Category Archives: News

ADOT begins I-17 intersection improvement at JW Powell south of Flagstaff

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – Work begins next week on the JW Powell Boulevard and I-17 intersection, with construction realigning State Route 89A at that location, and adding roundabouts at the Fort Tuthill County Park entrance and the I-17 southbound ramp.

Preparations for this project began last September when ADOT worked closely with Coconino County, the city of Flagstaff and the local utility company to remove trees within the work zone prior to construction starting this year. The trees were then used by a local non-profit throughout the winter. The area will be reseeded once the project is completed.

No traffic restrictions are anticipated during construction because the existing ramps and roadway can still be used while the realignment and roundabouts are constructed adjacent to current traffic operations.

The project is anticipated to be complete by summer 2015.

Star Party set for Friday

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Photo courtesy of CAS web site.

WILLIAMS – It is time for the monthly Star Party in Williams sponsored by the Coconino Astronomical Society. The location will be the Glassburn Natural area across from Rod’s Steakhouse on Railroad Avenue. The viewing will be held on Friday beginning at 7:30. Members will be available to answer questions about astronomy and telescopes and other viewing devices. If you are looking for something to do this Friday night, the CAS Star Gazing party is well worth the price of admission. Especially since it is free.

The Results of a Seattle Suburb’s Minimum Wage Hike Deserve a Big Fat ‘We Told You So’

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At the start of the year, the Seattle suburb of SeaTac raised the area’s minimum wage to $15, and the consequences are now starting to be felt. And it’s not just the unions who championed the effort, or those who still have jobs, that are feeling them.

Over the last few months, a few things have happened:

  • Managers have taken more responsibilities on themselves, instead of hiring more workers.
  • Businesses have laid off workers, or eliminated their plans to hire more.
  • Area parking now comes with an added “living-wage surcharge.”
  • Hotels have cut employee benefits, free food, and overtime.

Shocking: when bad ideas are put into place, there are consequences.

Read more at IJ Review

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

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03WRIT-articleLargeBy MARIA KONNIKOVA

Does handwriting matter?

Not very much, according to many educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states, call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to proficiency on the keyboard.

But psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting a relic of the past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting and broader educational development run deep.

Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write that matters — but how.

Read more at The Washington Times

Improvement project on US 180 in Flagstaff has started

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adot-logo3FLAGSTAFF – Improvements include improving and adding turn lanes, new pavement and guardrail improvements between Columbus Avenue and Bader Road. There is currently work along the shoulder of the road with no lane restrictions. However, travelers using this route can expect delays and lane restrictions through the project area as early as Monday, June 9 as construction continues.

In addition, some night work will take place during the asphalt milling and paving operations to minimize impacts to heavier daytime traffic.

Motorists interested in traveling to the Grand Canyon can use I-40 to State Route 64 west of Flagstaff as an alternate route.

Warning drivers. Deer are on the road.

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deer-01WILLIAMS – Drivers traveling on the freeways and highways of northern Arizona need to be alert for the elk and deer populations in our area. With the dry weather, deer tend to move into populated areas in search of food and water.

If you are traveling from Williams to the camping areas out Perkinsville Road from Williams, watch out for the deer crossing the road in search of water and food. Deer have even been struck just on the east side of town by drivers traveling toward Flagstaff.

It is always a good idea to observe the speed limit, but now that deer are roaming about the safety of yourself and your family could be at risk if you hit a deer at high speed on a mountain road. This is particularly important at night.

Elk and deer often cross the section of Interstate 40 between Ash Fork and Flagstaff, State Route 69 to the Grand Canyon and other highways.

Please use caution and common sense when traveling the roads of northern Arizona. Remember that deer do not always look for deer crossing signs.

SR 89A project resumes in Oak Creek Canyon’s switchbacks

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adot-logo3OAK CREEK – As the battle against the Slide Fire in Oak Creek Canyon winds down, the ongoing highway-improvement project along the “switchbacks” section of State Route 89A will resume this weekend.

The previously-scheduled closure of the three-mile stretch of SR 89A between the Pine Flat Campground and the Vista scenic overlook south of Flagstaff will remain in place for several weeks while crews remove loose rocks above the switchbacks, complete other safety improvements and resurface the highway.

SR 89A will reopen to traffic before the Fourth of July weekend.

The full closure of the highway had been scheduled to start on Tuesday (May 27) but crews were temporarily pulled off the project more than a week ago (Tuesday, May 20) due to the Slide Fire.

