Phoenix’s newest residents begin to hatch

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Peregrine_chick_2016-05-09_at_7.16.27_AM_webPHOENIX — After more than 30 days of anticipation by viewers around the world, the first of downtown Phoenix’s peregrine falcon eggs was welcomed on Mother’s Day after hatching at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

It’s anticipated that a second egg could hatch any time as an influx of viewers the world over monitor the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s wildlife camera live stream at www.azgfd.gov/livecams.

The falcon pair laid four eggs in late March, but two cracked and were discarded by the parents. The first chick hatched Sunday appears active, healthy and can be seen as the mother repositions herself on the nest.

“The live stream offers a unique, unobtrusive opportunity for viewers to witness one of nature’s wonders that is rarely seen,” said Randy Babb, watchable wildlife program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “Viewers will be able to follow the development of the young hatchlings and will want to stay tuned for the next important milestone in the young birds’ lives, fledging, which will occur about 30 days after hatching.”

Anyone with a computer, smart phone or tablet can watch the birds that live atop the Maricopa County Administration building in downtown Phoenix.

Game and Fish launched this live stream in early March when the pair was starting to display courtship behavior. Viewers can help support the costs of bringing the live feed to their homes by selecting the donation button found just below the viewing screen and making a small contribution.

Peregrine falcons have been nesting in the downtown Phoenix area for more than a decade.
Maricopa County partnered with the department and is allowing biologists to monitor the birds and access the nest site when necessary.

Peregrine falcons are one of the world’s most widespread raptors and are found on nearly every continent. The species nearly went extinct in North American from pesticide poisoning, but thanks to recovery efforts, the species was removed from the U.S.’s Endangered Species Act in 1999.

Peregrines feed almost exclusively on medium-sized birds such as pigeons and doves, which are plentiful in urban areas.

Two boys found apparently unharmed in Flagstaff

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FLAGSTAFF — Northern Arizona Gazette received an email that two boys approximately eight-years old were lost, today, in the woods near Woody Mountain Road in Flagstaff. Search teams were dispatched and the boys were found apparently unharmed. The boys were returned to their parents.

Missing Person Debra Schwartz – Found Deceased

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FLAGSTAFF — Today at approximately 11:10 am the body of missing hiker Debra Schwartz was located in an unnamed slot canyon below the rim of Oak Creek Canyon. A three member technical rescue team that was tasked with checking the slot canyons located her.

On this third day of this intensive search for the missing ASU Professor, rescuers were in the field and under way by daylight. Today the search resources consisted of:

· One Team of five searchers mounted on horseback
· Three teams of off-road vehicles
· Six teams of ground searchers with five people in each team
· One dog team consisting of 3 dogs and six handlers
· Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Air Rescue Helicopter and crew
· Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Helicopter and crew based in Flagstaff
· The Yavapai County Jeep Posse
· Three technical rescue teams with three technicians in each team

Several slot canyons that run from the rim to the canyon floor were partially searched yesterday however steep inclines, very rough terrain and thick underbrush made conditions unsafe for conventional ground searchers. The three technical rescue teams that were deployed today were assigned to thoroughly check the slot canyons in the area. At approximately 11:10 am today a technical rescue team that was searching an unnamed slot canyon from the rim down discovered Debra Schwartz’s body.

It should be noted the this technical rescue team completed two rope rappels to make their way into the canyon to a spot where they were able to see the body and then a third rappel to actually reach the body. She was located approximately ½ mile from her campsite. The body will be transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives will work with personnel from the medical examiner’s office in an attempt to determine the cause and manner of death.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and the Yavapai County Search and Rescue Unit for providing ground searchers, dog search teams, mounted searchers, the Yavapai County Jeep Posse, their Air Rescue Helicopter and their technical rescue teams. We would also like to thank the Arizona Department of Public Safety for the assistance of their air rescue helicopters and crews based in Flagstaff and in Kingman.

We are also grateful for the investigative assistance given by the ASU Police Department. Finally we cannot express the extent of our continuing gratitude to all of the tireless men and women of the Coconino County Search and Rescue Unit.

