Tina Turner, who died last month, was a pioneer and an artist who personified the word innovative.

Open up a copy of the Rules of Golf or on your smart phone, load and open the app USGA Rules of Golf. Start with Rule 1-2a, Conduct Expected of All Players.

Recently, I played in a pickleball tournament, have enjoyed a two-hour playing group and played in two tennis tournaments and a league match, so it’s been an interesting time of getting a feel for what I enjoyed about each and what I maybe didn’t like quite as much.

As we conclude budget approval for Fiscal Year 2024, which begins on July 1, questions arise about the City of Prescott’s tax structure, and how we are funded.

We hear and read a lot about Social Emotional Learning (SEL), usually linked with Critical Race Theory, and considered by some to be a move to indoctrinate our kids, supplant parents, and even to “groom” our children into some sort of sexual deviancy.

By now, most of you think I am a little different. Sorry to disappoint you, but I am VERY different, not a little!

I’m only 68, but when you’re out on the court from five to six hours a day, six days a week, your body starts talking to you here and there.

Bicycling, in its many forms – whether road, endurance, cross, mountain biking, fat tire, downhill, climbers or e-bike touring – continues to grow in popularity throughout America, and Prescott is no exception.

Recent letters to the editor in The Daily Courier have suggested that addiction and mental illness are the primary causes of homelessness. While these factors can contribute to homelessness, the root cause is more complex than that.

One-third of all groundwater pumped from our aquifer each year is for seasonal landscaping. If we are going to make progress in stabilizing our rapidly declining aquifer, ...

I have had the privilege of assisting many high schools in the area with their golf programs (teams), providing professional coaching/instruction these past six years.

It’s been a whirlwind of tennis activity for some of our local and former local tennis players on courts from the Phoenix area, to Texas to Portugal.

Every year, Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) recruits new teachers to move to Prescott to teach our great kids.

I read with interest Chino Valley Mayor Jack Miller’s guest column in the April 25 issue of The Daily Courier. I wish him well in his efforts respecting the development of a regional state park in the Del Rio Springs area of the Chino Valley, provided...

As the City’s Granite Creek Corridor improvements are moving toward a conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to remind our citizens about this project, and provide a factual account of the history and current information about this project.

I have been a history buff for most of my life, I love to look at things and wonder how they built them back then with simple tools, knowledge, and skill passed down by their parents.

Balance, rhythm, tempo, and timing are crucial to any golf swing. You cannot be taught these fundamentals, but you can learn how to incorporate them to improve ball contact.

Two weekends ago (April 6 to 9), Andrew Bogdanov won his first singles and doubles ITF professional titles at Indian Wells, California which moved his world ranking in the wheelchair quad division to No. 38. His doubles ranking is now at 31.

“My experience has been different.”

The column in the April 9 Courier by Kelly Kading had some glaring mistakes.

My job at The Launch Pad Teen Center presents me with many opportunities to be blown away by how brave, wise and engaged our teens are.

Regarding Delilah Angulo’s (March 29) letter on the homeless problem in Prescott, she complains about the problem but, like most others, offers no solutions beyond having the authorities clamp down hard on them.

Here is another in our series to highlight some of our local Golf Professionals who have significant impact on the Prescott area golf scene.

They needed help with the scoring system, which side to start serving from, not stepping into the kitchen and occasionally letting the ball bounce once instead of serving and approaching; but the name recognition and skills of the former best players in the world of tennis, Andre Agassi (52) and Andy Roddick (40) playing against John McEnroe (64) and Michael Chang (51), as teammates in a singles and then doubles competed for $1 million dollars in what was dubbed the Pickleball Slam in Hollywood.

Our water supply in Arizona is like a leaky ship attempting to sail into the future. Its captain — our state Legislature — is ignoring the leaks and, through inaction, is jeopardizing the future of our region and the entire state.

Traffic, road conditions, street maintenance and construction are generally areas of great interest for our citizens.

I am a registered nurse in the state of Arizona and practiced for 35 years in Prescott both at the VA Medical Center and the Yavapai Guidance Clinic....

Here is another in our series to highlight some of our local PGA Professionals who have significant impact on the Prescott area golf scene.

It’s not often a town the size of Prescott has a player who makes the big time in professional tennis, but we are lucky enough to have a person who has done just that, Andrew Bogdanov, after only three professional tournaments under his belt.

On Thursday, March 23, in this space, Jeff Pace offered a litany of imagined horrors, teeing off on the word “woke” as a code word for the deliberate, wanton destruction of our social norms and authoritarian control of our minds.

It’s interesting to see the reaction to the term “woke” in The Daily Courier Rants & Raves from people who suddenly want to define the term down to its narrowest, most benign use.

My disappointment is profound. A local school board ignored and effectively silenced 584 citizen/parent objections during a recent meeting.

It has been my honor to serve the public in multiple roles across state government, including as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission and as a member of former Gov. Doug Ducey’s cabinet.

It’s been over a week since Dilbert creator Scott Adams was canceled by hundreds of newspapers across the nation, as well as Canada, for racist tirades he unleashed on his own YouTube show.

Here is another in our series to highlight some of our local PGA Professionals who have had a significant impact on the Prescott area golf scene.

Courier Columnist Kelly W. Kading’s cautionary tale about actual science versus activist science in the Feb. 5 Courier was misleading, and was itself an exercise in activism.

Here we are. Another year, another February, and we are deep into another Black History Month.

During my many years of serving the citizens of Prescott as Planning and Zoning commissioner, council member and mayor, one overarching topic has been growth and development in Prescott.

Life is tough enough just by itself in testing our everyday determination and commitment of going to work/school, taking care of our spouse, kids, food, clothing, shelter, learning a trade, getting along with everyone, climbing the ladder, vacations, activities, managing life in general at each stage.

Today, we discover more about Mack McCarley’s past as told with his own words. Enjoy and learn more about the Godfather of Prescott Golf.

This is a follow up to a column published April 15, 2021. At the time, I spoke about the vitriol toward our community leaders to include our educators and elected officials.

Most of us are aware of the ongoing water crisis in the Maricopa County unincorporated community of Rio Verde Foothills. Rio Verde is a small residential and farming community located just east of Scottsdale.

Last week, The Daily Courier posted essays, side by side, from the leadership of Dignity Health-Yavapai Regional Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield Arizona, each attesting to the virtues of their own heroic efforts in resolving their mutual contract dispute and squarely placing blame on the other.

I fell in love with Yavapai County from the moment I arrived to open a medical practice in 2006.

I’d like to take the opportunity to set the record straight on Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s decision to leave the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona network.

Many of you know Mack McCarley. He is still active at age 83 sharing his love for golf as an instructor at Antelope Hills G.C. Most of you don’t know his past and his influence on golf in Prescott.

The fifth Grand Slam, the Western U.S. Tennis Open, the Tennis Gardens of Babylon-Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley, Tennis Paradise, are all accurate terms to express the upcoming BNP Paribas Open or Indian Wells Masters held for both ATP men’s and WTA women’s tours Monday, March 6 through Sunday, March 19.

I was recently asked what projects does the town have on its radar for the upcoming year? I know that things seem sometimes to be moving very slowly, but there is quite a lot happening behind the scenes.

Recently I presented the State of the City address to business leaders at the Prescott Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.

Valentine’s Day – Feb. 14. How can you forget it? We are flooded with ads enticing us to spend money on that day.

Kaitlyn Verfuerth was born and raised in Port Washington, Wisconsin and at 7 years old was injured in an automobile accident. She sustained a T12 spinal cord injury and paralyzed from the waist down.

Enough fentanyl pills flowed through Arizona last year to kill all of the state’s 7 million-plus residents.

