2021: The Year In Review, Part I

Then Navajo County Public Health Director Jeff Lee was indicted on 16 felony counts related to theft, misuse of public monies and fraudulent schemes by the Arizona State Attorney General’s Office. Upon taking the position of Navajo County Public Health Director, it is alleged that Lee continued this illegal activity through March 2020, as a total of $9,148 lacked supporting or purpose documentation according to the Auditor General. Reportedly, Navajo County sought and received reimbursement from Lee on six personal purchases totaling nearly $2,000.

Holbrook resident Krista Wilkinson, a long-time employee with the Precinct One Holbrook Justice Court, was sworn in as magistrate as she stepped in to fill the position left by Evelyn Marez who retired from the position at the end of the year.

Residents of Navajo County, Apache County, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe would now be able to send text messages to 911 when making a voice call is not possible.

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors was considering a long-term debt proposal. The total estimated financing cost would be $11,885,778, consisting of an estimated principal amount of not to exceed $9,950,000 and total estimated interest of $1,935,778.

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) was secured in Congress that will continue the Winslow Levee Project. The bill authorized federal funding to refurbish the decertified levee. But there was a challenge of going up against other larger projects for the funding aspect. The authorization of funding has been the reason for the delay in the Winslow Levee improvements over the last few years and it was anticipated that it should result in appropriations allowing the next step to take place. The project, which has multiple phases, will ultimately cost $66.2 million with a Navajo County match of 35 percent, or about $23 million.

Winslow Indian Health Care Center (WIHCC) Community Health Services Director Lita Scott informed the council of the mitigation strategies and the COVID numbers experienced at WIHCC. The agency tested 19,182 people in the Winslow service area. Of those, 2,351 tested positive with a percentage positivity of 18.6 percent. Scott explained that the Navajo Nation, which covers 27,413 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus. The Winslow service area includes a large part of the Navajo Nation.

Holbrook City Councilman Mark Jackson announced that he was stepping down from his seat on the council effective Jan. 31, due to personal reasons. Jackson was appointed to the position in July of 2019 following the resignation of Richard Peterson.

Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Joshua LaBaer reported that COVID-19 was rapidly becoming the state’s number one cause of death. LaBaer explained that research shows Arizona’s leading causes of death are heart disease and cancer, which both kill approximately 12,000 people per year. LaBaer reported that there were already 11,500 Arizonans lost to COVID-19. At that trajectory, it will not be long until the virus moves into the top spot. “In a matter of one week or two, because we are seeing about 100 deaths a day in our state, it will be the leading cause of death.” That happened one week later.

Governor Doug Ducey urged the Legislature to strongly support his proposal to invest more than $40 million in a dramatic expansion of broadband in rural Arizona. “Reliable, high-speed internet is crucial for health care, public safety, education and economic development,” said Governor Ducey. “The broadband investments from our budget will decrease the cost of commercial broadband development and accelerate high-speed connectivity to our rural communities. This ensures that more Arizonans can connect to the digital tools that have become so essential.”

February

As COVID-19 pummeled away at Arizona, unemployment in the state dipped slightly at the beginning of the year, with the restaurant and entertainment industries continuing to take the hardest hits. The state unemployment rate was 7.5%, compared with 8% in November, putting Arizona among 20 states with the good fortune to post December decreases, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was also an improvement from the initial onslaught of the pandemic, when the jobless rate rose to as high as 10% last spring before dropping to 5.9% in July and August. Since then, the numbers were on a bit of a roller coaster, with the December jobless rate showing higher than the national average of 6.7 percent.

Native American policy experts and Arizona lawmakers welcomed President Joe Biden’s order calling for stronger relations with tribal governments. The memorandum largely restored earlier executive orders set under the Clinton and Obama administrations that aimed to strengthen nation-to-nation relationships and require greater consultation between federal and tribal governments.

Acting Navajo County Public Health Director Janelle Linn asked for the public’s patience as the county was experiencing some vaccine challenges due to the demand for the vaccine far exceeding the amount of vaccine being allocated.

Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Tucker, working with the Navajo County Attorney’s Office, established a training module specifically designed for patrol officers and jail staff at the Sheriff’s Office that addressed the critical need for mental health services for incidents that do not meet a criminal nexus.

