Category Archives: News

Fredonia Moccasin School District seeking Governing Board applicants

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FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Risha VanderWey is seeking applicants for appointment to the Fredonia Moccasin Unified School District Governing Board. There is one vacant seat.

The appointment will be a two-year term ending December 31, 2018.

Applicants must be Arizona registered voters and residents of the school district for at least one year prior to the date of appointment. Applicants or their spouses can’t be an employee of the district.

Application information:
· Download the application here http://www.coconino.az.gov/schoolboardapplication
· Deadline to submit is Monday, March 13 by 5 p.m.
· Submit by email kgraves@coconino.az.gov (Live signature original required)
· Submit by fax 928 526-1469 (Live signature original required)
· Mail/drop off Coconino County School Superintendent, 2384 N. Steves Blvd., Flagstaff, AZ 86004

An advisory committee, consisting of district residents and a current board member will be assembled to conduct interviews and advise Superintendent VanderWey on the appointment.

For more information, please call Kim Graves at the Office of the Coconino County School Superintendent at 928 679-8070 or e-mail: kgraves@coconino.az.gov.

CAVIAT Board Vacancy at Grand Canyon Unified School District

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FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County Superintendent of Schools Risha VanderWey is seeking applicants for appointment to the Coconino Association for Vocations, Industry and Technology (CAVIAT) Governing Board. One vacant seat is eligible to residents of the Grand Canyon Unified School District.

Per CAVIAT Bylaws, the appointment will be a four-year term ending Dec. 31, 2020.

Applicants must be Arizona registered voters and residents of the school district for at least one year prior to the date of appointment. Applicants or their spouses can’t be an employee of the district.

Application information:
· Download the application here http://www.coconino.az.gov/schoolboardapplication
· Deadline to submit is Monday, March 13 by 5 p.m.
· Submit by email kgraves@coconino.az.gov (Live signature original required)
· Submit by fax 928-526-1469 (Live signature original required)
· Mail/drop off Coconino County School Superintendent, 2384 N Steves Blvd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

An advisory committee, consisting of district residents and a current board member will be assembled to conduct interviews and advise Superintendent VanderWey on the appointment.

For more information, please call Kim Graves at the Office of the Coconino County School Superintendent at 928-679-8070 or e-mail: kgraves@coconino.az.gov.

Planning a trip on Forest Roads? Don’t take the bus.

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WILLIAMS – Another tour bus seems to have fallen victim to the strong winter weather we are experiencing. A tour bus got stuck apparently trying to use Dogtown Road as a turn-around off of Perkinsville Road (County 73) two-miles south of Williams. Coconino County has been notified but no details are known at this time.

In January the Coconino County Sheriff’s office and Arizona Department of Public Safety responded to an incident where a tour bus with 45 passengers got stuck four-miles off of highway 180 on Forest Road 417. Highway 180 had been closed due to drifting snow in Kendrick Park and the driver used GPS to find an alternate route.

Forest roads are not paved and some are rarely maintained, particularly in the winter. The amount of snow melt-off has caused all of our lakes to overflow. This same melting snow causes the roads to become muddy and soft easily bogging down many vehicles. The safest course is to stick to the paved roads until forest roads dry out in spring.

Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff hosts Black History Month presentation Thursday

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FLAGSTAFF – On Thursday, February 23, the National Park Service, Kaibab National Forest, Arizona Historical Society Pioneer Museum and Flagstaff Arts Council are hosting presentations on the history of northern Arizona’s black community titled, Hidden and Revealed: Revisiting the African American Experience in Northern Arizona. Come learn the history of northern Arizona’s black pioneers and their settlement in the Flagstaff, Williams and Grand Canyon area.

Local scholars Margaret Hangan, Kaibab National Forest Heritage Program Manager, Public Lands Historian, Ben Carver, Ph. D and Historian, Jack Reid, Ph. D will present on the early history of African Americans in the southwestern United States, including migration and settlement in Flagstaff and Williams and working on public lands in northern Arizona.

This program is part of the Flagstaff Pioneer Museum, Night at the Museum production, Hidden and Revealed and includes a public reception with appetizers and drinks at 5:30 at the Pioneer Museum (2340 N Fort Valley Rd, Flagstaff), followed at 6:30 by presentations at the Coconino Center for the Arts (2300 N Fort Valley Rd – directly behind Pioneer Museum). This event is free and all ages are welcome.

Winter storm advisory through Sunday afternoon

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WILLIAMS – Rain started sprinkling about 6 a.m. this morning with a quick dump of slush about 6:45 for about fifteen-minutes. A winter weather advisory takes effect at the end of the day running through late Sunday afternoon. There is a chance of up to 5″ of snow through Sunday. 25- to 32-miles of wind are expected today with gusts up to 43. Winds will drop overnight and remain up to 14-mph through Sunday with gusts up to 20. The weather will clear Monday and Tuesday with rising temperatures and breezy. Chance of rain returns by Tuesday night through Thursday clearing up and becoming sunny Friday.

Sheriff’s Office Pleased to Announce First Local Attorney is Advertising Services in Detention Facility

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Commander Figueroa showing Attorney Advertising Program to benefit inmate welfare

FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce that a local attorney, The Kaiser Law Group, is the first to take advantage of our program allowing purchase of ad space in our lobby and also contributing to the Inmate Welfare Fund.

In 2015 the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office developed a unique program giving attorneys the opportunity to advertise their services at the Coconino County Detention Facility. The advertising does two things. First it provides attorneys and law firms a place to inform individuals of their legal services. Second, the advertising purchase costs are put toward important programs in the Coconino County Detention Facility that enhance inmate welfare.