“Just stop the building.” That is a comment the Town of Prescott Valley receives over and over again, and I’d like to take a closer look.

Regarding “The Sundog Disconnect” Talk of the Town by Roy H. Smith, the entire column was written from the perspective of “man bad, nature good.”

This month, as we celebrate Black history, millions of Americans will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Jan. 7, 2023, Billie Orr lost her heroic battle with cancer. She exited this life the way she lived it — as a God follower, devoted wife and mother, and loyal friend.

Roads can both unite and divide us. Low-income communities in the past were devastated and divided by roads that ran through their neighborhoods.

Happy New Year, everyone! Looking back at the strides Prescott Valley has taken in the past few years and most importantly in 2022, I cannot be any more excited about what the future holds.

It looks like we are now facing some cold weather challenges, especially if we love to live here and don’t want to travel to play golf in warmer temperatures (and higher greens fees).

Eight years ago Andrew Bogdanov’s life changed forever…on Valentine’s Day of 2014 he broke his neck snowboarding which paralyzed him from the chest down.

The state is making a billion dollars in low-interest loans available for water projects. The Prescott Active Management Area (AMA) has three years to get in on some of it, and shouldn’t miss out.

For the sake of Arizona, I do wish Katie Hobbs all the best as our next governor. However, based on the many election messes of 2020 and 2022, I pray she is a better governor than secretary of state.

The whole understanding of the proper role of our government is wrong.

Forbing Park is an unincorporated, mixed-use community in Yavapai County adjacent to the City of Prescott, just west of Iron Springs Road. Most of the homes and businesses are on wells and septic systems.

Due to the unbelievably cold temperatures that have been blanketing the middle part of our country the incidence of life-threatening hypothermia has risen to new heights.

Please remove the speed humps on Prescott East Highway. Six 15 mph speed humps were installed there that limit the use of a public street and a punishment en masse for the violations of a few.

Happy New Year! I sincerely hope that your holidays were blessed with the warmth of this wonderful season.

Earlier this month, Grace Stanke, a 23-year-old nuclear engineering student from Wausau, Wisc., was crowned Miss America 2023.

Another flip of a page, another blink, another year is upon us and as seems to be human, we look back and try to figure out how the past 12 months went and then forward to what we always hope is that much more favorable.

Many of us find ourselves with a significant number of days off from work between Christmas and New Year’s! Fantastic! Let’s exit the mundane workaday life and have some adventures in the outdoors for the next couple of weeks! It is exciting just to think about it!

Here are some golf resolutions that we can easily keep all year round, making golf fun for everyone.

It has been repeated countless times that our region has a limited water supply, that we’re pumping four times more than is being replenished, and that each new house, no matter how efficient it is, uses — and loses — yet more water.

Do you live in the Prescott city limits? Then this is a shout-out to you!

As I make my way down to the Yavapai College courts to prepare them from the last couple days of snow, ice and cold weather, my mind takes a walk down memory lane.

With Christmas arriving in fourteen days, let’s discuss what you might consider for that golfer on your list.

We are working on a couple of items with long term impact that I really wanted to discuss in this article - the UDO and the General Plan rewrite.

Pete Sampras won his last U.S. Tennis Open in 2002, after everyone had written him off, his 14th Grand Slam singles title - and without playing another ATP event retired in 2003. He went out with a “bang” defeating long time rival Andre Agassi in four sets, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

Arizona added 269 people every day in 2021, according to Census data – that’s nearly 100,000 new residents. With a high quality of life and businesses with limitless opportunities in all corners of our state, people continue to move here in droves.

During this time of year, our thoughts turn to all of wonders of Christmas and the holiday season.

The massacre this past weekend at Club Q, an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, was hardly shocking given our current politically acrimonious and poisoned climate.

You cannot see your swing. For everyone, the swing will be different in “feel” than the way it actually looks. Your “feel” can be misleading and often is.

Today, people from all walks of life - from the many different faiths, races and ethnicities who inhabit this wonderful place we call America - will gather together and give thanks, grateful for the blessings they’ve received over the last 12 months.

In this year’s school board elections as well as the election of the state schools superintendent, a leading platform for some candidates was the elimination of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) from our schools.

Before we continue with the series entitled “Guiding Principles of Self Defense,” we need to briefly delve into a critically important variable that influences all other aspects of the discussion. That being: Mindset!

Prescott’s 60-year-old City Hall building is in a state of disrepair and no longer meets the needs of our growing city.

It is official. The historic City Hall building at the corner of Goodwin and Cortez streets will be demolished, and replaced by a five-story complex, stretching over half a block, replete with luxury apartments, condos, and at least one gourmet restaurant.

Golf is the only sport where the ball, or object we are trying to hit to a target, is stationary. A baseball is not.

The Daily Courier recently published an article entitled, “Environmental Groups Sue Government over Failure to Approve Mexican Wolf Restoration Plan.” It quotes attorney Matthew Bishop for the Western Environmental Law Center and there were several inaccuracies which beg for correction.

Following are my official comments regarding the story, “County Attorney’s Office reviewing complaint of local Republican campaign finance violations.

Teaching anything comes with a bit of trial and error, knowing that you’ve got a good education on what you’re trying to teach, decent communication skills and a plan of action that will get the points you’re trying to make across.

November is an important month, as we honor our many veterans. As a U.S. Army Vietnam War Combat Infantry veteran, I understand the importance of honoring those who have served, and currently serve in our armed forces.

Harold Haff’s Sept. 25 Talk of the Town essay on Critical Race Theory promises to tell us what CRT is; instead, it is a hodgepodge of information, left wing talking points, and the omission of critical information.

As the current president of the Prescott Unified School District Governing Board, I’ve had a front-row seat to the unfortunate divisions and misrepresentations relating to our public schools. I’ve decided it’s time to lend my voice in an effort to resolve some of these misconceptions.

This is the third of a series to assist you with putting. We will discuss the putting stroke and how to get the most out of your practice putting sessions.

For the past several weeks I have been following newspaper articles, comments and letters relating to the upcoming election for vacancies on the Prescott Unified School District Governing Board.

Since the Reagan era of the 1980s, we have heard arguments from various quarters lamenting the supposed “fact” that studying liberal arts or the humanities in general was a colossal waste of time.

Becoming a professional tennis player is a daunting task, and we have a local player who is doing his best to round that corner.

Thank you for publishing your opinions, on the opinion page, on your choices in the upcoming elections. They are well thought out, have merit, and make sense … to some!

A putt, even from two inches, counts the same as a booming 300-yard drive. The easiest area of our game (and score) to improve upon is putting.

The Supreme Court decision encouraging the criminalization of abortion, and the domination of the state legislature by anti-abortionists, have brought us to the point where Arizona voters will decide at the ballot box if they want to oppress their fellow citizens.

There has been no shortage of rhetoric emanating from a number of right-wing politicians warning about the supposed decline of male virility contributing to the death of “real manhood.”

Prescott Education Association recently hosted the only school board forum in town where all seven candidates were invited.

It’s once again the perfect time of year to get out and play some tennis and the perfect opportunity to enjoy one-another’s company on the courts at our annual “PATA Park of Fame Tennis Clinic” which will be held this coming Sunday (Oct. 9 ) from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Yavapai College Tennis facility.

Legislative District 1 (LD1), essentially Yavapai County, has major water issues facing individual well owners and municipal water systems.

The City of Prescott is about to undertake the update and adoption of the 2025 General Plan. The General Plan is the public document that guides the future of a city.

