Tag Archives: News

Williams City Council meets tonight

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WILLIAMS – The Williams City Council will meet tonight in regular session in the Chambers at 2018 113 S. First Street.

After any presentations, the council will open the floor to public participation where residents can speak for five-minutes. If they have a written presentation taking more than five-minutes, the council may grant more time.

The two major items on the agenda tonight are:

1. Discussion and consideration of an Amendment to the Ground Lease of City Property by SBA Towers IV LLC extending the term for continued use as of Cell Tower.

2. Discussion and Consideration of possible Request for Proposal regarding surplus City real property located on Route 66.

Free tax preparation available in Tuba City and Fredonia

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TUBA CITY – District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler, in conjunction with United Way of Northern Arizona, is hosting free tax preparations in Tuba City and Fredonia, Ariz. until April 16.

IRS-certified volunteers will be available to help qualified taxpayers prepare and electronically file State and Federal tax returns for free. Families and individuals with a household incomes of $75,000 or less are eligible for this service through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.

WHO: Families and Individuals with household incomes of $75,000 or less.

WHERE/WHEN:

  1. St. Jude Food Bank 100, Aspen Dr. Tuba City, Ariz. Jan. 29 – April 16
  2. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
  3. Saturday March 3 & 10, 9 – 11 a.m.
  4. Moenkopi Senior Center 20 Reservoir Ln. Tuba City, Ariz. Feb. 3 & Feb. 10, 9 – 11 a.m.
  5. Fredonia Public Library 130 Main St. Fredonia, Ariz. Feb. 14, March 14 & April 14, 10 a.m. -1 p.m.

What to bring:

• Valid picture ID for taxpayer (and spouse).
• Social Security or ITIN cards for all household members.
• Income statements including: W2’s, 1099, 1099-R, S.S. Benefits Statement and any other income received.
• 1095-A If you purchased Healthcare from the Marketplace.
• 1098-T tuition statement for college and technical school students.
• Name, address and tax ID# of child care provider.
• Amount of money paid to child care provider last year.
• DEDUCTIBLE EXPENSES: Mortgage interest paid, receipts for property taxes, medical expenses, charitable contributions, etc.
• Account and routing numbers of your financial institution (for direct deposit of any refund)
• Copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available.

For more information, contact Supervisor Lena Fowler’s Office at 928.283.4518 or online at coconino.az.gov/1958/Tuba-City-Vita.

Governor Ducey appoints Sam Elters to State Transportation Board

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PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Sam Elters, a transportation engineer with more than 30 years of experience in planning, design, construction and operations, to serve on the Arizona State Transportation Board.

Elters, who is senior vice president and national director of transportation for Matrix Design Group Inc. of Phoenix, will serve on the seven-member panel upon confirmation by the state Senate. He will succeed Joseph E. LaRue, who served as the board’s chairman in the final year of his term.

State Transportation Board members prioritize transportation needs, projects and funding on behalf of communities throughout Arizona. Each serves a six-year term.

Elters’ transportation experience spans the public and private sectors and includes serving as the Arizona Department of Transportation’s state engineer from 2005 to 2008. He also has served as a chief engineer for the Transportation Corridor Agencies providing toll roads in Orange County, California.

Elters has been in Arizona since 1981 and has been a resident of Maricopa County since 2005.

“It is an honor and a privilege to serve on the State Transportation Board,” Elters said. “I look forward to collaborating and working with the other board members and the Arizona Department of Transportation to promote and advance transportation solutions that will energize Arizona’s economy and enhance our quality of life.”

Meanwhile, William F. Cuthbertson, a Freeport McMoRan civil engineer who is from Greenlee County’s York Valley near Duncan, has been named chairman of the State Transportation Board.

