Category Archives: Flagstaff

ADOT begins I-17 intersection improvement at JW Powell south of Flagstaff

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – Work begins next week on the JW Powell Boulevard and I-17 intersection, with construction realigning State Route 89A at that location, and adding roundabouts at the Fort Tuthill County Park entrance and the I-17 southbound ramp.

Preparations for this project began last September when ADOT worked closely with Coconino County, the city of Flagstaff and the local utility company to remove trees within the work zone prior to construction starting this year. The trees were then used by a local non-profit throughout the winter. The area will be reseeded once the project is completed.

No traffic restrictions are anticipated during construction because the existing ramps and roadway can still be used while the realignment and roundabouts are constructed adjacent to current traffic operations.

The project is anticipated to be complete by summer 2015.

Improvement project on US 180 in Flagstaff has started

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – Improvements include improving and adding turn lanes, new pavement and guardrail improvements between Columbus Avenue and Bader Road. There is currently work along the shoulder of the road with no lane restrictions. However, travelers using this route can expect delays and lane restrictions through the project area as early as Monday, June 9 as construction continues.

In addition, some night work will take place during the asphalt milling and paving operations to minimize impacts to heavier daytime traffic.

Motorists interested in traveling to the Grand Canyon can use I-40 to State Route 64 west of Flagstaff as an alternate route.

Sheriff’s Deputies investigate murder of Flagstaff Man

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FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives are investigating the murder of 56 year-old David Allen Christine of Flagstaff, AZ. Mr. Christine’s body was located by a passing motorist near Star School located on Leupp Road.

On Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at about 5:30 a.m. the Flagstaff Police Department/Coconino County Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch Center received a call from a motorist who was traveling on Leupp Road (Forrest Service 505). According to the reporting party, he was in the area located just east of Star School when he observed what he believed to be a body off of the roadway in the dirt.

Deputies arrived to find a Guardian Medical Transport team was already on scene. The subject was found to be deceased. During the initial investigation a detective who was at the scene observed indications of foul play. After the scene was processed and photographed, the victim was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office in Flagstaff.

There were no forms of identification on the victim, and detectives received information causing them to believe the individual frequented several homeless shelters in Flagstaff. Investigators interviewed multiple clients of several homeless centers in Flagstaff in an attempt to identify the victim but met with no results.

Fingerprints were taken from the deceased and with the assistance of the United States Marshals Office the prints were submitted to a federal forensic laboratory that provides results in a short period of time. The results of the fingerprint analysis identified the body to be that of 56 year-old David Allen Christine of Flagstaff. Subsequently Flagstaff Police Officers located a white Plymouth mini-van registered to the victim parked outside a local motel.

The victim is described as a white male, 56 years of age, 5’11” in height, weighing approximately 135 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing black Levi pants, black shoes, a beige
t-shirt, and a blue Columbia polar fleece jacket.

Manner of death will be determined during the examination conducted by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Williams wakes up to Slide Rock fire smoke

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srfw-140522-02WILLIAMS – The citizens of the City of Williams woke up with a reminder of just how serious the fire in Oak Creek is. Like Flagstaff yesterday, Williams seems to be receiving smoke from the Slide Rock fire. The City of Williams is almost 39-miles from the south edge of the fire threatening Kachina Village and Forest Highlands.

About 3,000 residents of Kachina Village and Forest Highlands have been warned to evacuate. An email we received indicated that Munds Park and Mountainair may be evacuated if the fire jumps I-17, but we have found no official information.

The fire, reported at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, started about 5 miles north of Sedona just north of Slide Rock State Park. the fire has grown to 4,830 acres due to high winds and difficult terrain. The difficulty of fighting the fire and the swiftness of its spread is also caused by lawsuits generated by “green” organizations which prevent the forest service from ridding the forest of fire fuels. This also forces the forest service to fund legal fees over maintaining the forest.

As of last night, fire managers saw very active fire behavior including runs, spotting, and torching as the fire became established in the upper Sterling Canyon area. Crews quickly responded with burnout operations along forest service road 535 west to State Route 89A to the north. Fire retardant was also used heavily in steep terrain along the west flank with good results. The latest word from the Coconinco County Sheriff’s Office hotline is that 89a is open and passable, but motorist are cautioned about the smoky conditions causing limited visibility. For motorist for respiratory conditions, you might consider Interstate 17 to State Route 179 to get to Sedona.

