Tag Archives: News

Christmas Nativity pageant meeting held

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Producer Kerry-Lynn Moede (sitting) and Cosette Riggs (standing) explain the vision of the upcoming Christmas Pageant.

Producer Kerry-Lynn Moede (sitting) and Cosette Riggs (standing) explain the vision of the upcoming Christmas Pageant.

WILLIAMS — Organizers for the proposed Christmas Nativity pageant on December 23 held their first meeting with members of the community tonight. The meeting was held at the Babbit-Polson Community Stage where the event will be held.

Director Cosette Riggs said of the ambitious project, “This is an old-fashioned, nativity Christmas pageant. The pastors will be the narrators and the whole town can be shepherds, sheep, angels, and choir and band, and just helpers. We’re all together.

“We need angels, and shepherds and sheep. We need choir singers and we need any musicians that want to join in.

“We also need people that are just with us to be our eyes and our ears for the safety of our children, because we will have some heaters out here.

“Parents and other big people can also be angels and shepherds and it kind of helps kids and encourages them that they are not alone and they won’t be so shy.”

Cosette said that they are going to appoint a costume designer who will organize the help to create the costumes. She said they could use help to dress the participants at the pageant.
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Producer Kerry-lynn Moede, operator of the Historic Yellow House, explained that the rehearsal process will be modular. Each group—eg. choir, musicians, actors—will have to rehearse on their own. The participants will then come together one or two times before the event to rehearse together.

Old Trail’s True Value Hardware has committed to building a nativity set. Other businesses are welcome to donate cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts or other similar food items and coffee, cocoa, hot cider or other drinks.

The pageant will be on December 23 at 6:30 p.m., so Cosette recommends that participants plan on warm clothing underneath the costumes. Of course people planning to come and see the show should heed the same advice.

Anyone desiring to participate in any fashion can contact producer Kerry-Lynn Moede at 602-818-6559 or by email jdmoede@aol.com.

Kaibab National Forest to offer Christmas tree permits starting November 16

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WILLIAMS —The Kaibab National Forest will sell over-the-counter and through-the-mail Christmas tree tags on a first-come, first-served basis for each of its three ranger districts beginning Nov. 16 and continuing until they are sold out.

The $15 permit will allow the holder to cut a tree of a particular species that is not more than 10 feet in height within a designated area on the Kaibab National Forest from Nov. 16 through Dec. 24. The tag is only good for a tree on the ranger district from which it was purchased and can’t be used to cut a tree on a different district unless specifically noted. No refunds will be made, even if weather conditions prevent access to cutting areas.

Individuals who purchase tags will be provided with a map showing their designated cutting area along with additional tree cutting instructions. The number of available tags and tree species, locations and hours for purchasing the permits, and contact information for each ranger district are as follows:

# of Permits Available and Tree Species Location of Designated Cutting Area Contact Information Open Days and Hours
800

Any Species

 North Kaibab Ranger District

Note: The Kaibab Plateau Visitor Center will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 11 for tag sales. The visitor center is located at the intersection of highways 89 and 67 in Jacob Lake and can be reached at (928) 643-7298.

 

 Physical address:        430 S. Main St., Fredonia, AZ 86022

Mailing address:        P.O. Box 248,    Fredonia, AZ 86022

(928) 643-7395

 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The office will also be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on two Saturdays, Nov. 26 and Dec. 3, for tag sales.
500

Pinon or Juniper

 Tusayan Ranger District Physical address:        176 Lincoln Log Loop, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

Mailing address:        P.O. Box 3088,       Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

(928) 638-2443

 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
500

Pinon or Juniper

 

 Williams Ranger District

Note: The Williams Ranger District office will also have 100 tags available for the Tusayan Ranger District.

 

 Physical and mailing address:                      742 S. Clover Rd., Williams, AZ 86046

(928) 635-5600

 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Individuals can also purchase a Christmas tree tag through the mail by sending information to the mailing address of the ranger district they plan to visit. It is strongly advised to call the desired ranger district office in advance to ensure tags are still available and check on estimated postage or other requirements. Individuals desiring to purchase a Christmas tree tag through the mail should provide ample time for it to arrive. Expect a turnaround time of about 10 business days. Please include the following with any request for a Christmas tree tag through the mail:

  1. A self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage to cover tag, map and cutting instructions; it is strongly advised to call the desired ranger district in advance for estimated postage or other requirements.
  2. A contact phone number
  3. A check payable to USDA Forest Service

The Kaibab National Forest is also pleased to announce that all fourth graders are eligible for a free Christmas tree permit, while supplies last, through the Every Kid in a Park initiative. Every Kid in a Park is a nationwide call to action to build the next generation of conservationists.

