Toni Gibbons

Snowflake

Reporter at White Mountain Independent

Copywriter and Storyteller

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Articles

Blue Ridge graduation returns to original date

1 week ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

After a series of changes left families uncertain, Blue Ridge High School has officially confirmed that its 2025 graduation ceremony will return to its original date of Friday, May 16. In a letter sent to parents and students, Superintendent Michael Wright acknowledged the confusion caused by the shifting schedule and apologized for the inconvenience. The adjustments stemmed from efforts to avoid conflicts with student athletic events on May 15 and 16.
Eaglefest takes off at Northland Pioneer College

1 week ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

With the sounds of music from the Arizona Peaches in the air, Northland Pioneer College’s Silver Creek Campus in Snowflake came alive on April 9 during Eagle Fest 2025, a family-friendly celebration packed with games, food and hands-on activities designed to highlight NPC’s educational offerings and summer opportunities.
TJ Maxx opening in Show Low on April 27

1 week ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

TJ Maxx is set to open its newest store in Show Low on April 27. The store, at 750 West Deuce of Clubs next to Cal-Ranch, will open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on opening day. "We're thrilled to join the Show Low community," said Nancy Carpenter, president of TJ Maxx. "We look forward to providing local shoppers with an ever-changing selection of high-quality merchandise at exceptional value so they can express their true 'maxx' selves."kAm%96 ?6H $9@H {@H =@42E:@?
New one-room Christian school opening in Show Low

1 week ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

A new K-12 Christian school is set to open in Show Low on Aug. 4, but instead of classrooms separated by grade level, students will share a single room, learning side by side in the style of early American education. The Full Armor of God Academy will launch for the 2025-26 school year with space for up to 30 students. The school is led by longtime educator Janell Sterner, who said the idea came after decades of teaching in public and Christian schools.
Athetes celebrated at Navajo County BOS

1 week ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

Some of Navajo County’s top high school athletes were honored by the Board of Supervisors on April 8 for capturing state championships in basketball and wrestling, as county officials also provided an update on the region’s worsening fire danger. kAmr92:C>2? y2D@? (9:E:?8 <:4<65 @77 E96 C64@8?:E:@?D 3J 9@?@C:?8 E96 $?@H7=2<6 w:89 $49@@= 8:C=D 32D<6E32== E62> 7@C H:??:?8 E96 bp DE2E6 492>A:@?D9:A[ :ED 7:CDE E:E=6 :?
TRACKS made at Pinetop-Lakeside meeting

2 weeks ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

Trail improvements, outdoor recreation and community safety took center stage at the April 3 Pinetop-Lakeside Town Council meeting, where White Mountain TRACKS Trail System President Steve Dobbs detailed nearly 9,000 hours of volunteer trail work completed in 2024, and the council unanimously approved a ban on inflatable play structures in town parks due to escalating insurance liability concerns.
Raptor Center is the wind beneath many wings

2 weeks ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

Just a few years ago, John Glitsos and Balinda Strosnider with Land On Sky Wildlife Experiences were dreaming big — really big — like wingspan-of-a-bald-eagle big. Today, they’re living that dream with a raptor center that puts on a Raptor Flight Show five days a week (six starting in May), dazzling visitors at the White Mountain Nature Center in Lakeside and now officially recognized as one of Arizona’s top 25 destinations for 2025 by Roger Naylor in the Arizona Republic. Their secret?
Mexican wolf populations grow for ninth straight year

2 weeks ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

The wild population of endangered Mexican gray wolves rose again in 2024, marking the ninth consecutive year of growth, the longest stretch since recovery efforts began and another key step forward for the Southwest’s rarest native carnivore. The latest annual survey, released by the Interagency Field Team, recorded a minimum of 286 Mexican wolves in the wild across Arizona and New Mexico, an 11% increase from the 257 documented in 2023. Of those, 162 were counted in New Mexico and 124 in Arizona.
Hundreds rally in Show Low as part of nationwide 'Hands Off' protest

2 weeks ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

More than 240 people filled the sidewalks along the Deuce of Clubs in Show Low on April 5, raising signs and voices as part of the nationwide Hands Off movement. Protesters of all ages turned out to oppose what they described as harmful tariffs, shutdowns and threats to veterans’ benefits, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the deportation of immigrants, including those in the country legally.
Young musicians shine at White Mountain Youth Orchestra

2 weeks ago | wmicentral.com | Toni Gibbons

With bows gliding across strings and classical melodies echoing through the sanctuary, the White Mountain Youth Orchestra made good music during its Spring Concert on March 22 at the High Country Church of Christ in Show Low. The new youth orchestra, made up of 10 local teens, performed music by world-famous composers like Vivaldi, Saint-Saëns and Rossini.