Category Archives: Yavapai

Forest Service hosts community meetings for proposed Yavapai-Apache Nation Land Exchange

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PRESCOTT — The Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab, and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests have begun the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process for a proposed land exchange with the Yavapai-Apache Nation and a Draft Environmental Assessment is available for public review and comment. The Forest Service is hosting two informational community meetings: January 17 in Camp Verde and January 18 in Prescott. These are open house format. Agency leadership, subject matter experts, and resource specialists will be on hand to answer questions and provide instructions for submitting formal comments.

Camp Verde Open House
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Phillip England Auditorium, 210 Lincoln Rd.

Prescott Open House
Thursday, January 18, 2024,
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
The Center, 1280 E. Rosser St.

The Yavapai-Apache Nation Federal Land Exchange involves the proposed exchange to the United States of approximately 4,782 acres of inholdings within the National Forest System, owned by the Yavapai-Apache Nation. The Nation’s exchange lands include six parcels located in four national forests – Prescott, Coconino, Kaibab, and Apache Sitgreaves – all of which are surrounded by National Forest System lands. In exchange, the Nation would receive approximately 3,201 acres of federal land, most of which is in the wildland-urban interface, and nearly all of which is contiguous to the Nation’s existing lands near Camp Verde, Arizona.

The Draft Environmental Assessment and supplemental materials can be found on the project website at fs.usda.gov/project/prescott/?project=63848. Additional information is also available at yavapai-apache.org/land-exchange/.

Yavapai County Sheriff warns of jewelry fraud.

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Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office is assisting with the ongoing investigation of fraudulent sales of fake gold jewelry being sold as real in the Verde Valley, and more recently, Chino Valley and Ash Fork/Seligman areas. There have been multiple reports from citizens and a local jewelry store of an unknown suspect scamming people by approaching them with a sob story about why he needs money and offering to sell his “gold jewelry” to unsuspecting victims. YCSO would like to encourage our citizens and visitors to refrain from engaging in private sales of expensive goods during random encounters with strangers. These situations often pose a significant risk of malicious schemes designed to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Don’t fall victim to this fake jewelry scheme occurring across Yavapai County.
If you have any information, please contact YCSO non-emergency line (928)771-3274 or Yavapai Silent Witness 1-800-932-3232.

Tunnel Fire and Crooks Fire updates

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FLAGSTAFF/PRESCOTT — The Tunnel Fire in Flagstaff has grown to over 16,000 acres and a Type 1 Incident Management Team has been ordered and is scheduled to arrive Thursday. High winds have grounded air resources which are unable to fly due to wind thresholds for aircraft during firefighting operations.

Some structures have been lost. Unofficial reports are some houses are lost. Some reports are that the fire acted so swiftly that some animals were spooked and have been lost.

Coconino County Emergency Management has set up a call center for evacuees at 928-679-8525.

The Crooks Fire 11 miles south of Prescott Arizona is now 1600 Acres.

The restricted area for the fire consists of all National Forest System lands, waters, roads, and trails within the boundary starting at the intersection of State Route 89 and the National Forest (NF) boundary, proceeding east along the NF boundary for approximately 10 miles, then following the NF boundary south for approximately 6 miles, then following the NF boundary east for approximately 2 miles, then following the NF boundary south for approximately 6 miles, then following the NF boundary for approximately 1 mile to the junction with County Road 177, then following County Road 177 for approximately 10 miles to the intersection with Forest Road (FR) 52, then following FR 52 south for approximately 3 miles to the intersection with Forest Trail (FT) 275, then following FT 275 west for approximately 4 miles to the intersection with FR 82A, then following FR 82A southwest for approximately 5 miles to the intersection with FR 94, then following FR 94 northwest for approximately 3 miles to the junction with the NF boundary, then following the NF boundary north for 1 mile, then following the NF boundary west for 4 miles, then following the NF boundary north for approximately 5 ½ miles to the intersection with State Route 89, then following the eastside of State Route 89 northeast for approximately 13 miles back to the point of beginning at State Route 89 and the junction of the NF boundary. State Route 89 remains open.

A Community Meeting for the Crooks Fire will be held on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 6:30 pm at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, 3700 Willow Creek Dr. Prescott, AZ

The meeting will be live streamed to the Prescott National Forest Facebook and you do NOT need an account to watch. If you are unable to attend, the recording will be available to view afterwards at https://www.facebook.com/PrescottNF . ASL Interpreter and Closed Captioning services will be provided.

