Two day of sun this week

rain-15-05-04-4WILLIAMS — Williams and Flagstaff share identical weather patterns through the week with Ash Fork receiving a slightly less chance of rain.

Williams and Flagstaff share an 80% chance of rain today lowering to 60% through Tuesday. Tuesday night there is a 40% chance of rain. Wednesday is expected to be sunny with Thursday being breezy. Thurday night the chance of thunderstorms picks up again and lasts through Saturday during the day.

Ash Fork has a similar pattern except that the town has a 10% less chance of rain through Tuesday night. The chance of rain picks up on Thursday through Friday during the day becoming sunny Saturday during the day and partly cloudy at night.

Snow in the weekend forecast

snow131204-06WILLIAMS — The weekend weather for Williams and Flagstaff include a chance of snow Sturday and Sunday. Ash Fork can expect rain showers and cooler temperatures.

In Williams and Flagstaff there is a chance of thunderstorms after 11 a.m. with wind gusts up to 30 mph. Tomorrow there is a chance of thunderstorms after 11 a.m. Rain showers are predicted before 11 p.m. Rain and snow is expected after 11 p.m. with an accumulation of 1 inch possible. Snow and rain may continue Sunday morning with about a half-inch of new snow accumulation possible. High winds are expected throughout the weekend.

Ash Fork can expect rain tonight through Sunday with high winds.

Chance of showers to Sunday

The National Weather Service is predicting a chance of showers starting tomorrow for Williams and Flagstaff.

The two cities share approximately the same weather pattern with a 10 percent chance of showers Wednesday after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. South wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. There is a 10 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. South southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming east southeast in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

The chance of showers continues with a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after Thursday 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%. At night a 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Friday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52 and a low around 30 at night. Saturday is about the same with a high near 58 and a low around 31.

Sunday will be Sunny, with a high near 61 and a low around 34.

Ash Fork should be partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Southeast wind 12 to 17 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mphWednesday Night. There is a 30% chance of thunderstorms after 11 a.m. through Thursday night. The expected high near 61.

There is a chance of showers Friday through the night with a high near 60 and a low around 34. There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday. Mostly sunny, with a high near 66 and a low around 36. Sunday is expected to be Sunny, with a high near 69 and a low of 36 at night.

President’s Day Weekend Busy for Search and Rescue

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American Legion Cordova Post #13 posts the colors in Williams on President’s Day.

FLAGSTAFF — While many were off for this weekend in honor of President’s day—perhaps taking selfies at the Grand Canyon—Search and Rescue (SAR) crews had a busy weekend responding to three missions. Rescue assistance from Coconino County Search and Rescue was required in Williams, Ash Fork and Flagstaff.

The first occurred on Saturday at approximately 3:15 pm when the Williams Fire Department requested assistance responding to an injured adult male hiker in the Bennett Spring area. The hiker had sustained a fall and was complaining of back pain. Search and Rescue personnel responded and assisted with interpreting some GPS location information and rescuing the hiker from the location where he was injured.

Williams Fire personnel hiked in and made initial patient contact and SAR personnel hiked in with additional equipment. It was determined that a helicopter short haul rescue was the most appropriate technique due to the patient’s condition. An Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to the scene and picked up a Heli-Rescue Technician from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The Heli-Rescue Technician was inserted a short distance away from the patient and then hiked to the scene and placed the patient, who was on a backboard, into the Bauman Bag which is the device used during short haul rescue. The helicopter then conducted a short haul during which the rescuer and the patient were suspended 150 feet below the helicopter on a rope. The patient and rescuer were flown from the accident scene to Camp Clover landing zone where the patient was transferred to LifeLine Ambulance for transport to Flagstaff Medical Center. The rescue was complete by 6:30 pm.

While the rescue in Williams was occurring the Sheriff’s Office was responding to a report of a missing 9 year old male in the Westwood Ranch area north of Ashfork. The child had been last seen at 1:00 pm at a residence near Stone Lake and had run into the woods following an argument. When the child did not return in a short period of time the family contacted the Sheriff’s Office for assistance.

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Helicopter rescue at Mt. Elden. Coconino County Sheriff photo.

Deputies and Search and Rescue responded to the scene. Both a tracking and trailing search dog and an area search dog were used during the initial response. Additional ground search and rescue and the DPS Air Rescue helicopter joined the search using night vision in forward looking infrared units to search for the child. Due to the large search area additional search and rescue resources were requested from Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to respond in the morning. At approximately 7:24 AM on Sunday as the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office team were driving to the incident command post location they located the child walking down a road. The child identified himself and asked for help. The child was cold and tired but in otherwise good condition. He was transported to the incident command post and reunited with his family.

On Sunday night at approximately 9:30 PM the Sheriff’s Office and SAR personnel responded to a report of four lost hikers; three males and one female, on Mt. Elden in need of assistance. The hikers had become stranded due to darkness near the waterfall area on Mt. Elden. Rescuers made voice contact with them in that area and then DPS Air Rescue was able to locate them and guide them down the slope which they illuminated with the spotlight. Rescuers met them on their descent and then guided them to the trail head. The hikers were lightly dressed and not prepared for cold overnight temperatures. This was the second rescue in the waterfall area of Mt. Elden in a week.