The Holbrook City Council awarded City Manager Ted Soltis an extended two-year contract. Mayor Merrill Young later stated that the extension of contract was based mainly on Solits’ handling of the budget and the savings he has produced for the city.

Kristine Laughter, member of the Dine’ Nation of the Naakai dine’ clan and longtime resident of the area, was elected to Northland Pioneer College’s District Governing Board. Laughter replaced former board member Daniel Peaches, who represented District One, which encompasses the vast region of the Navajo reservation to the north and east, including the Kayenta Township, as well as a portion of the Hopi Tribe. Laughter, who grew up in Kayenta, spent a brief stint in San Diego before returning to her hometown to raise her two daughters in the same community and schools she herself attended while growing up. As a parent, she was a member of the Kayenta School District’s Parent Advisory Committee and served on the Kayenta Unified School District Governing Board.

During a Winslow City Council meeting, City of Winslow Finance Director Elias Jouen presented the council with a lease purchase agreement for public works equipment, a fire truck and a police vehicle. The total price for 14 pieces of public works equipment, a fire truck and a police interceptor was approximately $2.2 million. Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF) were responsible for $1 million of that, due to the equipment being related to road improvement.

The Winslow Unified School District Governing Board announced that the district would be moving the kindergarten program to Jefferson Elementary School. Previously, the grade level was located at Bonnie Brennan Elementary.

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors approved a contract with Magellan Advisors in the amount of $73,350 to provide studies and plans to move the County forward in their plans to bring broadband capabilities to the area, with funds for the six-month contract to be paid for from the County’s general fund. The firm would identify funding strategies and sources available for expanding broadband.

A hard-working group of volunteers showed up to remove approximately 100 old tires that were wedged along the Blue Heron Lake at the Hidden Cove Golf Course in Holbrook, making the wildlife viewing that much more appealing. Blue Heron Lake is the new official name for the lake which has become a very popular birding attraction.

In a landmark act, the Navajo Nation approved $54 million for heavy equipment and water infrastructure needs. Funding for the various projects came from the Nation’s Sihasin Fund, a $58.4 million fund awarded to the Navajo Nation as a result of a case filed in 1990 against the United States Department of the Interior over the federal government’s failure to pay on a contract to support costs to tribes. The fund was established for the purpose of improving infrastructure, community and economic development, and educational initiatives on the Navajo Nation. The tribe secured the heavy equipment to meet local needs and for water infrastructure projects meant to bring clean water to many Navajo families.

A search effort was underway for a retired K-9, Nushka who was involved in a fatality collision on State Route 377. The dog had run away from the scene in fear, and Humane Animal Rescue and Trapping Team (HARTT) Rim Country Team launched an intensive effort to locate and rescue Nushka. Volunteers Gail Johnston of Heber along with Brent Reed were able to safely trap the dog after 19 days and return him to his family.

The Holbrook City Council selected Sun Valley’s Water District to receive a new well utilizing a grant in the amount of approximately $269,817 awarded by the Northern Arizona Council of Governments. The funds would provide a new well to be drilled for the community to improve the water quality and rehabilitate two existing tanks.

Roadrunner basketball player Mateyha Aberle led all scorers to score her 1,000th career point as a Lady Roadrunner.

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded contracts worth up to $220 million to three companies for the cleanup of some of the hundreds of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. The announcement was the latest in years of efforts to clean up the mines, the toxic legacy of Cold War mining in the region. More than 30 million tons of uranium ore were mined in the region, according to the EPA, which said more than 500 mines were ultimately abandoned.

March

Rep. Deb Haaland was sworn in as Secretary of the Interior by Vice President Kamala Harris. During the nomination hearings Republican senators pushed her on fossil fuels and the job losses they said would come from President Joe Biden’s proposed energy policies. But Democrats at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing focused mostly on the historic nature of Haaland’s nomination as the first Native American to head a Cabinet agency. A member of the New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo, Haaland is the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. She stated, “I hope this nomination would be an inspiration for Americans moving forward together as one nation in creating opportunities for all of us.”

The Holbrook City Council appointed Kip Woolford to fill the council seat vacancy left by Mark Jackson who resigned earlier in the year. The other individual considered was Kirby Myers, who was disqualified from the position due to his residency in the community falling short of the time required by charter.

