Cottonwood Journal Extra

01/17/2026

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Isela Hernandez Lugo in the Cottonwood Safeway parking lot at 1635 E. Cottonwood St. on the morning of Jan. 14.
“What we got here is ICE guys, they just snatched this lady,” a man recording cellphone video of the incident said that is circulating online. “ICE right here … watch out. They’re in Cottonwood, Arizona, pulling people off the street.”
“The arrest was carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of their opera­tion,” Cottonwood Police Department Sgt. Chad Sinn wrote. “Cottonwood police officers were not involved, and ICE has confirmed this was a targeted arrest, not a random enforcement action.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Isela Hernandez Lugo in the Cottonwood Safeway parking lot at 1635 E. Cottonwood St. on the morning of Jan. 14. “What we got here is ICE guys, they just snatched this lady,” a man recording cellphone video of the incident said that is circulating...

01/16/2026

Cottonwood Police Department arrested a teen, on Thursday, Jan. 15, in an allegedly stolen vehicle with a 16-year-old girl who was a reported missing person.

Jeremiah Trantham, 18, of Surprise, reportedly entered the city of Cottonwood with a 16-year-old girl on Jan. 15 at 11:43 a.m. CPD was alerted to the vehicle through a Flock Safety automatic license plate reader alert.

Cottonwood Police Department arrested a teen, on Thursday, Jan. 15, in an allegedly stolen vehicle with a 16-year-old girl who was a reported missing person. Jeremiah Trantham, 18, of Surprise, reportedly entered the city of Cottonwood with a 16-year-old girl on Jan. 15 at 11:43 a.m. CPD was alerted...

01/16/2026

Witness the theatrical adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 classic, “Pride and Prejudice” at the Mingus Auditorium by Mingus Union High School’s A Troupe of Ridiculous Thespians. Be part of the love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they navigate and overcome social expecta­tions and the pressures of marriage in Regency England.

Witness the theatrical adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 classic, “Pride and Prejudice” at the Mingus Auditorium by Mingus Union High School’s A Troupe of Ridiculous Thespians. Be part of the love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they navigate and overcome social expecta­tions...

01/15/2026

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors held its first meeting of 2026 on Jan. 7 and unanimously appointed Supervisor Brooks Compton [R-District 1] from vice to be the chairman and Nikki Check [D-District 3] as vice chairwoman for the 2026 calendar year.

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors held its first meeting of 2026 on Jan. 7 and unanimously appointed Supervisor Brooks Compton [R-District 1] from vice to be the chairman and Nikki Check [D-District 3] as vice chairwoman for the 2026 calendar year. “For the past year, I’ve had the honor of...

01/14/2026

01/14/2026

After being behind by 14 points with four minutes left in the final quarter, the Mingus Union girls basketball team shot ahead to a victory, winning 50-44 during its first home game of the season against Lee Williams.

Before making the comeback, the girls had been down since the first quarter.

After being behind by 14 points with four minutes left in the final quarter, the Mingus Union girls basketball team shot ahead to a victory, winning 50-44 during its first home game of the season against Lee Williams. Before making the comeback, the girls had been down since the first quarter. “I ...

01/14/2026

The Camp Verde Community Library announced the reopening of the CVCL Seed Bank for 2026. After a brief winter break in December, the Seed Bank resumed operations on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Camp Verde Community Library. The next time it’s open will be Saturday, Jan. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Camp Verde Community Library announced the reopening of the CVCL Seed Bank for 2026. After a brief winter break in December, the Seed Bank resumed operations on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Camp Verde Community Library. The next time it’s open will be Saturday, Jan. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The ...

01/14/2026

Come and see Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s classic relationship unfold at ATORT Theatre's production of "Pride and Prejudice" from Saturday, January 11th through Sunday, January 18th.

Tickets can be bought in the MUHS bookstore, or online at atort.ludus.com
We hope to see you at the show!

01/13/2026

Recent flooding in Globe, in Gila County, served as a powerful reminder of how critical timely information is during emergencies, Yavapai County officials stated in a press release. During that weather event, the Rave/Smart911 alerting system was success­fully used to rebroadcast National Weather Service warnings, issue multiple shelter-in-place notifica­tions and send one evacua­tion notice — helping keep Globe area residents safe and informed as conditions rapidly changed.

Recent flooding in Globe, in Gila County, served as a powerful reminder of how critical timely information is during emergencies, Yavapai County officials stated in a press release. During that weather event, the Rave/Smart911 alerting system was success­fully used to rebroadcast National Weather S...

01/12/2026

Clear Creek Cemetery Association President Linda Callahan was recently asked if she’d ever felt haunted while at the pioneer cemetery at the end of Old Church Road.

“No, and I’ve been out there a lot by myself, doing different stuff,” she said. “As soon as you walk through those gates — it’s the most peaceful place in the world. There’s no noise. There’s no you can’t hear the cars going by, nothing. You hear you see rabbits jumping around. You see quail. You hear the birds. And other than that, it’s just peaceful.”

Clear Creek Cemetery Association President Linda Callahan was recently asked if she’d ever felt haunted while at the pioneer cemetery at the end of Old Church Road. “No, and I’ve been out there a lot by myself, doing different stuff,” she said. “As soon as you walk through those gates — ...

01/11/2026

EDITORIAL: Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine and District 2 Rep. Deb McCasland are continuing the unconstitutional attacks on college officials — but this time, their joint assault is not directed at college staffers under threat of termination, but directly aimed you: Taxpayers and voters...... The college Governing Board’s new Policy 310 explicitly prohibits board members from speaking to the press “in any way that reflects negatively on their colleagues, the president or the college.” This is such a textbook imposition of prior restraint on speech — a government-ordered censorship on expression before it occurs, that it should be in a Yavapai Community College textbook.....Rhine and McCasland’s czarist mandate of loyalty also requires that Governing Board members provide “visible support” for Rhine and forces officials to engage in government-mandated speech. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that compelling people on how to speak violates the First Amendment, especially in public debate. Elected officials cannot be required to publicly support positions or individuals — like Rhine — they may legitimately disagree with.....

Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine and District 2 Rep. Deb McCasland are continuing the unconstitutional attacks on college officials — but this time, their joint assault is not directed at college staffers under threat of termination, but directly aimed you: Taxpayers and voters. A ye...

01/11/2026

Northern Arizona will see completion of several major transportation projects in 2026, including a new wildlife overpass on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff designed to reduce crashes involving large animals.

Northern Arizona will see completion of several major transportation projects in 2026, including a new wildlife overpass on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff designed to reduce crashes involving large animals. Construction on the I-17 wildlife overpass is scheduled to resume this spring following a w...