As you may recall, last time I was hurtling down the road out of Grapevine Canyon on a mountain bike in a hail storm, trying to beat the rising waters of Big Bug Creek to avoid being trapped on the wrong side of the Creek at best or swept away in an attempt to cross at worst.

A good putting round makes up for a lot of full shot hiccups. Many golfers get way too technical when it comes to putting. They put their emphasis on the mechanics.

The bipartisan budget that was passed during the 2022 Arizona legislative session included multiple spending priorities recommended and supported by the Arizona Judicial Council (AJC), the policy-making body that oversees the judicial system in our state.

In July, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill banning CRT in elementary schools and state-run agencies, joining the growing nationwide movement.

Tonight at the Laver Cup held in London, the one and only Roger Federer will conclude his illustrious tennis career beside his formidable rival, friend and in this situation, doubles partner, Rafa Nadal.

As many of you know, I am a native of Arizona and was raised here in Yavapai County. Looking back at my youth, I have fond memories of the approachability of many law enforcement officers and recall disappointment with those officers who were distant and aloof.

The NBA recently suspended Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver for a year and fined him $10 million after an investigation found he engaged in what the league called “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.”

A “Practice Facility” is sometimes referred to a “Driving Range."

In this highly charged election season we hear alarms in certain quarters that partisanship has reared its head in our nonpartisan school board elections.

Are the Quad Cities perfect communities? I can speak only for Prescott Valley when I say “no,” we as a community are not perfect.

The Talk of the Town column last week by Deb McCasland, chair of the Yavapai Community College board, was simply more spin on a situation happening to YCC’s 50 years of sports excellence.

Since arriving in Prescott in 2006, I have worked as a physician and a hospital administrator to ensure that residents have access to the best possible healthcare.

We have a group of juniors from Northern Arizona, two teams to be exact, that won their sectional divisions which allows them to represent our SW Section at the Nationals which will be in Orlando Florida, Oct. 5 to 9.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently lowered its drinking water Health Advisory Levels (HALs) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perflourooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to concentrations far below what can be measured.

Question: “Your job is done, right?” Answer: “Definitely not! There is much more to do.”

Over the past couple of weeks, a few people have approached me as the chair of the District Governing Board for Yavapai College regarding athletics at the college.

Since 1912, when Arizona achieved statehood, groundwater pumping and surface water diversions have severely impacted major groundwater basins and seriously degraded five of Arizona’s major perennial rivers: Colorado, Gila, Salt, Santa Cruz, and much of the San Pedro, all sacrificed for economic development.

Growing up, I never sat at a politically divided dinner table, and throughout my years most conversations I have had with those on the “other side” have been nothing too exciting, issues were discussed, and our views shared. End of story.

The 2022 IRS budget is $12.6 billion, and for 2023 it requested $14.1 billion.

August was an important month for the City of Prescott, as Council took several steps to ensure a prosperous future for our citizens, while looking back on a half century of partnership with one of our Sister Cities.

Playing golf with your spouse can be fulfilling. The goal is to do something together with your spouse that enhances your relationship. Unfortunately, many times this goal is not achieved.

The end of a long illustrious career is always tough for not only the player, but the fans who have been through their journey as well.

I must be a little crazy to criticize the Republican Women of Prescott, especially since I have many respected friends who are members. But I must take exception to RWOP President Sherrie Hanna’s Talk of the Town article of Aug. 3.

It has been interesting to read about the controversy between the PUSD (Prescott Unified School District) and the RWOP (Republican Women of Prescott).

This is a direct response to the Aug. 2 Republican Women of Prescott (RWOP) clarification to the July 26 Courier article, “PUSD, Republican Women of Prescott at odds over alliance with The Launch Pad Teen Center.”

This is the third in a series of three on how to play golf in a timely manner.

We are in an official recession and, in May 2021, I wrote an article titled, “Democrats Recession Looming,” after Joe Biden and the Democrats had “enacted policies (out-of-control spending) that were harmful to the American economy.”

Our state legislators continue to fail to protect our water in our aquifers and rivers.

So you reach the point of retirement, yet you still love doing what you do — which for me is teaching, playing, writing and scheming on how to keep the game of tennis vibrant in our community, the Southwest and promoted to as many young and old folks as possible.

This is in response to the July 26 Courier article, “PUSD, Republican Women of Prescott at odds over alliance with The Launch Pad Teen Center.”

The saga of Emmett Till has once again returned to the public sphere.

On July 8, the City of Prescott learned that recent test results found the presence of man-made chemicals called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in two of its water production wells located in the airport area.

Before long school will be starting across Yavapai County. All this while the byways are cluttered with candidates of every stripe and every aspiration leading up to the Primary Election.

On June 28, a Prescott Valley woman lost her husband of 31 years, two daughters lost their dad, the law enforcement community lost a brother, and Prescott Valley lost a hero.

Well summer is in full swing and it has been very hot and dry so far. I know there is no need to tell you that because you experience it every time you go outside.

I hear grumbles and criticisms through phone calls, emails and even old fashioned letters where displeased and unhappy people express their emotional displeasure regarding developers, elected officials, local government, staff members and anyone else they want to point a finger at because they do not want anymore growth and they are unhappy with the advancement of growth.

Developers design and create housing and commercial complexes without having to consider the larger and consequential infrastructure costs associated with those developments. These costs, incidentally, are always borne by the burdened taxpayer.

We are in a time of our lives where we are experiencing unprecedented violence and total disrespect for others, authority, and property.

The grass court season officially ends with the conclusion of Wimbledon and the US Open Series begins their North American route to Flushing Meadows, with eight tournaments across the states (not to mention the men’s and women’s Canadian Open) with the top ATP men and WTA women players gearing up for the year end Grand Slam the U.S. Open.

The Daily Courier in Sunday’s edition (July 10) published a front-page story regarding two City of Prescott wells near the airport that have been shut down due to chemical contamination, specifically, chemicals known as PFOA and PFOS, perfluorooctanoic and perfluorooctane sulfonate acids, respectively.

"Have you no sense of decency?" Those words, addressed to Senator Joseph McCarthy were made by attorney Joseph Welch, a special counsel representing the U.S. Army during the infamous Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954.

The League of Women Voters of Central Yavapai County and the League of Women Voters of Northern Arizona, which encompass a large part of Yavapai County, are writing to express our serious concerns with the resignations of Recorder Leslie Hoffman and Elections Director Lynn Constabile.

I have been thinking what we can do to honor our veterans.

Abortion. Let me be clear, I do not promote abortion.

We have a relatively new family who moved to Prescott about three years ago from the San Diego area, Aaron and Shuko Cooley with their two children Ethan and Clare.

We all know that Prescott is a highly desirable community to live and work in.

The cost of drugs in the United States is a hot topic. Courier Editor Tim Wiederaenders noted that in a recent column that caught my attention.

With the blockbuster movie Top Gun taking off to the top of the box office this summer, I must ask, have the Quad Cities “Lost That Lovin’ Feeling?”

Whether you are heading for exotic destinations for business or pleasure this summer, there are some safety tips that I want to arm you with.

Two weeks ago, we discussed some common courtesies that as golfers, we should be aware of and apply to make the game of golf better for everyone.

My good friend Beth Miller, who took up the game of tennis this past year or so, posed the question to me about whether the game of tennis can be played just for fun (with no real pressure or killer expectations) or competitively, where there is a true dedication derived to excel within your age and ability level and time you have to devote.

I have long been vexed over one aspect of the ongoing mass murder debate, namely the common misunderstanding of the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

Regarding Bruce Newsom’s Talk of the Town (June 7): These are the countries with the highest rates of gun violence (death) from guns: Brazil, 49,436; United States, 37,038; Venezuela, 28,515; Mexico, 22,116; India, 14,710; Colombia, 13,169; Philippines, 9,267; and Guatemala, 5,980 (worldpopulationreview.com).