Navajo County Public Health Director Janelle Linn reported that to date there had been 16,604 total (COVID) cases reported for Navajo County. The numbers had dropped, with about two cases reported every 24 hours. Numbers were down on the Navajo Nation as well, with just six new cases reported. At the same time last year, Navajo County was named the most affected county in the state by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Winslow City Manager John Barkley announced the city’s new agriculture commission. The purposes of this commission are to create or assist with creating agricultural economic opportunities, to advise city leadership on amending policies to support local agricultural efforts and to identify and inform designated city representatives of relevant grant opportunities.

Arizona students haven’t been properly taught about the Holocaust in recent years, according to a recent poll conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Among Arizona millennials surveyed in March 2020, 42% could not name a single concentration camp the Nazis built to detain and exterminate Jews and others deemed undesirable. The same report found that only 48% of the state’s millennial respondents recognized the term Auschwitz, and only 33% knew the number of Jews who were killed from 1933 through 1945.

The historic “birthplace cabin” in Winslow was moved to a location between Second and Third streets on Williamson Avenue. The building was built in the late 1870s by the French family and was one of Winslow’s first permanent structures, originally built near what is now the Bank of the West parking lot at Williamson Avenue. After the building became the property of the City of Winslow it had been moved to the city farm at Brigham City National Historic Place on LaPrade Lane.

Winslow Unified School District’s superintendent Kathryn Zanin resigned from her position the day after an executive meeting of the district’s governing board with no reason for the sudden departure. The district appointed longtime employee Connie Gover to be the interim superintendent. Gover noted that she has been with the district since 1987 and has served in multiple capacities ranging from teaching in the classroom to administrative leadership. Her most recent position was as the district’s special education director.

According to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, a total of 166 pounds of methamphetamines, 15.6 pounds of heroin, 450 pounds of marijuana, 16.9 pounds of cocaine, and 53,000 fentanyl pills were seized by the Major Crimes Apprehension Team (MCAT) in Navajo County over the last year. Those totals only included Major Crimes and Apprehension Team seizures, and did not account for anything seized by police agencies and the sheriff’s department during that time.

To date only 35 cases of the variant coronavirus strain that originated in the United Kingdom (UK) were identified in the State of Arizona.

Joseph City Elementary School Principal Daniel Hutchens retired but was assigned to the district through Education Services, Inc. Hutchens’ new duties included Joseph City Junior High/High School assistant principal and activities/athletic director, and districtwide special education director and part-time music teacher.

The Navajo language garnered international attention as the Mars rover mission began exploring the planet and scientists named features of scientific interest with words in the Navajo language. It was noted that the first scientific focus of NASA’s Perseverance rover is a rock named “Máaz” – the Navajo word for “Mars.” The rover’s team worked in collaboration with the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President gain permission for the use of a number of words. The NASA team’s plan was to compile a list of names inspired by each quad’s national park that could be used to name features observed by Perseverance. Mission scientists worked with a Navajo (or Diné) engineer on the team, Aaron Yazzie of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, to seek the Navajo Nation’s permission and collaboration in naming new features on Mars. Yazzie grew up on the Navajo Nation and was a graduate of Holbrook High School. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez stated, “We hope that having our language used in the Perseverance mission will inspire more of our young Navajo people to understand the importance and the significance of learning our language. Our words were used to help win World War II, and now we are helping to navigate and learn more about the planet Mars.”

An escalation in firearms sales last year, driven in part by new gun owners, prompted some health experts to call for more attention to gun safety and the relationship between owning weapons and injuries or suicide. In the previous year, the FBI processed a record 39.7 million firearm background checks the week of March 16-22, just after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, was the top week for background checks since the agency’s instant system launched in November 1998. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms industry, estimated more than eight million people were first-time gun buyers last year, and experts cite pandemic-related worries, as well as the presidential election, as primary drivers of rising sales.

With the legalization of cannabis for adults in Arizona, area grow facilities were expanding and offering more jobs for area residents. In Snowflake, Copperstate Farms had just entered into a development agreement with the Town of Snowflake to expand its operations. The facility, which cultivates and extracts cannabis, had plans to move from a 40-acre greenhouse to an 80-acre greenhouse, making it the largest cannabis greenhouse in the United States. They also hold the distinction of being the largest wholesale seller for cannabis in the country. In a statement by Snowflake Town Manager Brian Richards, he said, “We are proud to support Copperstate and its growth. The company has become a valuable and intrinsic part of our community, generating hundreds of jobs and revitalizing our town.” The facility has become the largest employer in Snowflake, providing over 350 jobs, with an anticipated 100 more jobs expected as the new grow operation takes hold.

