Tag Archives: National

The 12 Days of Williams: August 2014

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Williams started August with rain and hail so heavy that it caused traffic to slow to the speed limit.

The weather caused some beautiful displays in Williams.

Congressional Democrats were so busy complaining about obstruction by the Republicans that they forgot to pass over 350 bills which languished on the desk of Harry Reid. Steve Stockman of Texas introduced a bill to address the border crisis. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas submitted her own proposal. This probably helped Independent voter registration to rise in Arizona.

The Panama Canal saw its 100th anniversary.

Senate Web Site photo

Senate Web Site photo

Deputy County Attorney Ammon Barker received Prosecutor of the Year Award.

Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell passed away in August. Former State Senator Sylvia Allen was chosen to replace him on the ballot in November.

Using sophisticated statistical analysis, the Northern Arizona Gazette predicted the outcome of the city council race in Williams. Primary 2014 had few surprises.

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Cool Country Cruise-In returned to Williams. (See Also)

Friends of the Williams Aquatic Center held a pool party.
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The annual Thunder Over Coconino event was held in Valle.

A 38-year-old male was arrested for trespassing on a houseboat on Lake Powell and apparently holding a party. A man turned himself in for sexual misconduct with a minor. A Flagstaff man was arrested for sexual assault.

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Sheriff Photo

Coconino County Deputies were called to investigate a man struck by lightning and participated in an armed intruder response exercise.

The Coconino County Sheriff and Flagstaff Police warned against phone scams.

A serious accident occurred on I-40 near Bellemont.

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Williams held its annual Labor Day weekend celebration.
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Deaths
Arizona State Senator Chester Crandell

Time capsule dating to 1795 included coins, newspapers

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capsuleinternal8989BOSTON – Early residents of Boston valued a robust press as much as their history and currency if the contents of a time capsule dating back to the years just after the Revolutionary War are any guide.

When conservators at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston gingerly removed items from the box Tuesday, they found five tightly folded newspapers, a medal depicting George Washington, a silver plaque, two dozen coins, including one dating to 1655, and the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

While some of the coins appeared corroded, other items were in good condition and fingerprints could be seen on the silver plaque.

The capsule was embedded in a cornerstone of the Massachusetts Statehouse when construction began in 1795. It was placed there by Revolutionary era luminaries including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, governor of Massachusetts at the time.

Read more at FOX News

Boehner’s revenge: Payback has begun for members who opposed speaker

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johnboehner0107new-300x175The House conservatives who mounted a very public, but doomed-to-fail bid to oust House speaker John Boehner are already paying the price.

After overcoming dissenters in his own party, Boehner won the speakership for a third term on Tuesday and lost little time exacting revenge. By Tuesday evening two Florida Republicans who had opposed him – Reps. Daniel Webster and Richard Nugent — had lost their seats on the powerful House Rules Committee.

And the roiling is going to continue for some time, according to Politico.

Read more at BizPac Review

Springfield lists XD-S at new low price with Essentials kit

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xd-9mm-4-inchSpringfield Armory is now offering the XD-S single-stack subcompact concealed-carry pistols in 9mm and .45 ACP at a lower price with the Essentials kit.

Like previous Essentials kits offered with the standard XD series, the XD-S Essentials package doesn’t come with as many accessories in order to deliver a lower price point. This is a smart move on Springfield’s part as many customers will take the savings over a couple of basic holsters any day.

The Essentials kits include a pistol, one flush-fitting magazine and one extended mag, two sizes of backstraps and grip extensions, a cable lock, a bore brush and a locking hard case. The minimum to keep and maintain the gun not including ammo or lube.

The changes are expected to knock as much as $100 off the sticker making the XD-S series even more appealing for concealed-carry. Springfield is offering the complete XD-S series with Essentials kits including 3.3-inch and 4-inch models in both calibers and finishes.

In 9mm these kits come with Springfield’s new “Mid-Mag” extended eight-round magazine instead of the original nine-round extended mag that should prove a little easier to conceal. And more options are always welcome with seven-, eight- and nine-round mags now on table for the 9mm pistols.

The .45 ACP magazines are still the same with five-round flush mags and six-round extended mags. As far as the guns themselves are concerned Springfield isn’t rolling out any changes to the XD-S sold with Essentials kits.

