COVID-19 cases continue to rise according to Gila County Health & Emergency Management, with 496 confirmed as of Monday, Aug. 3. There have been 377 recoveries and 29 deaths in Gila County — 25 are non-tribal and four are tribal. San Carlos Apache Healthcare reported 484 COVID-19 cases A… Read more

Arizona State football players would be in Rim Country at Camp Tontozona this week in a normal year. Read more

I’m sure many in the community are wondering what is happening at the college and what the fall semester will look like. Read more

Mito Mendivil hoped to bring stability to a Payson High wrestling program in desperate need of just that when he accepted the varsity head coaching position a year ago. Read more

If Payson can’t meet the still-unknown state health benchmarks for reopening schools on Aug. 17, Payson schools will stick with distance learning until at least Oct. 12, the school board decided on Monday. Read more

Pine-Strawberry Elementary School kids will be going back to their actual classrooms for the 2020/21 school year, said Superintendent Kathleen Thompson. Read more

Will opening schools with COVID-19 cases still growing put kids in danger? Read more

Residents report a new scam involving COVID-19 tests. Read more

No other facility in Rim Country has been hit as hard by COVID-19 than Rim Country Health and Rehabilitation. Read more

The buck apparently stops with the school board. Read more

Arizona schools won’t be required to put kids back into classrooms next month. Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has hurt businesses around the globe. Read more

Gila County has topped 600 cases of COVID-19, with 20 deaths, according to the state department of health services. Read more

PHOENIX — Pressure is building on Gov. Doug Ducey to scrap setting a firm date for students to be back in classrooms. Read more

Bar owners from around the state are asking the Arizona Supreme Court to rule that Gov. Doug Ducey does not have the constitutional authority to shut them — or any other business — down. Read more

Nursing homes have become the tragic epicenter of the pandemic, with more than 45% of the deaths nationwide linked to nursing home clusters. Read more

Can we safely reopen our schools? Read more

Some 5.4 million workers nationally have lost their health insurance because of the historic surge in unemployment caused by the pandemic, according to a just-release report by Families USA, a health care consumer advocacy group. Read more

The state got more bad news with the discovery that a faster-spreading strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 now dominates the cases in Arizona. Read more

PHOENIX — Arizonans who can't pay their rent because they've been impacted by COVID-19 will get a little more time before they face eviction. Read more

Payson has the distinction of leading Gila County with the most COVID-19 cases and deaths. Read more

Many countries have opened schools without seeing a spike in infection among teachers and students — but few have attempted the experiment with infections rising as fast as they are in Arizona. Read more

One way or another — Payson students will start learning stuff again on Aug. 3. Read more

Arizona high school football games could kick off a full season of 8-10 games by Sept. 11 in a preliminary plan released by the Arizona Interscholastic Association. Read more

Another semester of improvised online learning could impose a heavy burden on children of middle income and low-income families, according to research centered on last semester’s shutdown. Read more

PHOENIX — A federal judge late Tuesday rebuffed a bid by Xponential Fitness to allow it to reopen its 50 facilities around the state despite the order by Gov. Doug Ducey to keep them shut for at least another two weeks. Read more

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to increase in Gila County, the town officials are reminding residents to take extra precautions to help stop the spread. Read more

Challenges await Brenda Case. Read more

The renewed effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act amid a pandemic could cost an estimated 23 million Americans health insurance coverage — including more than 363,000 Arizonans, according to estimates by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Read more

PHOENIX — The opinion of Arizonans about how Gov. Doug Ducey is handling the COVID-19 outbreak has dropped — sharply - as the number of cases has skyrocketed. Read more

Gov. Doug Ducey refused Thursday to reimpose his stay-at-home order even after conceding that his own data shows how effective that was in curbing the spread of COVID-19. Read more

Payson’s football schedule shows the season opener six weeks from today. Read more

Masks have become a cultural flashpoint, in the long shadow of the pandemic. Read more

When Lori Kisylia and her family developed symptoms of COVID-19 she wanted to get a test to make sure. Read more

The nation’s in the midst of a “revolution,” thanks to the effort to unseat President Donald Trump and the nationwide protests against racism and policing, state Sen. Sylvia Allen told a small crowd of mask-wearing Republicans in Payson last week. Read more

After the governor Monday passed an order limiting large gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19, local groups, such as the Main Street Merchants, will go forward with their events. Read more

The pandemic delivered a heavy blow to the state’s colleges and universities, but the full damage won’t become clear until the fall semester opens. Read more

Gov. Doug Ducey this week pushed back any in-person school reopenings until Aug. 17, giving school officials another two weeks to prepare for their plunge into the unknown. Read more

The Forest Service last week closed developed a number of sites on the Tonto National Forest because of COVID-19. Read more

Conceding he made a mistake in allowing them to reopen, Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday shuttered all bars in the state for at least the next 30 days. Read more

Gov. Doug Ducey is defending indoor political rallies with thousands of people without masks, even as he admitted the only way Arizona will stop the upward trend of infections is if people mask up and stay home. Read more

A second Rim Country Health and Rehabilitation resident has died after contracting COVID-19, officials say. Read more

As more COVID-19 patients flock to hospitals and doctors’ offices, the federal government has agreed to finally release billions in money Congress authorized for medical providers back in March. Read more

