Author: Community Contributor

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — Outreach Coordinator plays vital role in promoting collective action to benefit children and families

by Community Contributor • March 13, 2024 • Comments Off

Editor’s note: Part of a continuing series of profiles of board members and staff of the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth.

By the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth

COCONINO COUNTY — As per Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth’s Mission statement, “We ignite collective action that creates better lives for children and families.”

For CCC&Y, it takes a variety of individuals to build that inclusive movement of people dedicated to transforming and healing our communities — volunteer board members, organizational and individual members, supporters and partners, and staff members.

To promote the work of CCC&Y, the Coalition has been assisted for nearly a decade by Outreach Coordinator Frank X. Moraga. Frank has worked at the Coalition since December 2014, staffing a variety of outreach events and community resource meetings from Flagstaff to Leupp, Williams, Tusayan, the Grand Canyon, Tuba City, Page and Fredonia. He currently facilitates the monthly Tuba City Community Resource meeting. He also produces the Coalition’s weekly e-newsletter.

Coconino County celebrates 20 years of the Sustainable Building Program

by Community Contributor • March 13, 2024 • Comments Off

Community members are invited to celebrate 20 years of the Sustainable Building Program. The community inspired program, which began in 2003, came out of a desire from county residents for an easier path to building sustainably.

They also saw a need for more community education and awareness about sustainable building practices, methods, technology, and innovations. The program evolved into a free certification program allowing homeowners and builders to participate in a third-party certification based on points achieved for building sustainably. The benefits of participating include:

Sedona Arts Center — Sign up for an Art Workshop Today!

by Community Contributor • March 12, 2024 • Comments Off

Distilling the Landscape in Sedona
with Ben Hamburger
March 16 : Saturday, 9am – 3pm

Simplifying what you see is a necessary component of observational painting. But it can also be used as a liberating constraint to explore design, composition, and color. During this class, you will focus on distilling your surroundings into compositions that convey both the essence of the landscape around us and our individual artistic voices. We will begin by focusing on selection and composition exercises before moving on to full color paintings. Discussions on theory and demonstrations will be followed by painting time with guidance by the instructor and group critique. Beginner and experienced plein air painters are welcome, however, this class is a class for people with some substantial painting experience. While demos will be provided in oil paint, both oils and acrylic painters are welcome.

Coconino County Elections Department Awarded Grant and Announces, “I Voted” Sticker Challenge

by Community Contributor • March 12, 2024 • Comments Off

This $10,000 grant is designed to enhance civic participation and engagement on college campuses by encouraging students to serve as elections board workers. The grant will support poll worker recruitment efforts through activities like National Poll Worker Recruitment Day and Help America Vote Day.

Do Not Return Your Early Ballot By Mail After Tuesday, March 12

by Community Contributor • March 11, 2024 • Comments Off

FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Recorder’s Office wants to remind early voters that voted early ballots must be received no later than 7:00 pm on Election Day, March 19. Early voters should put their voted early ballot in the mail no later than Tuesday, March 12 to ensure that the ballot is received in time to be counted.

Voted early ballots may be dropped off in one of the ballot drop boxes located throughout the county or at an early voting site. For a list of ballot drop boxes and early voting sites go to: www.coconino.az.gov/elections and select Ballot Drop Box Locations or Early Voting Sites.

City Update on ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Funding

by Community Contributor • March 11, 2024 • Comments Off

FLAGSTAFF — On the third anniversary of the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the City of Flagstaff continues work on allocating ARPA funding to support a variety of local causes and initiatives.

Allocations of ARPA funds to date include $2.4M to congregate care, housing assistance, job training, mental health, and substance abuse services, $3M to education assistance and early learning programs, and $1.4M to local non-profits and small businesses. The information below provides a small sampling of some of the ARPA funding that was allocated by the City to its community partners.

Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library — Happening at Your Library 3/11/24

by Community Contributor • March 11, 2024 • Comments Off

Connect with your community

United Way of Northern Arizona — Meet the Community Leaders Joining the UWNA Board of Directors

by Community Contributor • March 11, 2024 • Comments Off

The strength of any nonprofit organization largely depends on the people who are willing to give their time and talent to ensure its success. United Way of Northern Arizona has always been fortunate in having leaders who embraced our goals of stepping up for our youth and our community.

