The annual Point in Time Count (PIT) will take place starting Jan. 25 throughout the City of Flagstaff. This count documents the number of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness at a single point in time and is conducted across the country.
Local data collected during the annual PIT Count measures progress at local and national levels related to preventing and ending homelessness.
Cartagena de Indias, Cultural Heritage of Humanity, was founded in 1533 and still has a certain sumptuousness from that time: old houses of Spanish architecture with splendid central patios and bewitching balconies full of flowers. The city is all magical realism: it can be, at the same time, pearly, crimson, pink, bluish, brown, orange, purple, or emerald. In its narrow cobbled streets one can breathe legend, melancholy, gallantry, revelry, and natural beauty.
In the late afternoon, around 5:00 p.m. these colors of Cartagena become magical under the light of the tropical sunset, and the entire city becomes a colorful cacophony. The windows, the doors, the facades and walls of vibrant colors, all filled me with joy, enchanted me, and I felt like Florentino Ariza, that character of Gabriel García Márquez who thought he was dying of love. As the Colombian Nobel Prize for Literature would say in his autobiography Vivir para Contarla, “It was enough for me to take a step back inside the wall to see [Cartagena] in all its grandeur, in the light of 6 o’clock in the afternoon, and I could not repress the feeling of having been born again”
Due to heavy overnight snowfall and related accessibility issues, the City of Flagstaff’s Solid Waste section has cancelled all trash and recycling collection services for today, Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Residential collection service updates:
Due to inclement weather, the Downtown and East Flagstaff Community Libraries are closed Tuesday, January 17th.
Addressing cancer disparities in tribes
The Center for Native American Cancer Health Equity, funded by a new $4 million grant from the American Cancer Society, aims to improve education and screening rates in Native American tribes, which have disproportionately high rates of cancer.
We hope you are having a wonderful 2023 so far, and wanted to start off this new year right by thanking you.
You make the work of United Way of Northern Arizona possible and we wanted to share some of our favorite memories of the past year that happened because you generously gave through your donations, leadership, or volunteerism.
Winter Weather Returns; National Weather Service issues Travel Risk for impending weekend storm
According to the National Weather Service-Flagstaff, winter weather returns to the area this weekend, with periods of heavy snowfall likely beginning Saturday night across the high country. Snow levels will gradually fall from 6000–7000 feet Saturday evening to 4000–5000 feet Tuesday. One to two feet of snow is possible in the high country by the end of next week.
Prepare for an extended period of poor travel conditions next week!
REMEMBER – PLEASE KEEP ROADWAYS CLEAR OF VEHICLES; PARK IN YOUR DRIVEWAY AND FOR THOSE ON APACHE ST, PARK IN THE ALLEY. ALLEYS AND RESIDENTIAL ROADWAYS WILL BE PLOWED
Kimberlie Geile-Gonzalez and Laura Rosensweet have joined a talented group of individuals serving on the CCC&Y Board of Directors.
Geile-Gonzalez, a retired educator and a Realtor who is with Realty Executives Flagstaff, has served with a variety of nonprofit organizations in the region including the AZ Community Foundation of Flagstaff, Northland Family Help Center, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona, and the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce Education and Workforce committee. She will serve on the Coalition’s Prevention Council.
“I truly believe children are our best hope for the future. I taught elementary students for over 20 years and have seen children and families struggle with adverse situations. CCC&Y provides a voice in the community for those who have no voice. I am looking forward to working with a coalition that provides opportunities to help children and families thrive and grow.”
Rosensweet is the Community Impact Manager Northern Arizona for Education Forward and serves on the Coalition’s Action & Outreach Committee.
“My entire career has been spent helping our most vulnerable youth be connected to education and services through my work as a teacher in behavior intervention. I’m excited to serve on the CCC&Y board and work with the community to support families and kids in living their best lives.”
Small in stature, but big in strength, grit, determination and resilience, Lena Cody stands tall and proud in her graduation cap and gown.
Motivated by the prospect of a pay increase at her job as a case manager for a social service agency at the age of 51, Lena enrolled as a part time student at Coconino Community College in the fall of 2017. At the same time, she gained guardianship of her 3-year-old grandson, Princeton. Lena said she knew she had a lot on her plate – going to school, working full-time and raising a young child as a single woman – but she was determined to make it work.
In her 2018 essay for her English 101 class, “You Can Smile in the End,” she wrote about growing up poor in an overcrowded mobile home, enduring domestic violence, rape, and raising three boys on her own as a single parent. Hardened by life, she learned to not depend on anyone.