The Navajo Department of Health rescinded the Stay-at-Home Public Health Emergency Order that was in effect for all residents requiring individuals residing on the Navajo Nation to limit their movement within and outside of their immediate communities. Under the order, individuals could leave their residence only to perform essential activities pertinent to health, safety and welfare. The order was replaced with a Safer at Home Public Health Emergency Order. Under this order, individuals were required to exercise personal responsibility to remain safe but are not ordered to stay home. The requirements of wearing a mask in public, practicing social distancing, avoiding unnecessary travel and gatherings is still in place although gatherings of 10 or fewer people were permitted. The Navajo Nation’s roads remain closed to visitors and tourists for the duration of the declared public health emergency, and visitors and tourists are required to refrain from travelling to the Navajo Nation.

April

Although more and more people were receiving COVID vaccines, authorities cautioned that it was not the time to relax social distancing and safety protocols, especially with new variants of the disease now being reported in the state that could induce a fourth wave of infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 500,000 Americans had died as a result of COVID-19 and it was the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer in the United States.

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors discussed the reopening of the juvenile detention center. Navajo County was forced to close its juvenile detention center in June of 2017 due to countywide budget cuts. The county contracted with Pinal County to hold juvenile offenders at the rate of $175 per day per child but Pinal County is increasing their rates to $350 per day per child, all but forcing Navajo County to reopen its facility. It was noted that not only would reopening the facility ‘in house’ be financially beneficial, it would also lend itself to better outcomes for juvenile offenders.

The Joseph City Unified School District Governing Board approved teacher and staff pay increases for the district. Full time teachers received a base pay increase of $4,000 per year, with part time teachers receiving a prorated amount. Support staff will receive an increase of 75 cents per hour. Substitute bus drivers and maintenance workers will see a 50-cent increase per hour. The management team with salaried positions and the superintendent received a three percent pay increase.

After years of resistance from tribes around the state, Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2772 legalizing daily sports fantasy and sports betting in Arizona. The development came on the heels of ratification of a revised Tribal-State Gaming Compact. Ducey called the legislation associated with the compact amendment “a historic bipartisan achievement.” The amendments to the existing compact grant specific organizations and groups sports betting permits to create sportsbooks in their particular venue. Ten licenses were granted to sports organizations to open these books in or near their sporting facilities. An additional 10 licenses were to be given to tribal nations to open sportsbooks at their respective casinos. “The fund helps us provide basic government services, build and maintain infrastructure, provide economic development to build our economy and protect our Hualapai elders and children,” said Damon R. Clarke, chairman of the Hualapai Tribe. The new compact allows as many as four new casinos in the Phoenix area.

Riders with the Hashknife Posse continued a 63-year tradition of transporting the US mail via horseback from Holbrook to Scottsdale with the annual Pony Express Ride. This ride is a symbol of the Old West and an important part of Holbrook’s history.

Navajo Marine Colin Tsosie, helped to lead the Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund’s Chinle distribution team in an effort to protect his elders and those affected by the pandemic. Since April 2020, Tsosie and his staff of 10 worked long hours, organizing staging areas for food distributions, receiving and packaging food and cleaning supplies, and conducting up to four distributions in one day across the Central Agency region of the Navajo Nation. He noted that his crew would do over 120 hours every two weeks and some weeks more than that. Tsosie said, “Having gone out to some remote areas and seeing the situations our people are living in, I feel a lot better about what I’m doing and it keeps me pushing forward.” Tsosie and his team led direct relief efforts that covered 13 communities including Chinle, Blue Gap, Cottonwood Whipporwill, Nazlini, Low Mountain, Tsaile, Lukachukai, Round Rock, Rock Point, Red Mesa, Mexican Water and Cove.

The Holbrook City Council voted regarding a city business license failed in a 4-3 vote. Another ordinance addressing recreational use of marijuana was passed by the council in a 5-2 vote. The ordinance contains a number of provisions relating to non-residential marijuana establishments, residential homes for private use and retail sales. A measure allowing the use of recreational marijuana had already been passed by voters on a statewide level.

