Business, Cultural, Education, Events, Government, Health, Local, News, Youth

District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstman — August/September 2023 District 1 Newsletter

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Hello from Supervisor Horstman
Grand Canyon National Monument-Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni
Short Term Rental Ordinance Passed
County Strengthens Dark Sky Zoning
Lowell Observatory Reaches for the Stars with Astronomy Discovery Center
It’s Time for Rural Groundwater Management
Flagstaff Community Meeting on Spruce Watershed/ Museum Fire Update
Senator Sinema Meets to Discuss Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection
Tusayan Experiences Unprecedented Rainfall and Flooding
Mountain Line Bus Awarded Federal Grant for Bus Maintenance Building
Williams Senior Center Celebrates Re-opening of New Kitchen
Congressman Eli Crane Joins Flagstaff and County for Flood Mitigation Tour
Envision 2045 by Participating in the 2025 County Comprehensive Plan
Veterans Helping Veterans: Matthew J. Boehner Memorial Williams Stand Down
74th Annual Coconino County Fair
Community Events and Resources

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Cultural, Education, Local, News, Youth

The NAU Review — NAU welcomes Flinn Scholar Michael-Anthony Rodriguez to Class of 2027

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Freshman Michael-Anthony Rodriguez might be a biology teacher. That’s his game plan for now, at least—he’s passionate about education and ensuring students from rural areas have access to the educational experiences that will help them succeed. But he’s at NAU to learn who he is as well, and the prestigious Flinn Scholarship will help him get there.

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Cultural, Government, Local, News

City of Flagstaff Proclaims Sept, 15 through Oct. 15, 2023 as National Hispanic Heritage Month

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“The City of Flagstaff observes, embraces, respects, and celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month also called “Yes de Herencia Hispana”, is celebrated nationwide from September 15th through October 15th each year to commemorate the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx peoples whose ancestors originated the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico, and Spain. …”

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Family, Food, Government, Health, Local, News

Water restrictions lifted in Grand Canyon

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GRAND CANYON, Ariz. – Effective immediately, mandatory water restrictions have been lifted in Grand Canyon National Park.

On September 5, park managers implemented mandatory water restrictions for the South Rim when water levels fell below an acceptable level due to a failure in the system. Water utilities crews immediately began working to address the problem, and were able to get the water flowing again within a few days. However, until water storage levels were adequate, park managers did not feel comfortable lifting restrictions.

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Business, Cultural, Education, Government, Local, News

Coconino County Board of Supervisors Honors Hispanic Community With Heritage Month Proclamation

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FLAGSTAFF — At their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 12, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing September 15 through October 15, 2023 as Hispanic Heritage Month in Coconino County.

The proclamation, drafted by County Human Resources staff and members of the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC), reads in part “Hispanics and Latinos are some of the earliest native residents of the southwestern United States and Hispanics in Coconino County were amongst the first pioneers in Flagstaff and Coconino County. Many working in the sawmill and railroad industry as an integral piece of establishing our mountain town of Flagstaff and the continued development of Coconino County.”

“It’s always our great pleasure to help celebrate the great diversity of Coconino County,” said Jeronimo Vasquez, Chair of the Board and Supervisor for District 2. “Being Latino, I’m proud to be a part of this tradition and feel it’s very important to take time to learn about the contributions of Latinos and Hispanics in the county throughout our history.”

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Cultural, Education

The NAU Review — ¡UnaNAU! Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, the importance of online education and a step toward carbon neutrality

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¡UnaNAU! Celebrate Hispanic, Latine
Heritage month

NAU strives to develop a strong, multicultural, driven community that values knowledge gained from many worldviews, combining thousands of efforts, working together to connect us all as OneNAU, or UnaNAU. Explore the events happening at NAU in the next month in celebration of these cultures and experience the richness and heritage of the Hispanic and Latine communities.

Schedule of events:

Sept. 15, 6-8 p.m.

Celebración de NAU: Union Pedway

Sept. 20, 6-8 p.m.

Unidos en Versos: IMQ Center

Sept. 23, Tailgate: 11a.m. / Game: 1p.m.

Hispanic/Latine Heritage Football Game & Tailgate: NAU Skydome

Sept. 27, 6-7:30 p.m.

Lotería Night with Transfer Jacks: IMQ Center

Oct. 5, 9-12 p.m.

Todos a Bailar: Ashurst Auditorium

See the full list of events online.