Army Corps of Engineers looking to lower lake level at Alamo Lake

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PHOENIX — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, has a draft Environmental Assessment for the Alamo Dam Flushing Flow Release available for public review and comment. According to a public notice issued by the Corps, it proposes to release water from Alamo Dam outside of the normal non-flood release schedule in order to facilitate required maintenance activities.

According to the public notice, the proposed release would occur as a flood pulse hydrograph designed to mimic a typical rain event in the downstream watershed released with appropriate seasonal timing. While the exact details of the release are subject to variation based on conditions at the time of release, such as water surface elevation and weather, the release will conform to the following general
parameters:
​​​​​​​

  1. Maximum release will not exceed 5,000 cfs.
  2. Total release time, including ascending and descending limbs, would not exceed 20 days.
  3. Ascending limb of the hydrograph will be moderate.
  4. Descending limb of the hydrograph will initially drop steeply, followed by a gradual return to base flow.
  5. The peak of the hydrograph will be completed prior to March 15.

The Corps is soliciting comments from the public; federal, state, and local agencies and officials; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed project and alternatives.

Comments will be accepted through February 10, 2018.

There are two ways to submit comments. Either by mail to:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Los Angeles District
ATTN: Pam Kostka, CESPL-RGN-L
915 Wilshire Blvd., 13th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Or, comments can be sent electronically to: pamela.k.kostka@usace.army.mil.

Arizona state fish returns: AZGFD to resume stocking Apache trout

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PHOENIX – The Apache trout, one Arizona’s two native trout, are returning to lakes and streams in the White Mountains by May. The Arizona Game and Fish Department is scheduled to stock around 55,000 Apache trout of a catchable size from its Silver Creek Hatchery from May through September.

Stockings could not occur in 2017 due to federal hatcheries having tested positive for Bacteria Kidney Disease (BKD). The state relies on federal hatcheries to supply the eggs necessary to raise Apache trout.

This year, AZGFD is expecting to receive about 200,000 Apache trout eggs. AZGFD has around 100,000 Apache trout eggs (BKD free) at its Tonto Creek Hatchery that came from Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery and are scheduled to be stocked next year.

AZGFD typically stocks Apache trout into Lee Valley Reservoir, East Fork of the Black River, West Fork of the Black River (campground), West Fork of the Little Colorado River at Sheep Crossing (below Mt. Baldy), West Fork of the Little Colorado River in Greer, and Upper Silver Creek.

Subscribe to our fishing reports and stay tuned for more stocking details. Apache trout can be caught by a variety of methods, including wet or dry flies, small lures, or natural baits, in either lakes or streams. Artificial flies produce the best results. Best natural baits tend to be worms or grasshoppers.

See more information about Apache trout.

County announces 2018 Spelling BEE

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FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County’s top 21 spellers will compete at the County Spelling BEE this weekend. The County BEE will begin at 10 a.m. on February 10 in Coconino High School’s mini-auditorium at 2801 N. Izabel St., Flagstaff.

The 2018 Coconino County Spelling BEE consists of home, public, charter and private school students from throughout the County who won their school or district Spelling BEE. Each year the Rotary Clubs from Flagstaff, Grand Canyon and Williams school districts donate the monetary prizes for the top three spellers. The clubs also provide experienced, qualified judges who determine if the contestants have spelled the words correctly.

The winner of the County Spelling BEE will advance to compete with 26 other top spellers at the state level. The Arizona Educational Foundation State Spelling Bee is scheduled for 1 p.m. on March 24 at AZ PBS, 500 N. Central Ave., Sixth Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004. The winner of the state bee will represent Arizona at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May or early June of 2018 in Washington, D.C.

The County Spelling BEE is coordinated and hosted annually by the County Superintendent of Schools Office. Spectators are welcome to attend.

For information please contact Elizabeth Sorg at (928) 679-8070 or e-mail esorg@coconino.az.gov.

MVD makes tax time a little easier

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PHOENIX – With tax season in full swing, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is taking some of the hassle out of filling out those forms for Uncle Sam.

