Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday Season.
AmigosNAZ.com will be taking a holiday vacation, off Monday, Dec. 23, 2024 and returning to work Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
IN THIS ISSUE
Hello from Supervisor Horstman
Community Meetings on Post Wildfire Flood Risks and Upper Rio Forest Restoration
Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Homer Wilkes Returns to Discuss Forest Restoration and Celebrate RFOR’s Sawmill
Governor and Attorney General Join the County in Calling For Review of EIS For Pinyon Plain Mine
Capitol Hill Hears From Coconino County
NRCS Chief and Senior Advisor Tom O’Halleran Tour Flood Mitigation Projects Funded by NRCS
Happy First Anniversary to Baaj Nwaavjo I’Tah Kukveni Ancestral Footprints of The Grand Canyon National Monument
Honoring Former Supervisor Ryan with Matt Ryan County Natural Area
Wildland Fire Leadership Council Meet in Flagstaff
Babbitt Ranch Energy Center Ribbon Cutting Celebration
Mike Scott Retires and Flagstaff Family Food Center Acquires Grand Canyon Food Pantry
Supervisor Horstman Sworn In at the Governor’s Office for the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority Board
Regent Liz Archuleta Honored
Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition Star Party Delivers!
Camp Colton Breaks Ground on New Lodge
In Remembrance of Dr. Miguel Vasquez
Fall Events
Community Resources
Also stop by the Coconino County booth near the fair’s north entrance to learn more about the county’s Diversity Councils (African Diaspora Advisory Council, the Coconino Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Council).
FLAGSTAFF — Flagstaff’s Ballet Folklorico de Colores, The Outlaw Mariachi, Emotion Tropical and La Brazza Norteña will perform during the the 75th annual Coconino County Fair at Fort Tuthill, Flagstaff.
The Coconino County Fair will be held Labor Day weekend starting 10 a.m. Friday Aug. 30 through 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.
Entertainment on the Main Stage on Friday, Aug. 30 includes:
8:00 PM – The Outlaw Mariachi (Website | Facebook | Instagram)
Performances on the Main Stage on Sunday, Sept. 1 include:
10:45 AM – Flagstaff’s Ballet Folklorico de Colores (Website | Facebook)
6:00 PM – Emocion Tropical (Facebook)
8:00 PM – La Brazza Norteña (Instagram | Facebook)
FLAGSTAFF — Threatening skies didn’t keep the crowd away when Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces celebrated its 9th annual “Flagstaff Summertime Tardeada — Mariachi and Folklórico Festival” on Aug. 10 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.
Nearly 400 visitors had the opportunity to enjoy the celebration with performances by the all-female Mariachi Rubor Femenil from Phoenix, Ballet Folklorico de Colores – Flagstaff, with dance music by Soul Persuasion from Phoenix.
Mariachi Rubor Femenil will be performing again in Flagstaff during the upcoming Celebraciones de la Gente Oct. 26, 27 at the Museum of Northern Arizona.
The Tardeada concluded promptly at 7 p.m. with a nearby lighting strike at the end of the Soul Persuasion performance. The Tardeada also included the annual Veterans recognition, games for adults and children, food and the return a classic car show.
This year’s Premier Sponsors were the Cococnino County Board of Supervisors, the Coconino County Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC). and San Francisco de Asis Catholic Church, with the support of a number of community groups.
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15, 2024) is here and this is the perfect time to celebrate your business.
You can reach a Northern Arizona audience that is approaching 639,000 hits, nearly 80,000 visits and almost 25,000 unique visitors on our website as of Aug. 15, 2024.
Contact Frank at fmoraga@amigosnaz.com
FLAGSTAFF —The City of Flagstaff has been awarded $9.6M from the United States Department of Transportation to implement the Butler Avenue Complete Streets Conversion. The City will convert 0.9 miles of arterial road in the urban center of Flagstaff to a Complete Street. The project includes installing bike lanes that are grade-separated from motor vehicle traffic; three protected intersections; a new pedestrian crossing; upgrades to an existing pedestrian crossing; and pedestrian comfort features, such as landscape buffers, that also result in reducing speeds through the historic Southside Neighborhood in the core of Flagstaff.
Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett said “Safe streets for all is our goal and this grant will put our pedestrian and bike designs for Butler Avenue into action. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Flagstaff has received $58M to date and residents and visitors alike will get to enjoy transportation and infrastructure projects designed to make moving around town on foot, bike, bus, and car easier and more convenient. Thanks to Arizona’s Senators Kelly and Sinema for their part in making this happen.”
