Tag Archives: Flagstaff

Coconino County Congratulates Supervisor Liz Archuleta On Appointment by the Biden-Harris Administration

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County congratulates District 2 Supervisor Liz Archuleta for her appointment with the Biden-Harris Administration.

“I am very honored to take this next step in public service. Serving the people of Coconino County has been a treasure. As I leave the Board of Supervisors, my heart will always remain with the community I call home and which has been so good to me,” said Supervisor Archuleta.

Under Supervisor Archuleta’s leadership, the County has advanced the cause of diversity and equity with the creation of the County’s Diversity Councils. The Supervisor spearheaded the effort to create the Colorado Plateau Water Advisory Council to protect and guard our most precious resource. During the Schultz Fire and Flood, the County, with Supervisor Archuleta in the forefront, demonstrated resilience as our leaders and residents learned from and rebuilt after the Schultz Fire and subsequent catastrophic flooding and applied those important lessons to the Museum Flood Mitigation efforts. Most recently, Supervisor Archuleta served as Chair of the Board during a period of unprecedented challenges given the impacts of COVID-19. Supervisor Archuleta again provided strong leadership during this emergency, which has resulted in the County being a leader once again within Arizona.

Supervisor Archuleta held significant leadership roles in the community serving as Chair of United Way of Northern Arizona and Flagstaff Symphony, she served on the Boards of Flagstaff Leadership Program, YMCA, and Arizona Cactus Pine Girl Scout Council, and as Trustee of the Nature Conservancy. As a community organizer she helped establish the Sunnyside, Southside and Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Associations. Her leadership was recognized by many, including as an Arizona Latina Trail Blazer, The Athena Award, and the Diversity Leaders Award from Diversity Leadership Alliance.

Supervisor Archuleta has served 24 years as a member of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors with numerous leadership positions on the County Supervisors Association of Arizona, the Arizona Association of Counties, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Chairman Matt Ryan expressed the County’s congratulations and gratitude to Supervisor Archuleta. “Coconino County has made tremendous progress over the last 24 years because of Supervisor Archuleta’s leadership and passion for public service. She has served as Chair during our most difficult times, including the current pandemic. We will miss our colleague and friend, but we are happy for her transition to a new level of public service. We know Liz will bring her energy, innovation, and steadfast commitment to public service to the federal government. On behalf of all of Coconino County we thank you Supervisor Archuleta, for your tremendous commitment and dedication to serving our County,” expressed Chairman Ryan.

“Twenty-four years ago, I was called to serve my community as the first Latina to be a member of the Board of Supervisors. Little did I know, as I took that step into public service that it would be such an incredible journey, an opportunity of a lifetime. It is with sorrow and pride that I resign from my position. My heart is full of gratitude for the people who embraced me over the years. Each person who let me into their homes and hearts, who shared their struggles and aspirations enriched my life. I thank you. I thank you for entrusting me as your representative. I will carry that trust, the stories, the dreams with me to Washington D.C. to continue my public service” stated Supervisor Archuleta.

Supervisor Archuleta will resign from the Board of Supervisors this evening. Under Arizona law, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors will appoint a replacement for the District 2 Supervisor seat. Supervisor Archuleta will be invited to the County Board in the future for an opportunity for residents to express thanks and recognize her service to the County. Personal messages of congratulations can be emailed to tmunoz@coconino.az.gov.

Coconino County appoints Cheryl Mango-Paget as Superintendent of Schools

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FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors has appointed Cheryl Mango-Paget as Coconino County Superintendent of Schools effective immediately. Mango-Paget has served as the Associate Superintendent for Coconino County since 2012, holds a certificate to teach in schools in the state of Arizona, and holds Arizona administrator and superintendent certifications.

Mango-Paget has classroom experience as a teacher and administrator, and expertise and passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education (STEM).

“I’m honored to serve Coconino County as the Superintendent of Schools,” said Mango-Paget. “Education is my passion and I look forward to continuing to improve the educational outcomes for our students and training for our teachers. Our future is built on the success we have educating the children and young adults of our county.”

