Category Archives: News

Chief Health Officer Dr. Peoples wins Gabe Zimmerman Award

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FLAGSTAFF — The Center for the Future of Arizona awarded Dr. Marie Peoples, Chief Health Officer for the County’s Public Health Services District, the 2018 Gabe Zimmerman Civic Leadership Award.

The award, which is presented annually by the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA) and the Center for Arizona’s Future, is named in honor of Gabe Zimmerman, the Community Outreach Director for former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who lost his life during a 2011 shooting event in Tucson. The award recognizes the commitment and dedication of professional public servants who serve as the link between citizens and the people elected to represent them. The presentation was made on Thursday, July 19 at the ACMA Annual Summer Conference.“To be a civic leader is not only an honor, it’s a responsibility,” said Dr. Peoples. “A leader ensures all people, regardless of background, have a seat at the table and are listened to. I’m proud that I was recognized for these qualities and those that the Gabe Zimmerman award celebrates.”

Dr. Peoples began her career as a substance abuse therapist within Missouri’s correctional system and has worked within several of Missouri’s prisons with a variety of offender demographics and rehabilitative programs. In addition, she has worked for the Missouri Supreme Court and the Missouri Department of Mental Health and served as the director of a county health department in Missouri. Dr. Peoples holds a bachelors’ degree in criminal justice administration, a master’s degree in sociology and criminal justice, a master’s degree in public health, and a PhD in public health epidemiology.

The Gabe Zimmerman Public Service Awards are a statewide competition created to recognize outstanding non-elected public servants in three categories – Community Builder, Emerging Leader and Civic Leader. The Civic Leadership Award recognizes extraordinary leaders who have demonstrated knowledge, skills and commitment to addressing Arizona’s long-term issues and the personal leadership capacity to make Arizona a better place for future generations.

The awards are sponsored by the Arizona Department of Administration, the County Supervisors Association of Arizona, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. and the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, in conjunction with the Center for the Future of Arizona.

Flagstaff Man Arrested After Barricading in Tent with Children

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Kinnikinick Lake, Coconino County, AZ – Twenty-nine-year-old Jarred A. McMinn (also known as Jarred Parker) of Flagstaff was arrested early this morning after a stand-off lasting several hours.

On July 26, 2018 around 7:50 pm deputies from Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at Kinnikinick Lake, which is located approximately 30 miles south of Flagstaff. Upon arrival deputies learned that an adult female had been the victim of a domestic assault. The suspect was identified as Jarred McMinn.

When deputies attempted to contact McMinn at his tent campsite, he refused to cooperate and barricaded himself inside the tent. Deputies determined that McMinn was armed with a handgun and had three young children in the tent with him.

Deputies requested assistance from the Flagstaff Police Department Joint Tactical Team. Arizona Department of Public Safety Troopers and Air Rescue also responded and assisted. After around 6 hours of negotiations, McMinn surrendered and exited the tent. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Jarred A. McMinn has been booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility under charges including Aggravated Domestic Violence, Weapons Misconduct, Criminal Damage, and Endangerment.

Paving continues on Interstate 40 in northern Arizona

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Drivers on Interstate 40 in northern Arizona are advised to plan for travel delays because of traffic realignment and ramp closures at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads. Crews are repairing 17 miles of pavement on I-40 between Parks and Williams. The project also includes making bridge deck repairs at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads.

Beginning in August, as crews complete work to rebuild 5 westbound miles between mileposts 167 and 172, all traffic will be moved to the westbound lanes using a temporary crossover in that section. Crews will begin work on the eastbound section of the freeway and will close the eastbound on- and off-ramps at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads for the next few months. Traffic will be detoured onto the Parks and East Williams traffic interchanges.

On July 30, the following ramp closures are scheduled to be in place:

The westbound on- and off-ramps at A-1 Mountain Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to noon. Traffic will be detoured to Bellemont, exit 185, to re-enter eastbound I-40 towards A-1 Mountain Road.
The eastbound on- and off-ramps at A-1 Mountain Road will be closed from noon to 5 p.m. Traffic will be detoured to Business Loop, exit 191, to re-enter westbound I-40 towards A-1 Mountain Road.

On August 3, the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp at Parks are scheduled to re-open after being closed for a few weeks while crews rebuilt a 1-mile section of I-40 in both directions near the interchange.

Work on this 5-mile section of I-40 is anticipated to wrap up by the fall.

Meanwhile, crews continue to repave other portions of the highway between mileposts 162 and 179 from Cataract Lake to Parks.

Construction will pause for the winter season and is scheduled to resume in spring 2019 for additional paving, bridge and intersection work. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2019.

What to expect:

  • Crews are scheduled to work Mondays through Fridays from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Lane closures, ramp closures and restrictions will be required

For more information, email MKirby@azdot.gov or call Mackenzie Kirby, MPP, Community Relations project manager, ADOT Northcentral District, at 928.525.6494. Information is also available on the project web page.

Schedules are subject to change because of weather and other unforeseen situations. Subscribe to receive traffic alerts and project updates by email. For more information, please call the ADOT Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or email Projects@azdot.gov. For real-time highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except when driving.

Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other unforeseen factors. For more information, please call the ADOT Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or email Projects@azdot.gov. For real-time highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except when driving.

Rain Fire Update

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TUSAYAN — The Rain Fire on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest is showing an increase in activity and will continue to see additional growth over the next few days.

RAIN FIRE OVERVIEW
Start Date: July 21, 2018.
Cause: Lightning.
Location: One mile southeast of the Town of Tusayan .
Current Size: Approximately 165 acres.
Incident Commander: Quentin Johnson ICT3 / Adam Pahl ICT3-T
Resources: 2-20 person Type 2 crews, 3-Type 6 Engines, 1 Type 3 Engine. Total personnel assigned 55.

Current Status: Operations were successful yesterday as fire consumed dead woody fuels from the forest floor. All containment lines held and objectives were successfully achieved. Burn out operations will continue over the next few shifts to protect identified values at risk within the planning area.

Smoke: Fire Managers are utilizing strategies to minimize and reduce smoke exposure and limit the number of days smoke will be in the air. Smoke will be noticeable from Highway 64 and communities of Tusayan, Valle, and the Grand Canyon Village. Favorable northwest winds are transporting smoke away from the community throughout the day. Some overnight residual smoke may linger but is lifting out in the early to mid-morning hours each day.

The Gallo Fire, 4 miles northeast of Red Butte has shown no growth and is currently inactive.

For additional information the following sources are available:

InciWeb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6002/ inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6003/
Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
Twitter: twitter.com/kaibabnf
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF/
Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311.

Flagstaff and Grand Canyon Voters Consider School Bond, Override Ballot Questions

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FLAGSTAFF – On Tuesday, November 6, 2018, Coconino County voters within the Flagstaff Unified School District #1 (FUSD) will consider an override and special bond election, and those living in Grand Canyon Unified School District #4 (GCUSD) will consider an override election.

Registered County voters within GCUSD will vote on the following issue:

  • To adopt a General Maintenance and Operations Budget, which exceeds the revenue control limit specified by statute by 9.3 percent for fiscal years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024 and in fiscal years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. The amount of the proposed increase will be 6.19 percent and 3.09 percent, respectively, of the District’s revenue control limit in each of such years. The 2019-2020 budget override authority represents an extension of the existing 9.3 percent budget override. If the override is not approved for continuation, then the existing 9.3 percent override will phase out by reducing one-third for fiscal year 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. The estimated tax rate to fund the continued override in fiscal year 2019-2020 is $1.24 per one hundred dollars of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes.

Registered County voters within FUSD will vote on the following issues:

  • A Special Bond Election, which will allow the District to issue and sell Class B general obligation bonds in the principal amount not to exceed $ 75,000,000 to fund capital improvements over and above those funded by the State. The estimated average annual tax rate for the proposed bond authorization is $0.4067 per $100 of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes.
  • To adopt a General Maintenance and Operation Budget which exceeds the revenue control limit specified by statute by 15 percent for fiscal years 2019-2020 through 2023-2024 and in fiscal years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 The amount of the proposed increase will be 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of the District’s revenue control limit in each of such years. The District’s current 15 percent budget override is by law required to be reduced by one-third in fiscal years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Because the existing override does not begin reducing until fiscal year 2020-2021, the proposed 15 percent override budget will equal the 2019-2020 alternate budget. The estimated tax rate to fund the override in fiscal year 2019-2020 is $0.70 per one hundred dollars of net assessed valuation used for secondary property tax purposes.

The Coconino County Superintendent of Schools will prepare an informational pamphlet for the election. The pamphlet will be mailed to households of registered voters who reside within the relevant school districts. Arguments “For” and “Against” these issues are being requested by the County Superintendent of Schools Office for inclusion in the informational report. The County School Superintendent shall review all factual statements contained in the written arguments and correct any inaccurate statements of fact. The County School Superintendent shall not review and correct any portion of the written arguments which are identified as statements of the author’s opinion.

Arguments are to be 200 words or less and be typed or printed and signed by the author. The arguments shall include the name of the District, author’s name, the name of any entity submitting an argument, address, telephone number and the author’s signature. The entity and author’s name will be printed in the informational pamphlet.

Arguments must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, August 13, 2018, in the Coconino County Superintendent of Schools office, Ponderosa High School, 2384 N Steves Blvd., Flagstaff, Ariz. 86004. Faxes will be accepted at (928) 526-1469; however, the original must be mailed to Coconino County Superintendent of Schools by the stated deadline. For more information, call (928) 679-8070.

For more information concerning District elections, contact:

  • Grand Canyon Unified School District, 100 Boulder St, Grand Canyon, Ariz. 86023, or call (928) 638-2461.
  • Flagstaff Unified School District, 3285 E. Sparrow, Flagstaff, Ariz. 86004, or call (928) 527-6000.

Spring hunt recommendations available for review

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s proposed recommendations for the 2019 spring javelina, bison and bear hunts, and 2019 and 2020 spring turkey hunts are available for review at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.

The hunt structures and recommendations were formulated based on the hunt guidelines approved by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission in September 2017.

