Category Archives: Education

Student archers taking aim at 2016 state tournament

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Archery_in_Schools_-_2_1PHOENIX — More than 320 student archers from throughout Arizona, participants on the state level of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), will be competing Saturday in the 2016 state tournament and 3D shoot at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department coordinates NASP on the state level and hosts a half-dozen state qualifying tournaments throughout the academic year, beginning in September and ending in March. The top three boys and girls competing in the bullseye and 3D events in three divisions — elementary, middle and high school — will be awarded.

The student archers also will be attempting to qualify for the 2016 national NASP tournament, scheduled for May 12-14 in Louisville, Ky.

The competition will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the FITA and FITA practice ranges. Admission is free. Several local outdoors organizations, as well as a food truck, will be on-site.

The program is a physical education curriculum designed to teach international-style target archery for students in grades 4 through 12. The core content covers safety, techniques, equipment, mental concentration, and self-improvement, as well as the history of the sport.

It’s also about having fun. Kelsey Gerchar, the department’s archery education coordinator, said there has been tremendous interest in the NASP/IBO 3D Challenge, where students take shots at six different foam animal targets placed at various distances, then rotate to take shots at each of the remaining targets.

“This interest has led to the introduction of a new NASP bowhunting program the department will be rolling out at the end of the year,” Gerchar said.

Arizona’s Archery in the Schools program is funded through an excise tax on the sale of hunting and shooting sports equipment. No state general funds are used to support the program. Game and Fish administers the program for the purpose of promoting safe, responsible aspects of the sport, as well as wildlife conservation as part of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Act (WSFR). Visit www.azgfd.gov/archery for more information.

Heritage Elementary invites residents to come and read to students

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WILLIAMS — Heritage Elementary School, here in Williams, is celebrating A love of reading week February 8 to 11. They are inviting people from the community to come and read to the students.

Choose from the following: Monday 2/8, Tuesday 2/9, and Thursday 2/11 from 9 am-11 am and 12:30 am-2 pm

If you are interested, please call the school and set up a time to read. Please choose a day, time, age group (K-8th grade) and name of a book you will bring to read (or the school will supply one)

Time slots run 15-20 minutes per class.

Residents wishing to participate may call 635-3998. The school is located at 790 E Rodeo Rd.

Emergency Response Training for teens this Saturday

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Sheriff-Patch005WILLIAMS/PARKS/TUSAYAN/VALLE — Sergeant James Steng of the Coconino County Sheriff’s office will be holding a training course starting this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CERT, Community Emergency Response Team grew out of the natural desire to help others during and after a natural disaster. The first people on most scenes after a disaster are survivors who want to help.

The primary objective of Teen CERT is to teach young citizens how to keep themselves, their family members and their fellow students safe before and during a disaster and how to assist them during the aftermath of a disaster. Teens will learn how to best prepare for a disaster and how to assess the scene after a disaster. They will also learn how to conduct a search and rescue operation and how to suppress small fires.

The advantage of this type of training is that it is something a teen can carry throughout their lifetime. FEMA even sponsors online training courses one can take to further their education.

The training sessions will start this Saturday, January 9, 2016 8 am to 5 pm. The next session will follow the next Saturday, January 16, 2016 8 am to 5 pm and finish with a last session on Saturday January 23, 2016 8 am to 12 noon.

Interested teens who would like more information or who wish to register for this training are asked to call Sergeant James Steng at (928) 679-8735 or (928) 607-6470.

Williams Middle School Drama club presents Hairball

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WMS-DramaHairball-1WILLIAMS — The Williams Middle School Drama club presents Hairball; a modern comedy about the trials and tribulations of hair. The presentation will be at the Bud Parenteau Auditorium at the middle school, 601 N 7th Street in Williams. The play will be Wednesday, September 30 at 6:30 and the cost is $1 for students and $2 for adults.

2015 Fall Session of the Northern Arizona Citizen’s Police Academy Open for Enrollment

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flagstaff-policeFLAGSTAFF — The Flagstaff Police Department, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Northern Arizona University Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are pleased to announce that the 2015 Fall Session of the Northern Arizona Citizen’s Police Academy (CPA) will begin on Wednesday, September, 2015 at 6:00 pm.