Moisture moving in may bring flash floods

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WILLIAMS — A moist airmass over Arizona with the potential of heavy rain producing thunderstorm complexes caused the National Weather service to issue a flash flood watch in portions of east central and west central Arizona. The areas affected are northern Gila County, Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Yavapai County Mountains, and Yavapai County Valleys and Basins. Rainfall rates can result in strong, rapidly rising water in area washes, which may create hazardous conditions at low water crossings. . Localized rainfall amounts could exceed 1 inch in less than an hour, with storm total rainfall possibly above 3 inches. The Flash Flood Watch runs from September 23 at 3:19AM MST until September 24 at 5:00AM MST.

NOAA warns against crossing flooded roads and low-laying areas. No matter how powerful your vehicle, it does not take much water flow to carry it downstream.

In Williams there is an 40% chance of thunderstorms raising to 80% tonight. Thunderstorms are likely through Sunday.

Freeman no longer a free man

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WILLIAMS – All three suspects who fled police this morning are now in custody.

At approximately 10:45 AM, a Yavapai County Sheriff K9 attempted to stop a maroon 4 door sedan for a traffic violation east I-40 in the Ash Fork area. As the vehicle failed to yield, a male passenger appeared to be thrown from the vehicle and was detained.
The k9 unit pursued the vehicle at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The vehicle apparently became disabled and pulled off at milepost 165 near the Bearizona attraction and crashed into a culvert.

One of the remaining two suspects was apprehended almost immediately at the ADOT yard on Route 66 near the Bearizona Wild Life park. The suspect identified as John Dale Freeman fired shots at deputies and fled beginning a six-hour manhunt with units of the Yavapai County and Coconino County Sheriff’s Departments, the Williams Police Department and the Department of Public Safety including the DPS helicopter. The Arizona Department of Transportation also assisted and Kaibab Forest Rangers may have also participated. None of the search party were injured in the event.

Arizona DPS helicopter flies over Williams searching for suspect.


Schools in Williams were locked down as was Bearizona. Guests of Bearizona were gathered in the Gift Shop and Restaurant area for a couple of hours. They were eventually allowed to evacuate the park. Parents of Williams were required to pick up their kids from schools early and kids in outlying areas were bused home at the regular time.

Freeman in custody.


Various reports of sightings of Freeman occurred in Williams with none being confirmed. The search continued in the forested areas around Bearizona until about 3:30 p.m. when Freeman was reported captured outside of Bearizona. The other two suspects have not yet been identified.

Freeman turns from camera while in police vehicle.


Citizens around Williams reported recognizing Freeman as frequenting the Williams area. Others in Flagstaff reported on the Facebook page of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department that they recognized him around Flagstaff. Freeman may have lived in Williams according to some accounts. Our research shows that Freeman may have a criminal past.

High speed chase ends in crash and manhunt in Williams

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WILLIAMS – A chase by Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies which began in Ash Fork ended in a crash at exit 165 in Williams at about 11. It appears there were three suspects, one was injured in the crash and one was apprehended at the ADOT yard on Route 66. A manhunt is in effect for one suspect, considered armed and dangerous.

Williams schools are currently on lock-down. Bearizona was on lock-down, but it appears they are allowing traffic out of the wild life park, but traffic is still being re-routed on Route 66. Traffic on I-40 still appears to be moving.

Details are not known about the cause of the chase or what the suspects were wanted for. There were gunshots fired, but there are no reports of injuries at this time.

Units from the Williams Police Department, Coconino County Sheriff’s office and the Department of Public Safety are participating in the search.

ADEQ Announces $37,734 Brownfield Grant Award to the City of Cottonwood, Yavapai, AZ

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PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today a $37,734 Brownfields Grant award to the City of Cottonwood to revitalize the downtown area by performing an Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Abatement on the Cottonwood Civic Center. The remodeling of this historic building is a step in the process of bringing new life to the historic Old Town Cottonwood district.

The Cottonwood Civic Center was built in 1939 using local sandstone and river rock and partially funded by the Works Progress Administration. The building has fallen into disrepair due to the expense of removing the lead-based paint and asbestos found in the construction materials. The Brownfields Grant abatement was scheduled for completion March 3, 2017.

