January

■ The city of Sedona released the second online survey for new Western Gateway master plan for the city-owned former Sedona Cultural Park site; 82% said they wanted to see a city park.

■ James Arthur Ray, 67, a self-styled self-help “guru” whose sweat lodge retreat event led to the death of three people in October 2009 at the Angel Valley Retreat Center died on Jan. 3. He served two years in prison but never accepted responsibility for the deaths.

■ Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and newly-elected Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Nikki Check [D] spoke to Democrats on Jan. 12.

■ The Sedona Chamber of Commerce has started the new year with a new president and CEO, David John Key.

■ Sedona City Council voted 6-1 to proceed with annexing 3,422 acres of U.S. Forest Service land and city-owned property within the county at a public hearing on Jan. 14. Council voted 6-1 March 25 to approve the annexation, which took effect April 24.

■ Sedona Red Rock High School juniors Glenna Barnes and Iolani Sutton won the school’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud competition on Jan. 21. They performed at the 20th annual Poetry Out Loud state finals on March 8, at Arizona State University.

■ Sedona Charter School’s Governing Council voted Jan. 21 to close the school’s middle school program at the end of this school year.

■ The Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District Educational Foundation announced on Jan. 27 that the organization has raised over $10 million to support school programs.

■ Yavapai County District 2 Supervisor James Gregory [R] resigned Jan. 29. Camp Verde Mayor Dee Jenkins [R] was chosen to replace him.

■ Sedona City Council voted to allocate $15,000 to a voucher program run by Catholic Charities Community Services to provide homeless individuals with overnight hotel rooms during cold weather on Jan. 29.

February

■ Sedona resident Joel David Eagan, 54, was struck and killed in a vehicle-versus-bicycle collision at the intersection of Thunder Mountain Road and Dry Creek Road on Feb. 7. After an investigation, the driver was not charged.

■ The results of Sedona’s 2024 National Community Survey indicate that residents’ views of Sedona itself remain strongly positive, while scores for city government remained low levels and participation in municipal affairs declined.

■ Actress Vicki Lawrence brought both halves of her performance career to the Sedona Performing Arts Center when she opened the 31st annual Sedona International Film Festival, which ran through March 2. Actress Shari Belafonte introduced a documentary about her father, Harry Belafonte. Costume designer Bob Mackie starred in a documentary covering his life and work. Actor Jeremy Piven accepted a Career Achievement Award on Feb. 27.

■ Sedona Red Rock News Managing Editor and Sedona Poetry Slam founder Christopher Fox Graham had a celestial body named after him with the recent redesignation of asteroid 1999 (AQ23) as 29722 Chrisgraham by the International Astronomical Union.

■ City unveils four options for ‘Western Gateway’: The city of Sedona’s consultants, Dig Studio of Phoenix, proposed four different options to redevelop the Western Gateway, the city’s new term for the former Sedona Cultural Park.

March

■ During the latest city of Sedona budget survey, which received 854 responses, majorities of residents told the city that they oppose any additional spending on a number of staff and council priorities, including building additional roads and a creekwalk.

■ The second annual “Sedona’s Got Talent” competition took place at the Sedona Performing Arts Center on March 6 featuring 18 acts.

■ Homeless Jesse Clutterbuck told his story of living homeless in Sedona since 2016. Zack Martin discussed how he moved from van life to a house.

■ The 53rd annual St. Patrick’s Parade scheduled to take place on March 15 was canceled due to a risk of snow.

■ Sedona City Council authorized purchase of a 1.8-acre commercial parcel at 2411 State Route 89A for $1.99 million for future housing. Council voted March 11 to support a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit for a three-story, 36-unit apartment complex that could be built on a parcel.

■ Sedona City Council approved a new contract with the Sedona Chamber of Commerce for operation of the Uptown Visitor Center on March 11. The Tourism Advisory Board recommended it be maintained permanently on a 80-20 funding model split.

■ Gordon Cantor made his 500th ascent of the 6,494-foot-high Bear Mountain on March 20.

