Light and dark. Read more

Gila County has set the pace for the state when it comes to moving through the COVID-19 risk groups with vaccination clinics to administer the first of two required shots, but the pace will soon slow down due to a reduction in shipments from the state. Read more

It made sense. Read more

We live in a deeply divided state. Read more

Uncertainly hangs over the upcoming girls basketball season like a dark cloud thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Gila County Health & Emergency Management COVID-19 vaccine FAQ sheet: Read more

On Saturday, Jan. 16, the MHA Foundation will host a COVID-19 saliva testing blitz at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Read more

The Payson school board at a special meeting this morning will decide whether schools should return to in-person classes as planned on Jan. 19, despite the surge in infections in the community. Read more

New cases of COVID-19 continue to surge across Arizona, throwing into harsh light the unexpectedly slow rollout of a new, high-tech vaccine. Read more

Months of hope amid delay turned to despair on Friday as the Arizona Interscholastic Association announced the cancellation of all winter sports. Read more

Gila County is currently leading the state in the rate of COVID vaccinations per capita. Read more

Due to the continued presence of COVID-19 and having the nation’s highest rate of coronavirus hospitalizations, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) made a recommendation on Thursday to the AIA’s Executive Board to cancel the high school winter sports season. Read more

Gila County Superior Court is looking for lawyers to provide legal representation to indigent defendants in cases of juvenile dependency, guardianship/conservatorship, guardian-ad-litem; and ‘best interests attorney’ services. Read more

A new, more-easily spread strain of the COVID virus has swept through a Colorado nursing home, apparently infecting almost everyone in the facility. Read more

The debate about when schools should return to in-person classes has intensified, even as Arizona claims the crushing title as the nation’s COVID hot spot and teachers line up for vaccinations. Read more

Teachers, cops, paramedics, firefighters, nurses and doctors lined up this week for the Gila County Health and Emergency Management Department’s first Northern Gila County COVID-19 vaccination event at the Payson High School Wilson Dome. Read more

Autumn Lynch stays busy. Read more

The nation’s most ambitious mass vaccination effort is going slower than expected while the surge of new COVID-19 cases continues to climb. Read more

The abrupt shift to distance learning last year across the nation had only a modest impact on student learning, according to several new national studies. Read more

PHOENIX -- The state's top school official wants Gov. Doug Ducey to keep schools closed to in-person learning for two weeks following the explosion of COVID-19 cases in the state. Read more

Today marks the start of a new year on the calendar, but you won’t find Craig Triphahn jumping for joy just yet. Read more

A doctor and local firefighters are speaking out in favor of the COVID vaccine after receiving their shots last week in the hopes it will give the community confidence to get inoculated once the vaccine is more widely available. Read more

Turns out, the voters of western Arizona who elected Rep. Paul Gosar are routinely canceling out the voters of eastern Arizona who elected Rep. Tom O’Halleran. Read more

Unfortunately, COVID-19 tops the 2020 year in sports in Rim Country. Read more

Anyone opening a new business knows the dedication it takes to succeed. Read more

Looking for a job that’s a guaranteed conversation starter? Read more

Health care workers in Gila County began receiving vaccinations against COVID this week as new cases peaked, hospitals filled up and numbers began the first, hopeful sign of decline. Read more

The Shoofly Quilters presented 3,700 medical masks to Banner Payson Medical Center. Read more

School districts across the state received another dose of bad news last week, which will cost Payson schools more than $600,000. Read more

COVID vaccines arrived in Gila County this week with hospitals receiving their first allotments of the Moderna vaccine. Read more

Flipping the calendar to 2021 isn’t going to magically cure the 2020 nightmare caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Kylee Carnes is one of those volleyball players who rarely leaves the court. Read more

Payson’s three varsity teams are gearing up to start winter sports competition the first week of January. Read more

Front-line health care workers and nursing home residents in Arizona were slated this week to receive the first doses of a highly effective, safe vaccine against COVID-19. Read more

The statewide plunge in K-12 district school enrollment has swamped Gov. Doug Ducey’s promise to limit the damage to school budgets. Read more

Eleven head coaches in 20 seasons. Read more

The Mogollon Sporting Association may not get enough credit for its role helping Rim Country wildlife, youth and the environment. Read more

Good news. Read more

Elite athletes need to be in shape to perform to their potential. Read more

Two fresh COVID cases this week prompted Payson High School and Payson Center for Success to shift back to distance learning for the next two weeks. Read more