All fourth graders are eligible to receive a fourth grade pass that allows free access to federal lands and waters across the country for a full year. In support of this initiative, the Forest Service is making available a free Christmas tree permit to every interested fourth grader with a fourth grade pass or paper voucher.

For additional information about the initiative and how to obtain a pass, visit www.everykidinapark.gov. To be eligible for a free Christmas tree permit from the Kaibab National Forest, all fourth graders must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and present their fourth grade pass or paper voucher.

Kaibab National Forest prescribed fire projects continue near Pitman Valley

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WILLIAMS — Fire managers with the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest plan to continue prescribed fire operations, known as the Green Base Prescribed Fire Project, in the Pitman Valley area north of Interstate 40, east of Highway 64 and west of Parks over the next week as weather conditions allow.

Today, fire managers are completing ignitions in the 5,141-acre Parks West area, part of the larger Green Base Prescribed Fire Project, which is bounded on the west by Forest Road 74, on the north by Pipeline Road, on the east by Forest Road 76 and on the south by Historic Route 66.

Fire managers then anticipate a two-day delay in prescribed fire operations tomorrow and Thursday due to predicted winds that aren’t expected to be favorable for fire effects and potential smoke impacts.

Map showing location of the Green Base Prescribed Fire Project on the Williams Ranger District, which is broken into two smaller units – Parks West and Dry Lake. - Kaibab Forest Service photo.

Map showing location of the Green Base Prescribed Fire Project on the Williams Ranger District, which is broken into two smaller units – Parks West and Dry Lake. – Kaibab Forest Service photo.


As soon as wind and weather conditions are again favorable, fire managers plan to move to the 9,040-acre Dry Lake area, the second portion of the larger Green Base Prescribed Fire Project, to begin operations. They anticipate starting ignitions Friday, if not sooner, and continuing for several days. The Dry Lake area is bounded on the west by Highway 64, on the north by Pipeline Road, on the east by Forest Road 74, and on the south by Historic Route 66, which parallels Interstate 40 in spots.

Smoke from the prescribed fire projects near Pitman Valley is expected to be very visible from Interstate 40, Highway 64, Red Lake, Spring Valley and the Kendrick Mountain area. Kaibab National Forest fire managers are coordinating with adjacent forest managers regarding potential smoke impacts to local communities due to multiple prescribed fire projects being planned over the next week.

Last week, fire managers completed treatment of the McCracken Project, located about 6 miles south of Williams between Coleman Lake and Barney Knoll. No additional ignitions are immediately planned in this area.

Kaibab National Forest fire managers have a number of other prescribed fires planned for fall and winter on each of its three ranger districts depending on fuel moistures and weather conditions. Public notification will be provided prior to the implementation of additional projects.

Fire plays a beneficial role in maintaining the ecological stability of many landscapes, including the Kaibab National Forest. Managers use prescribed fire as a practical means to reduce risks associated with uncharacteristic wildfires that can pose significant threats to public health and safety.

Forest managers recognize that prescribed fires may create negative impacts to air quality at times. However, these efforts, which are essential to restoring forests in a fire-adapted ecosystem, can also significantly reduce the amount and limit the duration of smoke impacts associated with uncontrolled wildfire situations in the future. In order to minimize smoke impacts to businesses and residences during prescribed fires, managers closely monitor wind direction and ventilation and adjust operations accordingly.

In the interest of safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of prescribed fires as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be present.

All prescribed fires on the Kaibab National Forest are subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division and to view prescribed burn authorizations for any given day, visit https://www.azdeq.gov/programs/air-quality-programs/smoke-management.

Additional fire information for the Kaibab National Forest can be obtained through the following sources: InciWeb http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4112/#; Kaibab National Forest Fire Information Phone Line (928) 635-8311; Text Message – text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404; Facebook and Twitter @KaibabNF.

Vermont artist stops to capture Williams landmark

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charlie-hunter-02WILLIAMS — While walking the Ambassador today, we encountered Vermont artist Charlie Hunter putting the historic Babbit-Polson warehouse to canvas.

Charlie is in the area to attend the Sedona Plein Air festival. He had to go to Flagstaff to get supplies. He took a break in Williams and picked the Babbit-Polson building to put to canvas.

Only an artist could take a break from painting by stopping and painting.

Speaking with Charlie, I got the impression that he travels extensively. He had a good knowledge of some of the Route 66 history around Williams. He said he likes to paint real objects for people who cannot see the real thing.

His art includes subjects of interest to many in Williams; old trucks, railroad boxcars and old buildings. It would be interesting to see what he comes up with at the Sedona festival.

Forest Service completing thinning project south of Williams

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WILLIAMS — Tree removal has begun on a 3,571-acre project on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest associated with the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.

