January

■ Following a report of sexual harassment of a female city of Cottonwood employee by Cottonwood City Councilman Derek Palosaari, a subsequent investigation discovered numerous incidents of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior toward at least six female city staffers involving Palosaari over a period of several months. Palosaari later expressed remorse to the first woman during a council meeting but did not address the testimony of the other victims.

■ Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass tendered his resignation on Jan. 4. Douglass had only been on the job for a little over seven months. Douglass took over as city manager following Ron Corbin’s departure. He left the office on Jan. 9, citing comments by several Cottonwood City Council members indicating he had been terminated, per the terms of his contract.

■ Northern Arizona Healthcare CEO David Cheney stated that NAH is aggressively hiring new doctors throughout the hospital network, promised to retain and grow the Sedona Emergency Department and debunked false claims made about NAH’s goals, budget, staffing and administration.

■ The city of Cottonwood registered two petitions to recall Palosaari and Councilwoman Lisa DuVernay. Petitions to recall DuVernay were filed March 5. Palosaari opted not to run for a full term. “On Aug. 8, 2023, City Council member Lisa DuVernay showed pornographic video at the Cottonwood City Council meeting,” the recall petition stated. “There were children present. She also appeared to threaten legal action against the city if the mayor did not instruct staff to draft a city ordinance which had already been voted against by the majority of the council.”
“At the Dec. 19, 2023, Cottonwood City Council meeting, it was revealed that council member Derek Palosaari admitted to sexually harassing city of Cottonwood employees,” the recall petition stated. “The admission was made before the mayor, city attorney and city manager. The admission was confirmed by a human resources investigation.

■ As a result of the discussions that took place during the Jan. 9 Cottonwood City Council meeting, the city’s outside legal counsel, Pierce Coleman PLLC, terminated its agreement to provide legal services to Cottonwood, firing the city as a client.

■ The Mingus Union High School District Governing Board postponed its discussion of the first reading of a set of proposed modifications to its policy regarding library material selection and adoption during a Jan. 11 special meeting.

■ The city of Cottonwood’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Yavapai County Community Health Services donated 15 new bicycles to Steps to Recovery for their clients to use as transportation.

■ The city announced in a Jan. 12 press release that Deputy City Manager Rudy Rodriguez would be serving as interim city manager until further notice following the departure of City Manager Scotty Douglass, who resigned on Jan. 4. Councilwoman Lisa DuVernay objected to the appointment, which was tabled due to the city no longer having any legal counsel.

■ The Cottonwood City Council approved a cooperative use purchasing agreement for the drilling of a new well at Verde Santa Fe and a well-sharing and access agreement with Verde Santa Fe Golf Partners on Jan. 16.

■ The Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission approved a preliminary plat and a final plat for two single-family residential subdivisions Jan. 22.

■ Mingus Union High School District Governing Board Vice President Misty Cox is facing a recall petition filed by Marianna Habern, of Cornville. “Misty Cox has consistently shown that the education and welfare of all of the students at Mingus Union High School is not a priority,” the recall petition stated. “She has consistently shown that her political agenda is her priority, at the expense of the mental and physical health of our students.” Petitioners did not gather enough signatures to prompt a recall.

February

■ Dr. Daniel Bright School Principal Jessica Vocca was selected to be Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District’s future superintendent.

■ Mingus Union High School’s A Troupe of Ridiculous Thespians presented the musical “Rock of Ages.”

■ MUHSD Governing Board conducted interviews with seven candidates for the position of district superintendent on Feb. 9.

■ The Verde Valley SciTech Festival is returning for its ninth annual regional celebration of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

■ Select sixth- through eighth-grade students from the Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District participated in a Python coding workshop with Arizona State University professor Collin Sellman, Ph.D., at the Science Vortex.

■ The 106-acre marsh around Tuzigoot National Monument reopened Feb. 5 after an April 2023 wildfire burned 106 acres.

■ The Cottonwood council appointed Utilities Director Tom Whitmer as interim city manager and hired Gust Rosenfeld PLC to provide legal services.