DETOUR INFO: While the switchbacks section along SR 89A is closed, ADOT recommends drivers use Interstate 17 and State Route 179 to travel between Flagstaff and Sedona.

Emergency Area Closure for the Slide Fire

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640px-sliderockFLAGSTAFF – The Coconino National Forest has issued an emergency closure on all National Forest System lands within the area of the Slide Fire on the Coconino National Forest, in Coconino and Yavapai Counties.

This area closure is implemented as a standard fire operations procedure which helps to protect the public from entering into an area that is still active with fire, so as not to impede the efficiency of firefighters and allow for their safety while they do their job, where snags and rolling rocks will be an issue until mitigated, and during post-fire efforts to abate potential flooding and debris flows. The public is prohibited from entering any trails, roads, or areas within the fire closure area, which will be in force until further notification.

This area, road, and trail closure only affects National Forest System land, roads, and trails within the closure area on the Coconino National Forest. The closure does not affect any private, state, county, or other Non-National Forest System lands within the closure boundary.

Wildfires behave differently in areas where fuels have been previously treated. Fast moving wildfires slow down when they burn onto the footprints of past wildfires, prescribed burns, or thinned areas. As we learn to live with wildfire as a natural part of the ecosystem, we continue to reduce risks associated with uncharacteristic wildfires.

Study says cynicism linked to dementia. I’ll bet.

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By Glen… uhm. Glen… Oh, it’ll come to me.

bloomberg2-550x343I was watching a Phoenix newscast which cited a ridiculous study says that cynicism may be linked to dementia. Right. And comedians tend to have psychotic personality traits.

The study was published by the online Neurology web site of the American Academy of Neurology. Of course you have to sign in to read the full article. Just exactly what are they trying to hide?

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio. That’s right. Finland. Can you believe it?

Newsweek had to sound all scientific. They went into this historic rant leading up to Diogenes syndrome. They even cite the British Medical Journal. Well, la-te-da! They add this little gem to the conversation.

For example, the best-known Cynic of the Classical Greece era, one Diogenes of Sinope, slept in an empty wine barrel, masturbated in public and urinated on critics. (Diogenes syndrome now refers to “an older adult living in squalor,” according to the British Medical Journal.) And then there’s philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who at 44 had a nervous breakdown that eventually led to his dementia and death. While deeply influenced by the Cynics, much of Nietzsche’s writing is arguably closer to today’s concept of cynicism—distrust in social systems and, by extension, the people who partake in them.

walter biden

What is laughable is the most cynical people on the Internet, The Huffington Post, had this to say in their article:

If you always think the worst of people, you might be putting your own brain health at risk, according to a new study.

Really? The web site that thinks the worst of everything Republican without referring to Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States?

And FOX News has to weigh in like they know something, but they just link to Medical Daily.

The online journal Shape suggests:

Questioning people’s true intentions is healthy when it comes to telemarketers or politicians, but keep that skepticism up with friends and family and your brain might pay the price:…

They quote some PH.D. who wrote a book Crazy: Notes on and off the Couch. This PH.D. claims:

Negative emotions are a form of stress that taxes the body.

By the way, did you read that article about Obama’s cynical foreign speech?

If you believe this tripe you no doubt believe that CNN is reality TV or the dog-faced boy in the tabloids is real.

That reminds me of a cute story. When my dog was a puppy he was laying with me in bed. I kid you not, it was the first time he broke wind. He stood up and looked at me as if to say Oh, man. I’m sorry. Then he walked to the end of the bed and laid back down. I kid you not. I must have laughed for five-minutes.

But I digress. Or maybe I digress.

What were we talking about?

Disclaimer: The author has had personal and painful experience with a dementia patient. This article is not meant as an insult to those patients and he applauds any effort to find a cure for this or any disease. The links included are to serious articles on the subject for those who might be interested.

Final paving on SR 89 on White Spar Road in Prescott next week

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adot-logo3ADOT is nearing completion of a pavement maintenance on White Spar Road in Prescott which began April 10.

Final pavement will be placed next week on the new roadway on State Route 89 (White Spar Road) in Prescott on Wednesday and Thursday, June 4 and 5 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

As paving activity occurs, drivers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes. Once paving is complete, crews will return in 30 days for final striping.

The speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph through the work zone. ADOT advises drivers and bicyclists to proceed through the work zone with caution. Comply with the reduced speed limit and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.