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Education, Family, Health, Local, News, Youth

W. L. Gore & Associates Keynote Presentation on Sept. 22 with Speaker, Dr. Beth Shapiro

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Since 1990, when Michael Crighton’s blockbuster “Jurassic Park” was first published—then brought to life on the big screen by Steven Spielberg in 1993—the prospect of cloning dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals such as woolly mammoths has captured our collective imagination. Although heavily fictionalized, Crighton’s story was based on actual work being done in the fledgling field of ancient DNA at the time, which began with the first study of DNA isolated from the remains of animals that used to be alive, which was published in the scientific journal Nature in 1984.

Dr. Beth Shapiro, herself a pioneer in the field of ancient DNA, will deliver the W. L. Gore & Associates Keynote Presentation on Sept. 22 to kick off the 10-day Flagstaff Festival of Science. 

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Cultural, Education, Family, Local, News, Youth

A Journey of Resilience: Yolanda Yazzie’s Path to Success at Coconino Community College

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FLAGSTAFF — Yolanda Yazzie, a student at Coconino Community College (CCC), is not just pursuing an education; she’s forging a path from adversity to ambition, driven by a deep sense of purpose and a desire to give back to her community. Yazzie has dealt with abusive parents. With the foster care system. With poverty and hunger. Now, as a parent herself, she is committed to helping others, and she has dedicated herself to improving her life with a career in the Hospitality industry by embarking on a journey of education beginning at Coconino Community College.

Like many young Navajo children, she grew up facing the harsh realities of poverty and the burden of an unstable home environment marred by abusive parents. It was her aunt who stepped in as a guiding light, raising her alongside her own children.

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Business, Cultural, Education, Entertainment, Events, Family, Government, Health, Local, News, Seniors, women, Youth

Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: Sept. 11-15, 2023

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Governor Katie Hobbs visits Grand Canyon

Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona tribal leaders met in the park this past Tuesday, September 12, to foster meaningful dialog about Arizona’s economic development and how to best work with tribal governments and communities. Superintendent Ed Keable and Grand Canyon Conservancy CEO Theresa McMullen participated in the meeting, discussing the work the park and GCC are doing relative to indigenous programs.

The highlight for most participants was getting a tour of the work being done at Desert View to re-imagine the site as an Inter-tribal cultural heritage site.

Thanks to all who helped make this a successful visit, especially the Desert View staff and FMD folks (trails) who are working on the next phase of paving the new trail system.

You can learn more about Gov. Hobbs’ visit and its purpose on her website.

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Government, Local, News

Public Input Sought for Amendments to County Dark Sky Ordinance

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COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors is asking for the public’s input into proposed amendments to the County’s Outdoor Lighting Standards Zoning Ordinance, commonly known as the Dark Sky Ordinance.

These amendments were recommended by the County’s Community Development staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission after recent studies suggested the Ordinance be brought up to date with current lighting technology, and to mirror standards already implemented by the City of Flagstaff. 

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Cultural, Education, Family, Local, News

United Way of Northern Arizona Board Spotlight — Chris Reed

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Every member of a nonprofit board brings something special to the table. It could be expertise about governance, an ability to analyze financials, or a passion for advocating about our mission.

One skill all of our board members have is a keen understanding about why the work of United Way of Northern Arizona is needed.

Since 2018, Chris Reed, Senior Pastor of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff, has been providing leadership on our board as well as his insights on the programs and services needed by our local youth and the community as a whole.

We hope you enjoy learning more about Chris in the profile below.

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Cultural, Education, Events, Local, News, Youth

CCC Community Education — October Community Education: Antarctica | Crochet | Brave the Wild River | Pad Thai | Star Party | Utah War of 1857

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September programs…starting soon!

Comet Talk: Adventures of a 1901 Toledo Steam Car
Monday, Sept. 18
6 to 7 p.m.
Learn More

Reading and Composing Poetry
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10
5 to 6:30 p.m.
Learn More

A Jungian Journey to the Creative Self
Wednesday, Sept. 27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25
5 to 7:30 p.m.
Learn More

String Art Workshop at CCC’s Page Center
Wednesday, Sept. 27
6 to 8:30 p.m.

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Cultural, Education, Events, Family, Government, Health, Local, News, women, Youth

Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth — CCC&Y seeks to connect community with help through variety of resource guides

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By the Coconino Coalition for Children & Youth

COCONINO COUNTY — Whether it’s connecting families with local representatives from the Coconino County Health & Human Services’ Women’s, Infants and Children (WIC) program, to helping foster care families learn about potential scholarship programs for their youth, resource guides provide a valuable assistance to residents throughout Coconino County and Northern Arizona.

