The biggest Cottonwood news stories of 2015

January

• Clarkdale began figuring out how to develop recreational sites along the Verde River. Thanks to grants from groups like the Walton Family Foundation, the town continued to look at recreational use along the Verde River. That included setting limits on commercial boating opportunities.
• Sedona Recycles, which operates throughout the Verde Valley, reduces recycling sites in the area because of a lack of municipal funding and revenue.
• Ashley Key wins the title of Cottonwood Idol.
• Cottonwood looks at the rules that govern food trucks, something that was never originally considered in the municipal code.
• Cody Miller, of Cornville, wins the Sedona Marathon.

February

• Three students at Mingus High School were charged with sexual assault of a fellow student. Those charges were later dismissed.
• Yavapai College, looking to get more input from the Verde Valley, sends a new committee around the region to garner support despite a 10-Year Plan that puts less than 10 percent of its $103 million budget in the Verde Valley despite receiving more than a third of its revenue from local taxpayers.
• Cottonwood police investigate two break-ins at the St. Vincent De Paul thrift store.
• The city of Cottonwood gets an award from the Arizona Commerce Authority recognizing the town for its economic growth.

March

• Yavapai College announces it will be raising tuition rates by $3 per credit hour.
• The city of Cottonwood considers buying the long running Cornville-based Christmas light show. The show is eventually given to a nonprofit.
• An altercation at Walmart in Cottonwood results in a fatality and an officer shot in the leg. The Gaver family, Idahoans temporarily residing in the Verde Valley, gets into a fight with officers that is captured on a police dashcam.
• A statue is unveiled, honoring K-9 police dogs at the Cottonwood Police Station.
• Clarkdale approves a 65-foot cellular phone tower against some opposition from neighborhood residents.
• Austin Bowers sets a record in the Guinness Book for the longest cornhole toss at 110 feet.

April

• Cottonwood celebrates Easter with its annual egg hunt.
• Cottonwood Mayor Diane Joens addresses concerns about panhandling, noting that there is nothing illegal about the practice in most cases.
• The city of Cottonwood continued to look into its issues with Red Rock Skydiving.
• The Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival takes place at Riverfront Park, an event that instills a love and respect for the natural habitat into young people and adults as well.
• The city of Cottonwood announces that it is going to set aside part of Garrison Park to honor the veterans. The Verde Valley Military Service Park will honor all that served.

May

• Volunteers and students help plant vines on the hillside below Mingus Mountain, vines that will grow the grapes that will produce the wines at the college’s Southwestern Wine Center.
• The Verde Valley Fair comes to town, bringing rides and other remnants of the area’s past and agricultural present.
• Acting students at Mingus High School win six out of 13 statewide awards for their skills and efforts.
• APS decides to allow residents to opt out of paying fees for choosing not to accept smart meters that can relay information to the company wirelessly. The issue caused public debates which brought up health concerns.
• The city of Cottonwood looks at banning smoking from public parks, except for designated areas.

June

• The Cottonwood City Council votes 4-3 to increase spending on the Riverfront wastewater reclamation plant project, The $8.5 million project was increased to $10.1 million.
• Verde Valley Fire District Capt. Dustin Chambliss receives a medal for his efforts on Lake Mary Road, where he stopped an ambulance from rolling over an embankment.
• A 17-year-old in Cottonwood is stung by bees 200 times but survives.
• Jerry Doerksen announces his retirement as the assistant chief of the Verde Valley Fire District after decades of service.

July

• Barbara Dember steps down as president and CEO of Verde Valley Medical Center.
• Clarkdale announces a plan to increase property taxes.
• Clarkdale looks at a ruling about the Verde River. If the river was deemed navigable at statehood, Feb. 14. 1912, then the state would own the land under the river. If not, the private property owners would meet halfway.
• The regional SWAT is called in to a domestic disturbance in Clarkdale. A 37-year old man is apprehended.

August

• The Arizona Rural Development Council meets in Clarkdale. The meeting brings people from all over the state to look at issues facing the less developed areas of Arizona.
• The Verde Valley Archaeology Center gets a $10,000 grant to protect ancient native sites from vandalism.
• Bigam Peterson, a 14-year-old, organizes a restoration effort on a trail behind Clarkdale-Jerome School for his Eagle Scout Project.
• Nazih Hazime, chief of the Verde Valley Fire District, resigns from the board of the Sedona Fire District, citing conflict of interest as a fire chief.
• Clarkdale looks at re-approving a program that helps people pay their bills.

September

• Kyle Larson is named general manager of family-owned Larson Newspapers, the largest newspaper chain in Sedona and the Verde Valley, which has served the region for more than five decades.
• Cottonwood looks at revising its rules on legal marijuana growing operations. The industry ran against rules established years ago. Local businesses want to expand in physical size.
• Thunder Valley Rally Comes to town, bringing George Thorogood & The Destroyers. The event is well-received by those in attendance but leads to debate about the future of the event.
• Verde River Days is celebrated, bringing adults and children out to Dead Horse Ranch State Park.

October

• The Cottonwood Journal Extra launches a Facebook page, bringing up-to-date Verde Valley news to social media.
• The Cottonwood Youth Center opens. Formerly the home of the Boys & Girls Club, the building in Old Town had sat empty for several months.
• Ballots for the Mingus High School District and the Cottonwood-Oak Creek District are resent to voters after an error is noticed in the wording.
• Clarkdale’s Town Council approves a new RV park off of Broadway.

November

• The bond and override measures succeed for local schools, allowing classrooms to be repaired and additional funding for the districts.
• The city of Cottonwood looks at raising water rates. The issues has created tension with those outside the city, who pay higher rates than those in city limits.
• Verde Valley Medical Center celebrates its 70th anniversary.

December

• Cottonwood officially declares July 9, 1885, as its founding date, based on U.S. Postal records.
• Shadow Mountain, a local property management company, is shut down amidst an investigation into fraud.