WILLIAMS—As the sign says, it is once more time for the Community Easter Eggstravaganza at the Williams Recreation Center and Skate Park on Railroad Avenue. The event features an Easter egg hunt and prizes and food.
There will also be the annual Sonrise Service this Easter Sunday at 6am at the Younglife camp on South Road. This service is open to the entire community. Of course each Church will have their own Easter service.
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said his decision to sign strict new abortion laws, including the nation’s toughest restriction on the procedure, was not based on “any religious belief or personal experience” and that he believes legislators have a right to ask such questions about abortion restrictions.
The Republican governor signed three anti-abortion measures on Tuesday — including one banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, or when a heartbeat can be detected. By doing so, Dalrymple positioned his oil-rich state as a primary battleground in the decades-old fight over abortion rights.
Within minutes of signing the laws, unsolicited donations began pouring into the state’s lone abortion clinic to help opponents prove the new laws are unconstitutional. The governor urged lawmakers to set aside cash for an inevitable legal challenge.
Read more at ABC News
PHOENIX — Arizona businessman and philanthropist Eddie Basha has died at the age of 75.
Sources close to the family said Basha was taken to a hospital last week with congestive heart failure but was able to go home. He died Tuesday. The cause of death has not been released.
His family founded Bashas’ in 1910. At that time, it was a mercantile store. In 1956, the first Bashas’ grocery store opened on Seventh Avenue and Osborn Road in Phoenix.
Basha later took over the family business and grew the line of grocery stores to more than 150 locations with four well-known brands: AJ’s Fine Foods, Food City, Sportsman’s Fine Wines and Bashas’ grocery stores.
Read more at AZFamily
Diamondback Police Supply in Tuscon rescinded the order of a Sig Sauer M400 semi-automatic rifle for Mark Kelly. Mark Kelly is famous for his alleged obsessive-compulsive disorder in attempting to purchase weapons throughout Tuscon to show how easy it is to obtain a weapon that is Constitutional to own under the Second Amendment.
Douglas MacKinlay, Owner/President, Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc., explained on their Facebook page:
“While I support and respect Mark Kelly’s 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then for his personal use. In light of this fact, I determined that it was in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction prior to his returning to my store to complete the Federal From 4473 and NICS background check required of Mr. Kelly before he could take possession this firearm. A full refund was sent to Mr. Kelly, via express mail, on Thursday of last week.
The Sig Sauer rifle will be donated to the Arizona Tactical Officers Association where it will be raffled off to generate funds the association can use to purchase much needed tactical equipment for the organization’s members. The A.T.O. A. represents the SWAT and Special Response officers of the state’s law enforcement community who regularly place their lives on the line to protect the residents of this state.
Additionally, Diamondback Police Supply will make a $1295.00 contribution (the selling price of the M400 rifle) to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program that teaches children, in pre-K through 3rd grade, four important steps to take if they find a gun. The emphasis of the program is on child safety, something that is important to all of us and at the core of the current debate on gun control.”
David Smith, who apparently has never bought a gun, commented, “so douche-bag ‘merchants’ are free to violate The Constitution??”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “Firearms Transaction Record Part I – Over-the-Counter” Form 4473, Question 11a clearly states:
Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form? Warning: You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual buyer, the dealer cannot transfer the firearm(s) to you. (See Instructions for Question 11.a.) Exception: If you are picking up a repaired firearm(s) for another person, you are not required to answer 11.a. and may proceed to question 11.b.
Kelly, after being caught purchasing the weapons, stated that he was going to turn them over to the police department. While some state that this may constitute a “straw purchase,” the instructions for Question 11.a. on Page 4 of the form does state:
You are also the actual transferee buyer if you are legitimately purchasing the firearm as a gift for a third party.
This would seem to mean that anyone can legitimately purchase a weapon as a gift for a family member or friend. The purchaser would have to ensure that the person receiving the weapon is an eligible person. You are required to certify that on the form.
The form also clearly states:
I also understand that making any false oral or written statement, or exhibiting any false or misrepresented identification with respect to this transaction, is a crime punishable as a felony under Federal law, and may also violate State and/or local law.
It is unknown if any dealer has filed a form to the BATFE indicating the multiple purchase of weapons in a five-day period which is an unconstitutional provision of the form.
by Liz Day
ProPublica, March 26, 2013, 5 a.m.
This story was co-produced with NPR.
Imagine filing your income taxes in five minutes — and for free. You’d open up a pre-filled return, see what the government thinks you owe, make any needed changes and be done. The miserable annual IRS shuffle, gone.
It’s already a reality in Denmark, Sweden and Spain. The government-prepared return would estimate your taxes using information your employer and bank already send it. Advocates say tens of millions of taxpayers could use such a system each year, saving them a collective $2 billion and 225 million hours in prep costs and time, according to one estimate.
The idea, known as “return-free filing,” would be a voluntary alternative to hiring a tax preparer or using commercial tax software. The concept has been around for decades and has been endorsed by both President Ronald Reagan and a campaigning President Obama.
Read more at ProPublica
WILLIAMS—The Northern Arizona Authors Association meets this Saturday, March 30 at 10 am. The meeting will be held at the Wild West Junction east of 1st Street on historic route 66 in Williams.
Kaibab Lake – 2012
This year two heavy snows seemed to have been helpful to the northern Arizona community in recovering from their water woes. At least for this year.
Ice forming on Santa Fe dam.
Over the hill, the dam at Buckskinner park started spilling over which is good news for the city. Buckskinner park opened for vehicle traffic today.