To spread the word about these valuable information options, CCC&Y has compiled a listing and link to a variety of resource guides throughout the region including CCC&Y’s created Page/Fredonia and Tuba City resource guides and the recently updated Williams Area Community Resource Guide.

Do you have a new or updated resource guide you would like to add to our listing posting? Please send an email to frank@coconinokids.org

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Business, español, Finance, Local, News, noticias

City of Flagstaff announces minimum wage for 2024

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FLAGSTAFF — The minimum wage in the City of Flagstaff will increase to $17.40 and $15.90 for tipped workers beginning on Jan. 1, 2024.

In 2016 the voters of Flagstaff wrote and passed The Minimum Wage Act (“the Act”) as a citizens’ initiative (Proposition 414). The Act, which is codified in Title 15 of the Flagstaff City Code, prescribes that beginning in 2023, the Flagstaff minimum wage shall be increased annually by the increase in the cost of living. Pursuant to the Act, “[t]he increase in the cost of living shall be measured by the percentage increase as of August of the immediately preceding year over the level as of August of the previous year of the consumer price index (all urban consumers, U.S. city average for all items)” (15-01-001-0003(B)). The increase shall be rounded to the nearest $0.05. 

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Business, Government, Local, News

Coconino County Public Works Online Surplus Property Auction Underway

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Coconino County Public Works’ Fall online surplus property auction is now underway. The auction is open to the public and features items such as used trucks, heavy equipment, and other surplus County property that has met replacement guidelines.

The auction consists of three separate periods, each of which includes approximately 15 available vehicles/equipment.

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Business, Cultural, Education, Health, Local, News, women

The NAU Review — Combating the climate crisis, recognizing two exceptional administrators and driving economic mobility

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ntroducing the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science
The Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS)—a five-year, $30 million international Science and Technology Center funded by the National Science Foundation— will focus on connecting Indigenous knowledges with “western” sciences to address some of the more pressing issues affecting people worldwide. The center will work on complex, evolving challenges brought on by climate change, including dire impacts affecting land, water and plant and animal life; the danger posed to irreplaceable archaeological sites, sacred places and cultural heritage; and the challenges of changing food systems, all of which disproportionately affect Indigenous communities.

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Government, Health, Local, News, Public Safety

Prescribed burns planned within Flagstaff City limits this fall

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FLAGSTAFF — Prescribed burns will be conducted by the Flagstaff Fire Department on City-owned parcels within City limits this fall. While exact dates of the prescribed burns are weather-specific and cannot be established far in advance, these prescribed burns are generally anticipated to take place from mid-September to mid-November. More information on locations and dates will be shared on flagstaff.az.gov as dates become available.

Residents and visitors can expect smoke to be present in the area of prescribed burns. Fire managers will coordinate with neighboring national forests, national parks, fire districts, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to monitor smoke impacts.

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Education, Family, Local, News, Youth

Flagstaff Festival of Science — Reserve your spot for Festival events!

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The moment you’ve been waiting for! All events requiring reservations now have reservation links live. It is so easy to book your spot, but don’t delay! Many events have limited spaces.

Just go to the App or the website calendar, locate the event you’d like to attend, see if reservations are required and follow the link or instructions to secure your spot.

Remember, free tickets to the W. L. Gore & Associates Keynote Presentation with Dr. Beth Shapiro are also available on a first-come, first-served basis. Make your booking online.

Looking forward to seeing you this year for the 34th year of the Flagstaff Festival of Science!

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Cultural, Local, News, Youth

September at the Museum of Northern Arizona

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Message from Mary –

The Museum of Northern Arizona turned 95 last week, but we’re not stopping to reminisce about the past. There is too much to look forward to this month, with a new exhibition opening, a harvest festival and market in the garden, the launching of a new series of talks on cultural appropriation, and a free day at the museum as part of the Festival of Science.

So many of the events this month reflect MNA’s many community collaborations. For the exhibition Seeing People Through Trees: A Human History of the Forest we worked with Coconino National Forest, NAU School of Forestry, Fort Valley Experimental Forest, and Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. For a third year, Flagstaff Foodlink organized the Harvest Festival and Indigenous Farmers Market at the Colton Garden. We’re partnering closely with the Sedona Arts Center to put together the series of panels on appropriation. And of course Flagstaff Festival of Science is a longstanding community event.

