Nighttime high tech injection work on southbound Interstate 17 at McGuireville

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PHOENIX — Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) crews are performing nighttime operations on southbound Interstate 17 at the McGuireville exit (milepost 293), using new high tech injection technology to address needed repairs.

ADOT is injecting foam deep underneath the pavement as a way to smooth out dips on Arizona highways. This method is more cost efficient than ripping out old pavement, re-compacting the sub-grade, and placing new concrete or asphalt.

One lane of travel for southbound traffic will be closed in the construction zone from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. nightly on Wednesday (July 20) through Friday (July 22). Work is also scheduled to occur at this location on Saturday (July 23) and Sunday (July 24) from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.

ADOT advises travelers to observe reduced speeds in the area, watch for crews and equipment in the work zone and allow for extra time for travel. ADOT works to inform the public about planned roadway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule.

Fall hunt draw results available now for Portal account holders

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PHOENIX — Hunters who have an AZGFD Customer Portal account now can view their draw results for the 2016 deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall bison, fall bear and pheasant seasons. Simply log into your account, and you will be taken to your personal ‘My AZ Outdoors” page.

Portal account holders have the benefit of being able to view their draw results a day or two before the results officially are released. It’s quick, easy and free to create a Portal account. Just click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the www.azgfd.gov home page and then select the “Create an Account” option, filling in the requested information.

Portal accounts are mobile-friendly, so customers can view their information on their smartphones.

Meanwhile, the department will post an announcement on its website, www.azgfd.gov, when results officially are released. All permit-tags are scheduled to be mailed by Aug. 5; all refund warrants by Aug. 15.

For more information, call the department at (602) 942-3000.

SR 89A improvements between Sedona to Flagstaff begins Tuesday

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FLAGSTAFF — Travelers heading on State Route 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff should allow for extra time for travel as one-lane restrictions will be in effect beginning Tuesday (July 19) at milepost 394, just north of the Vista Point Overlook to accommodate construction on SR 89A between the Vista Point Overlook and JW Powell Boulevard intersection.

The one-lane restriction will be in effect weekdays between 7 am and 4 pm until early October as crews clear trees and perform other work as part of the roadway improvement project. Flaggers will be in place to control travel through the area and a pilot car may be in use to allow for alternating north- and southbound travel through the work zone.

Delays can be anticipated during construction. ADOT advises travelers to allow for extra time for travel in the area, and to watch for crews and equipment in the work zone.

The SR 89A improvement project will widen and rehabilitate approximately 8.4 miles of SR 89A between Vista Point Overlook and the JW Powell Boulevard intersection. For more information on the project, please visit the project website at: www.azdot.gov\89A

Public workshop to be held in Flagstaff for Grand Canyon National Park Airport Master Plan

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FLAGSTAFF — The master plan study process for the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, owned and operated by the Arizona Department of Transportation, continues with a public information workshop July 20 in Flagstaff.

The public will be able to review data collected by the study team regarding aviation forecasts and how it relates to current airport facility capabilities. Members of the community will also be able to provide comments and input on the study.

The open house forum will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at Flagstaff City Hall, 211 W. Aspen Ave.

Airport master plans are required by the Federal Aviation Administration. The update for Grand Canyon National Park Airport will evaluate the facility’s capabilities and role, forecast future aviation demand and plan facility improvements to meet that demand over the next 20 years.

In addition to public meetings, comments and questions can be provided to the study team online at azdot.gov/gcnairportmasterplan, by phone at 800.574.6334 or by mail to Grand Canyon Airport Master Plan Study, c/o Coffman Associates, 4835 E. Cactus Road, Ste. 235, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.

For more information on the Grand Canyon Airport and the master plan study, please visit azdot.gov/gcnairportmasterplan.

 

Arrive prepared when renewing a commercial driver license

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dmv-cdlPHOENIX — When it comes to renewing a commercial driver license, having the right documents can save applicants time and trouble.

Commercial driver licenses, which are valid for five years, must be renewed at one of 13 Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division commercial driver license offices around the state. When a commercial driver comes in without the proper documentation, he or she will have to come back and risk the license expiring before it can be renewed.

To renew an Arizona commercial driver license, drivers must bring the following documents:

  • Current Arizona commercial driver license
  • A document establishing citizenship or legal presence such as a certified birth certificate, unexpired U.S. passport or permanent resident card
  • Social Security card
  • Medical examiner certificate
  • Proof of residency in Arizona such as a bank statement, utility bill or Arizona voter registration card

A full list of acceptable documents can be found on the ADOT website, azdot.gov.

It’s also important for commercial drivers to bring documents showing proof of name change if their current name is different from the name on their primary document such as a birth certificate. Hazardous materials knowledge tests are required at time of renewal if the driver has a Hazardous Materials Endorsement and wishes to keep that endorsement.

For more information, please visit azdot.gov/mvd.

Elderly Woman Missing Outside Ash Fork

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CORRECTED: 7/17; 21:08
Missing Person Schleizer 3Ash Fork — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the assistance of the public in locating a missing 70 year old woman.

The Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a search operation for the missing woman, 70 year old Linda Schleizer. Schleizer walked away from her home outside Ash Fork around 4:00 PM today and never returned home. Schleizer suffers from severe Alzheimer’s and when stressed, she has a tendency to withdraw and may have panic attacks. Schleizer will not answer to her name when called.