The following was composed and sent to then-Vice President Joe Biden, in January 2013. Consider its message remains valid to this day.

Picture going to the local football field and looking up at a column of water three and a half miles high.

One week ago, May 31, The Daily Courier carried three opinion pieces – two columns and a letter – regarding violence committed with guns.

Ask what and who keeps tennis vibrant in the Prescott area — and the answer is primarily the “Prescott Area Tennis Association.”

These spring days are beautiful, but soon we will be into the heat of summer.

Appropriating Franklin D. Roosevelt, May 2022 will likely be a month that will live in infamy. One week later, the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School school in Uvalde, Texas, still has many of us reeling.

Prescott City Council has adopted a new Water Management Policy.

One recent study found that a person could survive 30 days without food and still live. Humans can survive for three days without water, if they are in the shade, have a cool body temperature, and are not physically exerting themselves. ...

I’ve always believed in the primacy of market forces, and how every time we try to artificially direct the outcomes of a market, just the opposite occurs.

Anyone who has played this game for any time, realizes that distance is a big factor.

When life throws you a curveball out of the blue it can be more than tough to not only relearn how to survive, but to find a new way to thrive, a new meaning, different kinds of enjoyable challenges around the hardships that have to be dealt with on a daily basis.

In the world of comic books, Spider-Man learns that “with great power comes great responsibility,” a point that is hammered home when the young hero fails to stop a criminal who later kills his beloved uncle.

When you dial 911 in an emergency, you rightfully expect your local fire department to show up promptly. If you live in an urban area where 911 response times typically average about five or six minutes, a rapid response is the norm.

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.

I was asked the other day for a list of questions that I might ask a potential governing board member to determine their practical knowledge and understanding of school districts.

It took Save the Dells five years and the enthusiastic support of thousands of Prescott voters to make the preservation of 474 acres in the Granite Dells a grand reality.

Our youth have suffered a lot during these few past years with lockdowns, zoom classrooms, cancelled sports and social activities, etc. The setbacks they have endured can be life-changing but luckily there is golf.

Most of us avid tennis players kind of “lucked” into the game. My parents put my brother and I into a 4 week clinic taught by local tennis volunteers who were good enough to take the time to do such, and 50 plus years later I’m still at it, reaping the benefits of this special life-long sport.

Most Arizonans can remember a time when there was a defined wildfire season, which usually peaked during the summer.

For almost a quarter century, residents of the Prescott region have heard that the groundwater supply for the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA) is dwindling.

Just last week, Prescott City Council approved a new water policy, one that is designed to help us properly manage this precious resource.

May I be frank with you? Or Wayne, or Connie or Bob? Seriously, we all have an ego. You would love to hit that little golf ball farther than you do. Admit it – you want more distance, as you think it will help you lower your score.

The question for many in Prescott regarding tennis might be, why does Yavapai College have a tennis facility when it doesn’t even have a tennis team? And that’s a pretty fair question.

It is not uncommon for developers to lobby hard for economic interests that are in direct conflict with the wishes of the larger community.

Approximately 6,000 wildfires occur annually in the Southwest, most through lightning or human neglect. Good stewards of the land apply prevention practices that minimize human-caused fires.

Is it weird to say that I hate politics? How can I hate politics when I am smack dab in the middle of it as the mayor of Prescott Valley, and why would I want to be at the forefront of local politics if I don’t like the political arena?

This week’s column deals with the Masters Invitational. It is not a PGA Tour event but is a true invitational, hosted by the members of Augusta National. It is unique and Augusta National is a hallowed place that is revered by all – golfers and non-golfers. Here are a few fun facts and quotes to add to your enjoyment as you watch the final round today.

Billie Jean King, one of the most iconic female athlete’s the world has known to date, has recently published her autobiography, called “All In” and to me it’s a “must read.”

Land development is essential for a community’s success. There is a view and sentiment from our local developers and commercial builders that the City of Prescott is frowning upon development.

Wildland fire season is just around the corner in the Prescott area.

Love him or hate him, there can be no denying that actor Jussie Smollett conjures up passionately deep emotions from people from across the political spectrum.

Recently, there have been numerous Talk of the Town columns by a local community activist asking if you are “still confused” concerning the issue of providing water outside of Prescott’s city limits.

By now, most of you think I am a little different. Sorry to disappoint you, but I am very different, not a little! For instance, some have asked me where did I grow up? I honestly reply, “I haven’t yet!”

There’s nothing like a road trip to the BNP Masters tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

What could be wrong about living in an amazing community? Nobody wants to live in a community where there are more people climbing over themselves and fighting to get out of town due to a variety of variables. Here in the high plains of Prescott Valley and Prescott we have created communities that are vibrant, exciting and a desirable place for people from across the country to want to visit or call home.

The way Prescott has handled water sales outside city limits has been a huge problem. Most water deals have had three major issues: They have not helped us manage growth, manage our aquifer, or maximize benefits for the city and the community.

When President Biden announced his intention to fulfill a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman for the Supreme Court, many conservatives reacted with fierce and flawed attacks.

First, I would like to thank the editor for giving the Town of Chino Valley the opportunity to be included in the Talk of the Town monthly columns. Chino Valley town government is rapidly changing with the growth of the town. Engaged leadership is more important than ever.

The short answer is “no”. The swing will be different in feel than the way it really is, or actually looks.

So where are we today in Prescott with the game of tennis, what are the pluses and minuses of where we’ve been and where we hope to take the future of the game, the sport, the history of it all and in our own neck of the woods?

While most of the American media is subtly trying to draw America into a war with Russia, for no other reason than to boost ratings, the siege on the American southern border continues.

For the past several months, Prescott City Council and the Water Issues Subcommittee have been working with staff to draft a revised water policy that will meet the needs of our current users, and create a sensible plan for growth in Prescott for years to come.

We will discuss getting the most out of the days when we cannot go to the golf course or practice facility. In the winter, even if it is cold outside or the course is closed, you can develop better mechanics and improve your golf game.

It’s back to almost normal business for the March 7 to 20, 2022 BNP Paribas Open Masters Tennis Tournament held in Indian Wells, CA and at the IW’s Tennis Garden site for the 22nd year.

What a great idea, hiking the Tonto Trail in the Grand Canyon from the South Bass Trail to the New Hance Trail.

The little things in life become more and more aware to you as you grow into the later years of life, the journey, the people, the carrots that spur you on when it would be so easy to say, “Why go to all that effort, time and expense for something that has a good chance of not going in your favor”?

The new Prescott City Council is demonstrating refreshing transparency while debating a revised water policy.

Can two communities co-exist and work together for the good of the area while still developing their own identity and proceeding in a positive direction for all our citizens? The answer is a resounding YES!

The “poorest of the poor” sadly describes the inadequate funding of many, if not all, of Yavapai County’s public-school districts. Unfortunately, this is the reality for Prescott, Humboldt and Chino Valley Unified districts, Mingus Union High School District and Clarkdale-Jerome Elementary District.

Happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow! A gift such as a nice dinner, roses, candy, perfume, jewelry, vacuum cleaner (just kidding) – all are to show your love for another.

An adage in the tobacco industry is that smoking is a leading cause of statistics. The coronavirus can analogously be considered a leading cause of disinformation.

The results of last year’s city elections have been widely viewed as sending a clear message that our voters overwhelmingly support better management of both our diminishing aquifer and future growth.

