Verde Independent

06/12/2026

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06/12/2026

Active Incident: Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District is currently on scene of a brush fire near Mile Marker 14 on East State Route 169 and Interstate 17.
The fire is estimated at approximately 2 acres. Additional resources from the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management have been notified and are responding to assist.
Crews are actively working to contain the fire. Please use caution in the area and consider using alternative routes if possible while emergency personnel remain on scene. Copper Canyon Fire photo.

Active Incident: Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District is currently on scene of a brush fire near Mile Marker 14 on East State Route 169 and Interstate 17.
The fire is estimated at approximately 2 acres. Additional resources from the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management have been notified and are responding to assist.
Crews are actively working to contain the fire. Please use caution in the area and consider using alternative routes if possible while emergency personnel remain on scene.

06/10/2026

UPDATE - Landen Wischmeier, 26, of Rimrock, was behind the wheel of the truck, and YCSO said in a June 8 press release that Wischmeier showed signs of impairment and blew a 0.311 when he took a breath test.

CORNVILLE — On Sunday around 1:30 a.m., the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a white pickup truck veering off Cornville Road, striking two stone retaining walls,

06/10/2026

The city council agreed that it would not enforce dark sky lighting for already existing developments and residences at its work session on Tuesday, June 9. Cottonwood has until November 2028 to be fully dark sky compliant and maintain its Dark Sky Community designation, but the city does not know how much of the area is noncompliant. "Part of the reason why we haven't gone out and tried to truly determine the lack of compliance is once we're aware of it, we can't look the other way," said City Manager Mario Cifuentes.
https://www.verdenews.com/news/dark-sky-compliance-remains-uncertain-for-cottonwood/article_0a5e3235-0213-44d1-995a-ec7761a861b3.html

06/10/2026

Tuesday night at approximately 9 PM, Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District was dispatched to a residential structure fire in the area of Orlandi Trail in Rimrock. Upon arrival, crews found a Class A motorhome and several vehicles fully engulfed in fire. The fire extended from the vehicles into the front of the nearby home. Additional resources responded from Verde Valley Fire District, Sedona Fire District, and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. Firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the fire and were able to stop it from spreading throughout the entire home. One patient was airlifted to a local hospital after sustaining injuries while evacuating the residence. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Copper Canyon Fire and Medical District press release and photo

06/10/2026

Are you going to Lit!
Thunder Rally is stoked to announce that Lit will be headlining Saturday night at Thunder Valley Rally 2026 TVR is happening September 18-19. 2026 at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood.

📣We are stoked to announce that Lit will be headlining Saturday night at Thunder Valley Rally 2026🤘😎 TVR is happening September 18-19, 2026 at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood, AZ! We look forward to another great year with y'all!

✅Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and our website thundervalleyrallyaz.com for future updates!

06/10/2026

A plan for the 246-acre Spring Creek Ranch has been submitted to the City of Cottonwood for a 96-lot gated luxury single-family residential subdivision. The property, located off Arizona 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona, was annexed by Cottonwood in January 2021. It has been for sale since 2022 and is now under contract.
https://www.verdenews.com/news/luxury-96-home-subdivision-proposed-for-spring-creek-ranch/article_a0d164c8-7fd1-4977-b2b1-027c8b72f1c8.html

06/10/2026

The Quail Springs neighborhood will see 759 acres of land surrounding their residences masticated in the next few months. According to Matthew Wilcox, a spokesperson with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, mastication work started last month on 603 acres of land west of the Blue Ranch neighborhood and east of Quail Springs. Wilcox said this work is now finished. Because of its success, the Forestry and Fire Management Department and Prescott National Forest will now move on to the next phase of the project, which is masticating 759 acres of land surrounding Quail Springs.
https://www.verdenews.com/news/fuels-reduction-project-expands-to-quail-springs-area/article_b824aea1-88c6-45af-b0fb-2e2217c52f23.html