“Coconino County’s educational mission will be well-served by Superintendent Mango-Paget. The Superintendent’s knowledge and
experience, and her passion for serving our children and community are evident. In light of the challenges facing Coconino County due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the board recognizes the need for leadership and continuity in the Office of the Superintendent. We are grateful to have a leader such as Superintendent Mango-Paget to guide this team into a bright future. The Board of Supervisors looks forward to working together with the Superintendent to continue the long history of excellence in education and supporting teachers in our county,”
commented Chairman Matt Ryan.

Mango-Paget earned both a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Science in Education from Indiana University. Mango-Paget will serve through December 31, 2022.

Coconino County’s Detention Services Commander Matthew Figueroa receives Appointment to AZPOST

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FLAGSTAFF — Congratulations to Commander Matthew Figueroa who has been appointed by Governor Ducey to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST).

AZPOST is composed of 13 members and stands to foster public trust and confidence by establishing and maintaining standards of integrity, competence, and professionalism for Arizona peace officers and correctional officers.

AZPOST was established in 1968 to address the need for minimum peace officer selection, recruitment, retention and training standards, and to provide curriculum and standards for all certified law enforcement training facilities.

Commander Matthew Figueroa has served as Detention Services Commander of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office since 2014. In his current role as Detention Commander, he provides administrative leadership, supervision, training and direction, and assignment of duties to over 150 detention personnel and supervisors in the daily operations of a 596-bed facility.

Commander Figueroa also served as associate faculty with Coconino County Community College instructing students in the areas of Administrative Justice. He has served in detention since 1996 as a detention officer, and recently received the JAILCON 20/20 Detention Administrator of the Year award.

Sheriff Jim Driscoll is proud to have representation from his Command Staff on the AZPOST Board and grateful to Governor Ducey for recognizing Commander Matthew Figueroa for this prestigious
appointment.

This, too, shall pass

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For those who do not think it snows in Arizona, you may be in for a surprise when you visit northern Arizona. Do not drive like you do at home.

WILLIAMS — This storm is passing. The prediction is about 3 more inches through the day and into the early evening. Tomorrow mostly sunny and partly sunny Thursday. A high of 37 Wednesday and 45 Thursday. It is expected to be bitterly cold tonight and Wednesday night. Possibly as low as 3-degrees. Williams received 20″ of snow with Flagstaff achieving 21″.

The Winter Weather Warning from the Weather Service ended as of 2 p.m. today.

Another storm will come through Friday and Saturday, but is expected to leave less than one inch of snow.

This storm did not significantly impact the infrastructure as did the storm of November 2019. There were reports of some spotty power outages and some Internet failures. The power and phones, however, did remain active for the most part. There was a lot of trouble with slide-offs and accidents along the I-40 and I-17. And there were those who parked their vehicles in the middle of Railroad avenue and walked off.

Do not park in the middle of the road during snow removal.


The current road conditions as of this writing are:
Plan for long backups on sections of I-40 between Kingman and Flagstaff due to the weather.
The following highways are closed due to extreme winter conditions
Interstate 17 northbound is closed between SR 179 and Lake Mary Road (mileposts 299-340)
US 191 from mileposts 225 to 254 (just south of Alpine)
State Route 87 between the Bush Highway and Winslow (mileposts 236-342)
State Route 260 between Star Valley and Heber, and from east of Camp Verde to SR 87
US 60 in both directions from Globe to Show Low
State Route 89A between Sedona and Interstate 17; and from Jerome to Clarkdale
State Route 89 from north of Peeples Valley to just south of Prescott
State Route 288 westbound between SR 188 and YoungState Route 89A between Sedona and Interstate 17; and from Jerome to Clarkdale
State Route 89 from north of Peeples Valley to just south of Prescott
State Route 288 westbound between SR 188 and Young

The Coconino Amateur Radio Emergency service was active just prior to the storm through until 1 p.m. today. The Weather Service held briefings with the Emergency Operation Center and other agencies daily through the storm.

