The grassroots movement of Save the Dells, coupled with the results of the last two Prescott City Council elections, has had a significant impact on our community and the region. Citizens of the area are encouraged that their voices do make a difference. We’ve become more engaged and more optimistic.

Prescott doesn’t need or want the Big Chino project (BC) anymore. That’s the project to pump water from the Big Chino aquifer to Prescott and Prescott Valley.

Current societal verbiage appears to have gone through a marked metamorphosis in the past couple of decades. Words and phrases that my grandparents and parents taught me seem to have been supplanted by other words and phrases that are evidently supposed to mean the same thing (?) but are markedly different in style and presentations.

In the Quad-Cities region, many business and government leaders are misleading the public into believing we have a secure water future. The reality is that, under current policies, a sustainable water future is nowhere in sight.

More than 30 years ago, then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush stood onstage at the Republican National Convention and famously promised, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” That promise may have won him the election, but it was also his undoing.

For almost two decades many Prescott citizens, including me, have advocated for what was called “permanent recharge” to help the Prescott Active Management Area (AMA) reach safe yield.

I was living in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001, and experienced this attack as an attack on my neighborhood. I lived in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, and could see the Pentagon from a higher vantage point or the nearby Navy Yard.

Now that our children are back in school, the Prescott Unified School District board and administration want Prescott parents to believe that our children’s educational needs are being met.

It has come to our attention that there is a social media group with concerns about PUSD. We are grateful for the opportunity to clear up misconceptions.

We hear about all the today’s top players, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and such, and it’s called for because they are the current players who are making news in the tennis world; but once upon a time there was this kid from Rockhampton, Australia who was catching the eye of top coaches in the bigger cities like Brisbane.

The low interest rates we’ve experienced over the past few years have made it possible for millions of Americans to buy new homes, refinance properties, and pull out some equity to ease the pinch caused by the lockdowns.

The Arizona state Senate has passed a bill undermining the will of the people. SB 1452 would siphon funds from students in public schools and direct it toward students attending private religious schools.

Parents in Arizona and across the country are starting to put COVID-19 behind them. It’s a good time to take stock of what worked—what offered families some sense of normalcy and hope during the pandemic—and what did not.

Recently I was at a tournament watching a variety of tournament players gearing up for battle and you could see who was really getting ready to bring it and who were not in the same arena of mental and physical warfare.

“Building an airplane while flying it” is a quip that many of us have heard used to describe processes or projects that move forward before much thought is put into how that it will actually function in the real world.

Wherever I go in Prescott there’s always a discussion of what’s happening with regard to the 2nd Amendment. When that’s the topic of discussion, it appears we’ve gone from cancel culture to cancel Constitution, with the crosshairs squarely on the Second Amendment.

When I saw Facebook posts celebrating the end of 2020 and predicting a great 2021, I asked, “Really?”

I’m reading my 16th book since the onset of the Wu-Flu pandemic called “The Irrationals” by Julian Havil. Originally called “incommensurable” by the Greeks in geometry, arithmetically the term became irrationals and meant a number “the decimal expansion of which is neither finite nor recurring.”

We’ve heard every cliché known to mankind about our competitive spirit and the world we live in to survive…”It’s dog-eat-dog,” “The law of the jungle,” “Every man for himself,” and, “No one remembers who came in second place.”

Sunday, I spent 2.5 hours in the COVID-19 free fresh air of Prescott taking down our Christmas decorations and listening to the John Batchelor show podcasts.

Ok, let’s get the obvious out of the way. 2020 was the year of COVID-19, also known as corona (minus the lime), the plague, the super crud, or, as my dad calls it (and most other contagious illnesses), “the rooty-gootus.” But what else happened in 2020?

Psychology Today defines cognitive dissonance as “a term for the state of discomfort felt when two or more modes of thought contradict each other.”

We’ve all been going through hoops to not get COVID, yet the numbers have increased, and unless we are wrapped in a bubble there are still certain risks that are unavoidable.

You may have seen these signs about town “No Lawsuits against Taxpayer$ from Brownfield Jail Site.”

Hanukkah is a beautiful Jewish winter holiday that comes during the darkest days of the year and it brings with it abundant light.

To the supervisors, mayors and council members of Yavapai County, the Yavapai County Board of Health has continued to follow the pandemic of COVID-19.

There is a simple yet profound comfort in hearing a human voice on the other end of a telephone call, especially when the person placing the call is in need.

It’s Thanksgiving morning and I’m sitting in my studio, at my window, looking out over Copper Basin Road at Wolverton Mountain.

Ben Stanley was enjoying both his basketball career and academics as a sophomore at Hampton University last spring. He planned to spend his junior year on campus before declaring for the NBA draft in 2021.

When playing the game of tennis, there are a bundle of special mannerisms that make playing the game much more fun and enjoyable, known as tennis etiquette.