Schleizer commonly walks around the family’s property and normal returns home. She had been an avid hiker, and it is unknown how far she may walk. The family home is about 8.4 miles North West of Ash Fork and about 4.7 miles north of Interstate 40.

Schleizer is 5 feet 6 inches tall, 108 pounds, brown hair with hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a burnt orange shirt, purple shorts, gray Skechers tennis shoes and wearing prescription glasses.

The search is being conducted by Coconino County with assistance from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona Department of Public Safety Ranger Helicopter out of Flagstaff and Kaibab Estates West Fire Department.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Schleizer, please call the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office as 928-774-4523.

Paving scheduled on SR 89 at Perkinsville in Chino Valley Sunday and Monday night

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CHINO VALLEY — Crews will pave the new roundabout on State Route 89 at Perkinsville in Chino Valley on Sunday and Monday nights between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. each night.

Minor delays are expected during work hours. The final work is expected to begin next week on the inside of the roundabout and crews expect it to be fully functional by mid-August.

Drivers may have minimal impacts during work hours and ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

This $1.5 million project consists of a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 89 and Perkinsville Road between mileposts 328 and 329. Additional work includes removal and replacement of existing pavement, drainage improvements, new pavement markings and lighting.

Get fall draw results sooner with AZGFD Customer Portal account

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Pronghorn_-_Buck_1_2PHOENIX — Tired of waiting for results of the 2016 fall hunt draw to find out if there’s a permit-tag with your name on it?

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has the solution: Open up a Customer Portal account. It’s quick, easy, and – best of all – it’s free. As a benefit, those who have Portal accounts will be able to view their draw results a day or two before the results officially are released.

The Portal allows customers to create a secure account where they can manage and view their contact information, as well as their license and draw results information and bonus points, in their personal “My AZ Outdoors” section. It’s easy. Just click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the www.azgfd.gov home page and then select the “Create an Account” option, filling in the requested information.

A Portal account is mobile-friendly, which means customers can view their information on their smartphone. The Portal also serves as a convenient way to gain access to the online license purchase and hunt draw application systems.

As for the upcoming fall hunt draw, the department will post an announcement on its website, www.azgfd.gov, when results become available. All permit-tags are scheduled to be mailed by Aug. 5; all refund warrants by Aug. 15.

For more information, call the department at (602) 942-3000.

Scott fire area enters rehabilitation phase

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TUSAYAN — With no growth over several days and mop up activities nearing completion, fire managers on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest are now entering the rehabilitation stage on the Scott fire. Crews are working to improve upon the landscape with intent to preserve the integrity of the environment and maintain a desirable healthy condition in the forest after the fire occurrence.

Kaibab National Forest photo.

Kaibab National Forest photo.

Heavy equipment including an excavator and a loader are being utilized to move large amounts of material back onto the disturbed surfaces of land that were previously cleared to establish control lines for the fire.

A “BAER” team (Burned Area Emergency Response) has arrived and a risk assessment of the fire vicinity is currently underway. The purpose of the BAER program is to identify hazards caused by the fire and then implement emergency actions to reduce threats to life and property. Rehabilitation actions will inevitably stabilize and prevent unacceptable resource degradation resulting from the fire. This includes activities such as restoring fire lines installed by hand crews and dozers to a more natural condition which in turn will deter the public from using them as roads and trails. It will also minimize erosion and sediment delivery to water bodies and sensitive drainages.

“This work is critical to avert cascading negative effects and long duration damage to the affected land” said Kaibab National Forest Soil Scientist Kit MacDonald. “This process will not only help provide for public safety, but will also shorten the overall recovery time of the impacted areas.”

Road stabilization maintenance will begin on a short section of forest road 307 near the fire perimeter. Short-term closures may occur and visitors are urged to avoid travelling through the area until work is completed.

A nine mile section of the Arizona Trail will remain closed to the public, however an alternate detour route has been provided adjacent to the closed portion on forest road 310. Forest officials will re-open the trail once it is deemed safe for public access.

Skeletal Remains located North of Jacob Lake Connected to 2013 Glendale Homicide Investigation

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FREDONIA — The skeletal remains found by a rancher between Fredonia and Jacob Lake has been connected to a homicide in Glendale. On July 1 the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Kane County, Utah Sheriff’s Office advising a rancher had located human skeletal remains between Fredonia and Jacob Lake, AZ. The rancher was working his cattle range area just south of State Highway 89A and located the remains, clothing, boots and a daypack under a tree.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area where the rancher led them to the remains. Remnants of weathered clothing and boot were still present, as was a daypack. A handgun was found under the remains. The remains appeared to have been there for some time, if not several years.

Sheriff’s Office deputies, detectives had respond to a wooded area north of Jacob Lake on April 30, 2013 on a report from Forest Service employees of a suspicious vehicle apparently abandon in the forest off Highway 89A. It was determined the abandon truck was stolen and wanted in connection with a current homicide investigation that occurred in Glendale, AZ. The suspect in the homicide and stolen vehicle was listed as wanted and his whereabouts unknown.

Glendale Police detectives responded to the area as well as Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue unit and conducted a search of the area. At the time, no further evidence was located and the suspect’s whereabouts were still unknown.

A search of the daypack found with the remains located a work shirt that bore a company name that was connected to the homicide. It is believed the remains may be that of the homicide suspect. The investigation has been turned over to Glendale detectives.