Despite a ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court that the state could not force charter cities to change their election dates, and a provision in the city charter that requires any changes to be approved by the voters, the Holbrook City Council moved forward with an ordinance that would both extend their terms of office, and change election dates for the city. According to the city charter, a primary election should have been held in March of this year to fill three council seats that were set to expire next month in May. That election was not held. The ordinance changing the election dates was first presented to the council on April 8. According to the ordinance, the next primary election will be held in August of 2022, and if necessary a general election will follow in November 2022. The terms that would have expired in May of 2021 were extended to December 2022. Those include seats currently held by Marsh, Kester and Woolford. Terms previously scheduled to end in May 2023 will be extended to December 2024, including Young, Dixon, Payne and Nilsson. The text of the ordinance notes that the city seeks to participate in consolidated elections, that the city’s election cycle established in the charter is in conflict with the state’s consolidated election cycle, and that Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 16-204 and ARS 16-204.01 “preempt the city charter.”

Dr. Chato Hazelbaker was selected by the Navajo County District Governing Board to serve as the new President of Northland Pioneer College. He stepped into the role on July 1, taking the place of Dr. Jeanne Swarthout who stepped out of retirement to serve as interim president of the college while the search for a permanent president was conducted.

The Winslow Unified School District Governing Board named Connie Gover as superintendent for the next year. The decision came after an extensive executive session and a long list of 13 letters of support to the board.

May

Former players, coaches including those he coached against, school principals, athletic directors and umpires came together to honor and show their respect and to celebrate the 52-year career as Winslow Bulldog Head Baseball Coach Artie Griffith. Griffith was inducted into the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame in 1995, National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019, Arizona-New Mexico Coaches Hall of Fame and the Winslow High School Wall of Honor. He is a past president (2012-2013) of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association and served on the board of directors for six years, the AIA Baseball Advisory Committee, Arizona Coaches Association Board of Directors, Arizona Baseball Coaches Board of Directors and was the 3A Conference representative for baseball. He was named Region 8 National High School Coach of the Year in 2006, AzBCA Allstar Coach three times and Coach of the Year 17 times. He also served as the USA Baseball 16 and under Pan American Olympic assistant coach in 2006 where the team earn a gold medal. While head coach, he would lead his teams to 23 region championships (including being this year’s 3A East Champion), six semi-final games, eight quarter finals and named Coach of the Year 17 times.

The Navajo County Board of Supervisors resumed in person meetings for the first time in over a year. Last April, the board began restricting attendance in the board chambers and moved to Zoom, a video conferencing platform to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Appropriately, the board proclaimed April 27 as “A Day of Remembrance for the Lives Lost to COVID-19.” The proclamation read, “Nearly one year ago, as we were beginning to stand up the Navajo County Emergency Operations Center to address and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not have known the toll it would take on our county.” On March 17, 2020, the county confirmed its first COVID positive case and on March 28 of that year, its first death related to the virus. As of May, 525 Navajo County residents had lost their lives to the virus and complications related to COVID-19. To commemorate the event, the supervisors, along with other county staff planted a rose bush in the courtyard at the county complex.

The Board of Supervisors had several dozen residents attend a meeting to discuss the Second Amendment. Nine speakers each asked Navajo County to adopt an ordinance assuring that county assets and personnel will not be used to confiscate privately owned firearms. Sheriff David Clouse stated that any elected official that would take a position to infringe on any citizens’ rights was not worthy to hold office. He reiterated that no one in his department would confiscate weapons from law abiding citizens. County Attorney Brad Carlyon also addressed the supervisors and the public as a citizen. He noted that although he was a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, an ordinance in Navajo County would have no legal effect. “Arizona, like most states is a government where the legislative power lays at the state level. They decide what powers and limits on powers that counties and cities have. We only have the powers delegated to us.”

The Joseph City Unified School District Governing School Board approved Daryl Mosier as the new principal for Joseph City Elementary School. Mosier had served 31 years with the school district as a teacher.

Winslow Police Chief Ken Arend addressed the city council stating that crime since last year has decreased dramatically in the city. “The most important thing I can share with you right now is that our violent crime has decreased 80% since this time last year and our property crime is down 53% compared to last year. That is a big deal. Overall, we are understaffed and are still showing a decrease in crime.” Arend credited the decrease to a campaign of proactive policing. He explained, “We are making those arrests, which is preventing repeat offenses and we are also figuring out what our problems are and focusing on those.”

