Category Archives: News

Hot forecasted for the weekend.

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The high temperature in Williams, today, is expected to reach 88 increasing to the mid-90s by the weekend with only a slight chance of thunderstorms Friday. The temperature on Saturday is expected to reach 98 dropping two-degrees on Sunday with not enough wind to produce usable electricity.

The outlook for Flagstaff is similar except for a chance of thunder showers Saturday and Sunday.

If you are taking a Marvelous Marv’s Private Grand Canyon tour, you will probably want to take a couple of bottles of water as the temperatures will reach a high of mid-90s on Saturday with a slight chance of thundershowers on Sunday.

Mayor’s Youth Advisory Group meeting results

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Left side, front to back: Chairperson Sylvia Cardenas, potential member Clint Mann, Sergio Cardenas. Right Side, Front to Back: Williams City Clerk Susan Kerley, potential member Caitlyn Fritsinger and Courtney Fritsinger

Left side, front to back: Chairperson Sylvia Cardenas, potential member Clint Mann, Sergio Cardenas.
Right Side, Front to Back: Williams City Clerk Susan Kerley, potential member Caitlyn Fritsinger and Courtney Fritsinger


WILLIAMS—The Williams Mayor’s Advisory Group met tonight at the Williams City Council Chambers. Although they did not have a quorum, they discussed a variety of topics.

One topic discussed was recommendations for community service projects for future members. Included in the discussion was a watering schedule for the seeds and planting the group conducted at the St John’s Community Garden.

They decided, also, to induct new members at their next meeting on Monday, July 8th. Clint Mann and Caitlyn Fritsinger were at the meeting as potential new members to replace those on the committee who have graduated high school. At their last meeting, Kaitlyn White and Katie Ellico were recommended as possible new members.

The Mayor’s Youth Advisory group is an opportunity for high school Sophomore to Senior grades to learn about city government by participation. Any person in high school or other young citizens of the community are welcome to attend meetings to make suggestions or participate in the group community service activities outside of the meeting.

Chevron in Williams now takes Safeway points

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WILLIAMS—Have you built up those Safeway gas points and cannot wait to find a Safeway gas station in which to redeem them? The Chevron station in Williams on the end of Grand Canyon Blvd. has made a deal with Safeway to allow you to redeem them by swiping your Safeway card. You can save up to a dollar a gallon. Check with the clerk at the station for more details.

Items Stolen from Train Recovered in Williams

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Williams, AZ––On Saturday, June 22, 2013, Deputies of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Williams Patrol District encountered suspicious vehicles in the Parks, AZ area. One of the vehicles, a U-Haul Truck left the scene when a Deputy tried to make contact with the occupants. The U-Haul was observed heading eastbound on I-40 and eventually was located abandoned at the parking lot of the Quality Inn. A search of the U-Haul revealed several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of electronics items which were later determined to have been stolen from a BNSF train.

The incident began at approximately 6:15 am on Saturday morning when a deputy was conducting regular neighborhood patrols in the Parks, AZ area. He observed at least two vehicles that were suspiciously parked; one of the vehicles was a U-Haul Truck. When the deputy tried to make contact with the occupants, the driver of the U-Haul Truck drove off at a high rate of speed.

Another deputy responding to assist the deputy in Parks observed the U-Haul on I-40 in the opposite direction of travel the deputy was driving. The deputy turned around to attempt to stop the U-Haul, but the truck exited I-40, Exit 163 and was abandoned in the parking lot of the Quality Inn hotel in Williams, AZ. The driver is suspected of having fled into the woods north of the hotel. The driver was not located during a search of the woods.

A member of the member of the Northern Arizona Street Crimes Task Force (also known as Metro), assisted the Sheriff’s Office in obtaining and executing a search warrant on the U-Haul truck. Items found in the truck included packaged electronics such as flat screen TV’s, speakers, car stereos, DVD players, etc. The exact value is not known but expected to be worth several hundred thousand dollars. The investigation revealed that these items had been stolen from a BNSF train at a location somewhere between Sanders, AZ and the Arizona-New Mexico state line. BNSF law enforcement responded to the location and took custody of the property.

