Category Archives: Amusement

All NAU Students and Faculty Airlifted to Safety

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FLAGSTAFF – All of the NAU students and Faculty have been rescued from the area of Sowats Point near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where they have been stranded since yesterday afternoon.

As of 4:00 pm today all of the individuals were flown to the parking lot of Jacobs Lake where they will be driven back to NAU Campus. Today’s eleven hour rescue effort began this morning at 5:00 am and ended at 4:00 pm this afternoon.

All twenty of the individuals are reported to be in good health and none of them required medical attention. Due to the vast distances involved the DPS Air Rescue Helicopter had to fly into Utah twice for the purpose of refueling. Students and faculty will be transported from Jacobs Lake to NAU campus via NAU vehicles.

Efforts Underway to Rescue 20 NAU Staff and Students near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

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FREDONIA – On Monday, February 23, 2015 at about 1:00 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a representative of Northern Arizona University. According to the caller two NAU vans carrying sixteen students, two university staff members, and two graduate students/assistants were stuck by snow-covered, impassable dirt roads in the area of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The group had been camping for several days in the area of Sowats Point located outside of the Grand National Park. They attempted to drive out of the area yesterday afternoon when the vans became stuck in snow. Students and staff were able to free the vehicle; however, it was apparent to them that the dirt roads covered with deep snow were impassable. The area from Fredonia to the North Rim is reporting between 18-24” of snowfall from the most recent storm.

Sheriff’s Office personnel had intermittent contact with members of the party via cell phones and satellite texting. All members of the group are in good health with ample provisions and camping equipment to sustain them overnight. Due to the time of day and the weather conditions, the decision was made to have the group drive as far east as possible and to shelter in place inside the vehicles overnight. The group is approximately 30 miles south of Fredonia and 20 miles west of SR 67.

The Sheriff’s Office developed two rescue plans and coordinated with Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue. This morning an AZ DPS helicopter and crew from Flagstaff flew to the area to determine if members of the party can be safely picked up and flown out. Current conditions of low cloud cover, heavy fog and light snow may hamper this rescue approach. Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel will stand by with a snow cat and a four wheel drive vehicle equipped with mattracks. In the event that an air rescue is not possible, SAR personnel will drive to the location and transport them to safety.

At 12:57 p.m. today, the Arizona DPS helicopter pilot has surveyed the area on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where the 20 NAU students and faculty are stranded at Sowats Point. He determined he can safely transport the stranded people out of area by air. Currently three of the students have been airlifted to the parking lot at Jacobs Lake where they were met by NAU transport vehicles. The students and factuality members will be flown three at a time until all members of the party have been safely relocated.

Birdman takes the Oscar

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300-american_sniperHOLLYWEIRD – The “black comedy” Birdman apparently took best picture at the Oscars this year. In case you haven’t heard of it, a synopsis from The Numbers reads:

An actor—famous for portraying an iconic superhero—struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.

Whether ironically or by intent, Micheal Keaton known for his Batman role stars in the film. To be fair, I have not seen the movie and it might actually be excellent.

The movie with an $18-million dollar budget claims over $76-million in worldwide revenues.

“Right-wing” web sites are calling this a snub to American Sniper produced by Clint Eastwood. Some are contending it is some sort of “payback” for his RNC speech in which the “left-wing” called him—basically—a doddering old fool.

This should not come as a shock. The Oscars are selected by the members of the screen actors guild. Since most actors going into Hollyweird since the ’60s are generally Communists and hate America, it is not surprising that pro-American, pro-Christian movies will not receive recognition. Yes, it would seem that the cowardice remarks by Micheal Moore (who has never served his country) have taken their toll. His well-respected Hollyweird opinion may have taken its toll on American Sniper.

With a $58-million dollar budget, American Sniper has received $428,509,632 in revenues, though, it would seem that America made a different choice for the best movie in America. This does not include expected video sales.

Yes, while other producers and actors will take home a simulated, gold-plated statue, poor old, doddering Mr. Eastwood will have to cry all the way to the bank.

100% chance of snow in Williams today

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6400223-01WILLIAMS – The long-range weather forecast shows a 100% chance of snow today. Of course a cursory look outside the window notified the residents of that.

The forecast shows 2-4 inches through the day with another possible 1-3 inches tonight. Tomorrow morning there is a 40% chance of snow with little new snow accumulation. The snow is expected to clear up Tuesday night. Wednesday and Thursday is expected to be sunny but cool.