ADEQ Announces $97,630 Brownfield Grant Award to the Town of Camp Verde, Yavapai, AZ

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PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today a $97,630 Brownfields Grant award to the Town of Camp Verde to revitalize the downtown area by performing an Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Abatement on the old library building, removing it and making way for expanded parking for the newly constructed Camp Verde Community Library.

The abatement will allow the library to safely park more patrons and hold more community events. Since opening the new 17,000 square-foot facility in November 2016, the Camp Verde Community Library has seen more than 26,700 visitors, issued 500 new library cards and held more than 124 community events. The Brownfields Grant abatement of the old library building is scheduled for completion by mid-March.

Amateur Radio Field Day active Saturday

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CARC Photo

FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the annual Field Day event sponsored by the Amateur Radio Relay League. The event will be held at the Silver Saddle Outdoor Market on Highway 89a in Flagstaff. In Prescott, the Yavapai Amateur Radio Club will be hosting an event at the Jeep Posse building.

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CARC Photo

Amateur radio clubs across the nation participate in this event allowing the uninitiated a chance to find out what Amateur radio is all about. You DO NOT have to have an Amateur radio license to get a chance to work the equipment. If you are new to Ham radio, this is an opportunity to check out various HF operations.

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CARC Photo

Amateur radio has more to offer in this technologically advanced age. Most people do not realize that, with the Internet and Voice Over the Internet Protocol, you do not even need to purchase a radio. Echolink is a popular program that you can download and use on your computer and smart phone. You must have at least a technician license to use the program. There are web sites that allow you to operate over HF frequencies if you have the proper credentials.

Demonstrations at the Flagstaff location include:

  • SINGLE SIDE BAND RADIO
  • G.O.T.A (Get On The Air) STATION (You can talk of the radio)
  • DIGITAL STATION – sending message from radio to internet to radio, or, peer-to-peer
  • Auto Patch – Radio to phone
  • RIMLINK – Relaying radio messages from repeater to another repeater to reach Phoenix
  • APRS – Automatic Packet Reporting System
  • Alternative power sources – solar, hand cranked generator

Amateur radio groups across the country will operate at the exact same time and have similar activities. In Arizona the main operation will be from Saturday, June 25 at 11 a.m. ending Sunday at 11 a.m. In Flagstaff, the Coconino club will be setting up at 9 a.m. on Friday and members will be available in the afternoon for questions and possibly some demonstrations.

At 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Flagstaff location, the CARC will be giving the test for Amateur Extra for those who desire to get the license before the new examination is issued July 1. You must provide a picture I.D., copy of Amateur Radio license, and $15 fee. You need to bring a pencils for filling out the answer sheet and black pen for filling out the applications. You may bring and use a simple calculator.

Are you ready to get your Amateur Radio License?

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UPDATED 20160423 9:38 a.m.
800-UV-2501-16-01-08-3If you have been studying to get your Amateur Radio license, you have two chances coming up in May.

The Coconinco County Amateur Radio club is planning an exam for all classes of license on May 14 from 9:00 – 11:00 AM. The examination will be held at the North County Health Care classroom. The North County Health Care center is at 2920 N 4th Street in Flagstaff. Visit their web site for information on what you are required to bring for the exam.

In Yavapai county you have an opportunity to become licensed by the Yavapai Amateur Radio club. They require you to obtain an Federal Registration Number (FRN). The requirements can be found on their web site. Their next exam is also scheduled for May 14 and you can take a practice exam on Tuesday May 10. You must pre-register online. The exam will be held in the Jeep Posse Building 1200 Commerce Drive in Pioneer Park behind the outdoor hockey rink (MAP).

The fee for the examination at either location is $15. You can take all three levels of exam unless you fail one along the way. You must pay another fee to continue or you can choose to take what you get and go home to study.

You are not required to know Morse code for any of the exams. That requirement has been stricken. However you can go on to learn Morse code for fun later.

Amateur radio is becoming more popular since lower priced hand held radios have been dumped on the market. They give you more range than those cheap Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radios you purchase in department stores. It also gives you access to more frequencies and propagation modes using amateur satellites and even bouncing a signal off of the moon.

There are many other aspects to Amateur Radio including emergency communications during disasters.