April

■ The city of Sedona’s data on complaints about short-term rentals has revealed that the city averages one and a half STR complaints per day, that complaints are most likely to be made during Sedona’s slowest visitation season, that 25 people are responsible for a third of all complaints.

■ The city of Sedona Parks and Recreation Department hatched its 14th annual Celebration of Spring at Posse Grounds Park on April 19.

■ Sedona City Council voted April 8 to return a $875,638 Arizona Department of Housing grant originally intended to fund the planned car camp for homeless workers at the Sedona Cultural Park.

■ SRRHS senior Yonas Rahman wrapped up his time as the Larson Newspapers sports intern during the fall of 2024 and is planning his life after graduation.

■ The Sedona Fire District and the Sedona-Oak Creek School ramped up messaging to celebrate in a responsible manner by bringing back the Every 15 Minutes program to SRRHS on April 10 and 11.

■ Community Library Sedona hosted the second of four scored poetry readings in the competition to become the first Sedona Poet Laureate on April 16, with performances by finalists Martha Entin, Gary Every, Clint Frakes, Camille LeFevre and Tee Pace and Youth Poet Laureate finalists Felicia Elisabeth, Grace Foldes and Anya Blue Lior. Every and Lior were appointed to two-year terms by Sedona City Council on May 13.

■ Sedona Police K-9 Sam and his handler, Officer Catherine Beers, visited Kelly Cadigan’s fourth-grade class at West Sedona School on April 23.

■ Sedona City Council approved a ground lease for the proposed Villas on Shelby 30-unit, three-story apartment complex project by a 5-2 vote on April 28.

■ Yavapai Community College announced on April 28 that it has closed the culinary school at its Sedona Center campus.

■ Sedona police arrested a man 50-year-old Adam Christopher Sheafe of Tucson after a two-day manhunt. Sheafe was wanted for the murder of a New River pastor on
April 28.

May

■ The Red Dirt Concert Series returned for its ninth season.

■ The Yavapai Community College Governing Board and Chairwoman Deb McCasland took more steps to restrict the rights and powers of the elected board members and limit their communications with staff, the press and their constituents.

■ SRRHS’s Senior Club named math teacher Jim Vogler as 2025 Teacher of the Year.

■ SRRHS held its annual scholarship awards ceremony at the Sedona Performing Arts Center on May 19, awarding $110,000 in scholarships to 34 students.

■ SRRHS’s class of 2025, consisting of 71 students, along with seven Red Rock Academy students, graduated on May 21. Senior Emily Frey spoke as SRRHS’s valedictorian.

■ Sedona City Council banned the display of “exotic” animals in public places during its May 27 meeting.

■ Sedona police arrested Erica Ann Montgomery, 48, on May 30, after she had been found guilty by a jury the day before of assaulting a Sedona police officer with a crowbar in November 2023. Montgomery skipped the last day of the trial, when she was due to be taken into custody. She was later sentenced to 10½ years in prison.

■ Sedona police Sgt. Chris Stevens retired May 31.

June

■ The Verde Valley Fire District announced the death of Chief Bill Boler on June 3. Boler worked for the Sedona Fire District from 1988 to 2009.

■ The Sedona International Film Festival hit the road with its giant inflatable screen and “Movies on the Move.”

■ Sedona began installing the first of 12 new license plate tracking cameras around the city in early June. The cameras were not discussed nor approved by council and would ultimately be removed and lead to the resignation of Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow.

■ Sedona and Canmore, Alberta, Canada, officially became sister cities on June 28.

■ Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest electric provider, is seeking a nearly 14% rate increase under a new policy adopted by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

■ Where to celebrate 4th of July — Friday is the Fourth of July which means freedom, free food and free activities across the Verde Valley. The Sedona Parks and Recreation Department hosted the Sedona Summer Splash! from noon to 4 p.m. at the Sedona Community Pool. The free event included open swim, games and food trucks offering ice cream and snow cones.

■ Arizona Public Service met with residents as construction gets underway for its new 69kV power line from McGuireville to the Village of Oak Creek.