A slight chance of rain and snow begins again Friday and through the weekend.
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Friends of the NRA selling raffle tickets

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friends-nra-drawWILLIAMS – The Grand Canyon Friends of the NRA is selling tickets for your choice between two guns. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20. Only 200 tickets will be sold and there are less than 100 left. The drawing will take place when all tickets are sold.

The winner will have their choice between two weapons. The Ruger American bolt action rifle in .308 caliber or Soeger P350 pump action 12 gauge shotgun.

The winner must be able to comply with all State and federal laws concerning firearms. Must be at least 18-years old and able to pass background check.

The group is also gearing up for their annual dinner at Doc Holiday’s in Williams. The dinner is August 1 and the doors open at 4:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

The Grand Canyon Friends of the NRA supports sport shooting events in the northern Arizona area.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Williams Wear inside Buck’s Place at 117 W Route66 in downtown Williams.

Babbitt-Polson Warehouse Stage exposed

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UPDATED: Feb. 15, 8:35
640-bp-bw-i-001WILLIAMS – We discussed a little about the history of the Babbitt-Polson warehouse in our last article. The warehouse is the last example of warehouses that lined the railroad.

Eventually shipping via the road declined with the expansion of Route 66. These use of these warehouses as temporary storage for trade goods gave way to other uses. Like many other abandon buildings, there was also the inevitable graffiti. Opal Means obtained one of the warehouses and said that the inside wood had been removed, so any history is gone. This warehouse seems to be the only one with graffiti remaining.
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The inside is a conspiracy theory tribute to one of the truly forgotten wars fought by the United States. The now imprisoned isle of Cuba was seeking independence from Spain which began in 1895. What is interesting is that the American media was used to portray the brutality of the Spanish in an effort to gain support for the war. It worked. It was this event that caused the term yellow journalism to be coined. An article in Wikipedia explains:

The most famous example of a claim is the apocryphal story that artist Frederic Remington telegrammed Hearst to tell him all was quiet in Cuba and “There will be no war.” Hearst responded “Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” Historians now believe that no such telegrams ever were sent.

But Hearst became a war hawk after a rebellion broke out in Cuba in 1895. Stories of Cuban virtue and Spanish brutality soon dominated his front page. While the accounts were of dubious accuracy, the newspaper readers of the 19th century did not expect, or necessarily want, his stories to be pure nonfiction. Historian Michael Robertson has said that “Newspaper reporters and readers of the 1890s were much less concerned with distinguishing among fact-based reporting, opinion and literature.”

The sinking of the Maine on February 15, 1898 was the impetus for this war.

There is a local Arizona historic connection with the sinking of the USS Maine. Along Route 66 in Parks you will find a railroad sign that says Maine. There is a town which still exists called Maine near Parks. They took on the name after the sinking of the Maine. There is no downtown Maine, of course. The metropolitan of Parks absorbed the town of Maine over time. The Parks school is still the Maine Consolidated School district.

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The national government and the media portrayed it as a sinking by a Spanish mine. Because of the media fervor, no one questioned it. It was only years later that it began to leak that the USS Maine was probably sunk because of an explosion in their own magazine. This was probably not a “false flag” like the Gulf of Tonkin. It was probably just a happy coincidence for Theodore Roosevelt who was pining for war. He was able to convince President McKinley to convince Congress to declare war over the incident. Particularly since public opinion was set by the media.

The result of the war was the acquisition of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam and other territories from Spain.

It appears from the dates that the warehouses probably were abandon around 1911. That is when the graffiti seems to have started. Some of the graffiti in the warehouse refer to the sinking of the USS Maine. Some of the graffiti are simply names of people in Williams history.
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Babbitt-Polson Warehouse Stage move

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Northern Arizona Citizen photo.

WILLIAMS – You have probably seen the Babbitt-Polson Warehouse Stage in the visitor center parking lot. Some may remember its construction in 2011. A few may remember when the warehouse was moved into its present location around October of 1997. You may have never seen this one if not for the efforts of Laura Cole and the Historic Committee at the time.

Photo by Opal Means.

Photo by Opal Means.

The example in Williams is not the only one that was built. According to Vice-Mayor Don Dent—councilman when the warehouse was moved—these warehouses were built all along the road. This is one of the last examples in existence.

He credits Laura Cole for saving this historic piece. It was her efforts that led to obtaining the grant to move it to its present location.

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Photo by Opal Means.

The Babbitt-Polson warehouse was not the only warehouse. There were a few in the area where the Skate Park is located now. They were used by Tru-Value Hardware when they were located in what is now the Recreation Center.

