Category Archives: News

Award of Hospitality Contract on South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

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Grand Canyon, Ariz. – Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga has announced the award of a concession contract to Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. Xanterra will provide lodging, food services, retail, transportation, mule rides, and other services on the South Rim.

Xanterra, the incumbent operator, submitted the selected offer in response to a prospectus issued earlier this year. Superintendent Uberuaga stated “We are pleased to continue our long relationship with this important park partner, and we look forward to working together to implement some exciting improvements to services on the South Rim.”

The new 15 year contract is one of the largest in the National Park Service (NPS) in terms of revenue and lodging inventory. The services required in this prospectus have generated an average of approximately $66 million in gross revenues annually. New services will include a re-constructed Maswik South Lodge, improved food offerings including food trucks, and other improvements to operations and services.

This historic lodging and hospitality contract (CC-GRCA001-15) will include lodging, retail and food service in the historic Grand Canyon Village including the El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Thunderbird and Kachina Lodges, Maswik Lodge and Phantom Ranch, as well as retail and food service at Hermits Rest. It will also continue to include transportation services such as bus tours, taxi service and mule rides.

Concessions contracts are developed and issued under the authority of the Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998, P.L. 105-391, and its attending regulations in 36 CFR §51.

Cal Ranch thieves caught

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cal-ranch-1FLAGSTAFF — On Wednesday, September 9, Winslow residents Erik A. Baca, 33, and Petrisor “Danny” Mccoy 27 were arrested in Winslow and charged with several felonies including 1st degree Commercial Burglary, Possession of Burglary tools, Theft and Criminal Damage in connection with the commercial burglary at the Cal-Ranch store at 2530 N. Fourth Street.

On Saturday, September 5, 2015 at approximately 07:50 a.m., the Flagstaff Police Department was called to a burglary report as the employees of Cal-Ranch came to work and discovered a break in. Detectives were able to obtain several items of evidence, including video recordings of the break in and theft.

Several leads in the case were obtained due to local citizen’s tips.

Detectives worked closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), the Northern Arizona Metro Task Force, and the Navajo County Sheriffs Office developing probable cause to obtain a search warrant and arrest warrants for Mccoy and Baca after identifying them as the two suspects.

Eric Baca and Danny Mccoy were taken into custody in Winslow without incident and are being held on a $50,000 dollar bond for each pending court appearance.

Flagstaff police seek missing person

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640-Rebecca-ShikanyFLAGSTAFF — The Flagstaff Police department seeks public assistance in locating Rebecca Shikany. She is 6’ 1″, 112 lbs, with blonde hair and blue eyes

She was last seen in her home in Flagstaff Arizona on 09/07/2015. Seventeen year old Rebecca may be accompanied by 19 year old Brett Walker. If seen please contact the Flagstaff Police Department at 928 774-1414 or Detective Adrian Barreras at 928 853-6824.

If you have any information and do not want to leave your name please call SILENT WITNESS at 928 774-6111.

Safety improvement project scheduled on SR 87 north of Strawberry begins next week

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STRAWBERRY — The Arizona Department of Transportation will remove dead trees from the right-of-way along a 16-mile segment of State Route 87 for the next two weeks in both directions (mileposts 274 to 290), approximately four miles north of Strawberry.

Work will begin on Monday, Sept. 14 and will continue through Thursday, Sept. 24 between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day.

Drivers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes to allow a safe work zone for maintenance crews to remove fallen trees from the roadway. Flaggers will guide traffic through the work zone.

For safety reasons, motorists are urged to not to stop in the tree-cutting areas to pick up the wood.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at www.az511.gov or call 511.

Pavement repair on SR 260 east of Payson for the next five weeks

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PAYSON — The Arizona Department of Transportation will repair a dip in the roadway on State Route 260 eastbound near Kohl’s Ranch, approximately 19 miles east of Payson starting tomorrow between mileposts 270 and 271. Crews will be working on the roadway through Oct. 17.

Work will require the roadway to be narrowed to one lane through the work zone and a 14-foot width restriction will be in place.

Drug drop-off at Flagstaff Police department on Sawmill road

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FLAGSTAFF — On September 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Flagstaff Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its tenth opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring you pills for disposal to the Flagstaff Police Department/Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 911 Sawmill Road. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills and/or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons (over 617,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 5,5000 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds—more than 2,4000 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the September 26 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Office of Diversion Control site or Sgt. Bentzen with the Flagstaff Police Department at 556-2300/mbentzen@coconino.az.gov.