■ Sedona City Council unanimously passed its $103,291,695 budget on June 24, down 2.8% decrease from the previous year’s $106 million.

■ Javelinas “pig” out at Sedona Community Food Bank, eating food donated overnight on June 27 and July 1.

■ Sedona and Canmore, Alberta, Canada, became Sister Cities during a signing ceremony in Canmore on the afternoon of June 28.

July

■ The Sedona Community Center has received a $10,000 influx of funds from Yavapai County to support its Meals on Wheels program.

■ Sedona City Council unanimously approved $350,000 in awards to 29 local nonprofits during its meeting on July 8.

■ After being up at the north corner of Andante Drive and Mule Deer Road for nearly the last 15 years, a 6-foot-high, 98-foot long floodwall installed by residents Terry and Duane Gregory was demolished on the afternoon of July 9.

■ Federal agents led by Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided five Colt Grill locations in the Village of Oak Creek, Cottonwood, Prescott and Alabama on July 15, executing 28 federal search warrants and four federal arrest warrants for Brenda and Robert “Bob” Kenneth Clouston and two Mexican nationals. Some 20 workers were also arrested on immigration charges.

■ Sedona Police Department officers responded July 20, to a call of a male not breathing at Los Abrigados Resort & Spa. One man died and one was hospitalized for an overdose.

■ The 34th annual Missoula Children’s Theatre and 54 local students performed “The Snow Queen” on July 26.

■ SWAT and Sedona police responded on July 27 to the Green Tree Inn for a suicidal man with a gun. He was found to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

■ After starting with the Sedona Police Department on June 21, 1999, dispatcher Johnna Johnson, 59, or “Hot-Tone Johnna,” went out of service for the final time at 15:03 on July 31.

August

■ The Rotary Club of Sedona honored Eric Wyles, co-founder and executive director of Low-Income Student Aid, with its annual Make-A-Difference Award.

■ Sedona Fire District crews are among the about 1,125 personnel called out to help combat the Dragon Bravo Fire been roaring through over 144,000 acres of the Kaibab National Forest and Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim.

■ The Arizona Corporation Commission approved Arizona Water Company’s rate hike of 45% for Sedona customers.

■ The Sedona-Oak Creek School District hired Cae Collmar to lead a revamped theater program.

■ The Woods Fire burned 59 acres east of the Village of Oak Creek on Aug. 13.

■ Sedona City Council discussed Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers at a work session at
3 p.m. on Aug. 13, with all but Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow directing Sedona police to turn the cameras off.

■ Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow was accused by City Manager Anette Spickard of being manipulative in the city’s process of installing Flock Safety automatic license plate readers, telling her in an email not to notify the public about the spy cameras. Spickard’s 30-page memo to the council, dated Aug. 17, came in response to council’s 5-1 direction on Aug. 13.

■ Sedona Chief of Police Stephanie Foley filed a formal 157-page complaint against Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow and the mayor responded with a three-page complaint of his own. The results were released in October, after Jablow resigned and found Foley’s complaints were substantiated or partially substantiated. All of Jablow’s complaints were found to be unsubstantiated.

■ The city of Sedona, the Sedona Heritage Museum and members of the business community created nine new interpretive panels for the View Walk project.

■ St. John Vianney Catholic Parish announced its plan to build 200,000 square feet of additions to the church’s 15-acre West Sedona property across three projects.

■ The SRRHS varsity football team hosted its first home game in six years on Aug. 29.

■ Jasło, Poland, and the city of Sedona held an online signing of a two-year friendship agreement on Aug. 30.

September

■ Northern Arizona Healthcare announced on Sept. 4 its plans to construct a nearly $40 million integrated cancer-treatment center on the Verde Valley Medical Center campus in Cottonwood.

■ The Sedona Women gathered at Community Library Sedona’s Si Birch Community Room on Sept. 6, to celebrate the start of the group’s 25th anniversary season.