Call 511 or visit az511.gov before you go to check for current road conditions.

Major weather impact predicted through Tuesday

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Northern Arizona – Travel from any point to Flagstaff will be very difficult over the next couple of days. The weather service expects white-out conditions and heavy snow starting Monday morning through to Tuesday morning. High winds and blowing snow could pose a major hazard for travelers along I-40 and especially I-17 around the areas of Kachina Village and Munds Park south of Flagstaff.

According to the weather service, snow levels will be from 4000′ – 5000′ tonight dropping to 2000′ by Tuesday. The possible levels in the area are 15-21″ in Flagstaff, 16-22 in Williams, 6-10″ in Chino Valley and 7-11″ in Seligman. Snow fall could reach 1″ an hour over Monday during the day and Monday night.

Temperatures will drop to the single-digits for the upper elevations to the lower teens for elevations below 4000′. A winter storm warning may be issued by the weather service starting Monday morning.

If you must travel during these periods, remember NOT to get right behind a snowplow on the freeways hoping to get clearer roads. The snowplow stop and change directions frequently and you could be involved in an accident. Stay clear of snow plows.

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) was activated yesterday and will be monitoring tonight starting about 6 p.m. through the storm. They will be monitoring the repeaters on Bill Williams and in particular the 146.780 (-91.5) repeater and 146.980 (-162.2) repeater on Mount Elden. Should the repeaters fail, they monitor 146.980 simplex.

Northern Arizona to finally get significant snowfall through Monday

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WILLIAMS — According to the National Weather Service, a storm passing through northern Arizona could bring the first significant snowfall since November of 2019. This could, unfortunately, bring traffic problems along I-40 and highway 64.

Two- to four-inches are expected over Friday night. Another six-inches could fall over Saturday night. 2- to 4-inches more could fall over Sunday. Monday through Tuesday during the day, there is about an 80% chance of snow, but levels are not predicted yet. Snow will continue Wednesday through Thursday, but the chances drop to around 20%.

Winds for the period will be moderate execpt for Friday night with gusts up to 28-mph and Monday with gusts to 25-mph.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office investigating possible kidnapping

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Blue Ridge — On 12/15/2020 the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office was attempting to locate a male suspect and female victim who was reportedly forced into a vehicle south of Flagstaff, Arizona, along Interstate 17 in the late morning hours.

At 1157 hours the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Mustang Gas Station at Clint’s Wells along Hwy 87, reporting the vehicle involved from the incident on I-17 in the area. The caller reported a female passenger strapped/tied to the front passenger seat in a white in colored 4dr Jeep Wrangler with a black top. The reporting party then followed the suspect vehicle south along Highway 87 from Clint’s Wells until the suspect turned off on to Forest Service Road 141 east.

The Reporting party obtained and reporting the vehicle information to the 911 dispatch center. The vehicle returned to a subject out of Scottsdale, Arizona. During the investigation it was learned a Brandon Thomas Stewart of Scottsdale, was in possession of the vehicle in question.

Pings on the phone lead the Sheriff’s Office, Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Public Safety Helicopter to begin Searching the area east of Highway 87 and north of Forest Service road 300.

Later in the evening the suspect vehicle was located, and a high-risk traffic stop was conducted by DPS and Navajo County Sheriff’s Office at mile post 283 on Interstate 40.

The driver Brandon Stewart was taken into custody without incident and the female victim was located uninjured. Brandon Stewart was transported to the Navajo County Detention facility and booked on charges of Unlawful Imprisonment. Further charges are pending.

This incident is still under investigation and no further information is currently available. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety for their assistance in this incident.

Fire restrictions lifted in Coconino and Kaibab Forests

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FLAGSTAFF, WILLIAMS — Stage 1 fire restrictions have been lifted for the Kaibab National Forest, and a reduced Bill Williams Mountain closure is anticipated to be issued in the coming days.