Read more at Gun.com

The 12 Days of Williams: June 2014

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Duck population increases

Duck population increases

The national government confirmed that they posted a contract call for “escort services for unaccompanied alien children” long before the illegal siege of the border.

Does handwriting really matter? Results of Seattle minimum wage hike started to show.

The mosquito-borne chikungunya virus hit the U.S.

Marine Hostage Sergeant Amir Hekmati—held in Iran—sent a letter to Secretary Of State John Kerry telling him not to trade terrorists for his release. Hekmati is a former Marine born in Flagstaff, Arizona.

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The Massachusetts ACLU claimed that the Boston police have found a loop hole in Massachusetts law. The SWAT teams claim that they are “private corporations” and are not subject to the open records law. Thus they can keep their militarization private.

The conviction of Bruce Abramski, Jr. was upheld by the Supreme Court.

adot-2013-5It was reported that motor vehicle fatalities increased in 2013 state-wide. ADOT reminds drivers to pull aside, stay alive during sand and dust storms. ADOT also set up 14 “safe phone” zone rest stops. They also held a public and virtual meeting concerning Interstate 11. The new drivers license process is now in effect.

Photo courtesy of the Coconino County Sheriff
A plane crash in a remote area of the Navajo Nation claimed two lives.

Coconino County Community Services announced program to assist in paying bills.

With KZBX radio now online, we explored radio history in Williams. The Arizona Survivalist/Prepper Expo was held in Prescott Valley on May 31. The Expo featured lectures and demonstrations from vendors across the country.

Slide Fire Information Facebook photo

Slide Fire Information Facebook photo

Save Meant-to-Rescue set up an area to build a shelter. It would be months before the city and Save Meant-to-Rescue would come up with a final agreement.

The Slide Fire continued to be a problem.

Despite the lack of water, life started to spring up in Williams.

A jewelry store clerk thwarted a robbery by being armed.

Deaths
Ann B. Davis – Best known as the housekeeper on The Brady Bunch

Little Jimmy Dickens, beloved ‘Opry’ star, dies at 94

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jimmy-dickensCountry Music Hall of Famer Jimmy Dickens, the Grand Ole Opry’s most beloved and diminutive ambassador, died Friday at a Nashville area hospital. He was 94.

Mr. Dickens starred for decades on the “Opry,” where he was a vital part of the scene both onstage and backstage. His dressing room was an essential stop for performers on the show, and it was there that he held court for a variety of artists, some of whom came to the Opry more than a half century after Mr. Dickens’ 1948 debut.

He remained a vital performer throughout his life, last playing the “Opry” on Dec. 20, a day after his 94th birthday and five days before he would be admitted to the hospital after suffering a stroke on Christmas Day. He died of cardiac arrest on Friday.

Read more at The Tennessean

‘Beverly Hillbillies’ star Donna Douglas dead at 81

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Donna Douglas and Elvis in Frankie and Johnny.

Donna Douglas and Elvis in Frankie and Johnny.

Donna Douglas, the actress who won over TV viewers as Elly May Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” has died. She was 81.

The star’s granddaughter told TMZ Douglas died in her Louisiana home surrounded by friends and family.

The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, her niece told The Associated Press.

Douglas appeared “The Beverly Hillbillies,” a comedy about a backwoods Tennessee family who moved to Beverly Hills after striking it rich from oil on their land. for all nine seasons of the show and reprised her role in a TV movie reboot of the series in 1981.

As Elly May, she seemed blissfully unaware of her status as a bumpkin blond bombshell. Typically she was clad in a snug flannel shirt and tight jeans cinched with a rope belt, and she seemed to prefer her critters to any beau.

Chosen from more than 500 other actresses, Douglas said she felt at ease playing the role because, like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy. Her childhood in Pride, Louisiana, came in handy when she was asked during her audition to milk a goat.

Read more at FOX News

The 12 Days of Williams: April 2014

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20140426-01The frigate USS Vandegrift was sent to rescue a child who fell ill from an unknown fever onboard the Rebel Heart. An armed Detroit nurse saved the life of a man who was being beaten by an angry mob. The Bureau of Land Management sent in armed troops to rescue the desert tortoise at the Bundy Ranch near Las Vegas. Militia men responded. The western States, in response, started forming together to fight by taking State lands back. The National Guard had Apache helicopters taken from them by the Army.