CPA is a multi-agency program designed to promote awareness and understanding thus fostering a partnership of trust and shared responsibility between interested law abiding citizens and law enforcement. This 10 week 13 class program meets on Wednesday nights and couple of Saturday’s beginning September 9, 2015. Wednesday night classes are held at the Brent Cooper memorial auditorium located at 911 E. Sawmill Road, Flagstaff Arizona from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Participation in this program is free of charge and open to all law abiding community members.

Topics that are covered include:
1. Tour of the Coconino County Detention Facility
2. Overview of Felony Crimes and Criminal Investigations
3. Tour of the AZ Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory
4. Demonstration of the drug interdiction K9 unit from the Department of Public Safety.
5. Overview of Traffic Enforcement and Highway Safety Programs

For more information or to register for this program please call Sgt Margaret Bentzen of the Flagstaff Police Department at (928) 556-2300 or Community Programs Planner, Gerry Blair of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928)226-5089. Applications will be posted on both the County and City websites.

Registration or applications will be accepted at this time and up until August 28, 2015.

Happy Birthday Milton Friedman

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milton_friedmanNobel award winning economist Milton Friedman was born July 31, 1912 in Brooklyn, New York City, NY. Friedman was the undisputed champion of the proper capitalist system as described by Adam Smith in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations published in 1776. He embarrassed the unconstitutional Federal Reserve by proving how they caused the Great Depression. Ben Bernake later admitted they “accidentally” caused the collapse of economies around the world.

Friedman correctly pointed out that in the era of less government regulation, the mass of the people were more well-off than in highly regulated society of today. In fact the “gap” between the poor and the wealthy continues to rise and the mainstream media questions what government regulation it will take to stop it. They championed the $15 an hour minimum wage in Washington which had the result of the loss of jobs as fast food restaurants installed ordering kiosks.

Of his many books, his most noted work is probably Capitalism and Freedom published in 1962. In it he points out the fallacy of “progressives” usurping the term “liberal” to describe their Marxist political philosophy.

His emphasis was on education in skills, instead of degrees in poetry and feminine studies, as a means to escape poverty. He founded the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.

Milton Friedman passed away in November of 2006.


Get out of town: Explore Route 66

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UPDATED 7/29 4:02 Thanks to Linda Messimer for the correction on Davenport Lake.

WILLIAMS— Williams has the distinction of being the last route 66 town bypassed by interstate 40. The mural on the wall by Circle K is a tribute to that. So while you are here you might want to stay an extra day in Williams to explore the Mother Road.

"On Arizona Highway 87, south of Chandler. Maricopa County, Arizona." by Dorothea Lange - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

“On Arizona Highway 87, south of Chandler. Maricopa County, Arizona.” by Dorothea Lange – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Route 66 gained the name of the Mother Road because of its significance to history. During the depression when tragedy struck the Great Plains—in what was called the great Dust Bowl—thousands took to Route 66 to travel west in search of a better life. This was depicted in the book and movie The Grapes of Wrath.

Route 66 was instrumental in winning World War I and World War II. Old-timers told me of the days when they would watch convoys of men and material moving down Route 66 to be shipped off to war. Most people don’t realize that Interstate 40, and all other freeways for that matter, were started by President Eisenhower who brought the idea back from the German autobahn.

Route 66 has seen a resurgence of interest since it was decomissioned. Williams and Flagstaff have a significant amount of Route 66 still available for travel. The stretch we will examine in this article is from Bellmont to Williams.

Of course it goes down to Ash Fork which is another significant Route 66 town, as well as a railroad center in the old west. Ash Fork history can be seen at the Route 66 Museum in Ash Fork on, well… Route 66.
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Oath Keepers plans meeting to organize Community Preparedness Teams

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a22de8_7e7df60d14a74d7d8368f167f9729975.jpg_srz_p_271_271_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srzFLAGSTAFF — The Oath Keepers organization is holding a meeting in Flagstaff at the La Quinta Inn at 2015 South Beulah Boulevard tomorrow, July 9, at 6 p.m. The meeting is to introduce the concept of Community Preparedness Teams.