The other vehicle and three individuals contacted in the Parks area were interviewed and released prior to the discovery of the stolen items. BNSF has taken jurisdiction of the investigation.

Williams Renaissance dinner back next Saturday

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renaissance-diner-02WILLIAMS—The dinner which sold out last year is back at the Sultana Theater. The Renaissance Weekend event will be held Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th of June. The Saturday dinner will be at 7 pm and 2 pm for the dinner on Sunday.

The fundraising dinner includes a show with music, dance and comedy and prizes. The show sold out last year, so the time to get tickets from the Williams Visitor Center is now. Tickets are $25 a couple in advance and $30 at the door. Single tickets are $13 in advance or $15 at the door.

For more information you can call Mark Worden at 928-635-2394.

Another daredevil to attempt Grand Canyon crossing.

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GRAND CANYON—On June 23rd, 34-year-old tight rope walker Nik Wallenda will attempt an 8th world record by crossing the Grand Canyon. His last record was crossing Niagra Falls.

A poll by Niagara Bullet News asks readers if they will watch the Grand Canyon attempt. As of this writing 53.6% said they wouldn’t miss it, 36% said they were not interested with the rest not sure what they will be doing June 23rd.

Nik Wallenda was born in Sarasota, Florida as a seventh-generation member of the famous Flying Wallenda family. His parents are Delilah Wallenda and Terry Troffer.

Wallenda credits God for his success, saying that what he does on the high-wire is a gift from God. He grew up in a “a Bible-believing, God-fearing family” and describes himself as a “born-again Christian”. Faith is “the most important part of my life,” he says. Before every wire walk, he joins his family in prayer and he always wears a cross as he performs. He remarks, “The Bible says pray without ceasing and I’m always praying.”

Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee plants in St. John’s garden

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L-R: Youth Advisory Committee Chair Sylvia Cardenas, Sergio Cardenas, Vice-Chair Cheyenne Lienhard, Juanita Cardenas and Ethan Reinarz.

L-R: Youth Advisory Committee Chair Sylvia Cardenas, Sergio Cardenas, Vice-Chair Cheyenne Lienhard, Juanita Cardenas and Ethan Reinarz.

WILLIAMS—Members of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee planted vegetables and flowers in the St. John’s Episcopal Church community garden.

The Chair of the advisory committee, Sylvia Cardenas, noted that two other members will be helping to water their plot though they were unable to make it to plant today. Those members are Cortney Fritsinger and Devin McNelly.

High school Sophomores through Seniors are welcome to join the committee. They may also attend the meetings held on the second Monday of each month to voice their opinion to the Mayor.

Of the members pictured here, all have graduated except Sergio. Clint Mann is the only youth to recently apply for a position on the council. They are seeking new members to apply to replace the members who go out on July 1st.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Flagstaff Police Department Offer Woods Watch Training and Orientation

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FLAGSTAFF—As Coconino County has moved into heightened fire danger season and into greater fire related restrictions, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff Police Department, and the US Forest Service are offering “Woods Watch” training and orientation. This volunteer program is similar to Neighborhood Watch and is of vital importance in residential areas that interface with forested land. Volunteers are asked to watch for people accessing closed areas of the forest and for people who are using fire carelessly or against current fire restrictions. These volunteers are trained to be especially vigilant for activity that may be occurring on forested lands in the Flagstaff City limits, unincorporated areas of Coconino County, and on US Forest Service land.

Woods Watch has been very successful in years past. In 2002, approximately 300 volunteers attended the training and assisted Northern Arizona law enforcement officers in watching access points to the forest. Teams of volunteers were trained in the greater Flagstaff area, Mormon Lake, Munds Park and other unincorporated areas of Coconino County. The additional sets of eyes on our community helped keep unlawful fire activity under check. With the extremely dry and windy conditions our community experiences, a fire start may spread very quickly endangering lives and property.

