore and shoot. The weather has not been cooperative since I was up there on Monday, but the weekend is looking pretty good so we’ll see what happens. I shot this from…

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Sedona AZ (September 23, 2016) – In a new initiative for environmental stewardship, Keep Sedona Beautiful will host its first-ever annual fundraiser for its Endowment Fund. The initiative includes both a special event and a ten-day online auction.The event, called Star Gazers and Raisers, will take place on Sunday November 13 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock.

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