■ The MUSHD Governing Board held a first reading of proposed modifications to library policy, which would have effectively removed certain books from the school library.

■ No injuries were reported following the collision of two vehicles around 6:15 a.m., one of which was a Chevy Tahoe driven by Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Donna Grace Michaels, 70, who stated she was en route to the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors’ 9 a.m. meeting in Prescott on Feb. 7. Michaels was cited for driving at “speed greater than reasonable and prudent,” according to Verde Valley Justice Court.

■ The Clarkdale Town Council and Historic Preservation Commission held a joint meeting on Feb. 6 to discuss the Voluntary Consultation Report from the State Historic Preservation Office regarding the town’s bandstand.

■ The Cottonwood City Council discussed housing availability and affordability during its Feb. 13 work session.

■ The Cottonwood Police Department responded to a domestic violence report on Feb. 14, at 9:40 p.m., at a residence located at 778 N. Main St. in Old Town Cottonwood. After a standoff, police arrested 37-year-old Brandon Bigler, from St. George, Utah.

■ U.S. Rep. Eli Crane [R-District 2] visited Cottonwood on Feb. 20. The first-term Republican spoke about his time in Congress so far and being in the House Freedom Caucus, a staunchly conservative group in the U.S. House of Representatives.

■ The Clarkdale Planning Commission discussed rezoning for The Highlands at Clarkdale, a planned development project that would include 139 single-family homes and a 144-unit apartment complex at the intersection of SR 89A, Cement Plant Road and Clarkdale Parkway.

■ The Arizona Department of Environmental terminated Minerals Research Inc.’s consent order, but MRI was authorized to continue to operate its facility under its pending permit.

March

■ Author Ken Mochizuki discussed his book “Michi Challenges History: From Farm Girl to Costume Designer to Relentless Seeker of the Truth: The Life of Michi Nishiura Weglyn” as part of the Arizona Research Library’s 2024 Arizona Author Series on Feb. 15

■ The Greater Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce hosted a “Lunch and Learn” event on water resilience in the Verde Valley at the Cottonwood Community Clubhouse, which included representatives from The Nature Conservancy, Salt River Project, Sonoran Wines and Business for Water Stewardship

■ The Cottonwood council discussed rebranding Thunder Valley Rally, to reduce its focus on motorcycles and bikers.

■ The Verde Valley Rally returned for a third year as a community-driven bicycle race offering two days of racing, live music, family-friendly activities, food trucks and a farmer’s market

■ The Verde Village Community Connection celebrated its first year of operations.

■ Author Natalie Koch discussed her book “Arid Empire: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia” as part of the 2024 Arizona Author Series at the Camp Verde Community Library via streaming on March 14.

■ Jerome celebrated its 125th birthday on March 9, with a birthday parade, community potluck, live music, an archaeological and geological display by Jerome’s historic preservation officer, a shrine to past Jerome residents at the Bartlett Hotel ruins and a slideshow of historic photographs.

■ Cottonwood resident Cathy Ransom submitted the petitions to recall Cottonwood City Councilwoman Lisa DuVernay to the City Clerk. DuVernay did not respond for a request for comment on the recall. Signatures were collected with the support of a local nonprofit, the Rural Organizing Initiative, and representatives stated they are confident that the recall will move forward to an election.

■ The Cottonwood Airport Commission discussed introducing landing fees.

■ The Verde Village Community Connection hosted its annual meeting to celebrate its first year of operation and deliver an annual report.

■ Cottonwood and the Greater Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce hosted a meet-and-greet for the two mayoral and eight City Council candidates.

■ The Cottonwood City Council voted to support an application for low-income housing tax credits for the construction of new affordable apartment units as part of the development of the Verde Plaza Apartments.

■ Cosplayers and residents, including Jedi Knight Luminara Unduli, a Rebel Alliance fighters, Mandalorian bounty hunters, the 501st Legion cosplay group, attended the Verde Valley Comic Expo on March 23. Hundreds of people came to the to event, which featured dozens of vendors, activities and artists.