The fire transitioned to a Type I Incident Management Team bringing many additional resources to the fire. 840 fire fighting personnel are battling the blaze including Hot Shot crews and air craft.

Approximately 300 structures, private homes as well vacation resort cabins and a Forest Service lookout tower.

While the fire is under investigation, it appears to be human caused. Law Enforcement is seeking any information the public may have regarding the start of the Slide Fire and anyone of suspicion in the area yesterday between Slide Rock State Park and Half Way Picnic Area. The public should call Forest Service Law Enforcement at 928-527-3511 if they have any information that might assist law enforcement in the investigation.

As of late, Kaibab National Forest has not indicated a closure of the forest. Bob Pena, a local resident with 28-years of fire fighting service, said that the forest service does not evoke closures until the fire danger reaches extreme. Current fire danger is high.

Northern Arizona is still waiting to see what thunderstorms predicted over the weekend will bring. It is hoped that sufficient rainfall will assist fire fighters on the Slide Rock Fire as well as dampen the other forest areas to prevent new problems.
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Officials issue pre-evacuation notice for portions of Flagstaff

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Photo courtesy of Brenda Carter.

Photo courtesy of Brenda Carter.

FLAGSTAFF – The City of Flagstaff has issued a notice of a pre-evacuation order on its web site. The notice is for the Kachina Village and Forest Highlands area. Residents should call 928-679-4173 for questions.

Residents should start collecting any important papers, such as deeds, birth certificates, insurance papers, family photo albums, etc. Residents should also pack any fire arms, ammunition, jewelery and other valuables to take in the event of a forced evacuation. It would also be wise to take any “bug out” kits residents might have prepared.

The photo above is from a Williams resident who reports the smoke and ash from the fire is thick and getting thicker.

Does Slide Rock fire portend foreboding for Williams?

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The Twin Fire of October 2009 near Williams caused by an out-of-control prescribed burn. (Photo Marv Mason from I-40)

The Twin Fire of October 2009 near Williams caused by an out-of-control prescribed burn. (Photo Marv Mason from I-40)

WILLIAMS – The dry winter season has caused the reservoirs in Williams to start to dry up. These reservoirs not only provide drinking water, but a source of fire fighting water for the forests.

20091004-029Williams has not seen a major fire since a prescribed burn went out of control resulting in the Twin Fires of October 2009. Two prescribed burns were swept by winds to join into a conflagration that caused concern and evacuations of portions of the City of Williams.

At that time water in Williams was plentiful.

Mayor John Moore of Williams optimistically stated that we probably have enough non-potable water in Santa Fe, Gonzales Lake and other reservoirs to fight a fire. He is not anxious, however, to test the theory. Williams would have access to the Hot Shots, air craft and other fire resources currently combating the Slide Rock fire.

“The Slide Rock fire is a bad situation,” Mayor Moore said. “I am sorry for those people. I’m happy we don’t have a fire here, but that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t occur here. Particularly looking at the thunderstorm situation predicted for this weekend. Those are actually fire starters.”

Williams normally experiences high winds during this time frame which generally rescind, for the most part, after Memorial Day. Winds are expected to be between 7 to 13 mph with gusts up to 24 mph through Thursday night. The long range forecast for this week shows a chance of thunderstorms through Memorial Day with a 20% chance of precipitation Thursday night rising to 30% Friday night.

The question is whether or not there will be enough precipitation to keep the Kaibab Forest around Williams open.

“I will be talking to the forest service tomorrow [May 20] to see if they have got any new plans; what their intentions are,” Moore said. “Right now if they said ‘Close her down’ I would support them 100%. I hate to loose the business—and we are going to loose business—but that’s our livelihood for years to come.”

Single Vehicle Roll-Over on Snowbowl Road Resulting in Serious Injury

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DSCN2003FLAGSTAFF – A single-vehicle accident occurred on Wednesday resulting in a serious injury on Snowbowl road.

At approximately 4:58 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a traffic collision on Snowbowl Road in the area of mile post 3.4. Upon arrival Deputies found a Freightliner flatbed utility truck rolled over.