On March 1st, our public schools in Arizona must cut their spending by approximately 16 percent. Money is available, it’s in the bank and it belongs to our community schools. But, because of a 1980 voter initiative that puts a 42-year-old ceiling on school spending, it can’t be spent.

Recently, I was asked to provide an address on the State of the City at the Prescott Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting.

Balance, rhythm, tempo and timing are crucial to any golf swing. You cannot be taught these fundamentals, but you can learn them.

If you haven’t heard, or if you’d like to be updated, there’s a very exciting mega sports and recreation center (over 100,000 square feet) with a restaurant/sports bar that will be opening in early April called “Espire Sports.”

We can assume that water quality is important to everyone in this area, state and literally, any area in the world. There are short- and long-term health-related issues if the wrong substances are ingested.

As the mayor of Prescott Valley, I have no more important priority than the safety of the residents of our community.

Past Prescott-area councils and CYMPO (Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization) boards somehow overlooked the connection between unplanned rapid development in Prescott and Prescott Valley and our current traffic congestion.

The upper Verde River is in danger of extinction. If groundwater pumping from the Big Chino basin is not controlled, this section of the live, free flowing river will eventually be lost for all time.

Show me a golfer who doesn’t want to improve, and I’ll show you a golfer who is either dead or a golfer that has one foot in the grave and another foot on a banana peel. It is human nature to always strive to be better, whatever activity you are passionate about.

The statement, “Any press is good press,” might be true overall, but when it comes to the 2022 Australian Open this year and Novak Djokovic and his COVID problems with the government as the top tennis news story, I’m not so sure.

In my Dec. 27 Talk of the Town article, “Younger, sicker, dying quicker,” on COVID awareness, I discussed COVID testing including rapid home testing. I provide additional guidance here.

Build Back Better, the centerpiece of President Biden’s ambitious domestic legislative agenda, has become Build Back Later … maybe.

When the Prescott city government announced it was moving, and that the current City Hall building would be put up for sale, I talked to people about the structure (at the corner of Cortez and Goodwin) being a historic site — one that should be preserved somehow.

As our local tennis programs and play head forward, we are hoping and planning that 2022 will be a great year of junior, young adult, adult, senior and super senior play in all kinds of avenues of play and at a variety of sites in and around the Mile High City.

“I think we can’t overstate her influence.”

First, I would like to wish all our readers a Happy New Year. With the return of our traditional holiday events and gatherings, Prescott truly is Arizona’s “Christmas City” once again.

Here are some golf resolutions that we can easily keep all year round, making golf fun for everyone.

This past summer, there were several rallies on the courthouse plaza that created division in our community. The recurring theme was, “Stop referring to Prescott as ‘Everybody’s Hometown,’ because with all the trouble downtown, we certainly are not!”

The observation in this headline was made by Denver physicians after the Fourth of July holiday during a surge in delta variant COVID.

Three water issues that could determine our water future are coming to a head for Prescott and Prescott Valley in 2022.

After my Oct. 19 op-ed about my proposal for Prescott to sell its share of the Big Chino Project to Prescott Valley, I received many comments. Because the Big Chino Project is the largest project ever proposed by Prescott, I think it’s important to remove any confusion or misunderstandings.

A new movie that is now in the theaters across the country and on HBO called “King Richard”, is about how Richard Williams devised a 78-page written plan to make his two girls (Venus and Serena who weren’t even born yet) become the greatest tennis players of their era — and against all odds achieved that dream.

A May 2021 report by the Morrison Institute’s Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University calls into question the ability of the state’s water laws to assure sustainable water supplies for residents living in areas where groundwater levels are declining.

In his letter to the editor of The Daily Courier, Doug Ruhland alleged that the Prescott Unified School District board has refused to allow him to read a statement at its public meetings.

If you read the headline, you know where this is going. After 17-plus years and more than 850 columns, I’m “retiring.” To be more precise, I’m retiring this column.

The Democratic Party had yet another bad election night recently, and the party is shaking its head, wondering why. After all, polls continue to show general public support for Democratic positions, such as the infrastructure bill, health care reform, the living wage, etc.

Over the past few years, I have heard people question whether we are properly teaching the history of our country in our schools. Recently, in the east there has been a lot of discussion about the teaching of critical race theory.

Playing any sport and trying to attain better and better ability levels is a daunting task both mentally and physically.

The future use of the Rodeo Grounds is still unknown. A few months ago, Prescott Frontier Days (PFD — the nonprofit that operates the rodeo and a few other events each year) requested a lease extension for 50 years.

The latest iteration of Build Back Better – the president’s multi-trillion-dollar tax-and-spending binge that has been stalled in Congress all year – purports to reduce the cost of prescription drugs via negotiation.

Readers should know that the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is now at the height of its decennial line drawing work.

The “cartoon” in The Daily Courier newspaper on Oct. 27 was certainly written with bad taste and a complete lack of understanding of the labor shortage that we are experiencing as a country, community, and industry.

Winston Churchill once said: “Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.”

A few years back while walking on the downtown Prescott plaza in festive Halloween costumes (my wife being dressed as a scary witch) we were accosted by a member of a local group that accused her of being an emissary of the Devil!

In our quest for finding the right racquet for our tennis games, the question as we get older, a step or two slower and probably not quite as strong armed in our swings is - what head size, length and weight of racquet is in our best interest?

We can all agree that we have experienced hotter temperatures, long-term drought, loss of Verde River flow, declining water levels in Prescott-area lakes, and increased occurrences of catastrophic wildfire here in Arizona and across the West.

Having experienced all manner of controversy as a Prescott City councilman for five years, and county Planning and Zoning commissioner for almost a decade, I am feeling compelled to speak out regarding a disturbing trend I am sensing throughout Yavapai County.

Tom Brady’s first return to Foxboro as a member of the visiting team proves once again that sports is all about the money, and those dollars touch a lot of different hands.

This is the third of a series to assist you with putting.

I am not sure what I expected our country to look like in 2021, but I certainly did not expect it to be so fractured. My oldest son was a year old on Sept. 11, 2001. The wave of patriotism following that day gave me hope for the America that my kids would inherit.

When it comes to saving local newspapers, the solutions won’t be found in web metrics, ad rates or shrinking news holes. The solution, seemingly simple yet terrifying complicated, is for newspapers to reconnect with the people they’re supposed to be serving.

I may sound like a luddite to some. But, I’m not suggesting we go back to the days when Mark Warner constructed a raft out of drift wood to float ponds in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO.

Regarding the Courier column by Editor Tim Wiederaenders, “Trust sprouts wings with Yavapai Ranch development,” and the PAD zoning extension, all citizens have skin in this game because it involves and impacts United States Forest Service land — which is owned by all citizens.

Judging from recently published letters, airport noise and noise complaints are surfacing as a community issue.

Five years of community advocacy, education, negotiation and dialogue to save Prescott’s Granite Dells from development culminated in July with the Prescott City Council’s historic 7-0 vote to pass Arizona Eco Development (AED)’s proposed Development Agreement and Annexation.

I come from a family of fighting men.

One of the best parts of 2021 has been the return of so many of our great special events here in Prescott. As we’ve begun to return to a sense of normalcy, and venturing out to enjoy local restaurants and shops, we’ve also starting seeing many more friendly faces at events in the community.

There is an emergency at our southern border.

I was recently contacted by several constituents expressing great concern over the increasing lack of civility in our country, state, and an alarming increase within Yavapai County.

So how does a young man from the railroad towns of Hyannis and Ashby, Nebraska (population 287) go from being the son of a rancher to a rodeo cowboy and later a tennis professional?

What happened on Tuesday, Aug. 3? The voters spoke and they spoke definitively. By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, Prescott elected a new mayor and two new councilmembers.

