It's Tuesday, March 30.
Coconino County Moves To ‘Moderate’ Transmission
Coconino County is now reporting moderate transmission of COVID-19 — a decrease from the county’s previous status of substantial spread. The county on Monday announced a local emergency proclamation remains in place, despite Gov. Doug Ducey’s recent loosening of restrictions. Nearly 37% of the county has been vaccinated, and 302 people countywide have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic.
Man Found In Tree Well At Snowbowl, County Officials Say
Coconino County Sheriff’s Officials released additional details Monday regarding the death of a man at the Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff. 56-year-old Vsevolod Predtechenskiy was reported missing after last contacting family members through Skype from the ski resort on Saturday, March 27. Predtechenskiy had been a frequent snowboarder who was familiar with the area. County officials say personnel conducted search flights, ground searches, and eventually found Predtechenskiy in a tree well on Sunday, March 28. County officials say the Medical Examiner’s Office, along with deputies, are continuing the investigation.
Coconino Community College Pivots To Free Classes For High School Seniors
Summer classes at the Coconino Community College will be offered for free to high school seniors, according to an announcement released Monday by the college. The institution says it’s using COVID-19 relief funding from the state to offer the free coursework. President Dr. Colleen Smith says CCC is hoping to assist students transitioning from high school to college.
The college reports it has more than $3 million in relief funding to assist students, and that funding could also help subsidize tuition costs for some students in the fall.
“We are using as much of the federal funding as possible to help students get started in college right away,” Smith said in a statement.
A December study from the National Clearinghouse Student Research Centerfound that enrollment in public two-year colleges declined in 2020 by 10.1% across the country.
No Tuition Increase For AZ State Schools, Board of Regents Says
Meanwhile, Arizona’s state universities say they won’t be increasing in-state tuition amounts for undergraduate students in the 2020-2021 academic year amid the pandemic, the Associated Press and Board of Regents report. Northern Arizona University announced Friday its in-state tuition, combined with mandatory fees, will continue to cost students $11,896. Nationwide, undergraduate enrollment decreased by 3.6% between 2019 and 2020 nationwide.
Flagstaff City Council Votes To Approve Changes In Affordable Housing Standards
The Flagstaff City Council last week passed a new housing resolution; the measure will allow the council to approve changes to Property Development Standards for affordable housing properties. The new protocol will apply to permanently affordable developments, and will permit the council to approve modifications to building height, density, and other property components. The city council declared a housing emergency in December, 2020. The declaration cited 2018 Census data categorizing 49% of Flagstaff households as low-income.
Yavapai County Opens Vaccine To 18 And Older, Still Sees Gap In 65 And Older
Yavapai County on Monday reported six hospitalizationscountywide related to COVID-19 — a decline after a post-holiday spike earlier in the year. The county yesterday opened vaccination eligibility to residents 18 and older, though county officials on Friday announced only 56.1% of people 65 and older have received the vaccine. The county is operating a phone bank Monday through Thursdays at 928-442-5103 for residents without internet access.
Effects From Kingman Cyber Attack Linger, City Officials Say
Local officials in Kingman say the city continues to experience delays after a cyberattack was discovered more than a month ago. The attack compromised the city’s computer system and has hindered meetings, billing processes, and temporarily barred city employees from accessing emails. The city alerted residents on Monday that bills for the month of March could be delayed until April. Officials say non-payment fees have been suspended due to the attack.