■ Cottonwood, Cornville and the Verde Villages all hosted Easter events.

■ The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition and the Greater Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand opening of VVHC’s new Friendship House for transitional housing.

■ The Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the design review and conditional use permit for a drive-through for a proposed Burger King.

■ MUHS’ Performance Choir competed in the Arizona chapter of the American Choral Directors’ Association’s state competition on March 26, winning a “Superior” ranking.

April

■ The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition and the Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of VVHC’s new Friendship House.

■ The Cottonwood Community Awareness Group hosted a presentation by Cottonwood Municipal Airport Manager Jeff Tripp.

■ Mingus Union High School students Nikko Oskar, Brady Monroe, Jose Parra Romero and Brayden Lynn won the SKILLS USA Region 4 2024 Digital Cinema Production Pre-Qualifier competition for their short film “Ain’t Mile,” which is set in a world where people lose their voices for unknown reasons and cannot communicate verbally with each other. In such a world, actions and emotions become louder than words

■ A total solar eclipse worked its way across the continental United States on April 8. The Verde Valley saw 68.5% of the sun blocked out over a period of 146 minutes. As its path is inhabited by an estimated 31 million people, this is expected to be one of the most-observed eclipses in human history. A total solar eclipse will not be visible again in the continental United States until Aug. 23, 2044.

■ The Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona hosted an awards ceremony at the Yavapai College campus in Clarkdale on April 14, which recognized and honored charity work across the Verde Valley.

■ The petitions to recall Cottonwood City Councilwoman Lisa DuVernay filed with the Cottonwood City Clerk on March 5 had their signatures verified by the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office on April 19.

■ Cottonwood’s Vintage Run returned on April 20 with a mix of courses for running and walking to engage the community in active and healthy activities.

■ The Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival will return to Dead Horse Ranch State Park from April 25 through 28.

May

■ The Verde Valley Fair returned from May 1 through 5.

■ The Verde Valley Imagination Library hosted a graduation ceremony for children who had aged out of its reading program on May 11.

■ Cottonwood’s Acting Chief of Police Christopher Dowell discussed policing in Cottonwood at a Cottonwood Community Awareness Group.

■ Voters questioned whether Holly Grigaitis lived in Cottonwood and was eligible to run for office. A tenant at the mobile home she listed as her address said Grigaitis did not live there. Grigatis owns a home in Cornville where her business was headquartered. She eventually came in dead last in the July election.

■ Donovan Jelicich, a 32-year-old Cottonwood driver who was stopped by a Cottonwood Police Department officer and later attacked the officer, seemingly without any warning, was shot during the fight as he and the officer tumbled down a slope adjacent to the roadway. Jelicich later died.

■ Four council members Councilmen Michael Mathews, Derek Palosaari and Stephen DeWillis and Councilwoman Lisa DuVernay, skipped two meetings to set a July date for the recall election for DuVernay, effectively delaying her recall to Nov. 5. The political maneuver was for naught, as DuVernay was overwhelming recalled by voters.

■ The Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum hosted a talk by author Nancy Dallett about her book “Crooked River: The Creation and Preservation of Tuzigoot National Monument and Heritage Tourism in the Verde Valley” on May 9.

■ The Verde Valley Wine Festival returned to Riverfront Park on May 11. The festival celebrated local wineries and growers and featured over 20 wineries from across the state as well as additional vendors.

■ MUHSD Governing Board President Lori Drake filed to run for the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors District 3 seat.

■ Palosaari filed a notice of claim against the city of Cottonwood, demanding $2 million.

■ Clarkdale presented a budget of $43,695,019.

■ Cottonwood readers were introduced to mayoral candidates Ann Shaw and Michael Mathews and council candidates Helaine Kurot, Felicia Coates, Bob Marks, Lindsay Masten, Joy Mosley, Heather Piper White and Bill Tinnin — and Grigatis — in a series of front-page stories.

June

■ Mingus Union High School graduated 255 seniors.