Dear neighbor, thanks for keeping your yard clean, your dog from barking and the kind calls of concern when my husband fell off the ladder from our roof.

On June 26, The Daily Courier published my Talk of the Town on the disastrous rodeo lease proposal. Council members subsequently had a meeting where several citizens and Council members Goode and Rusing argued against the proposal.

Watson Lake is one of two reservoirs at the Granite Dells formed in the early 1900s when the Chino Valley Irrigation District built a dam on Granite Creek.

One late June morning, the day after Prescott came within one degree of its all-time 105°F temperature record, my 82-year-old neighbor called to me as I was watering my garden. Her swamp cooler had failed, it had been 98°F inside her house, and would I install the air conditioner she planned to buy?

This past Saturday the inductions for the International Tennis Hall of Fame took place in Newport, Rhode Island, and in some ways they were kind of the same, and in another kind of different.

I imagine few people would say that Yosemite or Yellowstone national parks should have instead been sold to private developers, and that those great parks should never have come to be.

Over the past few weeks, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of positive COVID-19 test results in Yavapai County. We knew there would be an increase after the events that took place around our Fourth of July celebrations, but these numbers have me concerned.

Many of us have fleeting moments of thinking, “Wouldn’t it be fun to get back out and start playing some tennis”, and then the thought passes and we go on with what life takes us through on a daily basis.

The trouble with living in the same place for too long is you just see too much. First, there’s water.

In a unanimous landmark decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a long overdue death knell to the NCAA’s sham argument that college athletes are amateurs.

Prescott City Attorney Jon Paladini recently posted a legal opinion on the City of Prescott’s website asserting citizens’ initiative Proposition 401 does not apply to the development agreement (DA) between the city and Arizona Eco Development (AED).

Those two words, uttered by the attorney for Matt Schembechler, the adopted son of former University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, during a June 10 news conference said it all.

Suppose you owned the Prescott Rodeo Grounds on Fair Street, including land and several buildings. If I came to you and said I’d like a 50-year lease under the terms that I keep at least 95% of year-round receipts and you get 5%, what would you say? And what would you say if the lease had no cost-of-living increase for 50 years?

Last year the game of tennis’ normal inductions and professional lawn tennis tournament was cancelled at the Newport R.I. International Tennis Hall of Fame due to COVID, but this year are excited and ready for a large, fun crowd to attend — Sunday, July 11, to Sunday, July 18, 2021, for the men’s singles and doubles tournament and induction ceremony and special festivities to enjoy!

Mayor Mengarelli has several conflicts of interest with his new job with the rodeo. That’s unfortunate because as far as him having the job, that’s good for him. As far as it helping the rodeo, which is an important part of Prescott culture, that’s good too. But it’s all tangled up with that other job, being mayor.

On Tuesday, June 8, I was contacted by the senior editorial staff at The Daily Courier and informed that Tom Cantlon had written an opinion piece concerning my new position with Prescott Frontier Days (PFD). “In the name of fairness,” the Courier offered me an opportunity to write a counterpoint piece.

Recognizing the important role fathers play in their children’s lives, and inspired by a Mother’s Day sermon over 100 years ago, Sonora Louis Smart Dodd wondered why there was no similar holiday for fathers.

A recent column by contributor Ted Williams about predator hunting contests (“Killing wildlife to see who wins,” May 24) was a review of long-past discussions that took place in Arizona during 2017, and again in 2019.

With rising temperatures and dry conditions ahead in Prescott and throughout Arizona, the state faces a heightened wildfire threat.

Imagine my surprise when my husband brought me The Daily Courier with the Good Samaritan Society — Marley House on the front page. After reading the article, I understand this is an unexpected juncture, although I fail to see how this changes the “community” focus of the Marley House.

The game of tennis, like many things during COVID, took a hit.

Would you like to earn money and prizes by killing coyotes, foxes, cougars, bobcats, wolves, raccoons, squirrels, crows, rattlesnakes, rabbits, prairie dogs, woodchucks or skunks?

What could be the most expensive project ever in Prescott has been moving ahead.

The past two weeks for me have been exhilarating and, yet again, eye-opening that nothing in this life is to be taken for granted.

Children love learning, and it’s undeniable that great ideas and principles shared at a young age can impact the path of a child for a lifetime.

In the Quad Cities region we are pumping over 4 billion gallons a year more than is being returned to our water supply.

Now into the 26th day of my/our “Bike and Tennis Across American” trip and the end is nearing.

Many of you know I’m in the middle of a bike ride across the country, promoting tennis and biking, going from San Diego, California, to St. Augustine, Florida.

For those who are criticizing and those who are being criticized, I wanted you to all know that our community is losing yet another tremendous person and leader.

The Daily Courier’s April 11 story, “Prescott strategizes to secure COVID-related federal funds for variety of city projects,” illustrates the need for transparency and public involvement in spending these funds.

It’s not easy to deal inwardly when the ball and your racquet become out of sync, or your opponent isn’t cooperating with what you’re trying tactically against them.

I have gathered some quotes from some famous and some infamous persons. I trust you will enjoy these quotes, maybe identify with some, get a chuckle or two and learn that we have a lot in common with many others that share our quest in playing this fabulous game.

Over the past few months, I’ve seen more people on the trails than ever. A May 7 article in the Courier reported that use of city trails has doubled as people have ventured out for socially distant exercise.

Recently, one of the premier business innovators of the 20th century, Jack Welch, passed away.

The accusations of pedophilia in the Catholic church have never faded from the public eye.

Have you heard of the recent movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”?

President Trump has presided over a booming economy and stock market, and trillion-dollar tech companies are leading the way.

We need to maintain our roads to protect our families and the people we care about.

Perhaps you’ve heard this old Scottish proverb/poem as a child or read it in a book of nursery rhymes to your own child:

I’m just a little crestfallen now that the college football bowl season has ended.

David Bowie released a single of his song “Changes” the day before his 25th birthday.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they were “stepping back” from their duties as senior royals, it triggered a number of interesting reactions on this side of the pond.

As a Legislative District 1 resident, I am concerned about the current movement to try to make Yavapai County a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.

Americans love a good countdown. Christmas is only 330 days from the date of writing this column.

Growing older definitely has both an upside and a downside. Those of us of a certain age know the physical downside all too well.

As you may or may not be aware, I have served on the City of Prescott’s Water Subcommittee for a couple of decades; and, I am so very proud of our water track record. Moreover, I am convinced that what we are discussing regarding the geographical expansion of both our water and wastewater service provisions in the future are really the right things to do.

I never said I was going away, simply because I didn’t win an election.

The coming new year is not only the end of 2019 but also the end of a decade. What better time to let go of old stresses and strains and grab a fresh start with gusto!

From our inception, Save the Dells has worked to secure a fair deal in which Arizona Eco Development (AED) protects approximately 500 beloved acres in the Granite Dells as public open space in exchange for the tremendously valuable benefits of annexation.

If you observe politics the way I do – as one stares at a five-car pileup on the freeway – your gaping will always be rewarded.

Around the middle of October, my wife received a letter from Hisashi Shibata.

Centuries ago, the tribes of Israel were exiled to Babylon, unwillingly but firmly under the domination of a foreign empire.

The entertainment world has offered us an endless selection of singers over the years, but few have endured like the young fellow from Tupelo, Mississippi, who blended country, blues and rock ‘n roll genres into his own unique brand of music.

There are basically two types of people in the Quad Cities area, those that are on city or town water and those that are have wells.

That special section that the Courier published on November 11 in which veterans responded to an invitation that the paper had extended for them to describe their military experience was, in a word, outstanding.