Although fire danger has decreased, safety hazards will still exist on Bill Williams Mountain while fuels reduction and forest restoration operations occur on the steep slopes, which is expected to continue through the season as conditions allow. The current closure on Bill Williams Mountain will remain in place at this time; however, the Forest Service is developing a reduced closure that allows as much access as possible while continuing to provide for public safety. Details of this change will be distributed when the closure is updated.

Fire managers have been evaluating conditions regularly since restrictions were implemented earlier this summer. While the forecast for the next several weeks includes dry weather and unseasonably higher temperatures, the recent precipitation and generally colder weather has helped reduce fire danger.

It is important to remember that wildfires could still burn uncharacteristically for this time of year, given the overall conditions of the forest. The public is urged to help prevent human-caused wildfires by ensuring campfires are fully extinguished – cold to the touch – before leaving them unattended. Abandoning a campfire is prohibited all year round.

Fire restrictions and closures can be found on the Kaibab National Forest Alerts and Notices webpage.

Stage 1 fire restrictions are currently lifted across Coconino National Forest, as key components and measurements that fire managers use to determine the implementation of fire restrictions have dropped, which has also decreased fire danger.

However, visitors should be aware of certain areas that have fire restrictions year-round, which can be found on the Coconino NF Forest Orders web page.

Coconino Forest briefly came out of fire restrictions when monsoon arrived in July, but then reentered Stage 1 fire restrictions on August 14 and has been in restrictions up until today.

Coconino NF to sell limited number of Christmas tree permits

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FLAGSTAFF — Coconino National Forest began selling a limited number of Christmas tree permits online on October 15, and permit owners will be allowed to begin cutting Nov. 16 through December 24.

A total of 1,050 permits will be available for purchase on the Coconino NF Christmas Tree Recreation.gov webpage, which also lists details about designated cutting areas, maps, dates, and types of trees that may be cut.

Two hundred permits will be designated for the cutting areas within the Flagstaff Ranger District, while 850 permits will be designated for the cutting areas within the Mogollon Rim Ranger District. A small amount of over-the-counter permits may be available in late November, but are not available currently since all permits are being sold online starting tomorrow.

When purchasing a permit online, it is important to carefully read the overview and need-to-know information prior to purchasing. Visitors will also need to set up or login to a Recreation.gov account to complete the transaction. Permits will be issued one per household on a first-come, first-served basis until sold out.

Many other national forests are also selling Christmas tree permits online for their forests. To find out if online Christmas tree permits are available in your neck of the woods, visit www.recreation.gov and search for “Christmas Tree Permits” to pull up a list of all the national forests that are participating.

Route 66 On-The-Air again

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Route 66 is on the air.

FLAGSTAFF — Once again the amateur radio operators along Route 66 take to the air waves for the annual Route 66 On-The-Air event. Amateur radio operators, also known as “Hams,” will try to make contacts with other amateur operators from around the world. The event runs from 5 p.m. this Friday, September 11 until 3 p.m. Sunday, September 20 MST.

Glen Davis, KG7YDJ, on the air in Bellemont in 2019.

Amateur radio operators conduct contests and events throughout the year to test equipment by trying to make as many contacts as possible in a specified amount of time. Operators who make contact with all of the Route 66 stations can receive a “QSL” card from each. When they are put together, they make a map of Route 66.

Ron Gerlack and Andrew Gissel WA7DPS work Route 66 On-The-Air in Bellemont last year.

Some of the stations are stationary at the homes of various amateur radio operators and some are rovers that go to different places along Route 66. In the Flagstaff area, Ron Gerlack KG7OH of the Northern Arizona DX Association—the amateur radio club that works the event—takes the Coconino Amateur Radio Club trailer with various amateur radio equipment to various locations along Route 66. The call sign for this roaming station is W6T.

In the past, Ron has set up at Williams, Bellemont, the Grand Canyon Caverns, Twin Arrows, Seligman and a number of other places. This year he plans to set up at Bellemont, again, and along the “S” curve in Parks, Arizona.

At Twin Arrows in 2018.