Gov. Doug Ducey will not order any businesses closed in three Arizona counties that, by his own standards, now have a substantial transmission of COVID-19, with a press aide saying there’s no reason for that. Read more

We don’t have to live like this forever, with the masks, social distancing, separation from family and pervasive fear and strain. Read more

Health care workers and nursing home residents and staff may get the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas, say local and national health officials. Read more

Buckle up. Read more

Earlier this year, the Gila County Health and Emergency Services Department received a $1.6 million state grant for a variety of costs associated with its COVID-19 response: salaries; the purchase of test kits; and hiring support staff. Read more

A pop up drive-in featuring five nights of movies under the stars at Payson Event Center surrounding Thanksgiving Day weekend never popped up. Read more

The Arizona Interscholastic Association recently announced it was postponing the start of competition for winter sports until January 4. Read more

Gila County is getting more than $200,000 from the state to purchase two freezers capable of holding the COVID-19 vaccines that require dramatically low temperatures — down to 70 degrees below 0. Read more

As COVID cases in schools rise, school boards once again face an agonizing choice. Read more

The prison in Globe is dealing with a COVID outbreak with more than 100 inmates testing positive for the virus in the past week. Read more

Michelle May has hoped to put in a new entry/exit for kindergartners since she took over as Payson Elementary School principal last year. Read more

Food insecurity already affects many Rim Country residents. Read more

Banner Health has announced visitors will no longer be allowed in Banner locations across Arizona, including Payson. These restrictions went into place at 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 22. Read more

COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Gila County, with a running average of 70 new cases daily per 100,000 people in the past week. Read more

A muddy road forced the cancellation of last year’s event. Read more

Runners lined up to race after all on Saturday morning. Read more

Remember driving to a relative’s home every year for the big Thanksgiving Day meal? Read more

Kids get infected. Read more

Win some Read more

Like father, like son. Read more

They have a vaccine! Read more

Alan Simpson beamed with pride as he listened to the Pride of Payson Marching Band perform before a small crowd on Payson High School football field on Nov. 12. Read more

At a special meeting of the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Executive Board on Thursday, the board members voted to postpone the beginning of the winter sports competition season to a permissible start date of Jan. 5, 2021. The last permissible day of competition for winter sports will… Read more

Payson High Athletic Director Rich Ormand posted a new sign on a Wilson Dome glass door as fans streamed in to watch the Longhorns’ volleyball state tournament play-in game against Phoenix Bourgade Catholic on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Read more

Just a month ago there were five active COVID cases in Payson. Today, there are 14, a 180% increase. Read more

Rim Country Middle School will return to distance learning until Nov. 30 in response to a student who tested positive for COVID-19 as cases surge back into the “red zone” in Payson. Read more

Rim Country Middle School is returning to online only learning Monday after the district learned Friday one student had tested positive for COVID-19. Read more

Several COVID-19 testing events are planned in Payson next week. Read more

With COVID cases on the rise, state officials this week issued an earnest appeal to schools to abide by state and federal recommendations on masks, social distancing, testing, and quarantine. Read more

Arizona public health officials this week pleaded with residents to wear masks, avoid crowds and socially distance to again slow the pandemic in the months it will take to finish testing and distribute a vaccine. Read more

In this twisted year of COVID-19, the Payson High School Longhorn Theatre Department faced unique challenges in putting on its annual haunted house. Read more

They pack into the student section at Wilson Dome to root on the volleyball team this season, just like always. Read more

Gila County has surged back into the danger zone with COVID-19 caseloads well above the state and national averages, as social distancing and mask wearing declines and people go back to work and school. Read more

Payson beat host Show Low to claim third place in 3A East volleyball on Thursday night. Read more

Home sweet home. Read more

Get a flu shot. Read more

Third place in the 3A East Region is on the line as Payson closes the volleyball season with a game at Show Low today at 6:30 p.m. Read more

The Longhorns see the finish line. Read more

Clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s helped to make Saturday’s annual Payson Trunk or Treat Fall Festival a success once again. Read more

Payson’s police chief said a recent event involving a child approached by a man to enter his vehicle is a good reminder to parents to talk to their children about what to do if they face a similar situation. Read more

The health department quietly changed the metrics they are using to help school officials determine when to revert to all-online instruction recently. Read more

Payson’s school benchmark numbers have bounced up into the yellow zone, but will likely settle down again in the next week or two, according Gila County health officials. Read more

We’ve got your good news. Read more