The White Mountains Apache Tribe has imposed a tough shutdown and shelter in place order to contain a dangerous increase in cases of COVID-19, even as the rest of the state’s businesses remain open and people have begun to move around more freely. Read more

In a move that quickly sparked controversy, Mayor Tom Morrissey Thursday signed a proclamation that requires everyone to wear a mask while out in public. Read more

The state's top health official says the key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 could be finding a way to reach the people who believe they're the least likely to get infected or suffer ill effects. Read more

In an abrupt about-face, Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday agreed to give city, town and county officials the power to enact and enforce requirements for people to wear face masks. Read more

More than 1.6 million Arizonans are now collecting some form of jobless benefits as the Arizona economy continues to skid and the number of people infected with COVID-19 continues to increase. Read more

Eight people at a local long-term care facility have tested positive for the coronavirus, including two staff members and six residents. Read more

Arizona employers are continuing to lay off workers even with the end of restrictions Gov. Doug Ducey had placed on individuals and businesses. Read more

The Payson Unified School District plans to start classes in person on Aug. 3 — but administrators are still frantically working out the details. Read more

How scared you are of COVID-19 could depend on your political affiliation. Read more

As COVID-19 cases surge, hospitals may need all their beds after all, according to the Arizona state health director. Read more

The Main Street Merchants Guild met this week to offer both a service to the community and an economic boost to Rim Country businesses over the Fourth of July holiday. Read more

Arizona’s economy has reopened, but unemployment continues to rise according to the latest figures. Read more

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park on May 27 launched its repair of the Gowan Trail observation bridge with a bang — or rather a rumble. Read more

Adam and Winston loved the visit, even though they could only look through the window. Read more

With the stay-at-home order lifted, COVID-19 statistics have taken an alarming turn. Read more

Arizona schools will reopen late this summer, pretty much no matter what is going on with COVID-19, Gov. Doug Ducey said Thursday. Read more

Four additional COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Gila County last week. That brings the total to 29 cases in the county. Read more

Eliminating high fives, coaching in groups of 10 people or less and administering regular temperature checks are among the recommendations the Arizona Interscholastic Association is endorsing for high school athletes as they begin practice for the fall sports season. Read more

The "world's oldest rodeo'' can take place as scheduled this summer in Prescott despite the COVID-19 restrictions. Read more

About 200 Payson kids and their parents got back to normal this week. Read more

COVID-19 may not have forced the cancellation of one of the biggest annual events in Rim Country, but the pandemic is resulting in a modified version of the Mogollon Monster Mudda. Read more

Payson, Star Valley and Gila County may all collect welcome windfalls if the state follows through on a promise to distribute federal money intended to help local jurisdictions weather the pandemic. Read more

With a potential lawsuit looming, Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday finally let go of some of the federal cash he got for local communities. Read more

It’s a potentially lethal question: If 25,000 people jam into Payson for July 4 celebrations — will we spawn a “superspreader” event? Read more

In the past week, health officials have confirmed four additional positive cases of coronavirus in Gila County, bringing the total to 25 cases. Read more

Arizona’s COVID-19 cases have continued to rise, but we won’t know for several weeks how last week’s partial reopening will affect the trend. Read more

Payson Little Leaguers finally get back on the baseball field this week as the season starts after a nearly two-month delay. Read more

The state’s mostly reopened for business and people are flocking to summer getaways in Rim Country and the White Mountains. Read more

If you go to court, be aware the rules have changed. Read more

The Payson Town Council last week unanimously decided to go forward with the Fourth of July fireworks show and other crowd-pleasing summer events, despite concerns about COVID-19. Read more

Gov. Doug Ducey is telling business owners that their ability to remain open — and the future of the Arizona economy — will depend on how well they follow the voluntary protocols designed to prevent another outbreak of COVID-19. Read more

The theft of crucial equipment will not stop the MHA Foundation from continuing to operate a COVID-19 testing site. Read more

The Forest Service has banned all fires in the forest, but stores in Payson continue to sell firewood. Read more

You will notice a few things have changed at the Payson Farmers Market when it opens May 23, including fewer vendors because of COVID-19. Read more

The town of Payson received statewide recognition for its #OnePayson economic development effort to help businesses and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Beginning Friday, much of the Tonto National Forest’s developed recreation sites were back open for use after being closed because of COVID-19. Read more

Mayor Tom Morrissey rolled back the town’s months old emergency declaration to open Payson back up for business, with modifications, on May 15. Read more

It’s not anyone’s imagination — Rim Country teems with visitors blowing off pent up energy from COVID-19 restrictions. Read more

Men with hair falling into their eyes and botched self-cuts filled barber shop chairs on Monday. Read more

The Payson Unified School District budget’s looking good. Read more

Dennis Pirch never expected to change his title from testing administrator to disinfectant specialist, but COVID-19 has turned everything on its head — including the Gila County student testing center in Payson. Read more

Health officials announced confirmation of the first postmortem COVID-19 case in Gila County Thursday afternoon. Read more

Arizona began the phased reopening of the economy this week, following White House Guidelines amidst ongoing debate about the risk involved. Read more

Come midnight Friday night, Arizonans will no longer be living under a stay-at-home order. Read more