Monsoons won’t quit, but fall is in the trees

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15-09-08-07WILLIAMS — Seems that the monsoon season won’t give up as Williams, Flagstaff and the surrounding areas continue to receive thunderstorms. The weather is expected to clear up Friday and Saturday for at least a portion of the Brown’s Carnival event in Williams on Railroad Avenue.

Rain hit hard Monday and this afternoon beginning about 1:30 p.m. and running for more than an hour. The chance of continued thunderstorms runs about 20% for Flagstaff and Williams through tomorrow. It is expected to clear Friday through Saturday during the day. The chance of thunderstorms picks up again Saturday night and on to the beginning of next week.

The last two storms brought more rain that the storm of last week, but much less thunder and lightning.

Trees in Williams, however, are starting to show the strains of fall which begins “officially” on September 23. The aspens and oaks along South Road, the road to Dogtown, FR-111 to Bill Williams Mountain and other areas of the forest will start turning soon providing great photo ops for fans of autumn.

Labor Day Weekend 2015 Busy with Search and Rescue Events in Coconino County

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This Labor Day weekend proved extremely busy for Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) Deputies and Search and Rescue. There were at least 11 search and rescue events logging over 35 hours of response time. The 35 hours represents only the time from start of the calls to resolution and does not include the collective time of multiple responders. Several events required call out of Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers and personnel from assisting agencies such as US Forest Service (USFS) and the AZ Department of Public Safety (DPS). Many of the individuals were residents from outside of Coconino County who were visiting the area for outdoor recreation activities during the holiday weekend. Below is a summary of the events with additional information on assisting agencies.

Friday, September 4, 2015

At 12:48 pm we received a call that an 18 year old male subject exited a vehicle in Oak Creek Canyon and ran into the woods. The subject had made earlier statements in the day indicating that he may be suicidal. Deputies searched area business, trailheads and roads looking for the individual. DPS, Cottonwood Police Department and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office also were given a description of the individual and asked for their assistance in attempting to locate him. After an extensive search, the subject was located after a citizen reported seeing him walking along State Route 89A.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

At 11:54 am we received a report of a 64 year old male and 6 year old female who were overdue from an ATV ride off of FS169 in the Forest Lakes area. Responders included CCSO, USFS, DPS Air Rescue, Forest Lakes Fire Department, and Coconino Sheriff’s SAR. The subjects were located by DPS Air Rescue at 4:18 pm, and ground units were guided to their location which was approximately 0.36 miles south of the camp. The subjects were then led by ground units to their camp. Neither subject was injured.

At 7:11 pm we received a report of a 59 year old male hiker on Humphreys Trail who was overdue. The overdue subject intentionally separated from his son at approximately 5:30 as he was hiking slowly. When he did not arrive at the vehicle as expected, the hiking partner called 911 to report him overdue. Thunderstorms were active in the area. Sheriff’s Office responders were assisted by volunteers from the SAR Unit and DPS Air Rescue. Deputies began the search by checking the trail heads and along the trail to the wilderness boundary. During a break in the weather DPS Air Rescue was able to fly over the area and located the subject at about 10:20 pm. He was off trail in the Snowbowl Ski Area approximately 0.9 miles east of the trail head. SAR personnel hiked to his location and escorted him out to the trail head. He did not request any medical treatment and was reunited with his son.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

At 1:26 pm we received a report of a male subject who was injured while riding an ATV in Pink Bowl which is located in the Cinder Hills OHV area. The injured subject was later pronounced deceased. Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene of the accident and SAR units responded to assist with recovering the body of the deceased.

At 3:18 pm we received a report of a 50 year old male who was stranded off the AB Young Trail in Oak Creek Canyon. Cell contact with the individual revealed he was not in need of medical attention but was unable to navigate the terrain. Due to the difficulty in locating the subject who was off trail the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) helicopter and the DPS Air Rescue helicopter from Kingman responded to assist. SAR units were prepared to hike from East Pocket end of the trail to attempt to locate and assist the subject while Sedona Fire units hiked from Bootlegger Day Use Area end of the trail. By around 7:00 pm the YCSO helicopter crew had located the subject and guided searchers to his location. Rescue efforts required use of a rope hand line to stabilize the individual as he was assisted down the canyon walls back to the trail. DPS Ranger also assisted by providing light along the trail as rescuers escorted the individual back to the trailhead. He was evaluated by medics and refused medical treatment. The subject was then reunited with his family.