“I felt like I was thrown to the wolves, and I needed to survive the hardships,” she said.
The City of Flagstaff Sustainability Office is excited to announce the recipients of the 2023 Neighborhood Sustainability Grant cycle. The initiative is a competitive grant program that funds a range of community projects related to food, waste, climate action, resilience, building energy, public health, and transportation with awards up to $5,000.
Awarded projects selected by the Sustainability Commission this year include:
Do You Have Coconino County Parks and Recreation on Your 2023 Bingo Card?
Now you can! Join Coconino County Parks and Recreation for a healthy, fun 2023!
Thanks to Friends of Coconino County Parks, we are able to offer a $25 gift card to Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters to a lucky winner who finishes their bingo card this year! Have fun, stay safe, leave no trace, and get outside in 2023! Check our website for information about parks, natural areas, events, programs, and the Fair, and keep a lookout for new updates as the year goes on!
City Hall administrative offices at 211 W. Aspen Ave. will be closed on Monday, Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. City Hall offices will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 17 with regular hours of 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Other City of Flagstaff facilities that are closed Martin Luther King Jr. Day include:
Sedona Arts Center Member Artists of all levels, working in all mediums are invited to enter into our Annual Juried Members Exhibition & Sale. The exhibition will run from March 6-31, 2023
Monetary awards will be given for First Place/Best of Show Award ($500), Second ($250) and Third ($150) place.
Honorable mention awards will be awarded at the discretion of the jurors and no monetary amount attached.
People’s Choice Award is announced at the end of the show. No monetary attached
STEMMY Awards are presented annually to Students, Teachers, and Organizations
who are STEAM leaders in the greater Flagstaff community.
Check out our previous winners here:
The STEMMYs – Flagstaff STEM City
Observing the Winter Sky
Tuesdays: 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7
6:45 – 8:15 pm
Locate and identify the sparkling gems of the winter night sky!
Winter Night Sky – Learn more and register!
COVID Updates
Masks Optional
As of January 5, Coconino County has remained in MEDIUM CDC Community Level. Masks are optional in all public buildings. We encourage individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to practice physical distancing from others while in indoor common areas.
Total new COVID cases in Arizona for the week of December 29-January 4 was 6,187 which is an increase from the week before at 4,973. There were three new COVID-19 cases reported in the park this week.
As a reminder, be sure to promptly report any illness, to include possible COVID-19 symptoms, COVID exposure, or a positive COVID test to your supervisor and our Public Health Consultant, Ronan King. Ronan can be reached at: 202-891-8599 or Ronan_King@nps.gov.
Friday, Jan. 6, 2023
See the beautiful full moon rise and hike the Buffalo Park loop. 5:30 p.m.; free.
The City of Flagstaff Solid Waste Section has published the 2023 schedule for bulky waste collection, which is provided to all single-family households within Flagstaff city limits. Bulky waste collection will continue to be performed in five geographic sections throughout the City once every five weeks per the map and schedule that can be downloaded athttps://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/74416/2023-Bulk-Pickup-Schedule–.
Wishing you a peaceful, prosperous and productive 2023.
As the new year begins, the Coconino Coaltion for Children & Youth wants to remind everyone that we have a variety of free webinar training programs on our website to help relieve some of the stress as we wind down from a busy holiday season.
Our growing library of on-demand webinars is designed to help the public gain the tools they need to provide trauma-informed care, tips to help strengthen family protective factors, examine the effects of historical trauma and adverse childhood experiences, address issues such as bullying and the support to adults and youth through the use of mindfulness practices.
– APPLICATION Deadline: January 20, 2023
Sedona Arts Center Member Artists of all levels, working in all mediums are invited to enter into our Annual Juried Members Exhibition & Sale. The exhibition will run from March 6-31, 2023
Monetary awards will be given for First Place/Best of Show Award ($500), Second ($250) and Third ($150) place.
Honorable mention awards will be awarded at the discretion of the jurors and no monetary amount attached.
People’s Choice Award is announced at the end of the show. No monetary attached.
The City of Flagstaff’s Beautification, Arts and Sciences team is calling artists to participate in its traffic cabinet art wrap initiative by creating designs for traffic signal cabinets around Flagstaff. This initiative is supported by the City’s Beautification and Public Art Commission and is an opportunity to enhance the visual landscape by using traffic signal cabinets as canvasses.
This call is open to all artists, graphic designers, and illustrators, who are 18 years of age or older and currently live or work within the United States. Submitted designs must be original artwork and can be created in any medium, so long as it can be represented in a high-resolution digital image without loss of integrity or quality. The application period ends on Feb. 1, 2023.
