Calling All Artists! Plein Air "Paint Out" on Saturday, August 23 at Riordan Mansion State Historic Park

(Flagstaff, Arizona - August 14, 2008) - Arizona State Parks and Arizona Plein Air Painters will host a "Plein Air" Artist event on Saturday, August 23rd at Riordan Mansion State Historic Park in Flagstaff from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

"Plein Air" means in the open air. It refers to the practice of painting outdoors. At the "Plein Air" events, artists will look for something within the state park and draw or paint something that sparks their interest. They will then complete the work during the event and submit the piece for judging by their fellow plein air artists. At 12 p.m., the artists will gather to judge their peers' work.

The "Paint Outs" began as part of State Parks 50th anniversary celebrations in 2007 and will continue throughout 2008. The finalist from each one will have the opportunity to display their piece at a gallery show from January 10 through February 1, 2009 at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. There will be a "Fun Paint Out" that will not be judged on January 10, 2009. An opening reception will be held immediately following the "Fun Paint Out."

For more information about the "paint out" on August 23rd call Riordan Mansion State Historic Park at (928) 779-4395. The Park Entrance Fee is waived for participating artists. The park is located next to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff on West Riordan Road.

For more information about other "paint outs" or the opening reception call (602) 542-4174. For information about Arizona State Parks call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit the website at www.azstateparks.com.

AZ Daily Sun parent, Lee, reports dismal performance for fiscal Q3, stock at all-time lows

by Carl Jackson

Flagstaff, AZ  - July 24, 2008 - Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE: LEE), the parent company of the AZ Daily Sun in Flagstaff, AZ, reported earnings today that caused its stock to fall 3.40% to $3.98 in early morning trading.

Excluding impairment charges and other unusual items, earnings per share were 28 cents, compared with 49 cents a year ago, a 42% decline.

Lee's stock price in July 2008 reached all times lows for the past 10 years.  Lee's stock had been almost $50 in 2004.

The newspaper industry has been hit hard in 2008 with a weak economy leading to reduced advertising.  In addition, newspapers continue to lose classified advertising to internet sites such as Craig's list, and rising newspaper print costs are an added drag on the industry.

To offset rising costs, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal recently raised their daily price at the newsstand to $1.50 and $2.00, respectively.  Other newspapers, like the Tribune, are reducing the size of their paper and increasing the ratio of advertising to news content.

According to Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer of Lee, "Economic conditions continued to deteriorate during the quarter, resulting in reduced advertising spending, especially in classified employment. We believe the advertising slump will reverse when the economy improves, and we continue to position our company to weather the downturn and remain strong...."

She added: "Because we cannot foresee the length of the economic downturn, we are focusing on rigorous cost reductions through staff reorganizations, narrower page widths, newsprint conservation programs and other efficiencies, as well as reduced capital spending. In our fiscal year that begins this fall, assuming no new surprises in newsprint prices, we are aiming for a further reduction in cash costs of 5-7 percent."

The advent of the internet remains a long term challenge to the newspaper industry.  The ability to deliver news content in a rich media format such as video on a real time basis and  directly into the home is a hurdle that may be too high to overcome.

Hundreds of High School Students from Across North America To Compete at Annual Canon Envirothon

Teams Convene at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, for One ofNorth America's Largest High School Environmental Education Competitions

Flagstaff, AZ, - July 23, 2008 - More than 265 teenagers from 44 U.S.states and nine Canadian provinces will meet at Northern ArizonaUniversity in Flagstaff, Ariz., from July 28th - August 3rd, to participate as finalists in North America's largest high schoolenvironmental education competition - the 2008 Canon Envirothon. Throughout the competition, teams will be tested on their knowledge ofsoils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a currentenvironmental issue.

This year's current issue topic for the competition is Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources. Students will analyzelong-term and short-term environmental, social and economic factorsrelative to recreational impacts upon natural resources and theirmanagement. As they continue to learn about environmental issues affecting naturalresources, participants will have the opportunity to compete for a shareof more than $125,000 in educational scholarships, as well as Canonproducts.

The competition is organized by the National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S., the United States Department ofAgriculture (U.S.D.A) Forest Service and the USDA Natural ResourceConservation Service. "Canon is guided by the philosophy of Kyosei - all people, regardless ofrace, religion, or culture, harmoniously living and working togetherinto the future. Embracing this philosophy, Canon U.S.A. believes environmental education is the key to conserving and preserving theplanet's limited resources for future generations," said Emily Reynolds,vice president and general manager, Corporate Communications, CanonU.S.A, a leader in digital imaging technologies.

"It is our hope that by providing students with this experience, we may help inspire them topursue careers in science and conservation, as well as conduct researchcritical to the preservation of the environment." Since 1997, Canon U.S.A. has been a sponsor of this annual competition.The Canon Envirothon is one of North America's largest high schoolenvironmental education competitions, in which more than 500,000teenagers are involved in a year-long learning process that combinesin-class curricula with hands-on field experiences.

Five-member teams from schools and organizations compete for the distinction ofrepresenting their state, Canadian province or territory in the Canon Envirothon by first competing in local competitions organized byenvironmental agencies.