■ Phoenix attorney Dennis I. Wilenchik has filed a notice of claim on June 6 against the city of Cottonwood on behalf of current, appointed Cottonwood City Councilman Derek Palosaari, who was the target of a recall petition effort in January for sexually harassing at least six female city employees. Palosaari did not run for election to a full term in 2024.

■ Libraries launched the “Adventure Begins at Your Library” summer reading program.

■ Clarkdale readers were introduced to mayoral candidates Robyn Prud’Homme-Bauer and Cynthia Malla and council candidates Amanda Arnold, Marney Babbitt-Pierce, Debbie Hunseder and Nathan Porter in a series of front-page stories.

■ Cottonwood signed an agreement with Studio G Multimedia Services to provide broadcast services for city meetings.

■ Cottonwood Police and the Verde Valley Fire District rescued a woman on the Verde River near the Bignotti river access point on June 23.

July

■ Clarkdale resident and MUHS girls’ tennis head coach Andrea Meyer was one of the winners of the Billie Jean King Champions of Equality Award. Meyer was also named Coach of the Year for Division II, Section II by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

■ Clarkdale, Cottonwood and Sedona held Independence Day events on Thursday, July 4.

■ Clients and former staff of the Verde Valley Sanctuary reported neglect and verbal abuse at the shelter. Two longtime employees were fired after they voiced concerns to VVS leadership and objections to VVS selling a Cottonwood thrift store.

■ The Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District held an inaugural archery tournament with three afterschool archery clubs on Saturday, April 27, at the Verde Tech High School gymnasium.

■ Clarkdale Town Manager Susan Guthrie and Finance Director Julie Goucher presented the town’s draft budget for fiscal year 2024- 25 during a Town Council meeting on Tuesday, May 14. The $43,695,019 budget — up from $35,724,945 in 2023-24 — is focused on planning, which Guthrie and Goucher said is critical to figure out the town’s needs.

■ The Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a design review application for a 15-unit apartment complex on Mingus Avenue during its meeting on May 20.

■ The Old Town Association awarded a scholarship to Airam Hurtado-Castro.

■ The husband of Republican candidate for Yavapai County School Superintendent Kara Woods received two misdemeanor criminal citations for removing and damaging the signs of Woods’ political rival Steve King.

■ Jerome musician Dylan Jung was among the eight inaugural recipients of a $15,000 Radical Unity Grant awarded on July 11.

■ During its July 16 meeting, the Cottonwood City Council passed two ordinances intended to encourage the construction of affordable housing by updating the city’s zoning ordinance to allow for the construction of more accessory dwelling units and to allow the city’s Community Development Department to offer incentives to developers to construct affordable housing.

■ A helicopter crashed at the Cottonwood Municipal Airport at approximately 11:19 a.m. on SJuly 13. The aircraft had just completed a 53-minute round-trip flight from the Cottonwood Airport over Sedona and back before the crash, according to flight records. The helicopter lost one of its landing skids somewhere over Sedona, according to the Cottonwood Police Department.

■ Residents flocked to the 10th annual Sedona Hummingbird Festival from July 26 through 28.

■ The city of Cottonwood’s well in Verde Santa Fe and Amante subdivisions failed. As a result, Cottonwood Mayor Tim Elinski, at the recommendation of the Director of Utilities Tom Whitmer, who is also acting Cottonwood city manger, ordered that the Water Reduction Demand Strategy for Verde Santa Fe be elevated to Level IV.

■ The Clarkdale Police Department hosted National Night Out on Aug. 6.

■ The Kroger Co. has identified the Safeway at 1635 E. Cottonwood Street in Cottonwood as one of the 579 U.S. Safeway stores that it plans to sell to C&S Wholesale Grocers to avoid antitrust proceedings that could result from its proposed $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons Companies Inc. The merger was put on temporary hold as of July 25, until an antitrust case by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser seeking to halt the deal is settled by the Colorado District Court Aug. 7. The deal collapsed in December and Albertsons sued Kroger.

