Rain/Snow over the weekend

640-141203-08WILLIAMS – The forecast for the weekend starts with rain 20% possible after 11 pm tonight through Saturday. This will change to rain and snow Sunday with the possibility of up to three-inches of snow accumulation over Sunday night. Monday there could be another one-inch of new snow. Snow and rain is expected to continue through Tuesday clearing up by Wednesday.

Temperatures will range from the mid-40s during the day to mid-20s at night. The highest winds expected are up to 13-mph on Sunday.

Flagstaff can expect about the same weather pattern with a couple of inches more of snow.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Emergency Management Present Community Emergency Response Team Training

coco-sheriff-300pxThe Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Emergency Management Division will present a (three) day Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training class at the High Country Fire-Rescue Station located at 6593 High Country Lane off of Highway 64. More than fifty CERT classes have been delivered to urban, rural and reservation communities throughout Coconino County.

The class will be held at the High Country Fire-Rescue Station beginning Friday, January 23, 2015 from 6 pm to 9 pm, Saturday, January 24, 2015 from 8 am to 5 pm and Sunday January 25, 2015 from 8 am to 5 pm. This training session is offered to all community members free of charge.

CERT Classes are offered by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and upon successful completion each participant will receive a Community Emergency Response Basic Certification and a back pack containing basic community emergency first responder gear to include Reflective Vest, Hard Hat, Eye Protection, Gloves, A four in One Tool and a CERT Field Response Guide.

Successful participants who wish to serve their community will be invited to join a team in Coconino County and will receive additional in-service training and will assist their local First Responders during Emergency and Non-Emergency events. CERT Team members in Flagstaff meet monthly for additional training. CERT Volunteers have been utilized during responses to Wild Land Fires, Flooding, Tornados, Heavy Snow Storms and many other natural disasters. CERT Volunteers have served in a variety of capacities to include staffing road blocks, assisting with neighborhood evacuation notification, staffing joint information call centers, assisting with Incident Command Centers, distributing neighborhood safety information and in many other areas. Community members who would like additional information or who wish to register for the basic training that will be conducted at the High Country Fire-Rescue Station are encouraged to call the Community Programs Office of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5089.
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The 12 Days of Williams: August 2014

Williams started August with rain and hail so heavy that it caused traffic to slow to the speed limit.

The weather caused some beautiful displays in Williams.

Congressional Democrats were so busy complaining about obstruction by the Republicans that they forgot to pass over 350 bills which languished on the desk of Harry Reid. Steve Stockman of Texas introduced a bill to address the border crisis. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas submitted her own proposal. This probably helped Independent voter registration to rise in Arizona.

The Panama Canal saw its 100th anniversary.

Senate Web Site photo

Senate Web Site photo

Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker received Prosecutor of the Year Award.

Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell passed away in August. Former State Senator Sylvia Allen was chosen to replace him on the ballot in November.

Using sophisticated statistical analysis, the Northern Arizona Gazette predicted the outcome of the city council race in Williams. Primary 2014 had few surprises.

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Cool Country Cruise-In returned to Williams. (See Also)

Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center held a pool party.
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The annual Thunder Over Coconino event was held in Valle.

A 38-year-old male was arrested for trespassing on a houseboat on Lake Powell and apparently holding a party. A man turned himself in for sexual misconduct with a minor. A Flagstaff man was arrested for sexual assault.

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Deputies were called to investigate a man struck by lightning and participated in an armed intruder response exercise.

The Coconino County Sheriff and Flagstaff Police warned against phone scams.

A serious accident occurred on I-40 near Bellemont.

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Williams held its annual Labor Day weekend celebration.
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Deaths
Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell

The 12 Days of Williams: July 2014

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let-freedom-ringSheriff Julian Whittington of Bossier Parish, Louisiana vowed that the ACLU would not stop the second annual “In God We Trust” rally. One editorial noted that it “…followed the best of our traditions.” He took the line from the Supreme Court decision of Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306 in which they stated:

We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being. We guarantee the freedom to worship as one chooses. We make room for as wide a variety of beliefs and creeds as the spiritual needs of man deem necessary. We sponsor an attitude on the part of government that shows no partiality to any one group and that lets each flourish according to the zeal of its adherents and the appeal of its dogma. When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions. For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs.

James_MadisonIn preparation for the Independence Day holiday, we presented a good read from the “Father of the Constitution,” James Madison. His paper, known as Property or On Property, is one of his unpublished papers reflecting his thoughts on what property is. Here is another thought by our fourth President. You might be interested in some thoughts on the Tenth Amendment. Here is a quote from Thomas Jefferson.

A newspaper owned by Benjamin Franklin which became available at an auction contained a simple report of a significant event in American history. It confirms that Independence was actually declared on July 2.

