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Where the 20 wind and solar projects proposed for Navajo County stand ◆ Courts void cancellation of Hopi solar grant, but $25 million remains frozen ◆ Holbrook council approves signage for new Allsup’s travel plaza ◆ Petrified Forest closed for 43 days. Holbrook’s receipts went up. ◆ Katie Hobbs absent from Governor debate ◆ Arizona holds its first lieutenant governor debate ◆ Where the 20 wind and solar projects proposed for Navajo County stand ◆ Courts void cancellation of Hopi solar grant, but $25 million remains frozen ◆ Holbrook council approves signage for new Allsup’s travel plaza ◆ Petrified Forest closed for 43 days. Holbrook’s receipts went up. ◆ Katie Hobbs absent from Governor debate ◆ Arizona holds its first lieutenant governor debate

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2021

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By L. Parsons The Winslow Unified School District governing board met where a remodeling project was unanimously improved for restrooms district wide. The $713,564 project, slated to begin by the end of the calendar year, will be funded by the district ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) grant provided by the federal government’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act distributed by the Arizona Department of Education. District business manager Shirley Lomeli explained that restrooms will not be completely rebuilt, but that fixtures including toilets, sinks, urinals and doors will be replaced. Touchless versions of these will be installed to ensure ongoing safety of students and staff. The contract has been awarded to LOR Construction through the standard bidding process. In a unanimous vote, the governing board voted to offer an incentive to new substitute bus drivers in the form of a higher rate of pay. “We are proposing to pay our substitute drivers $24 per hour in an effort to bring more drivers in to our district. They will receive no insurance, retirement or vacation pay. They can still earn sick leave, but at a smaller rate than regular employees,” said Lomeli. Current full time transportation employees will also receive incentives in the form of adding vacation accrual to their employee contracts. In her report, Superintendent Connie Gover explained that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is actively working toward health mandates for employers with more than 100 employees, which includes the district. Gover said, “If OSHA is successful, districts should be prepared to comply with vaccination requirements and implementation of weekly testing and face coverings for non-vaccinated employees and keep records of vaccinations. Right now, this is on hold for the State of Arizona but this is something we need to be prepared for.” For the week of Nov. 8-17, the district reported 35 active COVID cases. Gover said, “This is still only 1% of our student and staff population. You can get updates on this on our website every day.” The district site is www.wusd1.org. Girls on the Run is a program for female students from third to seventh grade in the Winslow district that is intended to encourage physical activity among young girls as well as to act as a support group for the athletes. Northern Arizona has several teams and this is Winslow’s fifth year participating. Coach Taylor Mills presented to the district governing board on the recently completed season. She said, “It was nice to get back to Girls on the Run after the year we had last year. It is a fun program that has a great impact on young girls. There was a study done a few years ago about the impact of Girls on the Run that include improved self-confidence, stamina and the ability to make good choices. The study showed that 97% of girls who participate in Girls on the Run use things they learn in the program later in life. All of our girls finished a 5K at the end of our season in less than an hour. In other business, the governing board: * Raised minimum wage for district employees from $12.15 to $12.80. This will affect the pay schedules for extra duty, media technicians, classroom aides and transportation. This increase is in accordance with state mandates and will go into effect in January 2022. * Heard the monthly financial report for October in which Business Manager Shirley Lomeli explained 33% of the school year had elapsed, with 22% of the budget spent. * Ratified vouchers in a routine procedure that allows the board to submit vouchers to the county superintendent between meetings. * Approved a donation of four hotel rooms from ASTA Roofing and Construction for the girls volleyball team while competing at the state tournament. * Approved the transfer of Alyssa Howeth from Jefferson Elementary paraprofessional to district emergency substitute upon issuance of her certificate. * Approved the following Winslow High School fundraisers: Lady Diamonds Softball to sell team items at basketball games, National Honor Society to conduct a Krispy Kreme donut sale, Science Club to garner donations from donorschoose.org for gardening supplies, Science Club to sell Sonic Discount cards and the Senior Class to sell Growl Towels. * Approved the Leadership Action Research Project, an administration-led project to help department heads across the district improve their departments in accordance with the district strategic plan. * Heard information regarding the December revised budget. The district is mandated to revise their budget if they exceed the general or unrestricted balances by 1%. WUSD has not exceeded their projected numbers, so a budget revision was not necessary. The next meeting of the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8, in the board meeting room, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.

Restrooms in WUSD getting an upgrade

Nov 26

Photo courtesy of Yee Ha’ólníi DooAn elder Navajo woman receives an isolation kit as part of the Delta Relief Program to help prevent the spread of coronavirus within her community.

Delta Relief Program battles the spread of COVID on tribal lands

Nov 26

Board approves use of $715,890 grant to improve

Nov 26

Volunteers helped pack food boxes to provide for local veterans this holiday at the Holbrook American Legion Post No. 37 on Saturday, Nov. 20. Pictured here are (left to right) Diego Colon, Christina Turley, Jeramy Turley and Marcus Oberriter.

Legion food boxes

Nov 26

Communities come alive with holiday happenings this week

Nov 25

Photos by Richard LarsonAguilas De Oro won the Sweepstake Award for the colorful entry with the dancers wearing traditional garb.

Christmas parade rings in the holidays

Nov 25

Sheriff’s Areas One and Two Report (New)

Nov 24

Holbrook Arrests 2021

Nov 24

Superior Court

Nov 24

Snowflake/Taylor PD Report (New)

Nov 24