■ Sedona City Council made the unanimous decision to cancel its contract with Flock Safety and to remove the currently installed 11 automated license plate readers during its meeting Sept. 9.

■ SRRHS track and field coach Lew “Jumper” Hoyt died Sept. 10. The former Navy TOPGUN pilot, Olympic high-jumper was remembered for his passion, generosity and the way he gave of himself.

■ Sedona City Council held discussions about the future of the Western Gateway Master Plan on Sept. 10.

■ Sedona City Council formally and publicly censured Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow for his behavior and seven violations of public office and called for his resignation on Sept. 10. The vote was 5-2 with Councilman Derek Pfaff and Jablow the dissenting votes.

■ The 11th annual free Village of Oak Creek Community BBQ returned on Sept. 13.

■ Arizona Rep. Selina Bliss [R-District 1] stopped by the Sedona Elks Lodge on Sept. 19 to update about 25 constituents on the 2025 legislative season.

■ With a 5-0 vote, the Sedona City Council unanimously approved a five-year $1,199,393.15 agreement to purchase 39 Tasers, replace 30 patrol car cameras, replace officer-worn cameras and software.

■ Yavapai College Governing Board members don’t have to visit all campuses in person to comply with state statute, but can look at pictures online, the community college’s attorney said during its online meeting Sept. 23.

■ The Sedona-Oak Creek School District approved a memorandum of understanding with the Rotary Club of Sedona Charitable Fund for funding for the Wildcat Extended Day program for up to $105,000.

■ Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow announced his resignation effective 5 p.m. on Sept. 30. This came after Jablow was formally censured in a 5-2 vote by Sedona City Council members on Sept. 10. Vice Mayor Holli Ploog stepped in as the acting mayor and was chosen interim mayor on Oct. 14.

October

■ Sedona city staff told council the $23 million, 270 parking space Uptown Parking Garage is slated for completion in May.

■ The Sedona Arts Festival and the annual Wings and Wheels Family Fun Day at the Sedona Airport were both preemptively canceled Oct. 7 due to the forecasted remnants of Hurricane Priscilla off the coast of Baja California.

■ The Sedona Rock, Gem and Jewelry Show returned to Sedona High School on Oct. 19.

■ Carnival rides and games covered the grounds of West Sedona School on Oct. 25.

■ The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook on Oct. 25 that deputies have recovered partial human remains of an unidentified individual in the Secret Mountain area and are working to identify them.

November

■ The city of Sedona and the Sedona Heritage Museum hosted an annual Veterans Day Tribute on Nov. 11.

■ U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly [D-Ariz.] made a stop at Community Library Sedona on the afternoon of Nov. 13, speaking with about 135 residents.

■ Charlotte Hosseini was selected Nov. 13 to fill a vacancy on Sedona City Council.

■ Anchorage-based artist James Havens painted a mural at Sedona Ranger Station Park with the help of Sedona residents.

■ The Coffee Pot Restaurant hosted a free Thanksgiving dinner, the 18th since 2008.

■ SRRHS performed “The Christmas Carol” at Community Library Sedona on Nov. 20 and at the Sedona Performing Arts Center on Dec. 4 and 5.

■ Reversing a lower court ruling, the Arizona Court of Appeals unanimously determined on Nov. 26 that the city of Sedona cannot bar mobile home parks from converting mobile homes into short-term rentals.

December

■ Sedona Parks and Recreation hosted Breakfast with Santa Claus on Dec. 6 at the Sedona Posse Grounds Hub.

■ Bob Huggins, founder of the Sedona Rangers, died in December. He will be honored with a plaque at the Sedona Ranger Park, which he helped bring into being.

■ A Flagstaff photographer and rock climber suffered traumatic injuries after a rock dislodged, causing him to fall approximately 40 feet onto a ledge below, in the area of Long Canyon Trail and Deadman’s Pass on
Dec. 10.

■ Sedona Dance Academy, Sedona Dance Project and Sedona Community Youth Orchestra staged “The Nutcracker,” which takes place on Dec. 20, at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.