When MNA opened 95 years ago, many of those other organizations didn’t exist. It’s wonderful to be part of an institution that has been a foundation of the cultural life of Flagstaff for so long, and continues to be integral to the community.

Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona

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Business, Cultural, Education, Entertainment, Events, Local, News, Youth

Sedona Arts Center — Upcoming Art Workshops/Classes in Sedona!

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Taking Classes and Workshops on our campus in Uptown Sedona affords the opportunity not only to explore the arts, but also to meet new people and immerse yourself in the Sedona arts community.

Besides what you see in this email, there are more offerings on our website. 
Click here to see all of our classes and workshops.

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Business, Government, Health, Local, News

Inflation Reduction Act provides $258,000 to help protect native species in Grand Canyon National Park 

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GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Grand Canyon National Park is working to remove invasive species and protect native species of fish in the Colorado River with $258,000 from the Inflation Reduction Act. This project is part of a nationwide effort to restore natural habitats and address climate change impacts.  

In fiscal year 2023, President Biden’s Investing in America, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, will provide $52 million to the National Park Service to fund projects throughout the country related to ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. 

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Business, Family, Government, Health, News, Public Safety

City begins Schultz Creek Channel Stabilization Project

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FLAGSTAFF — The City of Flagstaff is pleased to announce the groundbreaking of the Schultz Creek Channel Stabilization Project between Elden Lookout Road and Highway 180. This stream restoration project will stabilize and restore the Schultz Creek channel, which was severely degraded during the 2022 Pipeline Fire and subsequent flooding events.

Channel stabilization restores the stream bank and bed, preventing erosion from moving sediment and debris into the Rio de Flag and Frances Short Pond. Frances Short Pond received over 5,000 cubic yards of ash, sediment, and debris since the Pipeline Fire, requiring a complete dredge and repair this year. The Schultz Creek Channel Stabilization Project will reduce the risk of further repairs at the pond and will also help to keep stormwater infrastructure clear and flowing.

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Cultural, Education, Entertainment, Events, Family, Local, News, Youth

Community comes out to celebrate, educate and inform at the 74th annual Coconino County Fair

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FLAGSTAFF — The community came out to celebrate, educate and inform at the 74th annual Coconino County Fair held at the fairgrounds at Fort Tuthill County Park.

Members from the Coconino County Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and other diversity council members — the African Diaspora Advisory Council and the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council — greeted the public near the main gate at the Coconino County information Booth.

Visitors then had an opportunity to enjoy a variety of concerts during the day featuring Sol Over Luna and Grupo Conceptos.

The day was capped off with an overflow crowd attending the Selena Forever Tribute, which was introduced by District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez.

See slideshow here

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Business, Cultural, Education, Local, News, Youth

Presidential investiture ceremony at CCC Friday, Sept. 29

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FLAGSTAFF — The formal investiture ceremony for Coconino Community College President Eric Heiser, Ph.D., will take place at 2 p.m., Friday Sept. 29.

“I’m excited to serve as the sixth president of Coconino Community College and to be a part of CCC’s newest chapter,” Dr. Heiser said. “As Coconino County’s community college, we know the vital role we play in providing an educated and skilled workforce to our community partners, and we take our role seriously.”

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Business, Cultural, Education, Events, Family, Government, Local, News, women, Youth

Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up — Sept. 4-8, 2023

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Water conservation measures remain in place for South Rim as tanks fill 

On Tuesday, September 5, park managers implemented mandatory water conservation for the South Rim due to diminished water supplies in the South Rim holding tanks. This week, crews began to successfully pump water from Roaring Springs to the South Rim to replenish water stores. If tanks continue to fill, the NPS Water Utilities team anticipates being able to lift water conservation measures as early as next week. As a reminder, the following measures are in place for residents and all facilities on the South Rim. 

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Business, Elections, Government, Local, News

County Recorder Patty Hansen Receives 2023 Leadership Award

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COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Recorder, Patty Hansen, has been recognized as a 2023 Leader of the Year in Government by the Arizona Capitol Times. This award recognizes her recent achievements in her position as County Recorder.

Hansen has served as the Coconino County Recorder since 2013. She has over 36 years of experience working in election administration. She is a tireless advocate for striking down barriers for voting and expanding the voting franchise to all eligible citizens.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for recent accomplishments,” said Hansen. “My name may be on the award, but it really is a recognition of the hard work of the entire team in the Recorder’s office.”

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