For nearly 30 years, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors and local Verde Valley government entities have been planning for construction of a road project that connects the gap between Highway 260 and the Middle Verde Road....

I could not have been more wrong about how the election would affect the Great Pandemic Panic. I assumed that if Biden won, or the left could claim he won, the WuFlu would be consigned to the hazmat container of history.

The good news for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is that much of Ohio’s rural areas have strong followers of President Trump.

When I first picked up a racquet at the age of 12 there was no inclination that this game of tennis would be any more than a fleeting moment in life, something to have some fun with for a while, hanging out with neighborhood buddies, challenging ourselves to something different from baseball, basketball, football or getting into trouble.

Dateline Geneva Switzerland, Oct. 23: "We are at a critical juncture in the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the Northern hemisphere," WHO Director-General Tedros told a news conference "The next few months are going to be very tough, and some countries are on a dangerous track."

Sure, we didn’t know who won right away, or the next day, or the day after that, but we still learned quite a bit from the election.

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company touts itself as “the trusted advisor and counselor to many of the world’s most influential businesses and institutions.”

I usually avoid discussing politics in my columns, mainly because I would rather not be disowned by family members, unfriended by friends, or doused with milkshakes and other beverages by complete strangers at the local Whataburger.

As the pandemic suddenly turned our lives upside down, educators immediately, and in some cases, literally overnight, redesigned their school models to provide the service that families so desperately needed to maintain as much normalcy during this unprecedented crisis.

The unprofessional behavior in the recent City Council meeting might give us all pause and question the maturity of some of its principal players.

The marijuana sellers who wrote Prop 207 had the marketing all figured out.

Sixty-four years ago, while serving in the U.S. Navy, I was involved in a horrific accident. I had an overnight pass and was a passenger in another sailor’s car. I was in the back seat. The driver lost control of the car and went off the road. We went airborne and rolled over into a field.

When I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1976 at age 25, the military mandated annual flu shots. I was in meteorological technical training school at Chanute AFB, Illinois. Our base commander said if we refused the shot, they would not let us get Christmas leave.

As of this printing we are inside 20 days to the presidential election. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted with the negative ads that saturate all media; TV, internet, social media and podcasts. We’re so hi-tech that I might listen to a radio station in Philadelphia via the internet and hear a political commercial from Arizona.

My background in the Prescott area has been primarily tennis and health clubs since 1985. Teaching and managing facilities. As of the past few months our tennis avenues have been compromised with Yavapai College shutting down the tennis facility once again, the PHS tennis facility with limited hours now that school is back in session Monday through Thursday, the Prescott Athletic Club who recently opened their pool, tennis and pickleball courts and had hoped to have a grand opening — now shut down due to City of Prescott technicalities on a building that has been up and running for over 30 years. A lot of discombobulation to say the least.

When I was growing up in Detroit, you could make a very good wage with virtually no skill. All you had to do was place a piece of sheet metal into a press, push buttons with both hands, remove the new fender and start all over again.

YCCA would like to ask that you read initiative 208 and become familiar with the hard facts. We need to grow the economy to grow the schools, and this tax will kill the economy.

Just in case you read only the first paragraph here’s what you need to know: Voters in Prescott Valley and Dewey-Humboldt will have a couple items at the very end of their ballot that are very important.

Prop 207, the initiative to legalize commercial and recreational marijuana, has something for everyone to oppose.

That’s over, and not a second too soon. Who won? Who cares? If you can find a winner somewhere in that mess, “Ah Salud!” as the Italians say.

In case you missed it, two of the power five football conferences, representing the biggest college football programs in the country, decided to take a hiatus from competition this season.

Today, I want to relate a story that was recently told to me by a physician friend. In times like these it is fascinating how something that seemed so long ago in our past can be so intrinsically tied to the things we are experiencing currently.

I just signed up to be a mentor at my law school, and did something that is atypical for me: Display a preference for female law students. It even surprises me when I look at that sentence, since my entire career as a columnist has been dedicated to the proposition that gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and all of the other epidermal things that form our identity are less important than the intangibles of brain, values, heart and capacity for endurance.

Two years ago, Arizona Eco Development’s proposed Granite Dells subdivision awakened a sleeping giant — the public — caught off guard by an unbelievably disastrous proposal. From widespread community concern arose our grassroots volunteer group, Save the Dells.

In the weeks since the Prescott City Council and City Manager Michael Lamar announced their plans for the $5.1 million in CARES Act funds that the city has received through the state, there have been several letters to the editor suggesting that the funds could be better utilized meeting the current needs of citizens negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relax. This is not a column on the efficacy of wearing masks. Who has the energy anymore?

On his first day in office in 2015, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred began to implement his vision for what has become known as “One Baseball.”

Putting is not a physical science, it is a mental art. Everybody tries to get too technical when it comes to putting. They put way too much emphasis on the mechanics.

