Editorials

Tuesday is Primary Election Day.

For all the pronouncements that it is for safety reasons, a new law going into effect in September could be more hassle than it’s worth.

A local resident trying to drive home down his narrow street encountered a group of tourists wandering down the pavement and gazing up at the old buildings, as unaware of him as a flock of wild turkeys. He had to honk and shout at them to get on the sidewalk.

A sad thing happened on the way to the election.

This time of year in Arizona is such a combination of warnings, it may be frustrating for newcomers and visitors. Wildfire warnings, heat warnings and now - right on the dot - monsoon warnings come in succession.

A decade ago, the Bell Trail was one of the best-kept secrets in the Verde Valley. Compared to the trails around Sedona, it had moderate use and it was not unusual for a pair of hiking buddies to be the only people on the main trail for miles.

Try to fathom the number of men and women who have died fighting our nation’s enemies over the centuries. From combat injuries, illness and other fatal circumstances, the number – through the relatively brief history of the United States – is around 1.5 million.

The cap-and-gown of graduation is a time-honored tradition. Rarely worn, the robe and mortarboard are so heavily symbolic, they have survived 900 years.

Editorial: This year the Verde Valley saw first-hand the potential of the relationship between tribal police and federal agencies.

How much can Cottonwood taxpayers take? The City has put money – a lot of it – and time – a lot of it – into the Riverfront Water Reclamation Facility with too little to show for it.

“We’ll be dead by then.”

City councilmembers vote on this, that and the other week after week, month after month. But their primary decision-making responsibility is the municipal budget.

Under the guise of improving efficiency and removing politics, Camp Verde Town Council removed the Marshal’s Office from the supervision of the town manager.

Pity, fear, anger, disgust, trust – whichever way they react to the problem, Cottonwood residents see the problem is real.

No one wants the first driving class their child takes to be the result of getting ticketed by law enforcement.

Monday is the deadline for candidates to get their signatures and paperwork in to run for city and town councils. One of the first questions we ask of those that do so is, “Why are you running?”

The Title 42 Public Health policy is one of those cross-administration programs that was controversial under President Trump but has remained in place under President Biden.

It’s a fact of life that airplanes and helicopters are noisy. In Cottonwood, it’s also a fact that residential areas have grown up around the municipal airport in what used to be a more remote part of the city.

It is a question of trust, responsibility, finance and patience.

A bill quietly moving in the state Senate could turn more Arizonans into California drivers.

The grown-ups have shown up, but it’s a bit late in the day and anything but a sure answer to a crisis.

We are seeing yet another fallout of the failures of the community to lessen the spread of COVID-19 as nurses play hard-to-get.

If you’ve been feeling frustrated with politics and government crises – real or imagined – all around and just want your community to function the way it’s supposed to, Yavapai County has a plan.

They are thinking about it.

When the Omicron variant of COVID-19 first started spreading in Arizona, some businesses started going back to their most rigorous pandemic policies out of precaution.