This year, we are offering Woods Watch re-certification and new volunteer training on Friday, June 28, 2013 at 6:00 pm at the Law Enforcement Administration Facility located at 911 E. Sawmill Rd. Citizens who have attended this training in previous years are asked to attend again as a review and to receive updated information. Coconino County Sheriff’s Office also will be providing Woods Watch training to its established volunteer groups of Search and Rescue, existing Neighborhood Watch Programs, and CERT during their regular meetings. The training takes approximately one hour.

The Woods Watch Program area a commitment to join local law enforcement officers with community members to keep our communities and our forests beautiful, safe and free of wild land fires.

Historic Marble Canyon Lodge and Restaurant Destroyed by Fire

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The remains of the historic Marble Canyon Lodge---Photo Courtesy of the Coconino County Sheriff's Department

The remains of the historic Marble Canyon Lodge—Photo Courtesy of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department


FLAGSTAFF–The historic Marble Canyon Lodge and Restaurant located on Highway 89A burned to the ground early this morning. Both the north and south bound lanes of 89A were closed for approximately two hours but were reopened at about 5 am. Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives and fire investigators from the Flagstaff Fire Department are on scene attempting to determine the origin of the fire.

At about 1:30 am this morning the burglary alarm for the Marble Canyon Lodge activated an audible siren that woke the owner who was asleep in a nearby residence. The owner also received telephone notification from the dispatch center of the alarm company. As the owner walked outside he saw a large amount of smoke and flames coming from the rear of the structure.

Crew members of a construction company that are doing improvements on the Lee’s Ferry Road and who are staying at the Marble Canyon Motel attempted to fight the fire with the aid of two company owned water tanker trucks. Firefighters from the city of Page, Arizona, arrived at approximately 3:00 am. Other responding agencies included the Fredonia Fire Department, Colorado City/Hildale Fire Department, Page Electric, National Park Service Rangers from Lee’s Ferry, and Kane County Medical Transport.

The newer building that houses the post office and convenience store and is located north of the lodge was not damaged nor was the motel that is located to the south. The Marble Canyon Lodge was established in 1926 and is located 125 Miles North of Flagstaff near the Colorado River at Lee’s Ferry.

Arizona Cowboy Artist Dies during Photo Shoot

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FLAGSTAFF—Seventy one year-old John William Owen “Bill Owen” (Facebook Page) of Kirkland, Arizona died on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at about 7 am while photographing cowboys who were conducting ranching activities at Camp 16 off of Indian Route 18 located in the area of Peach Springs, Arizona.

Investigating Deputies learned that the victim identified as Bill Owen who is a well-known western artist arrived at Camp 16 on Thursday, June 14, 2013 with the intention of photographing ranch hands while they conducted their day to day activities. The assumption was that Mr. Owen would later incorporate the images from the photos into his artwork. According to ranch hands, some of whom were in close proximity to Mr. Owen on Saturday morning, he was in the process of disassembling a portable tepee when one of the witnesses saw him fall to the ground. This witness shouted out that there was a “man down.”

Several of the ranch hands who were present rushed to Mr. Owen’s aid and administered CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) for an extended period of time, possibly as long as thirty minutes. Medical personnel from Peach Springs, Arizona arrived on scene. While one of the medical personnel was speaking on the phone with a physician from Kingman Regional Hospital, the victim was pronounced deceased. The victim’s body was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office in Flagstaff. At this point in the investigation detectives do not suspect foul play.

From his Facebook page, Mrs. Owen informs that a memorial for Bill will be held Saturday, June 29 at 11 am at the Lifepointe Church in Prescott Valley. The church is located at 10100 E State Route 69.

She also requests:

In lieu of flowers I ask that donations be made to the scholarship organization founded by Bill to help young people of the Arizona ranching community further their educations after graduating high school:
The Arizona Cowpuncher’s Scholarship Organization, Inc.
c/o George Vensel, Treasurer
PO Box 55
Patagonia, AZ 85624