Late last month, the historic Grand Canyon Café was sold. Paul Moir, one of the buyers, said he hopes to take the restaurant to its 100th year. “I’m 48 now, so I’ll be 75 then. I can see that happening,” said Moir. “I think it will be realistic to take it there. The Grand Canyon Café has been open for more than 70 years. It is a Route 66 landmark. Half of the menu is Chinese food and half is American food. It has been owned for 71 years by the Wong Family. Fred and Tina Wong, who ran it … [Read more...] about Lifestyle Change Reflected on the Menu
Community Profile
Helping Small Businesses at the State Legislature
Working on a bill in the state legislature has been an interesting experience. First, let me tell you about the problem I am trying to solve, then I will get to the legislative process. If you are a small business that needs some retail or office space, you will know the problem. A landlord shows you some rental space that has a front door, four walls and a restroom. You need to build some partition walls, move a few lights, add a sink, and you will be ready to do business. You go to the city … [Read more...] about Helping Small Businesses at the State Legislature
Sax Man Bringing Music to the Mountain
New York’s Times Square has the Naked Cowboy, Major League baseball had its Kissing Bandit and Northern Arizona has Sax Man. Among the restaurants, pubs, dog parks and street corners where Randall Boylan plays his saxophone, this avid skier can sometimes be seen and heard at Arizona Snowbowl. He will play in lift lines, on chairlifts and even while skiing, including over the bumps on expert black diamond runs. One of the challenges to playing outdoors at 10,000 or so feet is keeping … [Read more...] about Sax Man Bringing Music to the Mountain
Jay McCarthy: Champion for Children
Many years from now, when Philip “Jay” McCarthy Jr. looks back over his legal career, he can be confident that he has done what he set out to do – to help children and families. He has, in fact, helped many, many children and their families. He has been before the U.S. Supreme Court twice, both on behalf of children. He has been recognized and honored numerous times for his efforts on behalf of children. McCarthy is an attorney with his law firm, McCathyWeston P.L.L.C. in Flagstaff, where … [Read more...] about Jay McCarthy: Champion for Children
Mirjam Loverich Celebrates Jazzercise Success
There is one thing Mirjam Loverich wants everyone to know about: Jazzercise. “I think people associate it with the 1980s,” she said. “This is not your mama’s workout with leotards and leg warmers. That has all gone away.” Things have changed a lot since then. “You think you know us, but you don’t. It’s very modern,” she said. It is a beat pumping dance party, a workout that gets you results,” said Loverich, the owner of Jazzercise Flagstaff Fitness Center. She says 800 calories can … [Read more...] about Mirjam Loverich Celebrates Jazzercise Success
NAU Alumna’s Work Still Inspiring Others
The February confirmation of Aid Worker Kayla Mueller’s death in ISIS captivity has left her hometown of Prescott, her alma mater, Northern Arizona University, and the rest of the civilized world to shoulder her life’s work, mission and legacy. “I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine,” the 26-year-old once wrote. “If this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you.” Humanitarianism, which defined Mueller, reduces barriers between peoples and provokes … [Read more...] about NAU Alumna’s Work Still Inspiring Others
Munger Returns to Osage Beach with Murder Mystery
Murder, intrigue and friendship meet in “Return to Osage Beach,” a new novel by Flagstaff author Gene Munger. The story follows how tragedy and politics shape the lives of three couples who grew up together, meet at a beach reunion and are changed forever. An unsolved murder brings out the truth in their relationships and shows how time changes things. “Trust becomes a recurring theme. Each couple perceives the investigation from a different viewpoint,” Munger says. The book concludes … [Read more...] about Munger Returns to Osage Beach with Murder Mystery
The Guidance Center Receives the Joint Commission’s Highest Accreditation
Following a lengthy and rigorous inspection, The Guidance Center recently received full accreditation for its hospital and behavioral health operations from the Joint Commission, a national accreditation organization whose standards are among the highest. Accreditation from a certified inspection agency such as the Joint Commission is required to participate in and receive payment from Medicare. Behavioral health care accreditation signifies continuous compliance with Federal performance … [Read more...] about The Guidance Center Receives the Joint Commission’s Highest Accreditation
Estrella Continues Legacy
Tucked away on a quiet corner in Sunnyside neighborhood where East First Avenue meets North Main Street, one of Flagstaff’s best-kept secrets has been churning out clean clothes for more than four decades. Estrella Laundry is presently owned and operated by 53-year-old Toni Estrella, for whom the laundromat has been everything but a secret – built, as it was in 1971, in the backyard of her childhood home. Prior to Toni Estrella assuming the reins, Estrella’s mother and father, Alice and David … [Read more...] about Estrella Continues Legacy
Snowbowl, FMC Making Room on the Slopes for all Abilities
Alex Davenport has big plans for expanding the adaptive ski and snowboard program at Arizona Snowbowl. Thanks to a recent $17,000 grant from Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC), he is well on his way to meeting his goal and seeing that Special Olympians, wounded soldiers and other disabled individuals can enjoy the thrill of winter sports. Davenport coordinates the specialized adaptive programs for Snowbowl’s Ski & Ride School. Its mission, as Snowbowl’s Director of Sales and Marketing Jason … [Read more...] about Snowbowl, FMC Making Room on the Slopes for all Abilities