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City/Government Reporting
Headline: Chief Durre: New stations essential to improve response times, firefighter health and safety Published July 13, 2026, in The Daily Courier Word Count: 1,205 Link: dcourier.com/news/chief-durre-new-stations-essential-to-improve-response-times-firefighter-health-and-safety/article_3bfa50ff-2776-42d4-8dbc-4693f9bf6022.html Prescott is moving forward with plans to build two new fire stations and fully rebuild a third as the city works to close emergency response gaps driven by years of growth, rising call volumes, and aging public safety infrastructure. At 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, the City Council will vote to approve or deny three city contracts for Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) pre-construction services with CORE Construction, Inc. for the new stations. Ahead of the council voting meeting, Prescott Fire Department (PFD) Fire Chief Holger Durre outlined project progress and why capital investment is a necessary component of a larger strategy. “We are using something c...
Public Safety Stories
(Hava Herzog/Courier) Headline: PVPD Youth Police Academy gives teens inside look at law enforcement Published July 9, 2026, in The Daily Courier Word Count: 680 Link: https://www.dcourier.com/news/pvpd-youth-police-academy-gives-teens-inside-look-at-law-enforcement/article_83c326bd-9257-4169-9d4b-e675893be0db.html A group of high school students got a firsthand look at the split-second decisions, physical demands and behind-the-scenes work of law enforcement last week during the Prescott Valley Police Department’s Youth Police Academy. Fifteen local students ages 15-18 participated in the program from Monday, July 6, through Thursday, July 9. During the first two days of the academy, students spoke with field training officers, or FTOs; members of the Special Victims Unit, or SVU, about sextortion; Homeland Security representatives about federal law enforcement; and criminal investigators. Students visited the SWAT range, where they learned how to breach a door and fi...
Cold Cases, Criminal Investigations, and the Search for Missing Persons
"Cold Cases, Criminal Investigations, and the Search for Missing Persons" is a multi-part series published in 2026 in The Daily Courier. The series covers ongoing research into decades-old cold cases, how police navigate potential homicides, and how search and rescue crews look for missing people.
Crisis Ready Classrooms, School Safety in Yavapai County
"Crisis Ready Classrooms, School Safety in Yavapai County" is a multi-part series published in The Daily Courier in 2025. The series examines physical campus safety, technology, and how schools address mental health crises. The series was written by Hava Herzog and Abigail Celaya. (Hava Herzog/Courier) Headline: Seconds Count: Are local schools ready for the worst-case scenario? Published October 25, 2025, in The Daily Courier Word Count: 1,213 Link: https://www.dcourier.com/news/seconds-count-are-local-schools-ready-for-the-worst-case-scenario/article_8fb9592c-25c9-4f61-a752-900240f94a04.html?_gl=1*143xcd*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTM5NTExMTQzMi4xNzg4NjMxODk0*_ga_CP63MSM6R5*czE3ODg2MzE4OTIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODg2MzE5MDYkajQ2JGwwJGgxMjU2NTI1Njg3*_ga_4T2EB147B8*czE3ODg2MzE4OTMkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODg2MzE5MDYkajQ3JGwwJGgw In 2025, school shootings persist across the U.S., leading school officials and law enforcement to confront ongoing threats to student safety and search for effective prevention strate...
Environmental Writing Samples
(Hava Herzog/Courier) Headline: More Prescott residents report insurance cancellations, mitigation demands Published July 25, 2026 in The Daily Courier Word Count: 1,745 Link : tinyurl.com/mwns8bpd The City of Prescott has long faced wildfire risk, but in the past year, more homeowners have reported challenges with their home insurance coverage. Some residents have received notices from insurers requiring them to meet specific defensible-space standards to maintain coverage, while others have seen their policies canceled altogether. In August 2026, all of Prescott will be incorporated into the wildland-urban interface (WUI), as approved by the City Council in May 2026. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a WUI is a zone where homes and other development border undeveloped wildland vegetation. These areas face an increased wildfire risk because human-caused ignitions can spread into wildlands, while wildfires can quickly threaten homes and infrastructure. To reduce that risk, hom...