Flagstaff property owners, businesses and citizens are invited to a free lunch-n-learn event at City Hall (211 W Aspen Ave) on Jan. 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The City has access to money that can be used for revitalizing properties at no cost to owners.
Two-hundred thousand dollars in funding remains from a grant awarded to the City by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a property revitalization program. Money is available to property owners on a first come, first served basis until Sept. 30, 2023.
The City of Flagstaff invites residents impacted by post-wildfire flooding in the Spruce Wash/ Museum Flood Area to a community meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Flagstaff City Hall (211 W Aspen Ave). During the meeting, City staff will discuss planned long-term mitigations in the area and take questions from residents.
This community meeting is specifically targeted towards residents who live in the Paradise, Grandview and Sunnyside neighborhoods. This meeting will not provide information on flooding impacts in west Flagstaff, Doney Park, or Timberline.
The annual Northern Arizona University Vocal Jazz Madrigal Festival will take place February 9 and 10. It is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the United States and features special guest clinicians and over 140 high school ensembles from Arizona and nearby states. The two-day festival includes a concert featuring the Accent, one of the premier popular vocal ensembles in the world, alongside NAU’s Shrine of the Ages Choir on February 9 and 10 @ 7:30 PM in Ardrey Auditorium.
Theatrikos brings the most frequently licensed show of 2019 to the Flagstaff stage: A Doll’s House, Part 2.
“The original A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen is a classic and Ibsen is considered as one of the fathers of Modern Drama. It is required reading for all who are interested in Modern Theatre.
Dr. Rima Brusi, Professor of Anthropology at NAU will present “The Life of the Mind and a Mind on the Move: Action and Advocacy in Academia,” at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5 at Northern Arizona University, Room LA-120, building No. 18.
Using the theme of education in Puerto Rico as a case study, Dr. Brusi will explore from various disciplines and methods, including cultural anthropology, what “access” means in higher ed research, what it means to do “public” or “applied” scholarship, and why it is sometimes necessary to use multiple methods.
Residents of the La Plaza Vieja and Southside neighborhoods are invited to attend the first Neighborhood Partnership Coalition (NPC) meeting on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Murdoch Community Center. Hosted by the City of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University, staff will share updates relevant to the two neighborhoods and engage in related discussions with attendees.
Northern Arizona University will host Made Here, a juried student exhibition in the Beasley Gallery within the Performing and Fine Arts building, February 9 through February 24. The Beasley Gallery will host a free public opening of Made Here on February 9 at 5-7 p.m.
This exhibition is an annual competition open to all students enrolled in coursework in the School of Art. Jurors from outside the institution select the works for the exhibit and choose distinctive awards. Student artists and designers working in all media and art disciplines are included.
We are in desperate need of blood donors for our February 24th and 25th Blood Drive here at Flagstaff Mall!!
Join us for a community blood drive Friday, February 24, from 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm & Saturday, February 25, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Located at the Flagstaff Mall Retail Suite A03 by JCPenney Mall Entrance
Advanced appointments are encouraged!
Vision & Sound creates an educational experience and environment that broadens the understanding and appreciation of African American art, music, film, and literary works for multigenerational and multicultural audiences. We strive to build supportive relationships to encourage cultural equity throughout Arizona and beyond – recognizing that professional American artists of African descent are too often overlooked.
The NAU Dept. of History presenting ‘The Hispanic Republican — Unpacking Latino Conservatism’ at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27 at the Science Annex Room 106, NAU.
The Coconino County Board of Supervisors is considering a new ordinance that would regulate short-term rental properties in Coconino County.
There will be a virtual public hearing about the ordinance on February 28 at 6 p.m. via Zoom followed by discussion among the County Board of Supervisors and a vote on the ordinance.
Any interested person may observe the hearing and comment during the public comment period.
The City of Flagstaff and its contractor, Eagle Mountain Construction, invite you to attend a community open house meeting for the Beulah/University Realignment Project. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 2, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Flagstaff City Hall Lobby and Council Chambers located at 211 West Aspen Avenue. The open house meeting will provide an opportunity for community members and business owners to view design plans, ask questions and learn more about the upcoming improvements project. Please note that there will be no formal presentation; residents are welcome to drop by at any time during the meeting.
The Long Christmas Ride Home is written by Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel and directed by Kathleen M. McGeever. This play of contradictions uses puppets, yet it is not written for children; it is framed by a holiday trip home but is not meant as a Christmas story.
