US 60 east of Superior to close briefly for blasting operations Oct. 20-22

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SUPERIOR — Motorists traveling along US 60 between Phoenix and Globe next week need to plan ahead or allow extra time as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues blasting work as part of an improvement project to build a new passing lane and widen roadway shoulders east of Superior, approximately 65 miles east of downtown Phoenix.

The construction of the two-mile-long climbing lane from Devil’s Canyon to Oak Flat (mileposts 231-233) will require four separate full closures of US 60 for up to 90 minutes:

> Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
> Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
> Thursday, Oct. 22, at 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Traffic on eastbound US 60 will be stopped east of Superior (milepost 227) and westbound US 60 will be stopped at the Top of the World, west of Miami (milepost 235) until the blasting work is completed and the roadway is reopened after all debris is cleared. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at each closure to assist with traffic control.

Approximately 30 minutes prior to each blast, motorists should be prepared for possible delays and lane closures as crews set concrete barrier prior to each scheduled closure. ADOT anticipates highway closures for blasting into December.

Motorists seeking an alternate route can consider state routes 77 and 177, which is approximately 68 miles long. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can also take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260 as an alternative.

ADOT will work to minimize the traffic impacts as much as possible, including scheduling some nighttime work.

There will be narrow traffic lanes, wide-load restrictions and a reduced speed limit through the work zone. Flaggers and pilot cars will be used at different times throughout the project.

Drivers are asked to use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time for your commute.

State Route 89 reduced to one lane at Hell Canyon tomorrow for bridge inspection

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State Route 89 north of Prescott at Hell Canyon (mileposts 345) will be narrowed to a single lane from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16 as crews perform bridge work.

The lane closure will provide a safe work zone for ADOT crews, who will conduct a routine bridge inspection on the bridge. The speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph and brief delays are expected.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zones with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

FPD report yet another fatal pedestrian accident

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FLAGSTAFF — At approximately 6:30 a.m., Officers with the Flagstaff Police Department were called to the intersection of S. Woodlands Village, and W. University Avenue in regards to a vehicle pedestrian collision.

A 68 year old male pedestrian was attempting to cross the intersection and was struck by a vehicle traveling south on S. Woodlands Village. The driver was driving with a green light, and the pedestrian was not walking in the crosswalk or in a designated pedestrian walk way.

The 68 year old pedestrian was wearing dark clothes and transported to the Flagstaff Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased from his injuries. The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending next of kin notification.

The driver was cooperative with the investigation and there were no indications of impairment at this time. The Flagstaff Police Departments Collision Reconstruction team was called to the scene for enhanced evidence collection and investigation.

Several calls for SAR help taken by Sheriff’s Department

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FLAGSTAFF — During Sunday through Tuesday of this week deputies and the dedicated men and women of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) unit responded to five calls for help during all hours of the day and night and at times under very hazardous conditions to help their fellow men and women.

On Sunday, October 11, 2015 at about 6:00 pm the Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting that an adult male and his teenage daughter both of Flagstaff were stranded in the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. A Sheriff’s Office SAR coordinator requested assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Air Rescue Division. The DPS helicopter based in Phoenix responded and conducted an air search over the area where the two stranded hikers were believed to be. Crew members were able to determine that both subjects were uninjured and were well prepared with provisions and camping equipment to spend the night at their current location. At daybreak Monday morning the SAR Technical Rescue Team and the DPS helicopter based in Flagstaff responded to West Fork Canyon. Two rescuers hiked down to the hikers’ location and prepared them for transportation via the short haul method. During the first trip the teenage girl and a rescuer were suspended beneath the helicopter on a cable and flown to an area where they were safely lowered to the ground. During the second trip the adult male, the family dog and a rescuer were transported out of the canyon via the short haul Method. Neither of the hikers required any medical attention.

On Monday, October 12, 2015 at about 4:00 pm an Arizona Game and Fish officer called the Sheriff’s Office to advise of an overdue hunter in the Blue Ridge area located west of Lake Mary Road. An adult male and his granddaughter were hunting elk and one of the two subjects shot an elk. For an unknown reason the two subjects became separated at approximately 1:30 pm. The granddaughter used her cell phone to alert the Arizona Game and Fish. The Sheriff’s Office deputy stationed in Blue Ridge and Search and Rescue personnel responded to the area and met with the Game and Fish officer who reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Office. They began a ground search and a Game and Fish officer located the missing hunter. The hunter did not require medical attention and was returned to his vehicle.

On Monday afternoon the Sheriff’s Office sergeant who serves as the SAR coordinator was in the process of assisting with logistics in the search for the missing cliff jumper in Lake Powell when he was made aware of a missing adult female and her 14 year old son who were hiking on the Kachina Trail of the San Francisco Peaks. It was believed that the two left the Arizona Snowbowl parking lot at about 1:30 pm for the purpose of taking a short hike. At sundown the two became disoriented and wandered off the trail by about a half of a mile. On duty deputies hiked the Kachina Trial and located the lost subjects and escorted them back to their vehicles.

During that same afternoon the SAR coordinator was contacted by Havasupai tribal officials and informed that a hiker in Supai Canyon injured her leg. Members of the Supai Rural CERT team were able to transport the injured hiker to Supai Village. Tribal Officials requested assistance in having an air rescue helicopter transport the injured hiker out of the canyon and to a medical center.