Under the supervision of foresters, soilscientists and wildlife specialists, teams participate in a series offield-oriented tests. Students also prepare and deliver oralpresentations to panels of judges who evaluate each team on their problem-solving capabilities, oral presentation skills andrecommendations to help solve the specific environmental challenge presented during the competition. In addition to the Canon Envirothon, Canon U.S.A. supports a wide rangeof environmental education and youth programs including, the PBS Natureseries; programs at Yellowstone National Park; and many additional localprograms. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com/environment.

FLAGNEWS TO AIR FORUM OF DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR ARIZONA CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1

(Flagstaff, AZ)--Well known for their unbiased and culturally neutral care of reporting on the arts and cultures of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona, FLAGNEWS will air unedited excerpts of the Democratic Candidates for the CD1 forum held in Cottonwood late last month; beginning this Friday, July 11, 2008  ~ 7:30 NPG channel 59.

According to Tyrus Coursey, FLAGNEWS producer "It is only natural we should cover this. As a public service we like to keep Flagstaff informed of the political dialogs which affect our city, our county and our state. We covered the recent election for Flagstaff City Council and Mayor and had all the election winners, including the new Mayor, together on our show for what ended up being the only such media gathering, in the time between election and swearing in, of its kind here in Flagstaff."

The candidates for Arizona Congressional District 1, by far the largest congressional district in Arizona covering a land mass of 58.6 thousand square miles, have their work cut out for them. The district runs from New Mexico to the far side of Yavapai County and from Utah down to Casa Grande. And with the price of gas well over $4.00 a gallon, and current economic conditions tightening the family purse strings that often help subsidize local political efforts, location and scheduling these forums is becoming important. The forum, hosted by the Democrats of the Verde Valley and the Democrats of the Red Rocks at the Quality Inn at Cottonwood , was one of the best attended here in Northern Arizona ~ with hundreds turning out to hear the four candidates; Jeffrey Brown, Ann Kirkpatrick, Howard Shanker and Mary Kim Titla.

In Flagstaff the broadcast will be a half hour edit of the event, which can be seen in the FLAGNEWS website (www.flgnews.com) in it's unedited entirety, beginning this Friday at 7:30 PM on channel 59. It will then air Saturday morning at 11:30 AM, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday at 7:30 PM.

Flagstaff, AZ (July 1, 2008) - Help shape Flagstaff's future and take a transportation survey at
www.flagstaffpathways.org.

The Flagstaff Pathways project is a major update to the Regional Transportation Plan for the greater Flagstaff area. The Regional Transportation Plan or RTP is being produced by the Flagstaff Metropolitan Planning Organization and its member agencies: The City of Flagstaff, Coconino County, and the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The RTP will prioritize how tax dollars should be spent on highway, street, bicycle, pedestrian and transit projects. It will also help shape those projects to best fit the neighborhoods they serve.  To do this the Flagstaff MPO will rely heavily on input from citizens, stakeholders and visitors to our region through the Spring of 2009.

The project website, www.flagstaffpathways.org, includes new project information, a contact form to share comments and ask questions, and a brief survey about transportation issues, priorities, and solutions.

We encourage people to take the survey and share this information with neighbors, colleagues and constituents, and help spread the word. Visit www.flagstaffpathways.org often for updates and new information.

The Flagstaff MPO invites you to take our first transportation survey! It should take less than 10 minutes to complete and tell us what you think.

For more information, please contact David Wessel at (928) 226-4841.

Flagstaff, AZ - Hosted by Coconino County Parks and Recreation, this year's National Trails Day volunteer event is this Saturday, June 7, and will help construct a new section of trail that will connect the Fort Tuthill trail system to Kachina Village.  The event begins at 9:00 a.m. and will run through 2:00 p.m.  Free lunch will be served courtesy of Route 66 Catering.

Meet along Old Munds Highway, just off of Highway 89 across from Jackson's Grill at 9:00 am on Saturday, June 7th. We will work until around 1:00 pm and then enjoy lunch and festivities.

Closed toe, sturdy shoes, long pants and & protection are required. Helmets, gloves, tools, and trail work instructions will be provided. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent/gaurdian.

In addition to trail construction, the event will include a variety of activities for participants of all ages such as invasive weed removal, trash pickup, games and contests, and a special visit from Smokey Bear.  "Join Us on the Trail is the slogan for this year's National Trails Day," states Geoffrey Gross of the Coconino County Parks and Recreation Department.  "When complete, this section of trail will connect Kachina Village and Flagstaff - this is an occasion to not only support the local trails programs, but to reinforce and emphasize the spirit of this community."

Developed by the National Hiking Society, National Trails Day inspires trail enthusiasts nationwide to learn about and celebrate trails while participating in educational exhibits, instructional workshops, and trail work projects. 

Local sponsors for this year's event include the Flagstaff Biking Organization, Coconino Rural Environmental Corps, Coconino Trail Riders, REI, American Conservation Experience, City of Flagstaff, and the Coconino National Forest.  "We're hoping for a great turnout to kick-off this summer's volunteer trail events," says Brian Tritle, Trails Coordinator for the Peaks and Mormon Lake Districts. "It should be a fun-filled day, and we encourage everyone to come out and celebrate with us."

Volunteers should bring energy, enthusiasm, gloves and sunscreen, notes Tritle. 

For more information on this National Trails Day event, contact the Flagstaff Biking Organization at 928-779-5969 or visit the website, www.flagstaffbiking.org.