Another Clean and Beautiful for Williams

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C&B16-05-07-01WILLIAMS — Another Clean and Beautiful event passes despite inclement weather. The weather cleared up later on in the event allowing citizens to clean up around Williams.

Northern Arizona Gazette collected three bags of trash plus two separate bags of recyclable materials.

The event ended with a barbecue by the members of the American Legion Cordova Post #13.
C&B16-05-07-02

Some even came in their classics.

Some even came in their classics.

ADOT Motor Vehicle Division created Voluntary Travel ID on tight deadline

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PHOENIX — Less than a year ago, it was uncertain how long Arizona driver licenses and identification cards would continue getting residents through airport security. When a state law that took effect in July 2015 allowed the Arizona Department of Transportation to create a credential complying with the federal REAL ID Act, Motor Vehicle Division employees had to move quickly to make it happen.

Today, the state has a Voluntary Travel ID and an assurance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that current credentials will be accepted at airports and restricted federal facilities until Oct. 1, 2020. In late April, federal officials formalized that by certifying the Voluntary Travel ID.

The achievement follows exhaustive work by MVD employees who, facing a deadline of April 1, 2016, created not only a credential meeting all 39 security requirements of the REAL ID Act but the processes and procedures needed to make it available to customers.

“Governor Ducey has challenged state agencies to operate at the speed of business, and our dedicated MVD team did just that to create this new Travel ID on such a tight schedule,” Motor Vehicle Division Director Eric Jorgensen said. “Thanks to their hard work, Arizonans now have time to decide if and when they want to get one.”

Sixty team members worked to create the new credential. Many wrote code within MVD’s computer system for the new ID and had to distinguish it from the standard driver license and ID card since state law gives people the option of getting a Travel ID, a process that took months to complete.

MVD also went through a series of tests with the vendor that prints Arizona’s driver licenses and ID cards to ensure the information was transmitting correctly. The vendor, in turn, had to ensure the credential would integrate with MVD systems. The computer system had to be tested as well to verify that records were being properly created.

“In addition to all of the computer programming, we had to train hundreds of staff members and Authorized Third Party employees to learn the new process for issuing the Voluntary Travel ID and develop new forms and policies as well,” MVD Driver License Specialist Madelene Carbajal said. “At the end of the day, we had dozens of employees spending thousands of hours on this project.”

Because the Voluntary Travel ID is in place and approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there’s no rush for Arizonans to get one. Everyone applying for renewal or first-time driver licenses and ID cards has the option, and those who wish to convert current driver licenses and ID cards may do so at select MVD offices by making appointments at ServiceArizona.com. In addition, 24 Authorized Third Party partners offer driver licenses services and can convert existing licenses or IDs.

To learn more about the Voluntary Travel ID, please visit azdot.gov/TravelID.

Phoenix workshop scheduled for ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan

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PHOENIX — Community members, businesses and stakeholders are invited to provide their input and ideas to shape the long-range vision for Arizona’s transportation system during a workshop in Phoenix next week.

The workshop, scheduled for Thursday, May 12, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., will be held at the Maricopa Association of Governments, 302 N. First Ave. in Phoenix.

The meeting is the last in a series of more than a dozen statewide workshops hosted by ADOT. These “Think Ahead about Transportation” workshops, which began in January, help shape ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, also known as What Moves You Arizona, which is updated every five years. The Long-Range Plan looks 25 years down the road to determine the best mix of investment to preserve, modernize and expand the state transportation system with the resources available.

While ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan is not project-specific, it identifies priorities based on current and projected transportation funding over the next 25 years. Because limited revenues will not meet all current and future transportation needs, it’s up to the public, policymakers and communities to tell ADOT what’s important to them.

More than 350 people representing more than 150 organizations around Arizona participated in the previous statewide workshops. A full report on all the workshops will be posted on the long-range plan website once the MAG workshop is completed. The next round of public comment opportunities will include another set of workshops, along with an interactive online tool that will allow people to weigh in on the criteria that will be used to select improvement projects in the future.