The play presents the family using human actors and puppets inspired by traditional Japanese bunraku puppetry, or as Vogel is quoted saying, “one Westerner’s misunderstanding of bunraku.” The puppets represent the children in some scenes, while the puppeteers themselves take over as the grown children in others.
APS and Chicano por la CAUSA will present Utility Assistance Event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 4 at 201 E. Birch Ave., Suite 7, Flagstaff
APS UTILITY ASSISTANCE IS AN INCOME BASED PROGRAM AND REQUIRES THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY DOCUMENTS
Since 2007, over 600 local residents have enrolled in Coconino County’s Building Businesses & Entrepreneurs (BBE) business plan development training. Now we’ve added BBE Support Services Group (BBESSG) presentations, plus new cash assistance and referral incentives each worth up to $500. It’s been said 70% of the U.S. population has dreamed of starting a business but only 10% do, mostly for lack of know-how and capital. BBE training is for those starting and/or expanding a home-based or other micro-business (five or less employees).
Join the NAU community in welcoming professor Todd Cleveland of the University of Arkansas for a discussion entitled: Following the Ball: The Migration of African Soccer Players across the Portuguese Colonial Empire, 1949-1975.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Department of History is sponsoring Jennifer Klein, Durfee Professor of history at Yale University, who will speak on “Women, Work, and Welfare: A History of Gender and Precarious Labor” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, NAU Campus, Liberal Arts building, room 120.
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Commission on the Status of Women, the Department of Sociology, the Department of Social Work, and the Department of Women and Gender Studies.
Klein’s talk will offer a historical discussion of women’s precarious labor in the U.S., spotlighting the gendered development of urban wage work from the mid-19th century to the era of Uber and TaskRabbit.
The City of Flagstaff is hosting an open house event to gather feedback from the public on a draft short-term rental (STR) ordiance and license. The open house will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall (211 W. Aspen Ave) or online. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or virtually for an informational presentation and an opportunity to provide feedback to City staff. To participate virtually, visit flagstaff.az.gov/STRL to access the Teams meeting link.
The City of Flagstaff and Coconino County will be hosting four public workshops centered around how we can plan for multiple possible future scenarios, including potential uncertainties, as part of updating the Flagstaff Regional Plan. This is a critical opportunity to help ensure the Regional Plan 2045 is a successful tool no matter what the future holds.
The Northern Arizona Book Festival returns March 30 – April 2, 2023 with live and virtual programming for all ages, including readings from multiple local and regional authors, poetry slams, workshops, and a day of interactive activities and live performances for all ages in Heritage Square.
This year, we are proud to present a multitude of different authors as well as literary presses in a walkable downtown festival with many more in person events.
We will kick off the festival Thursday night, March 30 with Northern Arizona University’s Creative Writing Program MFA Reading Series, Cinder Skies. On Friday, March 31st we will resume events in the afternoon with both local and nationally renowned authors in several events, including an author meet and greet,featured readings, and an open mic
New Carpa Theater Co. in Phoenix presents “The Two Souls of Cesar Chavez,” March 31 – April 2, at the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center.
Set in 1993 on the last night of Chavez’s life, this new one-man show is written & performed by James E. Garcia and directed by Billy Ramsey.
Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona, March 31, 1927, and lived on a nearby farm until his parents lost their family homestead to a local bank. Forced from their property, the Chavez family became migrant farmworkers. He died on the morning of April 23, 1993 in San Luis, Arizona, not far from the family homestead where he was born.
(Postponed until April 5)
ENCUENTRO NAU: A Symposium, a Teach-in, and a Celebration of Latinidad! will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 at the Du Bois Center.
We will have a full day of panels in the Du Bois Center (with a light breakfast and lunch provided). NAU President Cruz Rivera will kick off the day at 9 a.m.
Click here to see the schedule
The City of Flagstaff invites members of the public to attend a final interview event on Thursday, April 6 from 3 – 5 p.m. at Flagstaff City Hall (211 W Aspen Ave) for the position of Deputy City Manager. The City had 175 potential candidates, invited 11 to preliminary interviews, and identified two candidates to participate in the final interview process. One of these two candidates recently accepted another position and therefore the City will be moving forward with the remaining candidate for the final interview.
• See current job openings
• Lean how to create a resume and cover letter and use Microsoft Teams for interviews
• Speak with members of city departments to see what they’re looking for in applicants
• Sign up for personalized resume and cover letter to help or a mock interview
On April 17th, 2023, Northern Arizona University will host Graham Akhurst, award-winning Aboriginal Australian author. Akhurst is from the Kokomini of Northern Queensland and currently lives on Gadigal Country in Sydney. Akhurst will read from his work and discuss his experiences as a writer representing Indigenous Peoples in fiction.