■ The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office announced on July 29, that a hiker died on the evening of Saturday, July 27, on the Parsons Trail, five miles north of Clarkdale near the confluence of Sycamore Creek and the Verde River.

■ In the July 30 primary election, Shaw handily defeated Mathews for the Cottonwood mayor’s seat and Marks and Coates won outright with Mosley and Masten heading to a runoff, but Masten pulled out for personal reasons. In Clarkdale, Prud’Homme-Bauer defeated Malla while incumbents Babbitt-Pierce and Hunseder won reelection. In Jerome, incumbents Christina “Alex” Barber, Jane Moore and Dr. Jack Dillenberg Issam and challengers “Izzy” Sharif and Sonia Sheffield won seats. Democrat Nikki Check crushed incumbent Donna Michaels by 72% to 28% in the primary.

August

■ U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra held a town hall at the Cottonwood Recreation Center on Aug. 7. Roughly a hundred residents showed up for the occasion. Steps to Recovery Executive Director Damien Browning, of Cottonwood, speaks during the town hall.

■ Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs [D] made two stops in Clarkdale on Aug. 8 to announce a microbusiness loan program.

■ Interim Cottonwood Police Chief Christopher Dowell resigned on Aug. 11 and took the deputy chief position in Sedona on Aug. 26. Dowell’s contract is for a term of 90 days. He will be assisting with procuring a new body-worn camera system, updating policies and procedures, overseeing the investigative unit and supervising the patrol and support services divisions.

■ Cottonwood Police arrested 50-year-old Damian Andre, a Camp Verde resident and teacher at Verde Tech High School in Cottonwood, on charges of supplying marijuana and tobacco to a minor. The arrest followed an investigation into allegations that Andre allegedly provided marijuana vaping fluid to one of his 15-year-old students.

■ Larry David Petersen, a Cottonwood resident reported missing on May 25, was found dead at a campsite on Aug. 14. Petersen was last seen on State Route 89A and Cornville Road, leaving the Cottonwood area and heading toward Sedona, driving a white 2007 Ford Explorer. CPD and the Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a silver alert in an attempt to help locate Petersen, shared by the Cottonwood Journal Extra and hundreds of residents around the Verde Valley.

■ Mingus Union High School student Kayta Aronson spent four weeks of her summer fulfilling her dream of attending Harvard University, in Boston after she was admitted to Harvard’s Secondary Summer Program.

■ The Cottonwood Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit to allow Camp Verde rancher K.W. Mulcaire to run a small cattle herd of up to 25 head on the city’s clear zone north of the Cottonwood airport during its Aug. 19 meeting in a 4-1 vote, but the Cottonwood City Council later overturned the decision.

September

■ The Jerome Music & Arts Festival returned on Sept. 14 and 15. Last year’s inaugural festival drew an estimated 10,000 visitors and this year’s edition offered more visual artists as well as 40 musical acts at 10 different locations.

■ The Astronomers of Verde Valley hosted a moon observation event on Sept. 14.

■ Six candidates ran for three seats on the Mingus Union High School District Governing Board: James Ariola, Taylor Bell, Ashley Koepnick, Rev. Frank Nevarez, incumbent Carol Anne Teague and Joe Wegwert, Ph.D.

■ The Verde Valley Fire District, Cottonwood Fire Department and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of a plane crash in the Verde Villages around 6:56 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. The small 1966 Mooney M20F fixed-wing, single-engine, four-seater plane crashed into a residential area in the 70 block of E. Spur Drive, 2,887 feet from the southern end of the Cottonwood Airport runway and 140 feet outside Cottonwood city limits in the Verde Village Unit 8 subdivision.

■ During its Sept. 3 meeting, the Cottonwood City Council bowed to unanimous public opposition and tabled a staff proposal to convert the Cottonwood Community Clubhouse in Old Town into a museum and welcome center to await the incoming City Council in November, but council voted 5-2 on Sept. 3 to begin the process of selling the Rough Cut building at 635 North Main Street, which the city purchased for $2.95 million in October 2021 with the intention of converting it into a new city hall.

