FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — Thanks to a relatively mild spring for the high country, Snowbowl Resort near Flagstaff is set to break another record this year by extending its skiing and riding season until June 1.

LIVE: Arizona Snowbowl webcam

According to Snowbowl officials, this is the first time in Arizona history that a ski season has remained open through Memorial Day.

This ski season in Arizona has been nothing short of extraordinary, with many areas in northern Arizona pushing their final snowfall totals to at least 10 inches above normal.

The resort says the conditions are exceptional across the mountain and is ready to welcome Arizonans for two additional weekends, providing a perfect opportunity to escape the Valley heat.

Snowbowl will be open for Memorial Day weekend (Friday, May 24-Monday, May 27) and will then reopen on Saturday, June 1.

The Arizona Gondola will be the only lift operating during Memorial Day weekend and on the closing day.

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An Arizona man pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding the Internal Revenue Service of $17 million between 2017 and 2023.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday that Kent Ellsworth pleaded guilty to two counts of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, which were used to provide an illegal tax shelter for his clients.

Ellsworth Stauffer, the operator of a formerly licensed professional corporation, concealed nearly $60 million from the IRS, causing an estimated loss of $17 million in taxes that Ellsworth’s clients should have paid, according to the DOJ in a news release.

According to the DOJ, Ellsworth promoted and sold fraudulent tax shelters for about 60 clients nationwide, creating more than 500 false tax returns.

Ellsworth carried out his scheme by reporting his clients’ income to fraudulent trusts and foundations set up to act as bank accounts that held the funds free of being taxed.

The DOJ said that the majority of Ellsworth’s clients were successful business owners who falsely donated the funds to the tax shelters under the disguise that the income was being given to client’s family members, allowing for the bypass of regular tax laws.

The DOJ added that Ellsworth also charged money by charging for preparing the returns.

The DOJ stated that Ellsworth had been taught how to perform the fraudulent returns but did not specify who taught him.

Ellsworth was scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 14 by a federal court and, if convicted, could face a six-year prison sentence, a fine of $250,00, reimbursement of prosecution expenses, and undergo supervised release.

The DOJ did not immediately provide more information on Ellsworth and his crimes.

Maricopa county, Arizona – a campaign battleground where election workers have faced violent threats – has taken extraordinary measures to protect its staff and the counting of ballots.

The Guardian obtained a document from the county listing security changes it has made since the 2020 election. Those include stationing a Swat team on-site at the main building where votes are tabulated and deploying the sheriff on horseback.

After facing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Maricopa county became a hotspot for the contentious fights that followed. It is the most populous county in Arizona, a critical swing state in the presidential election and a battleground state for control of the Senate. Election workers have faced a daily torrent of hateful and menacing messages over email and social media, and such threats led Clint Hickman to decide not to run for re-election as a county supervisor this year.

The document provided to the Guardian by staff with the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) shows how the county has transformed that building into a fortress.

Armed guards have been increased at entrances and exits, and sheriffs patrol the area continuously. Doors to secure areas have been replaced with ones that require badge access, said Taylor Kinnerup, spokesperson for the county recorder’s office.

While awaiting tabulation, ballots are held in “secure cages” made of chain-link fencing. Ballots are stored in these cages during lunch breaks, off hours, or any other pause, Kinnerup explained.

In the tabulation rooms, where votes are counted, three people have to be in the room at all times, Kinnerup said. In those rooms, the hard drives that record and store votes have their ports blocked and no access to wifi, Kinnerup explained, so that no one can access them except authorized officials who are allowed to enter the room. They are connected by physical wires only to servers within the building, and the whole system is closed and does not connect to the internet.

If an IT person is needed, that person must be escorted by two other employees. If visitors come, the document says, “ambassadors” escort them to maintain security while “ensuring observers can monitor the election process”.

Surveillance cameras that livestream to the public monitor those rooms and other key facilities in the Tabulation and Election Center. Cameras also continuously record the interior and exterior of the MCTEC building, and every place where a ballot goes in the building is under video surveillance. The surveillance cameras have been upgraded, the document says, and additional lighting and video surveillance have been installed at drop boxes.

Ballots are also protected against natural disasters and are stored in a “fire retardant room”, Kinnerup said, “so if the whole building would catch on fire, the ballots would be fine”.

The county did not say how much all the security enhancements have cost. But since July 2023, it has spent more than $25,000 on paying and equipping officers focused on election safety, according to the communications director for the county.

Maricopa county emergency management has spent $22,748.65 on personnel/payroll costs for security officers. An additional $2,587.75 has been spent on their uniforms, weapons, Tasers, radios and other equipment.

These measures are only part of the county’s actions to prepare for the primary in July and the general election in November. Many county departments meet regularly with outside experts including David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, to discuss the protection against election threats.

“Especially after the 2020 election, the threat environment at election offices has gotten much worse,” Becker said. In Maricopa county, he said, election security is crucial because “there have been lies to such a great degree, and people try to use those opportunities to claim the election was stolen”.