A $58.3 million budget, which includes a property tax rate decrease, was approved for Northland Pioneer College by the Navajo County Community College District Governing Board. The tax levy rate decreased by three cents to $1.7505 per $100 of assessed value.

June

Arizona and other Western states experienced the driest year in more than a century, with no drought relief in sight in the near future, experts told a House panel. The period from April 2019 to March 2021 was the driest in the last 126 years for Arizona and other Western states. It capped a two-decade stretch that was the driest in more than 100 years that records have been kept – and one of the driest in the past 1,200 years based on paleohydrology evidence, one official said. “We have never seen drought at the scale and intensity that we see right now, and it is possible that this may be the baseline for the future,” Elizabeth Klein, a senior counselor to the secretary of Interior, said in her testimony. More than half of Arizona was experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions, the most severe level of drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. The Arizona Department of Water Resources said most of the state got less than 25% of average precipitation for April.

Joseph City High School drama and musical theatre departments were awarded as a finalist in the Top 5 Best Musicals in the State of Arizona by Arizona State University Gammage. Criteria to become a top-five finalist included the overall quality of the production, acting, singing, dancing and technical theatre elements. Adjudicators from ASU viewed the production of “Tuck Everlasting” performed by the students virtually due to COVID restraints and gave feedback and scores. Joseph City High School was one of the smallest schools to participate in the program as the vast majority of other schools are in the Phoenix area.

The Palmers of Joseph City were celebrating the success of their YouTube channel, The Farm on Route 66. “It’s about sharing who we are and promoting goodness.” What started out with small animals like goats and chickens, as well as a handful of their own horses being shared through videos on social media has now turned into a full-blown equine rehabilitation and rehoming project with approximately 20,000 followers on YouTube.

During a House meeting, Navajo and Hopi witnesses agreed the region needs to move away from its economic dependence on coal, but specific proposals on how to get there remained elusive. The tribal representatives joined witnesses from across coal country at a House hearing on “supporting communities through the energy transition” – a transition that has been particularly hard on northeastern Arizona. The recent closure of mines there left hundreds unemployed in an area with chronically high jobless rates. Nez said that while the transition away from coal has been “very painful,” tribal communities such as his are built on a wealth of natural resources, including the critical minerals and rare earth elements necessary for achieving a renewable energy transition. The area has the natural resources to rebound if the federal government stops throwing up hurdles to development, he said. “We believe we have the right and responsibility to develop and manage these resources,” said Nez, who is also chairman of the council’s Resources and Development Committee. “Unfortunately, an estimated 86% of Indian lands that have this mineral wealth potential remain underdeveloped because of the federal government’s often heavy-handed regulation of Indian property.”

Despite gains in some areas, Arizona continued to rank among the worst states in the nation for education, according to the latest version of a national report that measures children’s well-being across several areas. The 2021 Kids Count report said Arizona was 47th overall in education, down one spot from 46th a year earlier, evidence that “we’re not doing a very good job in Arizona,” experts said. David Lujan, president and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance, said the low ranking “stems from the lack of investments we’ve seen in education, not only K-12 education but early childhood education, going back for more than 20 years now.”

The Navajo County Board solidified the county budget for fiscal year 2022. The greatest revenue contributors to the budget this fiscal year was the American Rescue Plan Act which brought $21.5 million in direct payments to the county, as well as a projected increase in state shared sales tax revenue.

The Holbrook Chamber of Commerce held its annual election with five vacancies. Four of those selected were already on the board including Daniella Day, Shar Gillespie, Paul Ortega and Tara Young, with new board member Chuck Minter added.

Navajo County Fair Board President Mike Sample informed the Holbrook Council that it had been a very busy time for the fairgrounds with several different events from barrel races, to gymkhanas team ropings and high school rodeos. The fairgrounds hosted the Turquoise Circuit Women’s Pro Rodeo Association barrel racing for the first time, followed by the Arizona Livestock Show and the Route 66 Livestock Show. The 4-H Horse Achievement Show was held, kicking off the fair events, the 90th Navajo County Fair.