A reliable transportation system is vital, as people and commerce move through a statewide network to get to where they’re going. To keep pace, the transportation needs of tomorrow take planning and investment to ensure that Arizona stays competitive and meets the needs of a growing state.

Visit azdot.gov/whatmovesyouarizona for more information on ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan. You can leave a comment at azdot.gov/whatmovesyouarizona/comments. The final version of the plan is expected to be complete in early 2017.

For those interested in attending next week’s Phoenix workshop, please RSVP by emailing Dillon Kennedy at dkennedy@azdot.gov or call 602.712.7106.

Interstate 10 reopens in southeastern Arizona after long closure

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PHOENIX — Interstate 10 has reopened in southeastern Arizona after a daylong closure caused by dust blowing from a recently plowed field near San Simon.

With visibility severely reduced at milepost 376, the Arizona Department of Transportation closed 60-plus miles of the interstate in both directions from east of Willcox to Lordsburg, New Mexico.

ADOT personnel stationed at the scene will close the highway in the interest of safety when conditions warrant and detour traffic on US 191 and US 70 through Safford. Those planning to travel this route should budget extra time in case of delays and be aware of the potential for blowing dust to appear suddenly.

Wet weather all weekend

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16-05-06-2WILLIAMS — After a bright, but windy, day, rain hit this afternoon with bites of hail mixed in. The forecast continues with rain tonight and thunderstorms tomorrow during the day. Thunderstorms are expected to continue through Monday clearing the rest of the week through Friday. Winds are expected to be from 7 to 17-mph with gusts up to 28 through the weekend.

Flagstaff weather is approximately the same.16-05-06-4

Twice-weekly US 60 project closures to continue through June

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PHOENIX ‒ With about 2,000 truckloads of earth still to remove, blasting to create a passing lane along US 60 east of Superior is expected to continue through June.

The highway will be closed in both directions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a schedule the Arizona Department of Transportation designed to provide consistency for those relying on US 60.

Crews have removed about 105,000 cubic yards of rocks and dirt since the $8.8 million project began in August. Another 25,000 cubic yards of earth must be removed for the project between Devil’s Canyon and Oak Flat.

Working in a tight passage carrying US 60 uphill from Superior has made the work more time-consuming than originally expected. With no room at the worksite to store rocks and dirt after blasting, crews must truck the materials out and clear the roadway before reopening to traffic.

During blasting, eastbound traffic is stopped at milepost 227 east of Superior and westbound traffic at Top of the World, (milepost 235 west of Miami) until the debris is cleared.

Drivers should use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time.

Once the blasting work is complete, ADOT will pave the widened roadway before opening the additional travel lane to traffic. The project also includes widening the shoulder in Devil’s Canyon (mileposts 233-234), bridge work at Waterfall Canyon (milepost 229) and drainage improvements (milepost 242) west of Miami.

During the closures, drivers should consider taking state routes 77 and 177 between Superior and Globe, a route of about 68 miles. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260.

For more information on the project, please visit azdot.gov/us60oakflat.

Multi-Agency Search for Missing Camper in Oak Creek Canyon

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image004Oak Creek Canyon — On Friday, May 6, 2016 at about 9:07 am 911 dispatchers received a call from an individual who identified himself as the campground host for the Pine Flat Campground located in Oak Creek Canyon. According to the caller an adult female who was camping by herself failed to check out of her camping space as she was scheduled to do. The host identified the missing camper as fifty-nine year-old Debra Ann Schwartz of Tempe, Arizona.

Upon the Deputies arrival at Pine Flats they found the missing person’s vehicle and her assembled tent and other camping equipment. It appears that Debra Schwartz left her campground for an unknown destination and failed to return as scheduled.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Command Staff, Deputies and Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue personnel are conducting an intensive ground search aided by the Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue Helicopter based in Kingman, AZ. Although the helicopter crew has conducted multiple flights in the area they have not detected the presence of the missing person. Sheriff’s Detectives are conducting a parallel missing person investigation in an attempt to determine the circumstances leading up to Debra’s disappearance.

Anyone with information regarding the current location or the circumstances leading up to Debra Schwartz’s disappearance are urged to immediately contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.