Dear Speaker Pelosi: It’s with a heavy heart that I write to you based on your reluctance to embrace impeachment proceedings against President Trump, as his actions tear at the very heart of our nation’s constitutional fabric.

It is Democratic opposition leaders who are frantically searching for an individual they can persuade to enter the contest, pledging money, organization, unity and an unobstructed path to the party nomination.

This past week in Prescott saw the beginning of winter temperatures.

As the colors of the leaves begin to change and fall all around Prescott, we begin feeling the holiday season coming on quickly.

Hard working, team building, disciplined, dedicated, goal oriented and driven to lead are all characteristics we have come to know from veterans of our military services.

When I hear the word “lynch,” I immediately think of the black experience of torture, persecution and dehumanization that was so prevalent in the first half of the last century in the American south.

There are six to 10 million species of insects in the world with another seven-

Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian or a Green party member, 2020 is shaping up to be an important year.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, “he said, she said,” is quickly becoming, “she said, he cringed and remained silent.” Another variation is, “she said, he apologized profusely and then resigned.”

Sure, I could write about impeachment again this week, and probably for countless weeks to come.

All of Washington is vibrating like the foam on a latte in the cup holder of a convertible jeep riding railroad tracks over a bridge.

Until a few days ago, the only ‘Epstein’ in the news that I knew about was Jeffrey Epstein.

Let me explain in simple terms why the City of Prescott’s proposed new water policy is a sham.

I recently read an article whose author was convinced a certain event was inevitable. T

I never met my great-grandfather, although I’ve seen pictures of him.

Peter was up before anyone else — as he often is.

We live in seemingly divisive times. Politicians are at each other’s throats. Talking heads on the network news explain to us all the reasons we should hate and mistrust each other. Confidence in public institutions is at an all-time low. There seems to be nothing but bad news.

In case you haven’t heard, our lawmakers have returned from their six-week, summer sabbatical, ready to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.

The City of Prescott has spent the summer discussing complex municipal water policy that ensures long-term viability of our city’s water supply.

“I wanna be Bobby’s girl. I wanna be Bobby’s girl. That’s the most important thing to me.” - as sung by Marcie Blane in 1962.

New water policies proposed by the City of Prescott leadership will speed growth, provide water outside of the city without annexation, and increase the overdraft. These new policies depend on “paper water” created by diverting the Groundwater Allowance to new development.

Considering my past is something I do less and less these days.

Nobody was using the old wren house. My grandfather built it. Grandpa started building birdhouses when he retired from milking cows and his second oldest son took over.

My wife and I developed a habit several years ago of reading before we drop off to sleep each night.

Do you long for the days when the only outbursts our delicate ears had to worry about were the Z word (“Zoinks!”) and the J word (“Jinkies!”)?

The results of the municipal election should have been a wake-up call for the Prescott mayor and council. Instead Greg Mengarelli, Billie Orr and others are using the results and the winning tactic (single-shot for Cathey Rusing) to excuse their comparatively poor showings.

Last week, I got an email from my friend Chris Casazza, a partner with the immigration firm Solow, Isbell and Palladino in Philadelphia. He reached out to tell me about something that had happened to a former client, and he hoped that I could tell the story.

He was hit hard enough to lacerate his kidney. He woke up the next day urinating blood. That’s neither a common experience nor an occupational hazard for most of us. It is if you play professional football.

For the past dozen summers, my family has made the drive of nine or more hours (depending on the number of putrid gas station restrooms we visit) from East Texas to Orange Beach, Alabama.

You’ve probably noticed lately that the horizon behind Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain has been smudged with smoke, the visible evidence of still smoldering fires in the area.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was caught in a video screaming expletives when someone made the mistake of calling him “Fredo,” referring to the fictional character Fredo Corleone from “The Godfather films.”

On a Sunday afternoon fishing trip with my little brother and late father, I caught 15 fish at the lake in Lewisburg, Tennessee.

“The issue is patents,” Nobel-prize winning economist Milton Friedman explained when asked in 2004 why he opposed drug reimportation, the practice of bring back prescription drugs originally manufactured in the U.S. and exported to other countries to sale.

“Fredo has a good heart but he is weak...and stupid.” - Michael Corleone.

“Took away our native tongue/And taught their English to our young...” - from “Indian Reservation,” by John D. Loudermilk.

What is the difference between “yard art” and junk? This question has pitted neighbor against neighbor and has evidently caused quite a few heated debates.

In every election campaign, there comes a point when cruel reality intrudes, forcing candidate and staff to confront the growing likelihood that victory is out of reach and further expenditure of time, money and dedication to a cause is futile.

Becoming a fireman, police officer, pilot, or joining the military is often a dream of so many young boys and girls. While many of my friends went through the stages of following their dreams to become a police officer or firefighter, I found my passion of flying airplanes – and it took off.

If the circumstances weren’t so awful, the predictability of the response would almost be laughable.

It’s been a week since 31 people were murdered in two mass shootings within 24 hours. Despite numerous differences between the two horrific incidents in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, there was a crucial common denominator: hysterical public reaction.

You’ve probably heard the parable of the good dog and the bad dog. Some attribute it to Lakota leader Sitting Bull, some to a Cherokee traditional tale.

For various reasons, my graduating class has seen two milestone anniversaries sail by without a class reunion materializing.

I’m a big softie when it comes to children’s books.

Can we all agree that being human means, among other things, that we are flawed individuals?

This past week, my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and I stood in front of the greeting card rack for a very long time.

When faced with two women who each claimed to be the mother of the same child, King Solomon announced that he would slice the child in two and give half to each claimant. One woman was pleased. The other wailed in sorrow, and begged the king to give the child to her opponent.

Recently, I found myself standing in front of my old house in Philadelphia. From 1966, when I was 4, until 1969, when we moved to Delaware County, I lived in the two-story quasi-Victorian on the 5400 block of North 12th Street.

Howzabout a little three-part treatise on unrelated matters? Since you have no choice, then here goes:

This is the second of a two-part column focusing on former Navy Flier Chuck Baldock’s nearly seven years as a North Vietnamese POW from 1966 to 1973.

The Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) believes that citizens in the Quad-City area must tell their elected officials they want them to begin now to create a water management plan that will produce long-term water security.

Just when I think I’m doing something really important and feeling indispensable, I’m jolted back to reality.

The clock has run out.

This time of year, it is easy to see why Prescott is such a wonderful place to live, learn, work and play.

Just a few brief weeks into the 2019 Major League Baseball season, incontrovertible evidence has surfaced that computerized balls and strike calls cannot be far away.

After hundreds of Roman Catholics were killed in an Islamist terror attack last Sunday, Hillary Clinton tweeted out the following:

Accelerated depletion of groundwater in the Prescott Active Management Area (PrAMA) — as well as above the headwaters of the upper Verde River — began in the mid-1990s.

Fifty years ago, in 1969 when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, the world’s population was 3.6 billion; in 2019, it’s 7.7 billion.

About the time that the #MeToo movement really started to get traction in 2017, I compared it to the Salem witch trials.

There was a time when, if I was thinking of buying a pair of new shoes, my only consideration was how they looked on me. If they pinched or pained me, I was willing to put up with it until they were “broken in”.

The older I become, the more solace I get from small victories.

When we were kids, reality and imagination were often blurred.

Are you a baseball fanatic? Do you look forward to the smell of freshly cut infield grass and the whiff of leather from a glove? Do you love the sound of a pitch pounding the catcher’s mitt, or the crack of the bat when the ball is squared up?

Prescott recently announced the collapse of negotiations to protect the Granite Dells from the destructive private “South Annexation” development proposed by Arizona Eco Development (AED).