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When you become a member of CCC&Y, your financial contribution helps cultivate and strengthen well-informed communities by providing education and resources, bringing stakeholders together, building new systems of communication and more.
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Through leadership, education and advocacy. By becoming a member you add your name to an expansive list of individuals, families, businesses and organizations who are igniting collective action that creates better lives for children and families.
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UPCOMING School Offerings
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. We also have a variety of online workshops as well.
Besides what you see in this email, there are more offerings on our website.
Click here to see all of our classes and workshops.
FLAGSTAFF — Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces this week offered a big THANK YOU to everyone who supported and attended the 20th anniversary annual Celebraciones de la Gente — Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead festival at the Museum of Northern Arizona on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22.
This year’s event featured the return of the ever-popular InTlanextli Tlacopan Aztec Fire Dancers and Ballet Folklorico de Colores — Flagstaff performing on both days of the festival in the Branigar/Chase Discovery Center, along with daily performances in the historic Jaime Golightly Courtyard by El Charro Bohemia.
The 2023 Celebraciones de la Gente was supported in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts which receives support from the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional Premier Sponsors include Coconino County District 2 Supervisor Jeronimo Vasquez and the Coconino County Hispanic Advisory Council (CHAC) and APS. Celebraciones presented in partnership with the Museum of Northern Arizona.
The event celebrated the history and culture of Mexican, Mexican American and Latin@ communities in Northern Arizona at this annual fall event, which will include music, dance, food and heartfelt remembrances.
FLAGSTAFF — The City of Flagstaff seeks proposals for large-scale, three-dimensional (3D) sculptures for a temporary outdoor exhibition May-October 2024.
The exhibition will feature five artworks, existing or newly created, that reflect and make visible aspects of Indigenous and other diverse cultural representation, including Black and Latinx art. Selected artworks can advance essential perspectives and narratives through a myriad of ways and will prompt appreciation, conversation, and interaction.
FLAGSTAFF — The City of Flagstaff’s Beautification, Arts and Sciences program invites artists, community members, community groups, schools and local businesses to apply for a Beautification in Action (BIA) grant. Applications will be accepted through Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. Up to $4,500 is available per project.
Projects that enliven and revitalize the urban environment can take the form of community gardens, neighborhood paths, benches, sculptures, murals and more. Priority will be given to community-initiated projects that provide a lasting impact—fostering cultural connections, strengthening neighborhood awareness and identity, and deepening how residents and visitors interact with the built environment. All projects must be publicly and visually accessible.
Flagstaff High School celebrated its 2023 Hispanic Convocation with the largest group of students in recent memory on Wednesday, May 10. Nearly 90 students took the stage to receive their colorful sarape sashes from new United Way of Northern Arizona President and CEO Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Archuleta, FHS Principal Libby Miller; Assistant Principal Trish Eberlein, Assistant Principal Matthew Barquin and Athletic Director Jeannine Brandel.
Archuleta, who provided the keynote address, urged the students to consider themselves as leaders, envision their successful futures and remember they belong in the room and the conversation as they move ahead in their careers.
The Flagstaff community enjoyed the return of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Chapel with the procession from the chapel to St. Francis de Asia Catholic Church on Dec. 11. Once arriving at the church, worshippers attended a Rosary and a play on the origins of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The next day, nearly 200 luminarias lighted the way for worshipers who came to the chapel for the 6 a.m. Rosary, followed by the performance of Mañanitas and a Mass.
Following the mass, worshipers were invited downstairs to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church Cultural Center (The Basement) for coffee, hot chocolate and Mexican sweet bread, presented by members of Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces.
Preparations at the chapel began earlier in the week when members of Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces gathered in the basement for the creation of the nearly 200 bags of sand and the placement of the candles.
December 7 Celebrate Sedona Kicks off the
Big Gay Art Show!
A Special Exhibition at Sedona Arts Center
Celebrate Sedona returns on December 7 at Sedona Arts Center with a family-friendly, fun, holiday-themed drag performance by Angel Phoenix, Carnie Asada, and Vypra G Saxton to kick off the Big Gay Art Show! Join us for a singing, dancing, and a fun celebration in the Theatre Studio at Sedona Arts Center in Uptown Sedona from 4 to 6pm. Attendance is FREE. Food is FREE. And drinks will be available for purchase!
ark visitors and residents are invited to attend a special celebration in honor of Native American Heritage Month. The event takes place in Shrine of the Ages Auditorium, beginning at 6:30 pm, and promises to be an evening filled with cultural dancing and perspectives.