In October of 1997, they were moved out of the area to make room for the Skate Park. The Babbitt-Polson Warehouse was moved into its present location by Dale Perkins. Williams resident Opal Means said that she acquired one of the warehouses for her own property.

The Williams Historical Society originally hoped to turn it into a museum. It eventually morphed into its original use as a warehouse by the City of Williams. Mr. Dent stated that this was not intentional. He explained that after the $35,000 grant to move the building was used up, it left little money to do any repairs or set up.

Northern Arizona Citizen photo.

Northern Arizona Citizen photo.

He said that the cost of making the warehouse safe for a museum in addition to hiring a full-time curator turned out to be prohibitive at the time. He did say that using the building as a warehouse is not necessarily the final use. If the city receives a proposal for a better use for the structure they will consider it.

In July of 2011 the community stage addition was approved and completed by the end of the year.

The interesting thing about the warehouse is the inside.
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Grand Canyon to Celebrate President’s Day Weekend with Free Entry

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Grand Canyon open for free President's Day Weekend.

Grand Canyon open for free President’s Day Weekend.

GRAND CANYON – If you guys are looking for somewhere to take your honey this weekend, the Grand Canyon National Park will be open free in honor of Presidents Day Saturday, February 14, 2015 through Monday, February 16, 2015.

Park visitors are reminded that fee-free designation applies to entrance fees only and does not affect fees for camping, reservations, guided tours, or use of concessions. Park entrance stations will have the Interagency Senior and Annual Passes available for those who wish to purchase them. Visitors who plan to spend time in the park beyond February 16th will need to pay the regular entrance fee for the remainder of their stay.

Grand Canyon’s South Rim sits at approximately 7,000 feet. As a result, visitors should be prepared for winter weather and driving conditions, and should be aware that road closures and temporary suspension of shuttle service may occur with little or no notice if winter weather passes through the area.

The long-range weather forecast, however, is predicting temperatures in the 60s with lows around 40 with some cloudiness. Water is always something visitors do not think about.

Dogs are also welcome but are required to be on a leash at all times.

Search for missing Texas man scaled back

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GRAND CANYON – Twenty-one year old Drake L. Kramer remains missing at Grand Canyon National Park and a six day search by the National Park Service has turned up no additional clues as to his whereabouts.

Kramer was last seen on Sunday, February 1 in the vicinity of the Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim. He had spent the previous night as a guest at the lodge and checked out on the morning of the 1st. He was reported missing by members of his family on Monday, February 2nd.

For the past six days park rangers have extensively searched the South Rim developed area stretching from Hermit’s Rest on the west side to Grandview on the east. Teams of searchers have walked miles along the canyon rim, searched heavily forested areas, utilized dog teams, performed several over the rim technical searches, and conducted multiple aerial reconnaissance missions to support ground searchers.

Kramer is described as 5’7, 140 pounds, brown hair and blue eyes. He is last known to be wearing blue jeans and an olive green sweatshirt.

With no additional clues to guide search efforts on land, the search will be scaled back to a continuous, but limited mode in which rangers and pilots will continue to search for clues when in the area.

In addition, flyers with Kramer’s picture and description remain posted at various South Rim locations and anyone who may have information regarding his whereabouts is encouraged to call National Park Service Silent Witness Line at 928-638-7840. Any additional clues collected will guide future search efforts.

Search Area Expands for Missing San Antonio Man at Grand Canyon National Park

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GRAND CANYON – (Feb. 6) Today National Park Service Search and Rescue crews expanded the search area for missing San Antonio man, Drake L. Kramer. Kramer, 21 was reported missing by family on Monday, February 2.

The search area was expanded east from the South Rim developed area along Highway 64 towards Grandview. National Park Service personnel assigned to the search have walked dozens of miles along the rim of the canyon, covered several miles of wooded area, traversed along the edge of the canyon walls, and in some instances completed technical rappelling searches over the edge. The park helicopter continues to provide aerial supervision and reconnaissance.

Drake L. Kramer of San Antonio, TX was reported missing by a family member on February 2. His last known location was at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Kramer spent the night of January 31 at the Bright Angel Lodge and checked out on the morning of February 1. He is described as 21 years old, 5’7, 140 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. It is unknown what he was last wearing, it is known that he favors dark colored clothing and typically wears a backwards baseball hat.

The National Park Service is currently conducting a Search and Rescue operation. A missing persons investigation is on-going. No further information is available at this time.Any individual who may have had contact with or has with information on the location of Drake Kramer should contact the National Park Service Silent Witness Line at 928-638-7840.