Bridge work resumes on SR 260 east of Payson next week

adot-logo-03aAfter upgrading five eastbound bridge approaches on State Route 260 last fall, the Arizona Department of Transportation is returning this month to replace and repave the approaches to three westbound bridges between mileposts 272-277, approximately 20 miles east of Payson.

Motorists traveling along SR 260 should allow extra travel time and be aware that westbound traffic will be shifted to the eastbound lanes, which will become a two-way roadway through the five-mile work zone, beginning on Tuesday, March 24. A 10-foot width restriction will be in place throughout construction and drivers should be aware of heavy traffic during peak travel times.

The $2.9 million improvement project, which is expected to be completed in August, includes the removal of the existing bridge approaches and departure slabs, repaving the roadway at the bridge approaches, guardrail reconstruction and the replacement of existing pavement markings.

Methodist church celebrates St. Patrick’s day

640-StPatrick15-03-17-4WILLIAMS — the annual Saint Patrick’s day corned beef and cabbage dinner at the United Community Methodist church of Williams seem to be a big success last night. The church is led by pastor Billy Martin.

Church volunteers cook and serve food straight from the kitchen.

Church volunteers cook and serve food straight from the kitchen.


The volunteers from the congregation spent a day cooking a great meal of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots, and baking soda bread. Some volunteers donated cupcakes, cookies, brownies and desserts.
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They even cleaned up afterwards.

The united Methodist church conducts this event each year in addition to their other community service. The church holds normal Sunday Services as well as Bible studies on Wednesdays. They also have a weekly dinner prior to the Bible study on Wednesday.

Spoiled Rotten Pet Boutique will hold vaccine clinic

928-635-2172/517 E. Route 66, Williams

WILLIAMS — Spoiled Rotten Pet Boutique at 517 E. Route 66 will host a vaccine clinic by the Williams Veterinary Clinic. The clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 28 and the terms are cash only. No credit cards please.

The canine vaccines available will be DA2PPV (distemper and parvo) for $20, rabies $18, bordetella $18.

Feline vaccines will include FVRCP (upper respiratory) for $20, $18 for rabies and $22 for FELV.

For more information you can call 928-635-5392.

Buckskinner reservoir dam o’r flows

800-15-03-16-02WILLIAMS — Buckskinner dam and the old Williams dam are overflowing and Williams is expecting a wet week.

300-15-03-15-14Spring is apparently closing in on Williams with warm weather, birds chirping and bees buzzing.

The snow melt is causing the water to rise and Cataract Creek to flow through town. The old dam is overflowing, but keeping the duck pond full. Although the Buckskinner reservoir dam is now overflowing, Cataract Creek is not flowing as well as days gone by. It is good, however, to see water in the Creek once again. The rise of water at Santa Fe seems to have slowed.
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Tomorrow the temperatures are expected to drop slightly tomorrow and through the week remaining in the mid-50s to low-60s. There is a 10% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow raising to 50% after 11 a.m. on Wednesday through Thursday morning. The chance of thunderstorms drops to 30% Thursday night.

There is a slight chance of rain continuing thereafter through Sunday.

Multi-Agency Response to Backcountry Fatality on San Francisco Peaks

sf-peaksFLAGSTAFF — On Saturday, March 14th, at approximately 12:50 PM the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Coordinator was notified by the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Patrol of a fatality in the backcountry near Doyle Saddle at approximately 11,400 feet elevation.

The victim, identified as Dan Huebner a 53 year old Flagstaff resident, had been on a backcountry ski tour with a friend. At approximately 10:45 AM Huebner collapsed below Agassiz Peak and just west of Doyle Saddle. Huebner’s skiing partner performed CPR for approximately 45 minutes with no change in Huebner’s condition. At that time he skied to the Arizona Snowbowl and reported the incident to Ski Patrol personnel.

The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit, Sheriff’s detectives, the United States Forest Service, and Arizona Snowbowl coordinated a response to the scene and the recovery of Huebner.

It was determined that the best course of action would be to ski and snowshoe to the victim’s location, conduct the investigation and prepare Huebner for extraction via a long line with the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter. Ski Patrol, Search and Rescue, and a detective arrived at the scene at approximately 4:30 PM.

The DPS Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to the Fort Valley Lodge and prepared for long line extrication. Huebner’s body was flown from the scene to the Lodge at approximately 5:45 PM where custody was transferred to the Coconino County Office of the Medical Examiner.

Huebner and his ski partner were very experienced and well prepared for the activity that they were engaged in. Backcountry winter travel has some unique hazards including the possibility of avalanche. Huebner and his partner were carrying the “Ten Essentials” and were additionally equipped with avalanche beacons, probes, and shovels. Both men had experience and training in the winter backcountry environment and are well respected in the backcountry skiing community.

Sheriff’s detectives and the medical examiner are continuing this investigation. At this point there are no signs of foul play and there is a possibility that the victim died as the result of a preexisting medical condition.

Three new bear cubs join Bearizona Wildlife Park

Bearizona Photo

Bearizona Photo

WILLIAMS — Bearizona Wildlife Park is excited to announce the arrival of three un”bear”ably cute North American bear cubs, which were born in early January at the Williams, Arizona Wildlife Park. The bear cubs will be viewable in a special care area of the park until May, when they will then be big enough to go out into their own enclosure within the walk through portion of the park.

Black Bears commonly have two to four cubs per litter, and can nurse up to six cubs. Despite high birthrates, only four out of ten cubs will reach their first year of life. The sixty percent of cub mortality is a result of starvation and depredation by male bears are other large carnivores.