Four dance groups will perform:
The Dineh’ Tah Navajo Dance Troupe,
The Hopi Sinom Traditional Singers & Corn Dancers,
The Guardians of Grand Canyon – Havasupai Ram Dancers,
and the Dishchii’bikoh – Apache Crown Dancers.
Grand Canyon’s Indigenous employees and community members have presented this annual event for more than 20 years. It is free, open to the public, and is sponsored by Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon Conservancy, as well as local businesses, organizations, and individuals.
Mariachi performers strolling in the courtyard, stopping off to pay their respects to families attending the lighted ofrendas / altars, folkloric dancers with faces adorned with Día de los Muertos-styled make-up, traditional food and cultural lectures — all combined to 19th Annual Celebraciones de la Gente / Día de los Muertos at the Museum of Northern Arizon.
Presented by the museum and Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, the event drew hundreds of visitors on a cool but welcoming weekend in Flagstaff.
The museum’s Jaime Golightly Courtyard was transformed into a candle-lit setting, with intricately cut papel picado (pierced paper) and ofrendas (altars) to welcome past loved ones to the party.
FLAGSTAFF — Undergraduate students from the state’s 22 federally recognized Native American tribes will no longer have to pay tuition and mandatory fees at the University of Arizona main campus in Tucson.
Beginning in the fall, new and continuing full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates will be eligible for the Arizona Native Scholars Grant, the first program of its kind in Arizona. The program, funded through a reallocation of financial aid dollars, will be administered by UArizona Enrollment Management.
“Serving Arizona’s Native American tribes and tribal students is a crucial part of the University of Arizona’s land-grant mission, and the Arizona Native Scholars Grant program is another important step among many to do that,” said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. “I am so proud that that this university has found a way to help hundreds of students more easily access and complete a college education, and I look forward to finding ways to take these efforts even further.”
Celebraciones de la Gente, the annual Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead celebration, returned to the Museum of Northern Arizona on Oct. 23-24 with an appreciative crowd who strolled around the historic Jaime Golightly Courtyard to view family ofrendas / altars, view workshops on creating ofrendas, a presentation honoring the more than 400 people who died due to COVID-19 in Coconino County, dance performances by Ballet Folklorico de Colores — Flagstaff and music by Mariachi Tradición de México from Tucson and Los Alambrados Flagstaff.
The 18th annual event, which was hosted by the Museum of Northern Arizona, in partnership with Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, was presented virtually in 2020 due the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
While Northern Arizona University is on the verge of achieving a student population that would allow it to be considered an Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), José Luis Cruz believes emphasis should go to one particular area.
“What we need to focus on is the serving part, not just providing access, (to give them the help they need) to graduate on time,” Cruz, a finalist for the 17th president of NAU, said during a virtual media conference held on Feb. 19.
The media conference followed a virtual and limited-audience community meeting held during his visit to the university. Cruz is awaiting approval of contract terms during the next Arizona Board of Regents meeting where he will be officially appointed as the new NAU president.
Thank you all very much for participating in our democracy by casting your ballot during the Nov. 3, 2020, general election.
No matter who you have voted for, you have set national records in participation this year — all during a time of one of the worst pandemics in our nation’s history.
Now, the hard part begins. Patience.
As we write this, various news agencies are reporting that former Vice President Joe Biden has won Pennsylvania to put him over the 270 electoral votes needed to become the 46th U.S. President.
Those news services include:
Associated Press — Biden wins White House, vowing new direction for divided US
CNBC — Election 2020 live results: Biden projected to defeat Trump, claims national mandate
CNN — Election results live: Joe Biden wins presidency
Fox News — Fox News projects Biden to defeat Trump, become 46th president after winning Nevada, Pennsylvania
NBC News — Biden defeats Trump to win White House, NBC News projects
New York Times — Joe Biden Wins 2020 President Election
NPR — Biden Wins Presidency, According To AP, Edging Trump In Turbulent Race
Washington Post — Biden Defeats Trump
However, thousands of ballots remain to be counted in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. We owe it to election workers to complete their jobs and count every single ballot.