The investigation of Deputies revealed that the truck was owned by Allison Transmission from Indiana, and was being driven to test transmissions installed in commercial vehicles. Both occupants of the vehicle were also from Indiana. One occupant was trapped in the cab and required extrication by Summit Fire District responders.

The 23 year old driver and the 21 year old passenger were transported to Flagstaff Medical Center by Guardian Medical Transport. Forest Service and Arizona Department of Public Safety also assisted in the response to this incident.

The passenger sustained non-life threatening injuries and the driver is in critical condition. No cargo was being carried by the truck. Investigation of the roll-over event is ongoing with the assistance of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

2nd Annual High Country Stand Down for Veterans this weekend

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stand-down-logoFLAGSTAFF – The 2nd annual High Country Stand Down for veterans will be held this Friday and Saturday in Flagstaff. The event is a part of the Arizona Veterans Stand Down organization.

The stand down is designed to reach out to homeless veterans and other veterans at risk. Services provided include VA health care, pet services, dental exams and services, mental health services, clothing, meals, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing, ID and drivers licenses, court services and legal aide, showers and haircuts and myriad other services and resources.

The Stand Down will be held in two locations in Flagstaff. On Friday May 16 it will be at the Flagstaff Armory at 320 N. Thorpe Road from 10 am to 5 pm. This day is open to the public until 5 pm. After 5 pm only veterans will be allowed.

On Saturday the Stand Down veteran surplus distribution will be held the American Legion Post #2 at 204 Birch from 8 am to 3 pm. On Saturday only veterans will be permitted.

The Stand Down is sponsored by Coconino County, the City of Flagstaff, Department of Economic Security, American Legion, The Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness, the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation.

Flagstaff will hold their annual Armed Forces Day parade beginning at 11 am.

Run for the Wall arrives today

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r4tw-2006-01FLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS – The riders of Run for the Wall are expected to start arriving in Williams in two groups today. The first group will arrive and continue on to Flagstaff while the second will stop in Williams.

The first group of Vietnam veterans will start arriving at about 4:30 and will stop for fuel before continuing on to Flagstaff.

The second group will arrive at about 6:30 and start the traditional Run for the Wall motorcycle parade down historic Route 66. They will proceed to the American Legion Cordova Post #13 to be served dinner by volunteers from Williams.

Run for the Wall is an annual event in which Vietnam veterans ride to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. arriving on Memorial day. The event is over twenty years old and the mission is to allow healing for Vietnam veterans and their families and to call attention to the fact that the national government has still not demanded a full accounting of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Blue Ridge Neighborhood Watch Meeting Wednesday

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neighborhoodwatchBLUE RIDGE – The next Neighborhood Watch Meeting for the Blue Ridge and Happy Jack areas will be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 beginning at 6:00 pm at the Blue Ridge Fire Station located at 5023 Enchanted Lane.

Deputy Rick Shouse and Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand to give an update for the Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Shouse will speak about activity in the neighborhood that has occurred during the last month. District 4 Supervisor Mandy Metzger will be at the meeting to give an update on the operation of Coconino County Government and to share information. Marc Della Rocca who is the Public Relations Manager for the Coconino County Public Works Department will give an update on County Roads. Fire District Chief John Banning will give an update on the Blue Ridge Fire Department.

Jeb Koons who is the Fire Management Officer for the Coconino National Forest and Robert Auza who is the assistant Fire Manager will give a current Outlook for the 2014 Wild Land Fire Season. They will also speak about the “Ash Barrel” project.

Zach Ellinger who is a Fire Prevention Technician for the United States Forest Service will speak about the “One Less Spark-One Less Wildfire” program. Fire danger in Arizona is above normal levels. Significantly dry conditions are present due to historically low precipitation and high temperatures. Everyone has the responsibility to prevent human-caused wildfires. “One Less Spark-One Less Wildfire” is a public information campaign designed to inform the motoring public on how to prevent vehicle or equipment caused wildfires. The campaign is in part the product of research conducted by The Forest Service Research Station and the Centers for Disease Control. According to their research, vehicle or equipment caused fires are a major source of wildfires and are among the most costly and damaging fires because they begin near busy roadways and often, interrupt traffic, negatively impact roadside scenery and threaten settled areas.

The goal of the One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire Campaign is to use an all lands, all voices coordinated approach to guide interagency efforts for wildfire prevention to reduce human-caused wildfires in the Southwest.