The McCracken Task Order area is located about 6 miles south of Williams in the vicinity of Coleman Lake and McCracken Knolls. A contractor recently started harvesting operations off of forest roads 108 and 728. The McCracken Task Order area is bounded on the north by Forest Road 122, on the east and south by County Road 73, and on the west by Forest Road 42.

As thinning work is implemented, residents and visitors can expect to see heavy equipment and workers in the project area and along haul routes. Log trucks are expected to begin hauling before the end of the month. The major haul routes will be forest roads 108 and 728 feeding into County Road 73 heading north into Williams on 4th Street and then following Route 66 west to Interstate 40 eastbound.

Members of the public are urged to use extreme caution near timber removal and hauling operations. Besides the presence of heavy equipment and log trucks, there will also be trees being felled and stacked into log decks, which can be unstable. Visitors to the area should not camp near nor climb on them, as they often shift and have the possibility of collapse.

The objectives of the thinning operations in the McCracken Task Order area are to reduce fuel loading and the potential for future high-intensity wildfires, to improve forest health and watershed conditions, and to provide wildfire protection for the City of Williams and its surrounding residences.

The goal of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative is to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration within 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona to increase resilience and proper functioning. Restoring this fire-adapted ecosystem is accomplished with a suite of restoration activities – from watershed maintenance and habitat improvements to prescribed burning and thinning.

Public forums set for 2017 pronghorn, elk hunt recommendations

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pronghornPHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host four public forums to meet with constituents about developing the 2017 hunt recommendations for pronghorn, elk and population management seasons.

The department annually makes recommendations to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission regarding the management of game species for the annual hunting and trapping regulations, which establish the seasons, dates, bag limits, open areas and hunt permit-tag allocations, based on the framework of the hunt guidelines set by the commission every two years.

The meetings will be conducted from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following Game and Fish regional offices:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 19: Kingman, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road.
  • Thursday, Oct. 20: Flagstaff, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road.
  • Wednesday, Oct. 26: Pinetop, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
  • Thursday, Oct. 27: Mesa, 7200 E. University Drive.

Constituents who are interested in specific game management units within those regions will have the opportunity to discuss management direction. The proposed hunt recommendations will be outlined during a short presentation, which will be followed by an opportunity to submit comments regarding those recommendations. All comments will be reviewed by the department.

After the public forums have been completed, the final proposed draft hunt recommendations will be made available for public review at several regional open houses and posted on the department’s website at www.azgfd.gov/huntguidelines by Nov. 21, 2016.

Open houses will be conducted at the following Game and Fish regional offices:

  • 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 23: Flagstaff, 3500 S. Lake Mary Road.
  • 3 to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 23: Yuma, 9140 E. 28th St.
  • 3 to 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 28: Tucson, 555 N. Greasewood Road.
  • 3 to 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 28: Pinetop, 2878 E. White Mountain Blvd.
  • 3 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 29: Kingman, 5325 N. Stockton Hill Road.
  • 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., TBD: Mesa, 7200 E. University Drive.

The final 2017 pronghorn and elk hunt recommendations will be presented to the commission for consideration during its Dec. 3 meeting in Phoenix.

South Mountain Freeway design meetings draw big crowds, important input

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meeting-0277_cropPHOENIX – Nearly 800 people attended three public meetings on preliminary design plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, providing input and asking questions that will guide final design of the 22-mile-long link between the West Valley and East Valley.

The meetings, held in Ahwatukee Foothills, Laveen and west Phoenix, provided an opportunity for residents to learn more about the freeway’s alignment, traffic interchanges, noise walls, landscaping and aesthetics.

Representatives from the Arizona Department of Transportation and the developer, Connect 202 Partners, answered questions, received feedback and encouraged attendees to provide comments on detailed design plans.

“The South Mountain Freeway has generated significant interest, as evidenced by the great attendance at these design meetings,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy state engineer of major projects.

All input is being assessed by ADOT’s development team and, when possible, will influence how the freeway is constructed.

A comprehensive summary of the public meetings, which will be posted at SouthMountainFreeway.com in November, will address any questions that remained unanswered after the three meetings. Participants submitted about 500 comment forms and question cards.

For those who were unable to attend the meetings, the presentations have been posted online and the public can provide feedback through Thursday, Oct. 20, in these ways:

  • Online: SouthMountainFreeway.com
  • Email: SouthMountainFreewayInfo@c202p.com
  • Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558
  • Mail: ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The latest project information is available via the project website at SouthMountainFreeway.com, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website) and the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558).

Construction of the South Mountain Freeway began in September with improvements to the Interstate 10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work includes extending Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the shoulders to Pecos Road near 48th Street. Construction of the mainline freeway is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley when it opens to traffic by the end of 2019.

North Zone fire managers plan for Tipover Unit

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FREDONIA – North Zone fire managers on the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park plan to conduct additional hazardous fuels reduction treatments within the Tipover East prescribed fire burn unit as early as Tuesday.