In 2016, in an effort to provide incentive for local attorneys to enter into this mutually beneficial service, the cost of having legal service advertisement displayed in a 14” x 11” space in our detention lobby was reduced from $5,000 to $2,500 per year. This equates to a little more than $200 per month which is far cheaper than many other forms of advertising. The cost includes printing a color poster with and the acrylic display frame with a holder for business cards.

We believe that allowing advertising in our jail lobby can help connect many people coming into the lobby with legal assistance. All moneys generated from renting an advertisement space will go to the Inmate Welfare Fund which supports important programs such as Exodus (our in-custody drug and alcohol treatment program), re-entry programs, and other services that directly benefit our inmate population.

We believe this is a win-win for participating attorneys and the inmates in the detention facility. Interested attorneys may contact Kathleen Levinson at 928-226-5074 or klevinson@coconino.az.gov for details on this program.

Pavement repair continues on Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff

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PHOENIX – After the back-to-back winter storms that took a toll on highways in Arizona’s high country, Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance crews are continuing to repair pavement along Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff.

This week, maintenance crews completed pavement repairs along I-40 and I-17 in the Flagstaff area.

Next week, the work will focus on I-40 westbound between mileposts 108-110, approximately 12 miles west of Seligman, and I-40 eastbound between mileposts 168-170, just a few miles east of Williams. The work includes patching potholes and laying asphalt over the existing pavement in some areas.

Potholes can pop up quickly when moisture seeps into and below asphalt, which in northern Arizona can be stressed by the combination of freezing overnight temperatures and daytime thawing. The Flagstaff area usually experiences more than 200 daily freeze-thaw cycles each year. Add heavy traffic, and this stressed pavement can break away.

ADOT has two projects coming later this year along I-40 between Flagstaff and Williams that will add a new layer of pavement in both directions.

ADOT: Weekend Travel Advisory

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Drivers should be aware of the following restrictions this weekend:

  • Northbound Interstate 17 narrowed to one lane between 19th Avenue and Van Buren Street from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday
  • Eastbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) closed between Greenfield and Higley roads from 10 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday
  • Eastbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) closed between Higley and Power roads from 10 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday
  • Drivers on I-40 from Flagstaff through Ash Fork should be prepared to dodge potholes. (Our addition)

2017 Winter Range set for February 20-26

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PHOENIX — For those who harken back to the days of jingling spurs, the smell of authentic chuck-wagon cooking, and cowboys vying to see who’s the quickest on the trigger, then circle February 20-26 on your calendar.

That’s when Winter Range rides into town, transforming the Ben Avery Shooting Facility into a festive scene from the Old West where more than 1,000 competitors from around the world will take part in the 26th annual Single Action Shooting Society’s national championship of Cowboy Action Shooting.

Cowboy Action Shooting is one of the nation’s fastest-growing shooting sports and requires competitors to take their best shots with single-action revolvers, lever-action rifles and period shotguns. Competitors also must adopt a shooting alias suitable to a character or profession of the late 19th century, a Western movie star or an appropriate character from fiction — names like “Mudflat Mike,” “Goldie Jade” and “May B. Shecann” — and then dress in costume accordingly.

Winter Range will feature period militaria, exhibitions of Western skills and crafts, a fast-draw competition, and vendors purveying period clothing, hats and wigs, antiques, reproductions and more. There also will be roaming balladeers, trick horses and even a visit from Wyatt Earp, the great grand-nephew of his namesake, at noon Feb. 25.

A two-day mounted shooting event is expected to draw 100-plus competitors mounted on horses participating in their own arena Feb. 25-26.

A variety of food services will be available, including chuck-wagon cooking, barbecue and ice cream. Admission to Winter Range is free (parking is $5). BASF is located on Carefree Highway, west of Interstate 17. For more information, visit www.winterrange.com.

March Archaeology Month schedule at Kaibab National Forest

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WILLIAMS – Here is our calendar of archaeology month programs beginning in March, with Thursday evening programs starting at 6:30 PM at the Williams Visitor Center. Please have folks call in advance at 928-635-5600 to give us an idea on how many will attend each event.Every Saturday in March, we will also lead interpretive hikes to Keyhole Sink Petroglyphs, meeting at the Oak Hill Snow Play area at 2 PM. The hike is 0.6 miles each way, and last about 2 hours. Participants should dress warmly and prepare to get wet and muddy, especially if the waterfall is running!

Thursday March 2: South Kaibab Heritage Accomplishment Report
South Kaibab Zone archaeologist Neil Weintraub will highlight how volunteers, contractors, and other partners helped Kaibab archaeologists document, protect, and preserve archaeological sites during Fiscal Year 2016.

Thursday March 9th: History of Williams Mountain Men
Alan Messimer, Volunteer for the Williams Historic Photo Project, will present a history of the Williams Mountain Men.

Thursday March 16th: History of Williams Baptist Church
Alan Messimer, Volunteer for the Williams Historic Photo Project, will present a history of the Williams Baptist Church.

Thursday March 23rd: 1928 Bunion Run across Northern Arizona
South Kaibab Zone Archaeologist will discuss the history of the First Transcontinental foot race as it went across Northern Arizona in 1928. Weintraub will discuss newspaper accounts and historic photos in the weeks and days surrounding the event in the Williams area.

Thursday March 30th: African Americans of Williams or other project (Hangan)
Forest Archaeologist Margaret Hangan will present her research on African Americans of the Williams area.