The year 2020 will go down as one of the most challenging years this nation has faced. A continuing pandemic, large nationwide demonstrations for civil rights, a contentious election campaign season — all during a time when the nation was attempting to complete the 2020 Census
Now, there is word that the Sept. 30 deadline to complete the Census may be pushed back to its original Oct. 31, 2020 pandemic-altered deadline: Please see — CNN — Federal judge orders nationwide 2020 census counting to continue through October 31.
But since the ruling is subject to appeal, and nothing else appears predictable during 2020, it would be best to continue to fill out those Census forms as quickly as possible.
With less than a half-month to go, Coconino County still lags behind its U.S. Census 2010 self-response rate.
Okay procrastinators, time to get going!!!
The time is now to fill out U.S. Census forms by Sept. 30, 2020 and also do everything possible to make sure your VOTE COUNTS in during the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 general election
As of Sept. 17, 2020, Coconino County reported a total self-response rate of 44.9 percent, down from from 51.0 percent from a year ago. The news is event worse for the Navajo Nation, which has reported 19.9 percent self-response rate as of Sept. 17, 2020, down from 29.4 percent in 2010.
As the nation pauses to honor the sacrifices of those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, there can be no better example of how America reacted to the tragic events that day with a renewed sense of patriotism and dedication to the phrase “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.”
America came together following that tragic day, as we need to come together again to honor their sacrifices by taking part in American Democracy by filling out U.S. Census forms by Sept. 30, 2020 and doing everything possible to make sure your VOTE COUNTS in during the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 general election
During the next few weeks we will highlight the need for our reading audience to take action as these deadlines rapidly approach.
Click here to see the Self-Response Rates Map for Northern Arizona and the rest of the United States.
Never has a September been more important to American democracy than this year with the deadline approaching (Sept. 30) to fill out U.S. Census forms and to do everything possible to make sure your VOTE COUNTS in during the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020 general election
During the next few weeks we will highlight the need for our reading audience to take action as these deadlines rapidly approach.
The city of Flagstaff began the Coconino Estates Improvements Phase I Project on May 26, 2020. The entire Project is anticipated to be complete in the Fall of 2022. Typical work hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday with occasional work on Fridays. The work will start on the Navajo Road portion of the project from Fort Valley Road to the east side of the Hopi Drive intersection. Improvements include replacing the existing water, sewer, and roadway infrastructure. Additionally, sidewalks will be installed within city right-of-way along both sides of Navajo Road.
Resistance. Quiet, persistent resistance.
Every once in a while, that resistance comes to everyone and everything.
As we note Earth Day this week, we are reminded of that resistance. In our stay-safe-at-home times, we are now seeing a world where the air is cleaner, the sound of nature is clearer and the Earth is actually healing itself a little at a time. There is a chilling, yet quiet beauty seeing the streets of Paris, London, Rome and New York virtually empty and nature going on quite well without us.
It’s as if Earth finally said, “ENOUGH.”
In This Newsletter:
COVID-19 Daily Dashboard
New AZDHS COVID-19 Website
Coconino NF Firewood Permits go on sale 4/29
Earth Week 2020
Earth Day Story Time: Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax
Earth Day Activities
Daily COVID-19 Facebook Live Updates
New COVID-19 Call Center Hours
2020 Census
Quote of the Day
Stay Connected with Us!
Earth Day BINGO Challenge
COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors and celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of individuals whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America,…
COCONINO COUNTY — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to approve a proclamation designating Sept. 15-Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the First Floor Board Room, 219 E. Cherry Ave., Flagstaff.…
PAGE — Page resident and CCC student Lacey Nez knew she wanted to go into a law enforcement career after a field trip to the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in Phoenix. “Growing up was a very tough environment for me,” she…
Click here for the entire e-newsletter GINA SANTI PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Ethnographic Images September 2019 English Spanish Upcoming Exhibits The thrill of the band’s looseness, chemistry, camaraderie, Jagger’s frenetic and…
Click here for the entire e-newsletter FLAGSTAFF — The Arizona Department of Transportation advises Flagstaff drivers who use McConnell Drive to plan for additional full overnight road closures, while crews continue work to replace the McConnell Bridge on Interstate 17 and State Route 89A. McConnell Drive…
Click here for the entire e-newsletter August 6, 2019 Please take a moment to read some of the latest news and upcoming events within Coconino County and it’s surrounding areas. Feel free to share this e-newsletter and encourage others to sign up!…