Another year, another installment of Empty Bowls — the event that supports Prescott-area food banks with a fundraiser.

It was a pleasure to celebrate the citizenship of a fellow Rotarian’s wife this week at the Prescott Sunup Rotary Club’s meeting.

Many people play the Not-In-My-Back-Yard card. It can be opposition to a new subdivision, business, powerlines, cell towers, … even billboards, or more.

When one considers the prospect of widening Highway 89 through the Granite Dells area – which flies in the face of Dells preservation efforts – I found it interesting what “Mike” from Prescott had to say.

Prescott’s voters have spoken. The voting public elected outright candidates for five seats on the City Council this week.

You know how we pray for rain? The monsoons have finally showed up (a little), right? Unfortunately, what comes with the storms is lightning...

The Friday Catchall: This column is a little different, even abbreviated, as I am out of the office today. Have a fabulous weekend; stay out of the heat!

Negativity is the tendency to be pessimistic. If we are being negative, we generally find the worst in any situation, often even seeing negative things where they may not exist.

It is not over, folks. Bears have (unfortunately) killed in our area, yet are still coming to town.

A reader’s comment Thursday morning seemed misdirected to me (let’s say ill-informed): “Some group’s trying to ‘save the rodeo’ which is not terribly original...

This week the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office celebrated the opening of the Justice Center with a ribbon cutting. It is the new county jail (and more) on Prescott Lakes Parkway.

The Friday Catchall: • POTHOLES – With much consternation, I hear often from readers who are unhappy with the local and state roads and highways.

Last week I wrote about why more grocery stores don’t locate in the Quad Cities. My answer: our shopping habits don’t support them enough. Dollars and foot traffic. But there's more...

Over the years I’ve heard the call: “We need more grocery stores.”

Thirty-plus years ago, I was what I called a “student of politics.” I loved it. I got a degree in it, only to have that “love” trampled in modern times.

It is great to remind readers and citizens alike that vehicle burglaries are taking place. We should always we watchful — for ourselves as well as for our neighbors. But ...

I read with interest that attorneys for failed gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake are being fined by the Arizona Supreme Court after the justices concluded they lied — repeatedly — in one of their claims about why Lake is entitled to a new election.

The attacks took place at night in the area of Oaklawn Drive and Rosser Street, … and we should not be surprised.

Arizona lawmakers are considering an override of a Gov. Katie Hobbs veto. In their sights is legislation that would legalize the sale of home-cooked food, such as tamales.

It is time for some Laurels & Darts for this Friday Catchall.

Tim is out of the office, and he left us with some of his favorite Friday Catchall entries from years ago:

The question of whether we will continue to pay sales taxes on groceries is now in the hands of the governor.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice. But this is not Wonderland, it is Arizona – and liberals and conservatives, even advocates and educators, are not sitting down over tea.

Arizona legislators are considering Senate Bill 1331 that would allow certain parents to bring their loaded guns onto school campuses. Who would that be?

• SNOW — “Now this is a snow storm!” I said to myself Wednesday evening while working my way home.

We are privileged having been born in the United States, but many people lament that our country is changing ...

The alert from the Prescott Valley Police on Tuesday was a bit providential: “Prescott Valley is experiencing near white-out snow conditions. Some traffic lights inoperable.

Arizona schools won’t be shutting down before the end of this academic year because of the state spending cap. Yea!

I remember as a child, while visiting my grandparents’ Texas farm one summer, Granny was panicked after receiving a call that their hometown bank may be “insolvent.”

To hear many people in our community talk about it, the Prescott area is close to disaster: too many highways and subdivisions (housing projects), and not enough water.

The City of Prescott is moving ahead into 2023 with optimism and continued positive growth, Mayor Phil Goode said Thursday morning.

One reader recently asked me, “Why is Saudi Arabia allowed to export Arizona water?”

The management of the downtown Prescott, courthouse plaza events is becoming a sinkhole.

Be prepared for some fun Saturday night in downtown Prescott. It’s the annual Whiskey Row Boot Drop to ring in 2023!

A poet, I am not. I am in the mood for Christmas this year...