In the midst of celebrating our Independence, the administration allegedly celebrated by suing an American company for requiring their workers to speak English. In Mississippi a disgruntled former employee entered Keith’s Superstore and stabbed the manager eight times. A concealed carry permit holder chased the criminal down and held him for police. The manager then posted no guns signs.

Arizona was accused in court of denying drivers licenses to immigrants. This, of course, is a lie. Arizona denied licenses to illegal aliens. Recently the courts ordered Arizona to start issuing licenses to illegal aliens. Arizona was accused of batching an execution because Joseph Rudolph Wood III snored before he died. Unlike his victims who died in pain.

KOREAJuly 27 is a day to honor Korean War veterans in Arizona.

After the devastating Slide Rock fire, State Route 89A and Oak Creek Canyon businesses started opening.

The forest near Williams suffered some lightning caused fires. 32-year old Rocky Deibler of Williams lost his life in a one vehicle accident near Williams. An inmate committed suicide at the Coconino County Detention Facility.

Bearizona held its annual Backwoods BBQ.

The sun came out tomorrow

sno150101-36WILLIAMS – If there is any truth to the wives tale that what you are doing on New Year’s day you will be doing the rest of the year, it should make the City of Williams happy. With the water problems the city has experienced, a reported 14″ of snow fell on Williams on New Year’s day. Flagstaff received 18″ while Mountainaire topped out at 20″.
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There was expected to be a few more inches on New Year’s day, but instead the sun came out. The blanket of snow, though not enough to stay the water problem, was a beautiful sight. Since then the weather has been warm and the snow has been melting off.
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The long range forecast shows sunny and warm through Friday when the next amount of precipitation should occur. Flagstaff has a 30% chance for a dusting of snow on Saturday and rain through Monday. Williams can expect rain showers through Monday.
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This should help melt off much of any remaining snow, but could cause icy road conditions. Temperatures should remain in the mid-40s dropping to mid-20s overnight.

Fireworks in the Kaibab

rx-150106-05WILLIAMS – With the start of the New Year, the Kaibab National Forest service started prescribed burns once again. The fires were easily visible from the City of Williams. We have no information on their intentions or the length of the burns.
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New Year snow

640-141231-7WILLIAMS – The riders on the last few days of the Polar Express will find Santa Clause in snow for the first time. After a couple of months of winter waiting, Williams finally got a significant snow today. The long range weather forecast predicts about seven-inches by the end of the day with about an inch of new snow on New Year’s Day.

Flagstaff is expected to get about 10-inches with 3 to 5-inches overnight. They could get up to 2-inches tomorrow.

Last night until about 7:30, the sky was clear and stars were visible. Later that night the clouds moved in and snow started to fall about 10:58 p.m.

This morning Williams woke up to about two-inches and it continued to fall through the day piling up to about five-inches at about 1 p.m. Snow removal crews are on the job and Williams residents are taking pictures like tourists.

Many of the restaurants and shops are open, but Bearizona closed early in the morning. They, like everyone else, are shoveling snow and removing it from the roadways. Bearizona should re-open on Friday.

A funny thing about the weather

santa-fe-201412270-02WILLIAMS – Friday night I came home after walking the dog in about 25-degree temperature. The wind chill factor made it seem more like about 18-degrees. A friend reported that overnight temperatures reached the predicted 12-degrees.

I turned on the news and the Phoenix weather man reported that it was going to get cold in Phoenix and that temperatures had already dropped to 40-degrees in some areas.

That was more than our daytime temperature.

This being our coldest month, Williams and Flagstaff can expect a chance of rain and snow showers starting Tuesday through Friday with a possibility of about 3-inches, according to the long range forecast.

The highest temperature expected will be about 38-degrees tomorrow dropping to around 33 on New Year’s Day. The low at night will be about 17 tomorrow dropping to about 14-degrees on the First of January.
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While the cool weather has caused ice to form on top of the Santa Fe reservoir and kept snow on the ground, so far it is not near enough to affect a change in the water situation of the northern Arizona.

Williams gets white Christmas

sno141225-05WILLIAMS – Williams is experiencing a white Christmas with approximately an inch expected to fall throughout the day and overnight. Sunny skies return tomorrow. There is a chance of snow showers returning starting Monday night. Friday through Monday temperatures will range from around 37 during the day to a low of around 17 at night.

Flagstaff has a 10% chance of snow tomorrow morning but otherwise is about the same as Williams.
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Forest Service closes Bill Williams Mountain Road for winter

WILLIAMS – The Kaibab National Forest is closing the Bill Williams Mountain Road, also known as Forest Road 111, for the winter season beginning at 8 a.m. Dec. 24.

The steep and winding road, which goes to the top of Bill Williams Mountain just south of the City of Williams, is closed seasonally to ensure public safety during snow season.

The temporary closure will be lifted in the spring after the snow and ice thaw.