As a tennis columnist the past 27 years and playing, teaching and making a living of sorts in the game since the late 1960’s, I’d much rather be writing about the U.S. Open (being played without a crowd, but still playing) or the Bryan brothers (greatest doubles team ever) who have just retired.

As we are “everybody’s hometown,” Prescott Peacebuilders invites all of Prescott to join in commemorating the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, established in 1981 by the United Nations to honor our aspirations toward a peaceful and sustainable world.

Two constants: Citizens seemingly mean well, in calling for meaningful change. Government’s frontline, policing, is unable to meet expectations or gain satisfactory ratings in the communities they serve.

Unless you’ve been quarantined without access to the news for the past eight months you know 2020 has been the year of change. Nothing exemplifies that more than the about face taken by the NCAA regarding playing sports when students aren’t on campus.

As a Black man who has worked in the community behavioral health industry for more than 30 years, I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen the struggles that individuals and family members go through when faced with mental illness challenges.

This year has presented some of the greatest challenges many of us have faced. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that working together and supporting our neighbors is vital to everyone’s success.

I had a chance to recently catch up with Prescott’s Taylor Johnson at UCLA. Here is a peek at what we discussed:

It has been a century since the passing of 19th Amendment on Aug. 26, 1920, that gave women the right to vote. Prior to this passing, the League of Women Voters (LWV) turned 100 years old on Feb. 14, 2020.

Boy, this COVID-19 thing has sure thrown a monkey wrench into our lives!

I guess in these trying times, being somewhat flexible is necessary. The Yavapai College tennis facility will now begin its second time of being shut down due to the virus or complications surrounding it.

Hello, It’s about time I introduced myself. I’m the enemy. The virus... COVID-19.

Should sporting events be open to fans? The answer depends on who you ask.

Teachers are now complaining about having to go back and do what they profess to love: Teach in a classroom.

I’ve always been proud to be a part of the unique and lively Prescott community. Our community pride, fierce independence, diverse population, small-town feel, climate, natural beauty, culture and arts scene make this hometown one-of-a-kind.

With elections underway we are hearing differing views regarding the Yavapai County jail project.

“We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.”

Normally at this point in the professional tennis season we’d be watching the “March to the U.S. Open going full bore, with The Canadian Open in Toronto/Montreal followed by the Washington, D.C. Citi Open, both now canceled due to the virus.

Arizona is a fast-growing state with one of the largest cities in the nation but our great state is also home to a robust, vibrant, and strong rural community.

“Ten years ago I’d have not only gotten to that shot, I’d have hit a winner past you,” I inwardly thought to myself with a pasted smile but with a real comment of just, “Nice shot.”

Christians are often accused by unbelievers of thinking irrationally. We’re told we believe things for which there is a pitiful lack of “evidence” and that basing a worldview on the Bible is muddle-headed at best and evil at worst.

For anyone anticipating the return of baseball next month, here’s a bit of advice: Don’t hold your breath. After three months of excruciating back and forth failed to result in an agreement between owners and players, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred mandated a 60-game season beginning on July 23.

Social media has given everyone with an opinion the power of both anonymity and number.

In our known universe, there is no such thing as a perfect vacuum. Wikipedia states that even outer space is not technically as vastly empty as it appears:

When 200,000 wounded WWI veterans came home a century ago our nation gasped at the horror of injuries caused by mechanized and chemical warfare. Veterans returned missing arms and legs. They were blind, deaf, or mentally injured.

I’ve never considered myself biased against people of color. But the protest marches that have lately swept the country (and the world) have made me realize that a friendly neutrality toward people is not the same as standing with them in solidarity.

As reported in The Daily Courier on May 23, the three parties to the Arizona Eco Development (AED) negotiations are close to finalizing a preliminary agreement on a deal that would protect 475 acres in the Granite Dells as public open space.

Our community has a tremendous opportunity to add to the 1,350 acres of open space preservation in the Dells through a possible annexation agreement with Arizona Eco Development (AED).

Beautiful vistas from hiking trails were a big part of how my husband and I wound up in Prescott.

Arizona has a historical legacy of the adventurous, the desperate, the risk-tolerant and the misfit drifting into her early untamed landscapes.

My mother texted me a photograph on Sunday. That doesn’t sound like a newsworthy occasion, but mom had never texted anything to me or anyone else, ever. It was a photo of the flowers I sent her for Mother’s Day. The picture was a little grainy and out of focus, but that’s what a 15-year-old flip phone will get you.

I have been trying to do my civic duty. I stay more than 6 feet away from most people. I live alone, so my trips to the store are surgical strikes. I have social distanced from vulnerable friends and relatives, mastered the art of Zoom and Facetime, and learned to make my own damn coffee.

