Honey pot ants get their name from the swollen amber-colored belly full of sweet nectar that has been sustaining the colony, desert predators and even people for centuries on the Colorado Plateau. World-renowned ant expert Gary Alpert, Ph.D., a Museum of Northern Arizona Research Associate and retired Harvard Associate, says these industrious little insects have a complex community-centered society. They also have a story of survival to tell – survival in the high desert, where temperatures … [Read more...] about Honey Pot Ants Colonizing Sweet Collaboration at Museum
Feature
Del Webb Grants $1 Million to CCC Construction Program
The smell of freshly-cut hardwood drifts through the lab and classroom space. A saw whines. Hammers bang. “Measure twice. Cut once.” More than 40 people, students of the construction trades, are busily work on projects in the space – building an Adirondack chair, a nightstand and installing a water heater in a nearby section. The space is limited and barely adequate. But now, thanks to a $1 million grant from the Del E. Webb Foundation, Coconino Community College’s Construction Technology … [Read more...] about Del Webb Grants $1 Million to CCC Construction Program
Historic Preservation Incentives Used to Restore Hotel
Allan Affeldt, the head of a number of companies including La Posada Hotel in Winslow, will soon reopen another historic property, La Castañeda Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Like La Posada, La Castañeda Hotel is a historical Fred Harvey property, Fred Harvey’s first railside hotel. The Fred Harvey company is best known for its exemplary service, fresh ingredients and innovative systems that expedited the serving of meals for a train full of passengers who arrived in the West en masse. … [Read more...] about Historic Preservation Incentives Used to Restore Hotel
The Lite Company Celebrating 40 Years, Marking New Era
This 40-year-old family-owned Flagstaff business is ringing in the New Year with a big change. Long-time owners, Mike and Kathie Knapp, have just sold their beloved business. The Lite Company has always been local Flagstaff family owned and operated and it was important to us to make sure it stayed that way! On January 2, The Lite Company sold to two new local Flagstaff families, Kai and Stacy McSwain and Wade and Teena Patten. These two families have been long-time friends and intend to … [Read more...] about The Lite Company Celebrating 40 Years, Marking New Era
Casual Contact May Play a Larger Role in the Spread of Disease Than Once Thought
To protect ourselves from infectious disease, we often strive to avoid close contact with those who are sick. But new, surprising findings from bat research reveal that pathogens can move from individual to individual much easier and more frequently than we thought. A team of biologists from several institutions throughout the United States, including Northern Arizona University researchers Jeffrey Foster and Katy Parise, looked at how disease spreads in bats, particularly the deadly … [Read more...] about Casual Contact May Play a Larger Role in the Spread of Disease Than Once Thought
New Year, New Life After the Fall
Caleb Cordasco sits inconspicuously in the corner of downtown Flagstaff’s Late for the Train coffee house, confident, comfortable, quiet. Between sips from his mug, the 27-year-old responds to questions with the introspection and reflection of a much older person addressing far deeper concerns. His steady brown eyes reveal a profound sense of knowing from a young man who has journeyed to the outer limits of mental, emotional and physical pain, and is still standing. And that, by all accounts, … [Read more...] about New Year, New Life After the Fall
Arizona Snowbowl Easing Traffic, Awarding Shuttle Riders, Carpoolers
Arizona Snowbowl is providing a new shuttle bus option and carpool program to encourage skiers and snowboarders to share rides, reduce carbon emissions, decrease traffic and save money. This winter season, incentives are being given to all who ride the shuttle from Flagstaff to Snowbowl or carpool on designated days. Bus passengers and carpoolers with a minimum of four people will be issued a $5 Snowbowl voucher per person. Vouchers are valid for the day they are issued at Snowbowl’s rental … [Read more...] about Arizona Snowbowl Easing Traffic, Awarding Shuttle Riders, Carpoolers
Trapeze Artists Training Students to Dance in the Air
Attendance is flying high at Momentum Aerial dance studio, where co-owners Joanie Garcia and Morgan Louvier train 150 students a week and present several aerial dance performances a year. Though relatively new, aerial dancing is a combination of modern dance and static trapeze utilizing silks (a long piece of fabric hanging from anchoring equipment creating two long tails) and lyras (steel aerial hoops hung vertically by ropes). Joanie Garcia and Morgan Louvier have more 25 years … [Read more...] about Trapeze Artists Training Students to Dance in the Air
Stewards of the Trails Keeping Grand Canyon Accessible
On the “bucket list” for people all over the world is to hike the Grand Canyon, most notably, the Bright Angel and Kaibab Trails. Of the six million-plus annual Grand Canyon visitors, it is estimated less than 7 percent actually hike down into the canyon (only 1 percent to the bottom). Even so, that adds up to 434,000 hikers a year on the corridor trails. Maintaining these popular trails for safe passage are many people who work at times in high heat and low temperatures to ensure hikers … [Read more...] about Stewards of the Trails Keeping Grand Canyon Accessible
War2In Inspection Training Program Graduating from Moonshot
War2In, the innovative training program that certifies veterans and others in the lucrative field of non-destructive testing (NDT), is graduating from the Moonshot at NACET program this year and relocating to a facility in Bellemont. War2In – the name is a shortening of “Warrior To Inspector” – was the first Moonshot client to occupy the accelerator at NACET when it opened in October 2015. "In about three years, we outgrew our space in the accelerator," said Kenny Greene, War2In's … [Read more...] about War2In Inspection Training Program Graduating from Moonshot