MVD has unveiled the 2017 “Vehicle Fees / Taxes Paid” report, which is now available for free at ServiceArizona.com. This service provides vehicle owners a consolidated report on how much was paid in taxes and fees for every registered vehicle in 2017.

“This is the simplest way for customers to get this information for filing their taxes,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards. “Getting this report just takes a few minutes and it’s much easier than going into your garage, collecting all your registration forms and copying them for your tax files. It’s one more convenience that MVD provides to stay ahead of the curve serving our customers.”

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd, or ServiceArizona.com

Pony Express to ride along state highways February 7-9

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PHOENIX – Motorists traveling state highways between Holbrook and the East Valley this week may see a caravan that includes Pony Express re-enactment riders carrying mail along state highways.

The 60th annual Hashknife Pony Express ride is scheduled to begin in Holbrook at 8 a.m. Wednesday, February 7, and reach Old Town Scottsdale at high noon on Friday, February 9.

On Wednesday, riders with the Navajo County Sheriff’s Posse will travel along State Route 77 south of Holbrook to SR 377 and SR 277 to reach the Heber-Overgaard post office at about 11:30 a.m. They will then travel along SR 260 to the Payson post office, arriving at about 4:45 p.m.

On Thursday, the Hashknife horsemen will ride along SR 87 from Payson to reach the Fountain Hills post office at about 3 p.m.

The final leg on Friday, from Fort McDowell to Scottsdale, will take them south on SR 87 to the Arizona Canal, where riders will head west to end the 200-mile trip at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

Law enforcement officers will provide a safety escort for the riders, who will hand off the mail bags every mile of the relay route. The riders will travel along the edge of the highway or shoulder.

Motorists shouldn’t stop along the highway to photograph riders. Highway shoulders are for emergencies only.

More information on this event is available at HashknifePonyExpress.com.

Busy Monday morning for first responders

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WILLIAMS – A busy, cold morning for first responders began with the Williams Fire Department responding to a fire at the Newpac Lumber yard at 675 Garland Prairie Road in Williams at about 4:50 a.m. The Williams Fire Department called for the assistance of the Sherwood Fire Department early in the fire and, with the workers at the Newpac Lumber yard, battled the blaze until about 9:10 when the fire department began overhaul procedures.The Williams Fire Department continually sprayed foam on the burning logs as the workers used cranes to move logs. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

A slight veil of smoke covered I-40, but the impact of visibility appears to be minimum. No injuries were reported.While the fire department was fighting this, the Ash Fork Fire Department, Department of Public Service and Lifeline Ambulance responded to a one-vehicle roll-over at mile 149 on I-40 at about 8:20 a.m. Fortunately no serious injury was reported. An investigation is ongoing.

Free flu shots offered in Page, Arizona

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PAGE – The Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD) is offering free flu shots from 9 to 11:30 a.m., this Wednesday February 7, at the CCPHSD Northern Region office, 467 Vista Avenue in Page. No appointment is needed.

Influenza (flu) is still at elevated levels in Coconino County. Health Officials recommend that individuals who have not received a flu vaccination get one now. Getting a flu shot can reduce the risk of getting the illness and lessen the severity of the symptoms and complications associated with the flu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccination as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. It is strongly recommended that everyone 6-months old and over get a flu shot each year.

It’s especially important that the following groups get a flu vaccination either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications, including:

Pregnant women
Children younger than five, but especially children younger than 2-years old
Children with special healthcare needs
People 50 years of age and older
People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
Health care workers
Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

Flu symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches and fatigue. Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes and can cause death.

In addition to getting a seasonal flu shot, good health habits will help you stay well. These simple actions can stop the spread of germs and help protect you and others from getting sick:

Wash your hands frequently during the flu season.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Avoid contact with people who are sick.
Cover your mouth with your upper sleeve or with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Don’t share eating utensils, cups and straws.
Stay home when you are sick.