We hear that the work on the City of Prescott’s new digs are coming along, with the City Council eying meetings at the Montezuma building in as early as March 2023.

There’s something to be said for Prescott-area residents. They’re tenacious and passionate, and that’s good! Beyond that, I would ask them: where do you live?

It’s easy to understand why conversations have centered on health care in recent years.

• THANKS – I am very thankful this year.

There comes a time in one’s life when change seems to happen more and more.

Across the country, newspaper endorsements are fading away as prizes to be nabbed by political campaigns and an effort by the media to share insights with readers.

We hear about scams at the newspaper, mostly in which someone calls or contacts you.

I hope you have read with interest our series about “forever chemicals” found in area wells. It concludes Sunday, Oct. 30, with coverage about what you can do ...

While we’re still wondering how much more the City of Prescott will go over budget on the new city hall, the City Council this week picked a local architect, Doug Stroh, to redevelop the old city hall site. It is quite the project, topping out at five stories and mixed use throughout (hotel, apartments, businesses, restaurants, etc.).

Readers have been making allegations of late concerning my stance(s), as well as those of the Courier Editorial Board, on the General Election and the candidates.

A lot of misinformation is floating about concerning teachers and Prescott-area school districts.

The Friday Catchall: • APARTMENTS – Residents of a local subdivision went before the Prescott City Council this week, urging the city not to approve too many apartment complexes.

• REALLY? – Just a few thoughts, while cleaning out my mind this week.

On Thursday, we published an article submitted by the Oath Keepers of Chino Valley. It announced that Sheriff David Rhodes would be speaking to the group, and touted what the group stands for and does in the community.

The City of Prescott conducts a lot of events, and their mobile stage – for which they’ve done more than 500 events – is deteriorating.

It started Monday morning, Aug. 8, with a text message: “Happy BIRTHDAY to you Tim. Have a Wonderful Day. Love You, Mom.”

Did you vote? Seriously, mail-in ballot, early voting or at the polls? The people I have spoken with about politics since Primary Election Day, Aug. 2, say either they did vote or, no, they don’t believe in it (the system is broken).

The Republican Party is fractured, folks. I am not referring to the GOP’s “left” or “middle” versus the “far right,” per se, but the more easily seen lineup of Mike Pence versus Donald Trump.

I hear frequently people asking – even screaming from the rooftops! – “We don’t have enough water for these developments.”

A Courier reader sent me a message about the resignations of County Recorder Leslie Hoffman and Elections Director Lynn Constabile: “If it is too hot, get out of the kitchen.” I think some people are missing the point here.

Among my many emails this week were some declaring Arizona being “on the cutting edge of school choice in the nation.” Like so many other things, it’s true — from a certain perspective.

I’d love to be a famous novelist, but I don’t trust well enough that I can do it.

In the realm of health care competition, some things are afoot in the Prescott area – if you look at the bigger picture.

It’s been a tough week, folks, with a lot on my mind. Losing a sibling is very hard, losing a parent seems even worse.

I think our society is kidding itself, more like we’re living where what we see and who we talk to is our “world.”

This week I received some emails from folks wondering where their license plate refund is. Yes, money.

Earlier this week I took a break to walk over to the intersection of Highway 69 and Robert Road. Demolition crews were tearing down the old Circle K there and I needed a photo; it had stood vacant for about two years.

Another wildland fire, more lessons learned. Let’s count the ways:

• BUSY BUSY – As we all pray for a little less wind this week, and that the Crooks Fire south of Prescott comes to a quick end without harm or destruction (and let’s say, that it stays “south”), consider the amount of information we have at our fingertips.

I have watched with interest, it was cringing worthy each time, the developments involving a certain trial on the East Coast over the past three weeks.

We have all heard about the Great Resignation, which is a phenomenon thanks to the pandemic — an ongoing economic trend in which employees have voluntarily resigned from their jobs en masse, beginning in early 2021.

OK, so most of us have seen or heard about actor Will Smith slapping emcee Chris Rock at the Oscars on stage this past weekend.

It was not what the Prescott City Council wanted: a new name for the Centennial Center with hitches.

• GASOLINE — It was like stepping from a time machine — coming out of the mountains last weekend to see a whole new world.