First Lady To Visit Window Rock
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will visit the Navajo Nation later this week, according to White House officials. The First Lady will travel to Albuquerque this Wednesday before visiting Window Rock Thursday and Friday. The White House has yet to release additional information.
Dr. Jill Bidenvisited the Nation in 2019 for the launching of the reservation’s first cancer center at Tuba City Regional Health Care. This week’s scheduled visit also comes shortly after President Jonathan Nez and tribal officials met with Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg to request higher-quality road maintenance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
No COVID-19 Deaths On Navajo Nation For Eight Consecutive Days
Navajo Nation health officials on Sunday reported seven new COVID-19 cases — along with no recent deaths for an eighth consecutive day. A stay-at-home order remains effective on the reservation; tribal officials on Friday confirmed a third case of a COVID-19 California variant. The variant has now been documented in the Shiprock, Chinle, and Gallup service units; a U.K.-associated variant was also confirmed on the reservation after a vaccinated resident contracted and recovered from the strain.
Mass Vaccination Site Underway In Flagstaff
A mass COVID-19 vaccination site launched this morning at the Northern Arizona University Union Fieldhouse in Flagstaff.
Arizona’s Department of Health Services is working with the county to launch the site, which health officials say will administer 1,000 daily doses and can eventually administer 4,000 each day. The site will administer the Pfizer vaccine to people 16 and older; the county earlier this month pausedany use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Appointments at the NAU site opened Friday both onlineand through the state’s COVID-19 hotline 1-844-542-8201. Both offer resources in English and Spanish.
Tax Change To Be Deliberated By Flagstaff City Council
Flagstaff city officials have proposed to raise the city’s property tax levy for the coming fiscal year. The city council will potentially discuss the tax increase at budget retreat meetings later this week. Officials say if council supports the change in tax policy, a public hearing would commence in June to further debate the property tax levy increase. A document released by the city reports 10% of the city’s general fund revenue is obtained through Flagstaff’s primary property tax.
Countywide Prescription “Take Back Day” Slated For Saturday
Yavapai County is collaborating with non-profit Matforce and Yavapai College to hold a “Take Back Day” for unwanted or unused prescription drugs. Coordinators plan to collect prescription drugs in Chino Valley, Black Canyon City, Prescott, Cottonwood and Camp Verde on Saturday, April 24. Take Back Day events have been coordinated within the county for years in an effort to reduce substance use disorder. The event comes months after the Drug Enforcement Administration pinpointed Yavapai County as exhibiting the most severe drug threat in the state.