All questions or comments about a particular game management unit or hunt are welcome by emailing at AZHuntGuidelines@azgfd.gov, or by calling any of the department’s statewide regional offices and asking to speak to a game management biologist. No formal presentations are planned.

The proposed hunt recommendations will be presented to the Commission for its consideration during a public meeting Aug. 3 at Little America Hotel, 2515 E. Butler Ave., Flagstaff, 86004.

To learn more about the hunt recommendations and hunt guidelines processes, visit www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines.

Arizona Game and Fish Department proposes new fishing regulations

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is proposing fishing regulation changes and inviting the public to review and comment.

AZGFD will host and webcast a public forum on proposed fishing regulations changes 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on Monday, July 30 at department headquarters (Quail Room), 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix. The webcast can be viewed at www.azgfd.gov/webcast.

The topic of discussion will focus exclusively on proposed fishing regulation changes by AZGFD. Recommendations can be submitted in-person at the public forum, by email to fishregscomments@azgfd.gov or by mail to: Arizona Game and Fish Department, Aquatic Wildlife Branch, c/o Andy Clark, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ, 85086.

Please include your first and last name to ensure a response during the forum. AZGFD will be accepting comments through August 31.

The changes are also scheduled to be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission at its Sept. 21-22 meeting. The public is welcome to attend and address the commission on these proposals.

The proposed changes are:

  • Open Fish Creek in Greenlee County, and tributaries Corduroy Creek and Double Cienega Creek, to fishing.
  • Close Chase Creek (Gila County) to fishing.
  • Designate new Community Fishing Program waters/regulations: Fain Lake, Yavapai Lakes in Urban Forest Park (Prescott Valley), Mansel Carter Oasis Lake (Queen Creek), Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex Pond in Yuma.
  • Change bag limits for bass at Arivaca Lake and Pena Blanca Lake to a statewide daily bag.
  • Change bag limits at Maricopa Lake (Youngtown) to a statewide daily bag.

See the PDF of the rationale behind each regulation.

County Voters to consider ballot initiative on judicial merit selection Proposition No. 416

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FLAGSTAFF – On Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2018, voters within Coconino County will consider a ballot proposition on the merit selection of judges and judicial retention.

Registered County voters will vote on the following issue:

• Shall Coconino County change from a partisan election of superior court judges to a merit selection and judicial retention election of superior court judges.

The County will prepare an informational pamphlet for the election. The pamphlet will be mailed to households of registered voters in the County. Arguments “For” and “Against” the ballot question are being requested by the County for inclusion in the informational pamphlet.

Anyone who would like to submit a “For” or “Against” statement regarding the election can mail or hand deliver their statement to Coconino County Elections, 110 E. Cherry Ave, Flagstaff, Ariz. 86001.

Arguments may be typed or printed and shall not exceed 300 words and must include the original signature of the submitting party. If the argument is sponsored by an organization, it must be signed by two of the organization’s executive officers. If the argument is submitted by a political committee, it must be signed by the committee’s Chairperson or Treasurer. The person(s) signing the argument must provide their mailing address and telephone number. The entity and author’s name will be printed in the informational pamphlet.

The cost to file an argument is $100 per argument filed on paper. If the argument is submitted electronically (on a CD or USB drive), the cost is $75 (to meet the requirement for an original signature, it must be accompanied by a paper copy).

Arguments must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 13, 2018, to the Coconino County Election Office at 110 E. Cherry Ave., Flagstaff, Ariz. 86001.

Free backpacks with back-to-school shots and sports physicals

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FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD) Clinic is providing free backpacks to students that come in for back-to-school immunizations or sports physicals while supplies last.

Appointments are available at the CCPHSD Clinic, 2625 N. King Street, Flagstaff Monday – Friday from 8 – 11 a.m. and noon – 5 p.m. Call 928-679-7222 to make an appointment.

Immunizations and sports physicals are also available on a walk-in basis on Super Service Saturdays, Aug. 11 & Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Visit www.coconino.az.gov/superservicesaturday for more information.

The cost for a sports physical is $20. Childhood immunizations are available via the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program or through insurance. Individuals seeking vaccinations that have insurance should bring their insurance card and immunizations records. No one will be denied services due to an inability to pay.

Childhood immunizations protect children from 16 serious diseases and are an important step toward ensuring long-term health. Immunizations also help protect the health of others in the community, including those who are unable to be vaccinated. When a high percentage of the population is protected through immunization, it is difficult for an infectious disease to spread because there are fewer susceptible people.

Seeking Public’s Help in Locating Two Suspects in Sexual Assault Case

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FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating two suspects in a reported sexual assault that occurred this morning in the wooded area by Kachina Village.

The two suspects are described as males, possibly Hispanic, driving an older model, single cab red pickup truck. The truck has signs of rust. At the time of the incident, both males were wearing blue jeans and one had an orange t-shirt, possibly like that worn on construction sites.

The incident occurred around 9:30 am this morning in the area of Forest Service Rd 237 which is a route between Kachina Village area and SR89A.

If anyone has information regarding the identity or location of these individuals or about this crime, please contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at 1-800-338-7888 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.