Local

When Mike Westcott first stepped onto the Mingus Union High School campus as a freshman student in the fall of 1974, he had no idea he would one day be the district’s leader.

A complex plan, one created with much community input, was presented to the Clarkdale Council this week.

The left lane of Interstate 17 northbound has reopened at milepost 284 near Camp Verde, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The left lane of Interstate 17 northbound has reopened at milepost 284 near Camp Verde, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

VERDE VALLEY – By 2045, traffic on Cornville Road from SR 89A to Tissaw Road could reach 19,000 motorists each day.

The Cottonwood grocery store was the first of the chain supermarkets in town to offer pick-up service for its customers this week.

That’s how Sedona resident Dave Meier describes the small home community he hopes to build on approximately 2.68 acres at 485 S. Nichols St. in Camp Verde.

The City of Cottonwood receives many requests for financial contributions from a variety of organizations and programs that serve Cottonwood.

There is no estimated reopening time. Southbound lanes are not affected.

The proposed tax increase will cause Clarkdale’s primary property taxes on a $100,000 home to increase from $158.39 (total taxes that would be owed without the proposed tax increase) to $161.50 (total proposed taxes including the tax increase).

COTTONWOOD -- Researchers recently found the first instance of tamarisk beetles along the Verde River during routine monitoring.

Late Tuesday morning, the Payson Police Department took into custody a Cottonwood woman wanted on child abuse charges.

Arizona Public Service crews are making repairs Monday to downed power lines off Horseshoe Bend Drive in Camp Verde.

The Sedona Fire District has named Jon Trautwein as its new fire chief.

The average teacher salary will increase by 2% for 2019-2020, and the proposed budget includes a 3% pay raise for returning teachers, according to Director of Business Services David Snyder.

The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition has gained Cottonwood Planning and Zoning approval for its new homeless drop-in shelter, along with a $13,000 check from rock star and local businessman Maynard Keenan, a pledge of a $10,000 car and $2,000 in donations to operate the facility next year.

COTTONWOOD – There is “no reason” for Yavapai County Superior Court Judge David Mackey to modify his stipulated judgment and allow the Committee for Better Upper Verde Valley Schools to take the consolidation of the Cottonwood-Oak Creek and Mingus Union school districts to vote in 2020, rather than in November of this year.

The new APS substation in Clarkdale is on a path to approval thanks to a Planning Commission decision Tuesday, but townspeople will still be able to voice recommendations about the substation at another Town Council meeting and an APS open house, according to Clarkdale Planning Manager Beth Escobar.

CAMP VERDE – A 23-year-old man charged with the murder of his father in October 2015 at Fossil Creek is back in jail – this time in Maricopa County.

In recognition of the wide variety of species, the National Audubon Society has designated the Pecks Lake/Tavasi Marsh area around Tuzigoot National Monument, as well as Lower Oak Creek around Page Springs, as Important Bird Areas (IBA).

The Verde Valley Humane Society announces the appointment of Jill Iurato to its board of directors.

Cottonwood Fire Department firefighters quickly doused a wildfire that spread high into several old Cottonwood trees near the Jail Trail in Cottonwood on Thursday afternoon.

The resolution also explains that Camp Verde also opposes the “takings” of any of the town’s public or private land for the Verde Connect project, and opposes any additional taxes or any matching funds “or any action that will cost the Town of Camp Verde additional expenditures, as well as any reduction in county funds for other project needs in the Town of Camp Verde.”

The Prescott National Forest has implemented a temporary closure of Forest Road 493 east of Mingus Mountain on the Verde Ranger District for safety concerns related to equipment recovery.

According to Jennifer Reed, administrative assistant to the district’s superintendent and governing board, “The only item (so far) on the agenda is to possibly approve a contract for a superintendent.”