Most of Arizona's forests south of the Mogollon Rim are in tinderbox conditions and area above is trending that way every day the temperature and winds remain high and the humidity low. Arizona is now the hotspot in the West for fires and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. Courtesy NAU/ERI
"It's an early start for us," says Don Muise, deputy fire staff officer for the Coconino National Forest, "June is typically our critical month, but we are starting to get into critical conditions already,"
4th grade students at Cottonwood Elementary School, along with artist and instructor Carol Hildebrand, presented 7 freshly painted canvases to the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District offices and Superintendent Barbara Uren on Tuesday afternoon. The 7 paintings are Centennial themed, with bright and bold colors of the Southwest, that become a panorama when placed side by side. The CES 4th Graders and Hildebrand worked together to create the large, dramatic paintings over the semester for them to hang specifically in the school district offices. VVN/Jon Pelletier
