Latest news with #ChristineGriffin
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greer fire animal victims: Where residents can take horses, livestock and other animals
People with animals affected by the Greer fire, which has burned 16,000 acres in eastern Arizona, were able to bring their pets, horses, and livestock to designated shelters set up to meet their needs. Good Dog Rez-Q and Equine WellBeing Rescue established an evacuation site at the Apache County Fairgrounds in St. Johns, offering refuge for horses, livestock, cats, and dogs. Christine Griffin from the Equine WellBeing Rescue said they needed all the help they could get as the fire expands by thousands of acres each day. "There is no set schedule, people can go when they have time," Griffin said of potential volunteers. Based in Snowflake, Griffin drew on her experience coordinating care for horses and livestock, but the scale of the fire demanded support from everyone available. She asked evacuees arriving at the fairgrounds to follow the "shelter" signs, park their vehicles, and notify staff of their arrival. The fairgrounds were located at 825 West 4th N in Saint Johns. Equine WellBeing Rescue could be reached directly by text or phone at 760-703-4860. Good Dog Rez-Q, a local animal rescue led by Angela Gatchell, was working in coordination with Equine WellBeing Rescue. Sandy Faison worked alongside the rest of Good Dog Rez-Q and noted the volatility of the situation. She and other rescue personnel cared for hundreds of animals, made up of about 100 dogs, and many cats, chickens, goats, and livestock. "If we get more weather, that number could double," said Faison. Residents with animals in need of shelter could get in touch with Sandy at 907-978-0466. Both of the organizations accepted donations, with Good Dog Rez-Q accepting through gooddogrezq@ and Equine WellBeing The evacuation site had just received over 100 bales of hay, medical and health care supplies to help support the animals, including a nebulizer to help with equines with smoke inhalation issues, Griffin said. Faison said that any donations of animal food or supplies at the fairgrounds would be a tremendous help, noting a particular need for puppy chow to care for the youngest animal evacuees. Griffin emphasized the importance of supporting her community, especially given all they've endured during past wildfires. "We have been through other fires and know how difficult they are on those evacuated," Griffin said. Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@ Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's where residents with animals can go to shelter from Greer fire
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Public can question SFPS superintendent candidates Wednesday
And then there were three. Santa Fe Public Schools will host two community forums Wednesday, inviting the public to meet and pose questions to the hopefuls to be the district's new superintendent. The three finalists are: * Christine Griffin, superintendent of the Humboldt Unified School District in Prescott Valley, Ariz.; * Faviola Cantú, chief academic officer of the Aldine Independent School District in Harris County, Texas; and * Neal Weaver, chief information and strategy officer for the Santa Fe district and the only internal candidate. Both forums will be held at the district office, 610 Alta Vista St., and will be livestreamed on the district's YouTube channel. Both forums will feature all school board members, and translators and will be moderated by Tom Carroll, CEO of Carroll Strategies, the public relations firm charged with leading the community feedback side of the superintendent search. During both forums, the three finalists will make two-minute opening and closing remarks. The school board is expected to decide whether to offer the job to one of the remaining three finalists May 6 to succeed Hilario "Larry" Chavez, who resigned Feb. 20 amid sexual harassment allegations. He had served in the role since 2021. Former Superintendent Veronica García has stepped into the position on an interim basis but has said she doesn't intend to stay past June 30. Before Griffin became superintendent, she served as a teacher, special education teacher, instructional coach, intervention specialist and principal. In 2021, she became executive director of educational services and innovation before becoming superintendent in 2023. Cantú, who has held her current position since 2023, oversees curriculum, instruction and assessments for the Houston-area district. She also oversees a myriad of programs from technology initiatives and special education to multilingual programs, having served as director of multilingual programs for the Sheldon Independent School District before she joined Aldine in 2019. She has also served as a bilingual teacher, assistant principal and principal and co-founded and serves as president of Latinx Leaders of Aldine. Weaver, who has held his current job since 2021, leads the district's information technology initiatives, including artificial intelligence integration. Before that, he served as the district's executive director of digital learning programs. He has also been an adjunct professor at Eastern New Mexico University, where he co-authored a course instructing teachers and school administrators on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom. Before that, he worked as a technology instructional coach with Rio Rancho Public Schools. Almudena 'Almi' Abeyta, superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools in Chelsea, Mass., and deputy superintendent for teaching and learning in Santa Fe from 2012 to 2017, withdrew her name from the finalist pool Monday. The school board will convene in closed-door executive session Thursday to discuss the candidates' performances both in their interviews with the board and at the community forums, with a follow-up executive session scheduled for May 6 to pick the new superintendent.