My brother Jon was an exceptional human being. He had a sense of the world and life that alternated between skepticism, passionate embrace, disappointment, and hope that things would always move toward improvement, toward the light.

Even the most Pollyanna-ish among us probably have a hard time seeing any silver linings in the pandemic cloud that hangs over the country.

Americans have a tendency to think we react well in emergencies. There is this sense we rise to the occasion, without whining and with that strength of character vouchsafed us from our immigrant ancestors.

Sitting on a deck looking out over the City of Prescott, I can see Yavapai Regional Medical Center, the white dome of the Prescott High School, the tips of the taller Granite Dells formations, a large green water tank perched on a nearby hill and farther on, the Prescott Resort.

This week Yavapai County suffered its first death to the coronavirus. As a husband, father and resident of Yavapai County, my heart goes out to the families most affected by this tragic loss. The reality of this heartbreaking event has made the seriousness of COVID-19 exceedingly clear to everyone in our community.

Like most people, and especially in my younger years, I’ve generally focused on my own triumphs and tragedies, successes and failures, with national and worldwide events serving as a somewhat fuzzy backdrop.

You’re stuck home with your kids and feeling sorry for yourself. How are you going to keep them busy? What about their school work? I’ve got a better story - stuck at home with 16-year old triplets.

Gov. Doug Ducey has no plans to order all Arizonans to stay at home in the fight against the coronavirus, and that’s a good thing.

The primary mission of the Yavapai County Attorney is public safety.

What a predicament! As of this writing, there are no documented cases of COVID-19 in Yavapai County.

Voters may get a third chance in November to approve Arizona gubernatorial candidates choosing a running mate, who would serve as lieutenant governor.

You may have noticed that essays written during the holiday season often begin with gratitude for a familiar litany of material things, relationships with family and friends and the freedoms we enjoy in our country.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Arizona’s Christmas City.

As most of us have noticed, Prescott is in the midst of a building frenzy.

My father turns 96 this month. We’re blessed by the fact that, while his body has grown frail, he is mentally as clear and aware as ever.

The Central Arizona Partnership (CAP) has been watching attentively as the City of Prescott has developed proposed changes to the city’s water policy. As CAP has studied the issues, several noteworthy factors have become apparent.

It has been an extreme honor serving you as a Prescott City Councilman for the past 16 years.

Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that people from around the world — and from some of the most unexpected places — find a new home in Prescott and its surrounding towns.

The World Series is over, and so ends the noise pollution barrage that Fox Sports’ announcers besieged their viewers with.

There came a point when no one took Fred Sanford seriously when he clutched his chest, looked toward the heavens and cried out, “This is the big one! I’m coming Elizabeth!” But we are now to believe, according Democrats and even some Republicans, that President Donald Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine is the “Big One.”

I started following the stories about the proposed widening of Highway 69, roughly between Frontier Village and Prescott Lakes Parkway, as they were printed in The Daily Courier.

That magic time has finally arrived with the imminent arrival of fall and the beginning of the NFL season for 2019.

Got an embarrassing admission here. I was scheduled to summarize the Democratic candidates debate last week, but also had a deadline about the opening of the football season, and they kind of got mixed up together. Don’t you hate it when two things vie for your attention at the same time? Must be what’s making Donald Trump so irascible.

I think it’s safe to say that most of us like to present ourselves to others in the best light possible.

Harry Reid is starting to make sense.

As former Vice President Joe Biden has embarked on his latest campaign for the presidency, I’ve been reminded about why I left the Democratic Party three years ago, after having been a member since 1980.

The first time I saw it, I could barely breathe. It was so beautiful against the cerulean sky. Our Lady of Paris.

Have you ever read a story from a year ago and thought, “Whoa! Why didn’t I hear of this before?”

Nearly three years ago, back when President Trump was a candidate, voters were clear on his illegal immigration stance.

Few Americans have lived such a blessed life as George H.W. Bush.

I acknowledge that I am old.

“If younger generations don’t know why and how America is such a great nation, we are doomed!”

Call me a nuanced curmudgeon.

In my experience, one of the greatest social challenges is remembering the names of folks I’ve just been introduced to, especially at a party or at a subversive underground gathering bent on overthrowing…something.

Trump is still being Trump.

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent, bipartisan body responsible for key aspects of voter registration, election administration, and technical guidelines for voting systems.

In the business sales world of today, pursuit of the almighty dollar is the over-riding consideration aimed at maximum profit, which is fine.

FiveThirtyEight.com is an Opposition Media website that assures us of its superiority and authority: “FiveThirtyEight, uses statistical analysis — hard numbers — to tell compelling stories about elections, politics, sports, science, economics and, culture.”

Summer is half over, which means that many people have taken their traditional driving vacation, and likely encountered oppressive traffic.

Here are a handful of notable news pieces that might indicate more than they look like on the surface, which I’ll expound on below.