Search and Rescue would like to remind outdoor recreationists to follow some simple advice to keep them safe and aid in a search and rescue effort if it is needed. Outdoor recreationists should always tell someone where they are going and when they will be back so that if a person does not arrive as expected Search and Rescue will have a place to start the search effort. Recreationists should also carry the 10 essentials on every hike since no one ever intends to get lost or hurt on their outing but it can happen. Those essentials include:

1. Water
2. Food
3. Extra warm clothing
4. Navigation equipment (map, compass, GPS)
5. Headlamp/Flashlight and extra batteries
6. First Aid Kit
7. Shelter Material such as a space blanket or large leaf bag
8. Fire starting kit or backpacking stove
9. Pocket knife or multi-tool
10. Whistle/Signal mirror

An eleventh essential is a cell phone. While a cell phone doesn’t always work in backcountry locations, sending and receiving texts sometimes works when calls don’t. Also, your cell phone can help provide rescuers with important information about the situation and the location.

Bad news for lunar eclipse observers

tsra60Another thunderstorm has moved into northern Arizona which may interfere with the viewing of the lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of Wednesday.

From Flagstaff through Williams to Prescott there is a prediction of thunderstorms from 40% to 70% over the viewing area. Even if the rain is light, the clouds will certain pose a threat to the viewing of the celestial event.

The clouds were heavy during the September “Supermoon,” but the moon did peek out making for good photographs. That may be the case for the upcoming lunar eclipse.

Bridge rehabilitation project on I-40 near Ash Fork is underway

ASH FORK – Motorists traveling along Interstate 40 near Ash Fork should be prepared for lane restrictions now through early October for a bridge rehabilitation project.

The work includes rehabilitating 10 bridge decks between the West Ash Fork traffic interchange and the East Ash Fork traffic interchange, which is between mileposts 143 and 148). This week crews have begun installing temporary traffic control barriers. The crew is also installing detour crossovers prior to working on the eastbound bridges.

Working hours are Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays 7 a.m. to noon. One lane will remain open in each direction, the speed limit will be reduced and drivers should be alert for construction vehicles and flaggers. A 12-ft. width restriction is also in place.

This fall crews are scheduled to be completed with work on the eastbound bridges. The $5 million project will then go in to a winter shutdown until spring 2015, and then warmer weather will allow for work to continue on the westbound bridges.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule.

Fun Run blasts from the past hits Williams, Flagstaff

Williams resident Bob Sarkesian displays his 1930 Model "A" next to a red 1929

Williams resident Bob Sarkesian displays his 1930 model A next to a red 1929

NORTHERN ARIZONA – The horrendous winds we have been experience stopped as the classic cars of the Route 66 Fun Run rolled into town. Each May classic car owners join together for a run down Route 66 to end up in the town of Topock, Arizona.

The Fun Run is sponsored by the Route 66 Association of Arizona which started the run seven-years after Williams became the last Route 66 town bypassed by I-40. They are dedicated to preserving the memory of the Will Rogers Highway which has come to be known as “The Mother Road.” The road has sparked the imagination through movies such as The Grapes of Wrath and Easy Rider—and more recently the hit animated feature Cars. The long-running television series Route 66 staring Martin Milner and George Maharis concerned two men traveling in a Corvette looking for various job opportunities. Though much of the series was not filmed on Route 66.

Richard from Scottsdale stands with his 1957 Chevy Pickup.

Richard from Scottsdale stands with his 1957 Chevy Pickup.

The Run travels through Holbrook to Flagstaff, through Williams and Ash Fork down through Seligman. They stop at Kingman for a 10 am car show tomorrow. The Run ends just short of crossing the Pipeline Bridge into California at the town of Topock, Arizona. Arizona boasts the longest remaining contiguous stretch of Route 66 and these cars travel the entire distance.

Richard, from Scottsdale, drove his 1957 Chevy pickup with a group of hot rods. While the others stayed in Flagstaff, Richard and his wife decided on Williams where they enjoy the dining fare at Rod’s Steakhouse on Route 66.
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Interstate 40 paving between Ash Fork and Williams to continue

Winter construction shutdowns have lifted, enabling crews to continue paving work on Interstate 40 between Williams and Ash Fork (mileposts 146 to 162) starting Monday, April 28.

Over the next eight weeks drivers can expect a single lane restriction on I-40 in each direction during work hours, which are between 1 a.m. and 8p.m. Monday through Friday.

The work is part of a 16-mile repaving project on I-40 between Williams and Ash Fork. The work also includes new pavement, guardrail replacement, pavement markings and some bridge work.

The project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2014.

Visitors and residents should remember that speeding through a construction zone increases the fines. Arizona also has a “move over” law requiring all vehicles to move over for any vehicle with flashing lights if you can do so safely.

Men suspected of being white supremacists plead not guilty to weapons, drug charges in Arizona

PHOENIX – Two members of a notorious family that authorities say once tried to set up a whites-only nation in America have pleaded not guilty to weapons and drug charges in Arizona.

Kirby Kehoe and his 37-year-old son, Cheyne, were arrested last month after authorities raided Kirby Kehoe’s 40-acre property near Ash Fork, Ariz., and seized dozens of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Both men have previous felony convictions and are banned from possessing firearms. They were arraigned Wednesday on multiple charges, including illegally possessing firearms and body armor and intent to distribute marijuana. Trial is set for Jan. 7 in Prescott.

Cheyne Kehoe’s attorney has said his client used a rifle found at his father’s home for target practice and that he has disavowed white supremacy. Kirby Kehoe’s public defender hasn’t returned telephone messages.

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