At the Annual Campaign and Community Impact Celebration on March 27 (register here), we will install four new members to the UWNA Board of Directors. These remarkable people bring a wealth of experience and diverse perspectives that will augment an already exceptional board.

The NAU Review — History-making NAU women, balancing photography and ultrarunning in Flagstaff and research that makes sense of muscle function

by Community Contributor • March 7, 2024 • Comments Off

A Holocaust survivor whose story continues to inspire. A seamstress who made state history. A librarian (Delia Ceballos Muñoz) who shed light on Flagstaff’s long-overlooked early Hispanic and Latine settlers. To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re sharing a few stories about Lumberjack teachers, leaders and alumnae who made history by breaking glass ceilings, advocating for their communities and accomplishing remarkable things.

Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: March 4-8, 2024

by Community Contributor • March 7, 2024 • Comments Off

On Friday, March 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines for respiratory illness, to include Covid-19. The CDC is updating its recommendations for Covid-19 to bring them in line with its advice for other kinds of respiratory infections, including influenza and RSV.

People who test positive for Covid-19 no longer need to routinely stay away from others for at least five days. The CDC now says people who have Covid-19 should stay home until they’ve been fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours and their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours.

However, the CDC still does recommend that people take additional precautions for an additional five days to lower the risk of spreading the virus. These precautions include improving ventilation indoors, masking, and limiting close contact with others.

Discover Flagstaff — Youth Art 2024: Color Outside the Lines, Coconino Center for the Arts and more events

by Community Contributor • March 7, 2024 • Comments Off

Don’t miss the chance to celebrate the vibrant creativity of our community’s young artists. 11 a.m.

Learn More

Coconino County Attorney Recognized as 2024 Distinguished Prosecutor

by Community Contributor • March 7, 2024 • Comments Off

COCONINO COUNTY — The National District Attorney’s Association (NDAA) recently recognized Coconino County Attorney Bill Ring as the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Prosecutor of the Year Award.

The Distinguished Prosecutor of the Year Award is presented annually by the NDAA, which is the oldest and largest professional organization representing criminal prosecutors across the country. Ring was selected from 22 other nominees from prosecution agencies nationwide. This honor is bestowed upon an individual who has demonstrated exceptional dedication, integrity, and excellence in the field of prosecution.

City of Flagstaff seeks community input in search for new police chief

by Community Contributor • March 7, 2024 • Comments Off

FLAGSTAFF — The community is invited to participate in the selection of the Flagstaff Police Department’s next police chief at an upcoming meet and greet. The public meet and greet is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 at 5 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers at 211 West Aspen Avenue or via Microsoft Teams.

The meet and greet will begin with each of the five candidates for Police Chief providing an introduction about themselves, including their previous education and experience, and how it relates to the police chief position. After all introductions have been completed, there will be a few questions answered by each candidate prior to an opportunity for participants to mingle with the candidates. Information about each candidate is listed below.

Dr. Michael Madsen Appointed Chief Medical Examiner

by Community Contributor • March 7, 2024 • Comments Off

Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) is excited to announce that Dr. Michael Madsen has accepted the role of Chief Medical Examiner following the retirement of Dr. Lawrence Czarnecki.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors appointed Dr. Michael Madsen as the Chief Medical Examiner pursuant to A.R.S. 11-592 beginning March 2, 2024, for Coconino County during the March 5, 2024, Board meeting.

2024 Coconino County Teacher of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year Finalists Announced

by Community Contributor • March 6, 2024 • Comments Off

COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Superintendent of Schools, Cheryl Mango-Paget, extends her heartfelt congratulations to the outstanding educators selected as finalists for the prestigious Teacher of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year awards.

The winner in each category will be revealed at the 11th annual Coconino County Teacher of the Year Awards event on Thursday, April 25, 2024, commencing at 5 p.m. at the High Country Conference Center.