Akhurst’s international reputation as an author, and his involvement in addressing colonization and indigenous issues make the reading of particular interest to the Northern Arizona Community.
Residents of the La Plaza Vieja and Southside neighborhoods are invited to attend the first Neighborhood Partnership Coalition (NPC) meeting on Wednesday, April 19, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Murdoch Community Center (203 E Brannen Ave). Hosted by the City of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona University, the NPC meeting will create a space for staff to share updates relevant to the two neighborhoods and engage in related discussions with attendees.
FLAGSTAFF — The NAU Dept. of History will present “Bridges and Barriers: A History of the US-Mexican Borderland” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20 at Liberal Arts 136, Flagstaff.
Join us for our 26th annual mountain spelling bee from 5:00 – 9:00 at High Country Conference Center!
Celebrate with us and support access to literacy for all members of our community. There will be dinner, drinks, games, raffles, auctions, and of course, the bee competition! Tickets are $55 and all proceeds go to supporting our mission here at TLC!
AU’s Chief Sustainability Officer) will present “Making the Hidden Visible: An Interdisciplinary Assessment of the Environmental, Social and Developmental Impacts of The War on Drugs in Central America” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 24 in LA136, Northern Arizona University.
FREE EVENT
Celebrate Sedona!
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
4–6pm at Sedona Arts Center
Sponsored by: City of Sedona
Music by Guitarras Latinas
Food Truck, Artist Demonstrations, Beer and Wine for Sale
SAC Ceramics Department Demos & Sale
PLUS! A Special Exhibition: ¡Qué Hermoso!
This Celebrate Sedona takes place from 4 to 6pm, featuring music by Guitarras Latinas, and inlcudes a food truck, beer and wine for sale, and demonstrating artists. This free performance takes place along side a new Special Exhibition ¡Qué Hermoso! Celebrating Latinx cultural identity and traditions.
Celebrate Sedona takes place in Uptown Sedona at Sedona Arts Center.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC – Food & Beverage for Sale, FREE ADMISSION, 21 to Drink
NAU Choral Studies will present Spring Festival of Choirs & “Abya Yala — The Land in Its Fullness,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6 at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, Northern Arizona University.
With the support of the Kitt Fund for Musical Excellence and in collaboration with Latin American Studies, Chilean composer Freddy Vilches and his Matices Latin Ensemble will be in residence for a series of public performances.
MESA — NAU Choral Studies will present Spring Festival of Choirs & “Abya Yala — The Land in Its Fullness,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 7 at First United Methodist Church Mesa, 15 E. First Ave., Mesa.
With the support of the Kitt Fund for Musical Excellence and in collaboration with Latin American Studies, Chilean composer Freddy Vilches and his Matices Latin Ensemble will be in residence for a series of public performances.
The City of Flagstaff is hosting a flooding community meeting in May to discuss preparations for monsoon season and answer questions from residents.
The Global Engagement and Language Learning (GELL) Center provides a space for NAU students to engage in the study of global languages and cultures in order to promote student success beyond the classroom.
As part of that mission, the GELL Center is bringing the Global Film Series, “Food in Film,” to campus; it explores human interactions and relationships through food and examining the ways we use food to express ourselves as human beings.
All films will be shown in their original languages with English subtitles on various Wednesday nights throughout the semester. Each film will be introduced by a faculty member from the appropriate language department with discussion afterward.
Adults and teens from the campus and community are encouraged to attend these free screenings. Watching foreign language films can be a great way to practice a new language and to learn about other cultures.
A FREE community wildfire and flood awareness event is being hosted by the Coconino County Flood Control District this Friday, May 19 from 6 – 8:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theater, 15 W Aspen Ave, Flagstaff, AZ. Those attending will learn about fire and flood preparedness, connect with local leadership, and learn how to build resilience.
The evening will consist of tabling from local and statewide organizations, a short film on the current state of wildfires in the West, a keynote presentation from Flagstaff author John Vankat on the history of the region’s forest health, and a Q&A with a panel of regional experts from the field of forest management, fire management, emergency response, public health and more.
The thirty-third annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held through Saturday, June 17, 2023, on both the South and North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. National parks such as Grand Canyon are protective havens for some of the last remaining dark skies in the United States.
The event is sponsored by the National Park Service, Grand Canyon Conservancy, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, and the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix. Numerous telescopes will offer views of planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, as well as double stars, star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies. By day, keep an eye out for solar telescopes pointed at the sun. Weather permitting, expect spectacular views of the universe!