■ The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality held a public meeting at the Cottonwood Recreation Center on Sept. 12 to discuss the results of the air quality monitoring study it conducted in response to concerns about dust and windblown metals originating in the slag pile left behind by the former Clemenceau smelter. The results of the ADEQ study showed that particulate air pollution from the slag pile is significantly below both national and regional averages.

■ Thunder Valley Rally returned on Sept. 21, headlined by the band Warrant. The event featured rock music from 11 bands over the course of two days. The future of the Rally, is uncertain as the city has expressed interest in replacing the bike-themed park festival with another fall event it hopes will attract families instead of bikers.

October

■ Clarktoberfest returned on Oct. 5 in downtown Clarkdale.

■ The Verde Valley Fire District planned to host its first Verde Valley Regional Fire Prevention Day on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds in Cottonwood, but the event was canceled after the Copper Canyon Fire and Medical Authority in Camp Verde announced the sudden death of Copper Canyon firefighter Shane Gage on Sept. 28.

■ Cottonwood hired Brian Freudenthal as its next chief of police.

■ Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs [D] signed a non-binding Shared Stewardship Agreement with the federal government on Thursday, Oct. 10, intended to enable state and federal agencies to collaborate to reduce community wildfire risk.

■ Mingus Union High School Homecoming King Ian Hillberger and Homecoming Queen Jessica Casas Garcia are crowned at the Marauders football game on Friday, Oct. 11. Also crowned during halftime were Junior Princess Jenna Dompkowski and Junior Prince Curtis VanDevender; Sophomore Princess Kelsey Doven and Sophomore Prince Chris Birch; and Freshman Princess Kinley Rice and Freshman Prince Hunter Bejarano.

■ ATORT staged “Murder on the Orient Express” at MUHS. The story follows Belgian detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates murders on board the Orient Express, an express train between Istanbul and Paris while stranded by an avalanche in Simplon Pass, Switzerland.

■ Yavapai County District 3 supervisor candidates Republican Lori Drake and Democrat Nikki Check made their only joint appearance of the campaign season at the Sedona Chamber of Commerce’s Community Pulse event at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Oct. 9, where they gave presentations on their platforms and took questions.

■ Kids, families and adults celebrated Halloween in Clarkdale, Cottonwood and the Verde Villages.

November

■ Nov. 1 marks the beginning of Native American Heritage Month. In celebration, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot national monuments hosted weekly cultural demonstrations, performances and presentations throughout November.

■ The Yavapai-Apache Nation traded 4,782 acres of private land it purchased over the years to four national forests in exchange for 3,201 acres of federal land adjacent to the Camp Verde reservation.

■ The lead-up to the 2024 general election was accompanied by several dozen reports of destroyed political signs across the Verde Valley.

■ Christopher Dowell defeated Lisa DuVernay in a recall election to remove her from office. DeVernay, Palosaari, Mathews, Kurot and longtime Mayor Tim Elinski, who did not run for election, all left Cottonwood City Council.

■ In the Nov. 5 general election, Nikki Check defeated Lori Drake. Taylor Bell, Ashley Koepnick and Rev. Frank Nevarez were elected to the MUHSD Governing Board. Voters made abortion access a fundamental right in the Arizona Constitution, altered state election law in favor of open primaries and rejected nearly every proposition floated by the Arizona State Legislature.

■ The National Park Service selected Penny Wagner as superintendent of Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments.

■ The Yavapai Com-munity College Governing Board voted 4-1 on Nov. 19 to adopt a resolution limiting the speech of board members and staff, potentially violating their constitutionally-protected right of free speech.

December

■ Manzanita Outreach “uncovered possible financial mismanagement” within the food assistance nonprofit.

■ The Verde Valley Voices held their annual Christmas concert on Dec. 1.

■ Bill Kiel, Toby Payne and Patrick Kuykendall were sworn in as members of the Yavapai Community College Governing Board.

■ The Verde Valley celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah, which coincided on Dec. 25 this year.