At 7:00 pm we received a report of a male subject who had been gone from his family campsite for over three hours. The subject was on his dirt bike riding in the Cinder Hills OHV area. Deputies patrolled the area looking for the overdue person. The subject later made his way to Leupp Road where he used someone’s phone to contact his family and advise them of his location.

Monday, September 7, 2015

At 1:15 am a deputy patrolling the Mormon Lake area received a report of two women who were overdue in returning to their campsite after taking a ride from two unknown subjects on a UTV. The reporting party also called the information into dispatch. Deputies patrolled forest service roads and when following up with the reporting party learned that the two women had returned safely.

At 12:00 pm DPS Air Rescue in Flagstaff requested a CCSO-SAR helicopter rescue technician to assist Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with a technical rescue of an injured climber on Granite Mountain in the Prescott area. The climber was rescued and transported to the hospital for treatment.

At 12:42 pm we received a report of a 10 year old and a young adult overdue from an ATV ride near their campsite off of FS124 in the Mormon Lake area. The other people at the campsite had located the ATV but the subjects were not with it. The Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from USFS (both law enforcement and fire personnel), SAR, and DPS to conduct a search by ground and air. At 3:21 pm DPS Air Rescue from Phoenix located the subjects in good condition approximately one mile east of their camp site. Ground personnel were guided to the location and transported both subjects back to camp. Neither subject required medical attention.

At 12:51 pm we received a report from a woman that her husband and two children, a 7 year old and a 3-1/2, were overdue from a hike on the Kachina Trail. Deputies and SAR units responded and located the subjects on the Kachina Trail. Rescuers assisted them to a vehicle and drove them to the trail head at Snowbowl where they were reunited with family members.

At 3:50 pm we received a report that a male and female were overdue from their campsite near the Lava Tubes. Deputies patrolled forest service roads in the area. Approximately an hour later the reporting party called to advise that both people had returned to the camp safely.

Overnight paving on US 89 at Haul Road in Page, Tonight and Wednesday

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PAGE — An overnight closure of US 89 at Haul Road will be required from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesday (Sept. 8) and Wednesday (Sept. 9) to allow for paving at the roundabout.

During the overnight closure, travel along US 89 will be detoured using Coppermine Road and Lake Powell Boulevard. Flaggers and signs will direct drivers through the detour. ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the detour with caution and observe reduced speeds during travel.

The new roundabout intersection is anticipated to be completed in early fall.

Drone Munition developer on air with Gianluca Zanna

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IMG_3317-300x169KINGMAN — American patriot radio host Gianluca Zanna discussed Drone Munition with Casey Betzold, president of Snake River Shooting Products in Emmett, Idaho. Drone Munition has made the round of the news, lately, but Casey and Gianluca stressed complying with federal and State laws and regulations.

Both assured listeners that they are not anti-drone. Casey said they use drones to get video on the range that would otherwise be hazardous. Luca said that he uses his drone to take video of his own property and animals.

The shotgun round was developed for a sporting application initially. It was designed to use on a range where aerial drone targets are specifically used as targets to be shot down. Casey said that they concentrated on making a law enforcement quality shell that has a very tight pattern and spent a lot of money on the steel shot that goes into the shell.

Casey noted that because of his Air Force background, he was concerned with the security, but currently there are no regulations preventing invasion of privacy by drones. In addition all States have regulations against discharging firearms within a neighborhood.

“We think the regulations are coming for drones, with regards to privacy concerns. The same as if a peeping Tom walked up into your yard and looked into your window at night; that’s against the law. But right now, if a drone does the same thing, it’s not against the law,” Casey said.

He indicated that he is glad that the news and controversy over the shotgun ammunition is generating a conversation about the issue. While it is illegal, currently, to shoot down a drone even in wilderness areas, he said that self-defense may be applicable.

“Now if the drone is causing a self-defense concern, then there is a legal application to this; to defend yourself the same as if a person is threatening you.”


The full show at Love, Guns and Freedom also has a discussion with Blaine Cooper from Prescott who has been investigating abuse of homeless veterans in Phoenix. He discusses the possibility of an economic crash with reporter Lisa Haven and a discussion of ozone therapy with Dr. Robert Rowen.