Spring training is underway, and fans whose passion for baseball dates back decades brace themselves for more game-altering, useless and annoying changes. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob “Meddling” Manfred is back at it with more dumb ideas that will, if implemented, distract from the game on the field.

Since tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, many people throughout the country and the world over have been preparing for the event for quite some time.

The British are coming! Yes, it is that time of year again! Would you like some chips?

This headline in Tuesday’s Courier jumped out at me; “Lawmakers vote to allow parents dropping kids off at school to carry loaded guns.”

I’m a native Californian who grew up in the 1950s when the state was truly Golden.

Sadie’s name and situation are generalized for purposes of this column, which reflects my volunteer association with Kindred Hospice in Prescott.

There are many questions one might ask of our great institutions of sports. Is the NFL doing enough to protect against concussions on the field?

America has a bunch of foundational myths - George Washington and his famed cherry tree, the belief that anyone can get ahead if they just work hard enough and the stubborn belief that our occasionally sputtering constitutional republic is still more exceptional than any other nation on Earth.

Robert Kraft is being charged with soliciting prostitutes. That’s not news, sadly, since a lot of people - including high-profile people - pay for sex.

If Prescott and its surrounding towns continue with their rapid, rabid growth, population explosion, instant housing developments, and demolition derby traffic – problems mostly attributed to Californians migrating here – we will have to change the areas name from Quad Cities, and begin calling it “Calicott.”

Back in 1959, Alfred Hitchcock came up with that thriller of a movie titled “North By Northwest.”

New York Yankees’ great Joe DiMaggio is widely considered one of the top 10 players in Major League Baseball history.

I assume every American no matter their religious or political beliefs, is interested in having secure borders.

February the 14th this year is on a Thursday.

It all started in 1896. It ends now in 2019. Here in downtown Chino Valley.

“Celebrating the holidays with friends and family the past few weeks was great, but I’m tired, bloated and crabby.”

All indicators point to another productive and prosperous year in 2019, in our city and region.

“I alone can fix it.”

Okay, maybe it’s a little misleading for me to headline a column “Celebrities We’ll Lose In 2019.”

I am on record as a staunch supporter of Christmas. However, this time of year, I like to borrow just one component from another tradition - Festivus.

Here’s how the Opposition Media’s beloved “bipartisan cooperation” works among the residents of Incumbentstan here in Washington, DC.

An unspectacular Bureau of Labor Statistics November report casts doubt on the health of the job market in 2019.

I read with interest the article on coyote hunts or control and the opposition to them from local citizens.

Does your workplace have a tradition of employees giving a Christmas gift (er, holiday gift ... um, scrupulously secular seasonal transfer of goods) to the boss?

Hi, I’m Kyle Hon. I’m a 10-year-old boy. I’m just a regular-looking kid on the outside, but I was born with high functioning autism.

We’ve been taught a lesson which we would do well to commit to memory. It’s a lesson about love, respect and what is possible when, as one of my academic colleagues said, we see those on the opposite side as rivals rather than enemies.

For California natives like me, the wildfires are a real gut punch. The wildfires are the deadliest in the state’s history with at least 76 fatalities, and hundreds unaccounted for. More than 10,000 buildings are gone, and more than 230,000 acres have burned.

During a July 25, 1961, speech, John F. Kennedy said, “The freedom of the city is not negotiable. We cannot negotiate with those who say, ‘What is mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.’”

Imagine you moved to your dream home, thinking that the town’s plan for the front door of your neighborhood was reasonable—only to learn it may be changed in a most unwelcome way.

Annexation applications by the Deep Well Ranch and Arizona Eco developments have awakened public concern about growth.

Did you realize that November 24 marks the 100th birthday of the venerable (and still-published) comic strip “Gasoline Alley?”

After living in Washington, D.C., for nearly eight years, I love being back home in Pittsburgh.

There’s no doubt that our society, along with the rest of the developed world, admires wealth.

To all of my friends who happen to be Democrats -- and I do have many — I offer the following: If you’re enjoying the presidential stylings of Donald J.

I read the news today, oh boy. And by “read” I mean skimmed. And by “news” I mean aggregates.

This column is a painful one. I’ve decided to lay bare the love affair, then the estrangement from my favorite beverage of all time, Coca-Cola.

In a free market, you don’t get something for nothing, but that’s what Arizona Eco Development (AED) is asking for.

Say it ain’t so: Alcohol in moderation is bad for us again!

For baseball bugs, to use the 1900’s word for fans, October is the sweetest month – play in, play off, and eventually World Series games.

The Democrats and their parrots and lapdogs in the liberal media never stop accusing people on the right of being racists, sexists and homophobes.

For many years, I have been hearing that iceberg lettuce is a worthless form of green leaves that should be shunned and even banned from the kitchen.

Hoping that a child will be raped is the vilest thought that can be formed in the civilized brain. There is no “larger picture,” no justification, no explanatory context. Unfortunately, it’s no longer out of bounds in social discourse.

An in-depth newspaper investigation revealed that a state-operated home for aged military veterans was providing sub-standard care and that taxpayer money that was to go to improve the home was spent elsewhere. The result was the replacement of the state’s veterans secretary and numerous corrections at the home.

According to the latest Gallup poll, the congressional approval rate is currently just 19 percent, with 76 percent disapproving. Congress’ miserable showing surprises no one. After Election Day, campaign promises abruptly vanish, and are replaced by an agenda that voters would never have supported.

Arizona water laws fundamentally threaten the upper Verde River.

Children seldom complain about vision problems. Rather, according to the Eyes on Learning Vision Coalition, “they believe everyone sees the world the way they do.” But the coalition notes that “80 percent of children’s learning is through their eyes.

It was a long, embarrassing day of drama, tears and ugly partisan bickering. But by the end of last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, I came to the conclusion that both Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford had told the truth.

“The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States: Estimates based on demographic modeling with data from 1990 to 2016,” a new study published in the peer-reviewed science journal, PLOS ONE, found that the illegal immigration population in the United States has been, for years, dramatically underestimated.

Hurricane Florence tearing up the south Atlantic coast is nothing compared to the hypocrisies tearing up our country over Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation that Brett Kavanaugh tried to pull off her clothes at an alcohol-fueled house party when they were teenage minors.

“Republicans like to talk about fiscal discipline, but when they have control of Congress they spend like drunken sailors!”

I love Lindsay Graham. The witty South Carolina senator, who’s usually more entertaining than most comedians, has been one of the highlights of the otherwise depressing televised Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

From an unlikely place — deep red Kansas — comes a plot to add to the cheap labor workforce. In 2016, President Trump carried Kansas by more than 20 points. Nevertheless, Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, from Kansas’ 3rd District, joined up with other cheap labor addicts to subvert American workers.

Heading into the midterms, it’s a good idea to take stock of what you really want and don’t want from “your” government.

I am of an age that I lose things. Car keys. An occasional train of thought. Family members.

I used to root for crazy. In fact, as a lifelong Democrat, I was thrilled when President Trump announced he was running for president.

“Here we are in peak vacation season, but I’m afraid to take my paid vacation time off!”

When good people fight for freedom and peace, the rest of us should fight for them.

Once, August was a tranquil time on Capitol Hill. But that’s no longer the case.

Social Security is here for young people when a parent passes away. We know that the loss of a parent isn’t just emotionally painful; it can be devastating to a family’s finances. In the same way that Social Security helps to lift up the disabled and elderly when they need it, we support families when an income-earning parent dies.

As I was filling out my early ballot this morning, I looked out across the street and saw the rolling hillsides laden with Ponderosa pine and scrub. The same hillsides were also speckled with houses in Timber Ridge and beyond.