Terrorists in Oregon turned a ranch into a training camp. American Pastor Saeed Abedini, still jailed in Iran, sent an Easter message.

The Veteran hospital in Phoenix was implicated in the VA let them die program.

Google bought drone maker Titan Aerospace.
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John McCain hosted “his friend” Hillary Clinton in Sedona.

Williams was surprised when a case of fireworks was set ablaze. The Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe received an award as one of the best restaurants in Arizona for 2014. Williams held its annual Community Easter Egg Hunt. A last minute winter storm dampened some weekend events, but was not enough to damper Level 4 water restrictions.

Anna, Aquilla Larson and Maria Jacobs display the plate awarded by Arizona Highways magazine.

Anna, Aquilla Larson and Maria Jacobs display the plate awarded by Arizona Highways magazine.


Flag Military Surplus announced a Battlefield 4 tournament. Symmetree Marketplace flea market opened in Flagstaff.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s department investigated a fire which damaged a residence and two travel trailers near Parks. Pete C. Gomez, a detention officer, was arrested for unlawful sexual conduct with an inmate. Page held a Tip-a-Cop event for Special Olympics.

Deaths
Mickey Rooney, 93 – well-known childhood actor.

McCain’s big purge

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John McCain
By Alex Isenstadt

In an interview, Schwartz blamed his ouster squarely on McCain, whom he said had singled him out. “It’s very clear what’s going on,” he said. “Look, John McCain has prominence and money and influence and because of that he thinks he can ramrod us.”

Nearly a year ago, tea party agitators in Arizona managed to get John McCain censured by his own state party. Now, he’s getting his revenge.

As the longtime Republican senator lays the groundwork for a likely 2016 reelection bid, his political team is engaging in an aggressive and systematic campaign to reshape the state GOP apparatus by ridding it of conservative firebrands and replacing them with steadfast allies.

The ambitious effort — detailed to POLITICO by nearly a dozen McCain operatives, donors, and friends — has stretched from office buildings in Alexandria, Virginia, where strategists plotted and fundraisers collected cash for a super PAC, to Vietnamese-American communities across Arizona, where recruiters sought out supporters eager to help the incumbent defeat the tea party.

Team McCain’s goal? Unseat conservative activists who hold obscure, but influential, local party offices.

Read more at Politico

Why There Shouldn’t Be a Minimum Wage

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Ethan-GloverGuest Editorial By Ethan Glover
Writer at Anarchant and creator/admin for Liberty Resource Directory.

theytookourjobsIn 2015, this week, 21 states will be raising the minimum wage. New wages will range from $8 to $9.15 as compared to the federal minimum of $7.25. This made me wonder where the movement for $15/hr went, I haven’t heard from them in a while.

Turns out, Seattle implemented a $15 minimum wage early this year. What were the effects?

Managers started to take on more responsibility as opposed to hiring.
Large companies laid off employees and canceled plans to hire.
Small businesses are moving or closing.
Many products added “living-wage surcharges,” including parking.
Companies cut employee benefits and overtime.

On the positive side, despite no one hiring, there has been a huge increase in job applications.

The Real Cost of Minimum Wage

The argument against minimum wage is simple. It might not be profitable for a company to hire someone at a higher wage, so they don’t hire. If someone can’t produce $7.25/hr, you’re condemning him or her to a wage of $0.

One argument says that the minimum wage raises the standard of living for all. Lowering it would hurt everyone.

This is ridiculous considering that most jobs pay above the minimum due to competition and profits. Lowering the minimum does nothing but lower the barrier to entry.

Minimum wage isn’t for adults looking for a particular “standard of living.” Jobs like food preparation and retail floor sales isn’t the kind of thing you should be doing as a middle-aged parent.

Those jobs are for young people who need to earn experience and learn skills. Minimum wage jobs need little to no skill and operate in a low risk environment. (Missing a day of work at McDonald’s isn’t going to hurt anyone.)

Read more at Anarchant