Fire managers anticipate treating between 1,000 to 3,000 acres pending favorable weather conditions and resource availability with the goal of reducing the dead and downed woody fuels by 30 to 60 percent. Currently, fuel loading through much of the unit can be characterized as moderate to heavy with approximately 36 to 55 tons per acre and averaging approximately 40 tons per acre across the entire unit. To date fire managers have treated more than 6,000 acres in the last few weeks.

“Over the past month we have accomplished a lot of prescribed burning; we are very pleased with the results we have seen so far. Overall fuel loadings within the treated areas have been reduced, wildlife habitat is being protected and enhanced, we are moving towards desired conditions that promote healthy forests, and we have continued to return fire to our fired adapted ecosystems,” said North Zone Fuels Specialist Dave Robinson.

The total Tipover East project area is 10,296 acres in size, but the entire project area will not be burned at once. Fire managers have divided the project area into separate burn units that will be treated over the next 3 to 5 years. It is located on a strip of forested land along the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park and the Kaibab National Forest west of Highway 67 and is bound by FS 223 on the north, portions of FS 270 and Highway 67 on the east, the 2003 Poplar fire history area on the south, and portions of the NPS-W4, FS 268B and FS 268 roads on the west.

In the interest of safety, forest visitors are reminded to obey all traffic signs and use caution when traveling in the vicinity of the prescribed fire burn units as firefighters and fire-related traffic will be in the area. Smoke is expected to be visible from Highway 89A, Highway 67, Marble Canyon and other high-use visitor areas. However, fire managers will strive to minimize smoke impacts to the community as much as possible. Smoke is expected to disperse during the daytime, but residual smoke may settle into drainages and low-lying areas overnight. Fire managers will only commence ignitions when conditions exist that will allow smoke to adequately ventilate.

As a reminder, implementation of prescribed fires is dependent on weather and fuel conditions including winds, temperature, humidity, moisture of the vegetation and ventilation conditions for dispersal of smoke, as well as prior coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ and to view prescribed burns authorized on any given day, please visit www.azdeq.gov/programs/air-quality-programs/smoke-management.

Overnight closures planned on Interstate 17 near Flagstaff Saturday and early Sunday for overhead utility work

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FLAGSTAFF — Five temporary full closures of Interstate 17 near Flagstaff will be required this weekend to accommodate overhead utility work.

North and southbound traffic on I-17 at milepost 337 – located just south of John Wesley Powell Boulevard and west of Flagstaff Pulliam Airport – will be stopped while utility crews are working. Closures are scheduled to begin at 11:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, and continue to 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16. Each of the five closures is expected to last approximately 15 minutes.

Drivers should allow extra time for travel, use caution in the work zone and watch for equipment and personnel.

For more information about this project, please call Coralie Cole, ADOT Senior Community Relations Officer, at 602.501.4899, or email ccole@azdot.gov.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but it’s possible that unscheduled closures or restrictions might occur because of weather or other factors. For the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the

ADOT Traveler Information Center at www.az511.gov or call 511, except while driving.

Nutrisystem Retail Division Voluntarily Recalls One Product Containing Chocolate Cookie Dough Pieces

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nutrisystem-1Fort Washington, PA – Nutrisystem Everyday, LLC, the retail division of Nutrisystem, Inc., is voluntarily recalling the Nutricrush Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar, manufactured by Noble Foods, Inc. This bar contains a chocolate chip cookie dough ingredient supplied by a third party supplier, which advised that its ingredient might potentially contain Listeria monocytogenes.

The product had very limited distribution of 1 lot/455 cases to ShopRite and Hannaford stores in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and online through Amazon.com and Walmart.com. No other code dates of this product or other Nutrisystem® products in retail are affected. No Nutrisystem ‘direct to consumer’ product is impacted in any way.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

This voluntary recall covers the Nutrisystem Nutricrush Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar. The bar was sold as a 5-count carton. The product can be identified by the UPC 6 32674 85579 4, Enjoy by Aug 22 2017 and Lot Code NF082216A. All code information is found on the back panel of the carton.

Nutrisystem is initiating this recall out of an abundance of caution. This recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Consumers should not eat the recalled product. Consumers may discard the product or return it to the ShopRite or Hannaford from where it was purchased for a full refund. Twenty-four customers of Amazon.com and Walmart.com have already been identified, instructed to discard the product, and will be issued a refund. No illnesses have been reported.

We continue to work closely with regulatory agencies, and remain committed to ensuring we are providing safe products for our consumers to enjoy. Consumers seeking information may call toll-free 1-866-293-8118, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., and 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Eastern Daylight Time.

Members of the news media requiring more information should contact Robin McConnell Shallow at 215-346-8068 or via email at rshallow@nutrisystem.com.