These teams are being organized to train to respond to emergencies that might arise within a community. They are not meant to replace CERT and other search and rescue teams already in place. They are meant to augment them, if desired. When properly trained, they can be used by local law enforcement officials, such as additional security during city festivals and events.

There are several teams concepts designed to respond to respond to natural or man-made disasters. They are also forming teams to respond to possible attacks from terrorist elements such as the drug cartels and groups such as ISIS. The discussion will cover a number of teams preparing to meet community needs in a disaster.

One of the teams, for example, is Emergency Medical. They will train in various levels of medical proficiency. The first is combat lifesaver which is useful for first aid of severe trauma victims, such as at an auto accident. Their next levels are EMT and medic/paramedic. You can find out more at the CPT link of their web site.

Jim Arryo of Chino Valley—Arizona Chapter Vice President and State CPT Director—explained the concept in an interview with Gianluca Zanna on KTOX radio.

(The full interview including an interview with Stewart Rhodes, founder of Oath Keepers here.)

Oath Keepers was originally organized to get military, police and other people who take oaths to keep their oath to the Constitution. Their membership mainly consists of veterans, active duty military, police and sheriffs, and other civilians who have taken an oath to defend the Constitution. It is not limited to those categories, however. It is open to all citizens who feel a need to assist in preparing their community for disaster. Even people with physical limitations are useful. An elder person can cook and a person in a wheelchair can still operate a radio, for example.

If you have never served or feel like you might like to learn new skills, you can learn more and have your questions answered at this meeting.

Coconino County Attorney Citizens Academy planned for June 12

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FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Attorney has ten spots left for the June Citizen Prosecutor Academy one day program. The Academy provides citizens with information concerning the operation of the office of the County Attorney.

The event will be held June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is held in the CCAO Humphreys Room. The application to attend can be downloaded here. Completed forms can be faxed to (928)679-8201, or mailed to Coconino County Attorney’s Office, 110 E. Cherry Avenue, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Or, contact Tami
Suchowiejko at (928)679-8229 or email tsuchowiejko@coconino.az.gov.

“We’re excited to continue our academy which brings the community into the office to share information, exchange ideas, and facilitate a better understanding of how the County Attorney’s Office serves the public. It’s also a lot of fun”, said County Attorney Rozema

There is an Advanced Citizen Prosecutor Academy that is also held throughout the year. Those who attend this Academy are invited to attend the Advanced Academy.
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IPhoneConservative teaches Poe’s Law

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A YouTube video was published on May 20, 2015 by IPhoneConservative which will probably go viral without the warning he or she attaches.

For those that understand “Poe’s Law” no further disclaimer is required. For those that don’t………I suggest you look it up.

WikiPedia calls Poe’s Law a “literary adage” and attributes it to a post by Nathan Poe in a 2005 debate on a Christian forum concerning creation v. evolution.

POE’S LAW:

Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is uttrerly [sic] impossible to parody a Creationist in such a way that someone won’t mistake for the genuine article. Source

The idea is that one should mark their statements on the Internet because one cannot see the body language or hear the inflections in the voice of the individual to tell if it is real or sarcasm. This does not apply to writing such as the Right Wing Extremism memorandum.

He was attacking the intelligence of Christians.

IPhoneConservative admitted in one of the comments:

Folks…….this a spoof. It was never intended to be taken as a legitimate news report. Obviously two things are at play here. One, I did the job too well. Two, we have come to the stage in the Obama presidency where quite literally……….anything is possible.

Anything indeed. Just after the initial “election” of Barrack Obama, I received a series of interesting phone calls which I reported on. The most interesting was the audio I was able to obtain.

I do not have statistics on how many people actually fell into the scam. I do not know how many people actually believed that Obama was going to pay for their mortgage, car, gas or Obamaphone.

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