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — CCC&Y partners urged to participate in Arizona Gives Day on April 2, 2024

by Community Contributor • March 6, 2024 • Comments Off

COCONINO COUNTY — CCC&Y member partners have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals and programs throughout Northern Arizona by taking part in the annual Arizona Gives Day on April 2, 2024.

Arizona Gives Day is an annual giving movement uniting nonprofits, big and small, new and established, with all missions and backgrounds, to celebrate and increase philanthropy in Arizona through online giving, said AZ Impact for Good, which runs the program. The event helps raise awareness about the critical role Arizona nonprofits play in our community and inspires people to give generously, creating a thriving and stronger Arizona for all.

So if you have registered by the Arizona Gives Day deadline of Feb. 28, 2024, be sure to contact the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth so we can support your effort by providing links to your organization and donation pages in our upcoming weekly e-newsletters.

Coconino County Community Health Needs Assessment Published

by Community Contributor • March 6, 2024 • Comments Off

COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) published the 2024 Coconino County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) on March 5, 2024.

The chna is a comprehensive evaluation, conducted every three years, to gain a deep understanding of the health status, risk factors, causes and concerns of poverty in our communities and available resources within Coconino County. The main goals of this assessment are to understand community health; identify health disparities; create a path for improvement; and reduce barriers.

District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez — February 2024 Newsletter

by Community Contributor • March 5, 2024 • Comments Off

In this edition…
• Supervisors Oppose the Pinon Plain Uranium Mine
• County Awarded $7.7 million NRCS Grant to Protect Residents from Flood Damage
• Supervisor Vasquez Testifies on Transportation at Arizona Capitol Board Members Travel to Washington, DC to Advocate for Coconino County
• District 2 Events and Activities
Upcoming Events And More!

The NAU Review — Celebrating Women’s HerStory Month, a computer science project vying for a “cool” prize and how the arts and humanities impact, well… everything

by Community Contributor • March 5, 2024 • Comments Off

Learn about the contributions women have made to the world at campus events throughout the month of March. In partnership with other campus organizations, the Commission on the Status of Women has invited a diverse set of speakers to talk about the stories and accomplishments of women from both the past and the modern day.

Coconino County Flood Control District, Coconino National Forest to collaborate on forest restoration plan for Upper Rio De Flag Watershed

by Community Contributor • March 5, 2024 • Comments Off

FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Flood Control District (The District) and the Coconino National Forest have announced a new Upper Rio De Flag Watershed restoration plan to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and post-fire flooding.

“It’s been proven that forest restoration — including mechanical thinning and prescribed fire — is an effective tool to reduce wildfire spread and severity,” said Coconino County Forest Restoration Director Jay Smith. “The completion of forest restoration in Upper Rio De Flag Watershed will provide a multi-generational benefit to our region.”

Phase Two of the Lake Mary Road Mill & Fill Project Starts March 4

by Community Contributor • March 4, 2024 • Comments Off

COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County’s contractor is preparing to break ground on the second phase of a project to improve travel lanes and shoulders along Lake Mary Road.

The $1.7 million Lake Mary Road Mill & Fill Project: Phase 2 includes the milling of existing pavement and the subsequent installation of 1.5” Polymer Modified Asphalt Concrete along the travel lanes and road shoulders of two sections of Lake Mary Road totaling approximately 3.6 miles.

Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library — Week of March 4, 2024

by Community Contributor • March 4, 2024 • Comments Off

Connect with your community

Sedona Arts Center — Sign up for an Art Workshop Today!

by Community Contributor • March 4, 2024 • Comments Off

Distilling the Landscape in Sedona
with Ben Hamburger
March 16 : Saturday, 9am – 3pm

Friends of Flagstaff’s Future (F3) — Flagstaff’s Regional Plan 2045

by Community Contributor • March 1, 2024 • Comments Off

The City of Flagstaff’s Regional Plan is a vision for the future of our community. It is a policy guide and serves as the general plan for the city as mandated by state law. The Regional Plan addresses a range of topics and outlines current conditions, the community’s vision for the future, and a series of goals and policies that will bring us to realization of this future vision.