Body of Cliff Jumper Recovered by Multi-Agency Response

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Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

PAGE — Today [Wednesday] at 9:37 a.m., the 6-day search for missing 29-year old Billy Burke of Jackson Hole, Wyoming concluded when his body was spotted at a depth of 153 feet in Lake Powell.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Lake Patrol Division discovered the body using an underwater Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). Billy’s body was discovered at the base of a cliff in the Coconino County portion of Face Canyon where friends reported that he entered the water in the afternoon of Friday October 9 after attempting a cliff jump of approximately 90 feet.

The ROV deployed by Maricopa County is over 60% smaller and more agile for navigating the rugged underwater terrain in the search area than the ROV used on previous search days. This ROV was able to approach the cliff walls without stirring up as much sediment, which allowed for improved viewing of the area.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Acting Superintendent Lindy Mihata extends thanks to Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Utah State Parks for contributing to this successful search and underwater recovery effort.

The search was coordinated by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, while the investigation is being coordinated by Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives. At this point in the investigation, investigators do not believe that foul play was involved, and that this was an unfortunate accident.

Since the year 2000, six cliff jumping deaths have occurred in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

ADEQ proposes new safe drinking water rules

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ADEQ is proposing to update its safe drinking water rules in order to conform to changes made to federal rules over the past seven years. ADEQ plans to incorporate by reference the Revised Total Coliform Rule into a new section, and make corresponding changes in other sections. ADEQ also plans to incorporate by reference the 2007 changes to the Lead and Copper Rule. ADEQ is authorized to enforce federal drinking water standards under A.R.S. § 49-353(A)(2)(a).

ADEQ has published the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for updates to the Safe Drinking Water rules (18 A.A.C. 4, Articles 1 and 2). The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is available here (at page 2286): http://apps.azsos.gov/public_services/register/2015/41/04_proposed.pdf. Information on the Safe Drinking Water rulemaking and other ADEQ rulemaking is also available on ADEQ’s website.

Rain possible through Columbus day(?)

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300-columbus-dayWILLIAMS — I see by the old calendar on the wall that it looks like we could have rain over Columbus day next week.

The long-range forecast shows a chance of rain moving in Wednesday night through Sunday. There will be a slight chance of rain for most of the later week except for the 30% chance Thursday. Flagstaff has a 40% chance on Thursday night.

The current long-range forecast runs through Sunday, so it is is unclear if rain will be a problem over Columbus Day next week, according to my calendar.

I must remember to wish the Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving next week.

NAU Police release 911 recording

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FLAGSTAFF — Northern Arizona University Police released recordings of their 911 call from the shooting tragedy that took place on campus early morning yesterday.

Counseling Services have been set up today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. The Office of Student Life and the Health and Learning Center also will open at 10 a.m. NAU students representing fraternity and sorority life are planning a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. on the North Quad of the Flagstaff campus.

NAU has an emergency text alert system, however human error caused the alerts to be initially sent at 2:52 a.m. to only 700 people. The residence hall director was one who received the text and took immediate steps to warn everyone in the hall.

An NAU statement read, “Redundancies in our communications led to the residence hall director securing the area where the immediate threat was identified.”

State General Counsel Bret Parke Named ADEQ Deputy Director

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced today the appointment of Bret Parke, currently General Counsel for the State’s Department of Administration, as the agency’s deputy director. In his new capacity, Mr. Parke will serve as chief of staff to ADEQ Director Misael Cabrera and oversee the agency’s operations, including its budget and administrative support functions.

The appointment, effective Oct. 26, 2015, marks a return to ADEQ for Mr. Parke, who began his legal career as a staff attorney for the agency before eventually becoming its Administrative Counsel in 2010. He held that post until April 2012 when he was named ADOA General Counsel, where he provided legal advice on the state’s myriad administrative practices – everything from procurement and risk management to government accounting and finance, state facilities construction, IT security, and employment and personnel services. As General Counsel, Mr. Parke also chaired the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council, which oversees and approves adoption of state agency rules.

As Administrative Counsel at ADEQ, Mr. Parke served as the top legal advisor to the agency director. He also chaired five internal committees, managed ADEQ’s Strategic Enforcement Unit and was the agency’s representative on the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee.

“Bret wore many hats during his eight-year tenure with ADEQ, and his commitment to public service is evident in his 11-year career in Arizona government,” Director Cabrera said. “It’s Bret’s passion for ADEQ’s mission – his irrepressible drive to do more environmental good – that brings him back to ADEQ. His perspective and many of his qualities are quite similar to our former director, Henry Darwin, who was widely admired and respected both inside and outside of ADEQ,” Cabrera added.

Person arrested in NAU shooting

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Steven Jones - Flagstaff Police Photo

Steven Jones – Flagstaff Police Photo

FLAGSTAFF — Steven Jones was arrested for the shooting death of a student at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. According to news reports, three other students were injured.

According to the KNAU website, the students shot were members of the Delta Chi fatenity, but 18-year-old Jones was not.

Colin Brough was killed in the shooting and Nicholas Prato, Kyle Zientk and Nicoholas Piring were injured. Their site also references, “An Instragram account believed to be that of the NAU campus shooting suspect shows him posing with various firearms.”

Steven Jones made an intial court appearance for one count of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault this afternoon.

The cause of the shooting is still under investigation. Jones claimed that he retrieved the gun from his vehicle because he was being chased after a fist-fight and warned that he was armed.

Flagstaff Voices noted that Flagstaff council member Eva Putzova was quick to politicize the shooting. She is an outspoken advocate of revoking the Second Amendment in Flagstaff.

Council member Coral Evans also took to Facebook questioning how it was possible for an 18-year-old freshman to have a gun on campus.

NAU policy does not allow firearms in the buildings, but they may be locked up in vehicles.