The old dam has been spilling over filling both ponds and creating a frog haven. This area has been dry the last two years.
On the fourteenth, Dogtown and Kaibab lakes were filling, but neither were to capacity. Ducks, however, took advantage of the rising lake by swimming in areas which, last year, were completely dry.
There is snow yet to melt and Williams residents know that they can expect snow through May. The current long range forecast, in fact, shows a chance of rain Friday and the possibility of snow above 6800 feet on Monday. Lows at night are expected to be in the lower 30s with temperatures rising to the lower 60s throughout the rest of the week.
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) – Officials say a vial containing a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever has gone missing from a research facility in Galveston, but say there’s no reason to believe there’s a threat to the public.
The University of Texas Medical Branch said Saturday that there was no breach in the security its Galveston National Laboratory and no indication of wrongdoing. Officials suspect the missing vial containing the Guanarito virus was destroyed during the lab’s cleaning process but the investigation continues.
Read more at FOX Houston
They are the songs you cannot get out of your head. Now scientists may have found a way to help anyone plagued by those annoying tunes that lodge themselves inside our heads and repeat on an endless loop.
Researchers claim the best way to stopping the phenomenon, sometimes known as earworms – where snippets of a catchy song inexplicably play like a broken record in your brain – is to solve some tricky anagrams.
This can force the intrusive music out of your working memory, they say, allowing it to be replaced with other more amenable thoughts.
But they also warn not to try anything too difficult as those irritating melodies may wiggle their way back into your consciousness.
For those unwilling to carry around a book of anagrams, a good novel may also do the trick.
Read more at The Telegraph
There has been much todo about the abuse of the presidential executive order and, perhaps, rightly so. The regular old trustworthy media outlets will let you know it is much todo about nothing.
Executive orders were intended to inform the employees how they are to carry out the laws created by the Legislative branch (Congress). They were not to be used to circumvent those laws or create laws as they have been used by recent presidents.
But how would you feel if the employee of your employee could write their own “executive orders” with full force of law:
“…punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000.00 for individuals and $10,000.00 for organizations, or imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or both.”
Such is the case with Executive Order Number: 04-13-04-R by M. Earl Stewart of the Coconino National Forest, “Done at Flagstaff, Arizona this 13th day of March, 2013..”
The order is to prevent people from “Possessing or using a bicycle off of National Forest System Roads or trails in the restricted areas.” Those new restricted areas are as follows:
1.Schnebly Hill Area: SR89A to the west, Caner Canyon to the north, Schnebly Hill Road to the east and south.
2.Transept Area: Junction of Verde Valley School Road and Forest boundary in Section 11, then north to junction with Templeton Trail, then east to switchbacks next to private property, then further east to SR179, then south along SR179 to Forest boundary, then west to Verde Valley School Road.
3.Scheurman Mt. – Airport Area: Junction of Lower Red Rock Loop Road and Forest boundary in Section 28 west and north along Lower Red Rock Loop Road to SR89A, then east to Sedona High School and then east along boundary with private/Forest boundary north of Carroll Canyon, continuing east along private boundary north of the Sedona Airport to Brewer Road, then southwest generally following Oak Creek along Forest/private boundary to junction of Ridge Trail with Chavez Ranch Road, follow Chavez Ranch Road west to Upper Red Rock Loop Road, and then west to connect with Lower Red Rock Loop Road.
4.Possessing or using a bike is permitted ONLY in the following slickrock locations that are within the restricted areas, adjacent to a designated trail: Cow Pies, upper and lower Hangover saddles, slickrock between Hiline Saddle and “the Hiline chute”, slickrock bench above Yavapai Vista, and slickrock bench at junction of Templeton and Cathedral Rock trails.
Oh, unless you work for the “forest service” in which case you can drive vehicles of any kind throughout the forest or whatever as long as it is in the performance of your duty.
“This order is needed to prevent impacts to the highly erosive soils, Oak Creek water quality, archaeological sites, and the Casner Canyon RNA resulting from bicycle use off of National Forest system roads and trails,” the order claims.
Doggone bicycles! Ruining nature. I knew you were evil.
The fact that this can be done by a bureaucratic employee is disturbing enough. But according to a recent press release concerning HB 2551, Game and Fish Director Larry Voyles said, “[C]urrently state law says that if a federal entity establishes regulations related to roads, trails, routes and closed areas, they are automatically codified by Arizona state law and if a person operates outside the parameters of the federal regulation, that individual is automatically in violation of state law.”
That means that this Executive Order enjoys full coverage of Arizona State Law. This means that an employee of the employee of our national government can willey-nilley make a law completely bypassing that nasty old Tenth Amendment, the rights of the citizens of Arizona with no due interference from our State Legislature—not to mention in complete violation of the Constitution of the United States of America. And the State employee of the national employee of the national employee has to enforce it. And all without having to file one campaign finance report.
Get it?
Senator Chester Crandell and The Arizona Game and Fish Commission support the bill, “…but the commissions support is contingent on changes that will be offered by the commission allowing the State of Arizona to decide which federal rules and regulations will become enforceable by state wildlife officers under state law.”
By the way, we are not referring to any old H.B. 2551,
“Amending title 6, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding chapter 18; providing for the delayed repeal of title 6, chapter 18, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act; relating to financial institutions.”
We are referring to the new and improved H.B. 2551 “strike all” amendment that would,
“Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert:
“Section 1. Section 28-1174, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
28-1174. Operation restrictions; violation; classification
&tc., &tc., ad nauseam.
You’re welcome. If we can confuse you any more, then we should be getting a check from George Soros.