Arizona has a stable wild population of black bear in the wild, however the elusive animals are rarely seen. Visitors to Bearizona Wildlife Park are able to get a close encounter with captive black bears, while learning about their habits and history.

“The connections people make between our animal residents and the habitats in which they reside are key to understanding and conserving wildlife,” explains COO and Curator Vanessa Stoffel. “We have a unique opportunity to educate the public about what it means to live with and recreate among black bears, and these little ambassador cubs are where it all begins.”

Bearizona is a wildlife park in which guests experience a scenic three-mile drive in their own vehicle or coach witnessing North American animals in their natural environment.

Visitors can then leisurely stroll through the forest along winding walkways to get an up-close look at the antics of baby and smaller animals in Fort Bearizona. Guests are encouraged to catch their complimentary Birds of Prey free flight show where they will come face to face with hawks, owls and other raptors.

Bearizona’s mission is to promote conservation through memorable and educational encounters with North American wildlife in a natural environment.

Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest to Celebrate Black History Month with Special Guest Darryl Haley

Darryl Haley

Darryl Haley

GRAND CANYON — Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest will host former-professional football player, Ironman tri-athlete and host of the radio talk show Fitness Friday, Darryl Haley for a special evening program in honor of Black History Month on Wednesday, March 18th at 7:30 p.m. at the Shrine of the Ages in Grand Canyon National Park. Mr. Haley will be joined by staff of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest promoting Black History Month and the Healthy Parks Healthy People initiative.

The Black History Month theme for 2015 is “Celebrating a Century of Black Life, History, Culture and Future Health of our People on our Public Lands”. Mr. Haley is a staunch advocate for parks and public lands as well as a renowned athlete and fitness trainer.

Mr. Haley, who also hosts WHUR’s (Howard University Radio) Fitness Friday during the Steve Harvey Morning Show, hopes to show that parks are places diverse audiences can enjoy, and that they offer a wide range of opportunities for people of varying fitness levels to experience and recreate on their public lands.

grand-canyon1He will be joined on stage by Margaret Hangan and Danelle D. Harrison, USFS. Ms. Hangan is the staff archeologist for the Kaibab National Forest and will be presenting on the history of African American people in northern Arizona. Ms. Harrison is the District Ranger for the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest and will be presenting on the Forest Service role in providing healthy recreation opportunities for diverse communities.

During the week, graduate students from Howard University will be working with staff of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest, reviewing the agencies’ respective archives while researching the history of diverse individuals in the Grand Canyon region. These stories not only demonstrate the past contributions of diverse individuals to the northern Arizona landscape but also open doors of understanding, forging connections for people today and in the future to their public lands.

Black History Month is about celebrating and honoring the past and creating memories now to carry into the future. As a health and fitness enthusiast, Haley’s programs reach diverse audiences and help promote the making of black history, breaking down barriers in human and race relations. Providing equitable access to public lands and promoting the health and well being of all people are critical components of Healthy Parks Healthy People.

Local artist gets mentions in national magazines

640-LookbookWILLIAMS — Local bear artist Brenda Carter is getting attention by national industry magazines. In January of this year, she received recognition for Miss Penelope in teddy bear & friends magazine. This month she is mentioned with others in Bear Beautiful magazine.

Brenda grew up in England during WWII amid air raids and bombs dropping. Many a day was spent in the basement of their home during a raid and amazingly the damage to her home consisted mainly of windows blown in and ceilings falling down while other homes on the street were destroyed.

Over fifty-years ago, she immigrated to the USA. Meeting her husband many years later. He served with the Sheriff’s Office in California for 26 years. After his passing she moved to Williams and opened a gift shop called Autumn Buffalo for about 12 years.

When she retired, she started a hobby of making dollhouses and furniture. Later her friend Lorrie a well known sculptor of art dolls (LorelieBlu Studio) taught her how to sculpt fantasy dolls.

Brenda started a Facebook page called Teddy Bears and Fantasy Dolls and quickly gathered many followers. The past couple years she started to think about how much her little teddy bear from the war gave her comfort which she still has and decided to start creating Teddy Bears for others to collect and make their own memories. This is when she moved into making Teddy Bears and became a Banner member of Artist Bears International where she posts her work for sale.

PROPOSED ARIZONA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (AZPDES) PERMIT DENIAL

Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-B903(C) the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to deny an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant:

Public Notice No. 15-44                   Published on Friday, March 13, 2015
Published in the Prescott Courier

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0025925
Chimney Ranch Mobile Home Park, LLC
P.O. Box 1012
Rocklin, CA 95677

Chimney Ranch Mobile Home Park, LLC applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the discharge of up to 0.017 million gallons per day (mgd) of treated domestic wastewater from the Chimney Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to the Big Bug Creek in the Middle Gila River Basin in Township 12 N, Range 1 E, Section 23, in Yavapai County, Arizona. ADEQ proposes to deny the application for the AZPDES permit pursuant to A.A.C. R18-1-507(C). This preliminary decision is based on the applicant’s failure to sufficiently respond to all items in the notice of administrative deficiencies sent February 10, 2014, the Second Notice of Administrative Deficiencies sent July 3, 2014 and a follow-up notice sent on October 7, 2014.

The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Jacqueline Maye, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).

 

Methodist Church annual St. Patrick’s Day supper next Tuesday

640-Methodist-WILLIAMS – The Community United Methodist Church of Williams will hold it’s annual St. Patrick’s Day corned beef supper next Tuesday. The supper will run from 5 to 7 p.m. or until they run out of food. The church is located on the corner of Sherman and 2nd Street.

This popular event includes potatoes and carrots, rolls and desserts with the traditional corned beef and cabbage. Drinks included.