Inventing an inexpensive shield protects ADOT interstate signs from graffiti

graffiti-shield1_cropPHOENIX — With graffiti an ongoing threat to interstate freeway signs mounted on overpasses, an Arizona Department of Transportation employee invented an inexpensive metal shield that helps keep vandals and their spray paint at bay.

In ADOT’s culture of continuous improvement, this innovation by Interstate Signing Supervisor Dudley Heller is referred to as kaizen, something enhancing productivity, safety, efficiency and more.

Heller’s aluminum shield extends diagonally away from the sides of signs like a hood, making it difficult for would-be graffiti artists to reach around.

“It’s worked quite well,” Heller said.

For an investment of $17.50 per square foot, the shields protect taxpayers’ investment in signs that cost as much as $10,000 to replace.

The shields protect drivers, as spray paint damages the reflective coating on signs and makes them harder to read at night. They also make things safer for ADOT workers, who’d have to replace damaged signs on overpasses.

So far, ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division (TSM&O) has installed the shields on signs along Interstate 10 in Phoenix and Interstate 19 in Tucson.

“We’ve saved a lot of money by doing this, not to mention the unsightliness of the graffiti being out there,” Heller said.

BOAT SAFE, BOAT SMART, BOAT SOBER

Coconino County Sheriff Photo.

Coconino County Sheriff Photo.

PAGE — On Saturday, August 13th 2016 law enforcement agencies in Northern Coconino County will be conducting an Operating Under the Influence (OUI) and boating safety checkpoint at Lake Powell from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and drug involved boat collisions, OUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the waterways as well as to inform and educate the public of the dangers of impaired boating.

OUI checkpoints are a proven-effective method for achieving this goal. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Arizona Game and Fish Department believe boaters can be deterred from operating watercraft while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In addition, members of the boating community are encouraged to ensure their vessels are properly outfitted with required safety equipment to ensure a safe voyage.

Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vessels may be checked for safety equipment and operators who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering operating a watercraft after consuming alcohol or drugs-Boat Safe, Boat Smart, Boat Sober! Deputies of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will partner with Officers of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, National Park Service, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Page Police Department. It is our desire that this two pronged approach of public awareness/education and strict enforcement will allow boating enthusiasts to have an enjoyable and safe recreational experience in Coconino County.

Safe boating recreation is a must, and everyone should take a minute and remember to check your boats, personal watercraft and all equipment before launching at your favorite lake or waterway. Make sure you have all required safety equipment, such as proper fitting life jackets and working fire extinguishers.

ADOT, Jared Veldheer partner to promote “Seat belts. For life.” campaign

Consider that the safety gear worn by football players has the same purpose as a seat belt – help the wearer survive a violent collision.

So, it’s no surprise that the Arizona Department of Transportation and Arizona Cardinals left tackle and Captain Jared Veldheer have partnered to promote the importance of wearing a seat belt with the Seat belts. For life. campaign. On Arizona roadways in 2015, there were 258 unrestrained occupant fatalities, which accounts for 29 percent of the people killed in traffic crashes that year. Lack of seat belt use is annually one of the leading factors in traffic deaths.

“I wouldn’t play football without wearing a helmet and shoulder pads, and I won’t drive my truck without wearing a seat belt,” Veldheer said. “Being safe is being smart.”

For the Seat belts. For life. campaign, two public service announcements were produced – “Strong Man” and “Safety Gear” – and each has a 30- and 15-second version. The PSAs can be viewed at azdot.gov, ADOT’s social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – and will also appear on television during the fall, thanks to ADOT’s relationship with the Arizona Broadcasters Association.

ADOT is excited to partner with Veldheer and thanks him for volunteering his time for the Seat belts. For life. campaign. Working with the seven-year NFL pro on the subject of seat belts is a natural fit. His left tackle position protects the quarterback’s blind side the same way a seat belt provides security against the unknown for vehicle occupants. In the past five years on Arizona roadways, there have been 1,205 unrestrained occupant fatalities.

“Buckling a seat belt is the easiest thing to do when you get in a car,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Its sole purpose is to help you survive a crash. Let the seat belt do its job – buckle up.”

“More than one in 10 Arizonans don’t wear a seat belt,” added Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “Needless tragedies continue because people aren’t wearing a seat belt and parents need to make sure their children are properly restrained, too.”

Arizona Game and Fish hosts multiagency law enforcement training on Lake Pleasant

_GF12795_-_reducedPHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department and law enforcement from around the country are preparing for the upcoming boating season by participating in a two-week joint training to increase public safety on the nation’s waterways.

The training concludes Thursday evening at Lake Pleasant and is designed to prepare every law enforcement agency that patrols the state’s rivers and lakes. The course involved 25 officers from eight Arizona state and county agencies, including AZGFD, Maricopa, Coconino, La Paz and Yuma counties, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City police. Officers from North Dakota also participated in the training.

“These types of exercises are invaluable,” said AZGFD Watercraft Coordinator David Rigo, who is spearheading the multiagency event. “Anytime we can bring together so many partner agencies it places a national spotlight on Arizona and helps to protect the public, our country’s law enforcement and saves lives.”

The training is conducted with upwards of 66 law enforcement and civilians that serve as “violator/suspects” for officers to practice routine watercraft stops, searches, investigations and arrests. Scenarios can be anything from a wake zone violation, operating under the influence, assaults or fishing without a license.

“Just as on land, our officers handle any number of emergencies and criminal investigations, and our officers have to be prepared to handle each one of those types of incidents. It takes specific skills and training to ensure the safety of our officers and the boating public,” Rigo said.

The training is just one way the Arizona Game and Fish Department works to enhance public safety on the water. The department offers free boating safety courses in Phoenix, Lake Havasu City and Tucson.

In addition, the department is expanding its Life Jacket Loaner Station program to include more lakes throughout the state. Currently stations where the public can borrow a life jacket have been placed at Lake Pleasant, Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave and others are planned this spring and summer.

As a reminder, all boats in Arizona must have a life jacket aboard for every passenger and those 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket at all times, under state law.

For more information on boating in Arizona or to sign up for a safety course, visit www.azgfd.gov/boating.

Deer a plenty in Williams

Deer15-07-13-2640WILLIAMS — We are located in the high country where the deer and antelope play. Currently there are a lot of deer and elk foraging the forests around Williams and Flagstaff and all points in-between.

We remind visitors that the deer are very active around Country Club Road which is near the entrance/exit on the west end of town. They are also very active south on Perskinsville Road which leads past the Santa Fe dam. You need to keep an eye out on Highway 64 to the Grand Canyon, as well.

They are generally most active in the early morning, evening and night time hours and they can cross the road or freeway without warning. Please keep an eye on the sides of the roads and watch for them or you could have a very costly accident.

If you are camping, deer may seem tame enough to feed or pet. You might have even pet them at the Deer Farm Petting Zoo just east of Williams. In the wild, however, it is a different story. They can spook easily and attack without warning. Please watch your children while camping in the woods and do not let them explore alone.

You can generally get good photos from your vehicle or from a safe distance. Use your zoom.

Outbreak of Rare Strain of Hepatitis A Spreads to Hawaii

By Dan Flynn |

Another Western state was touched by the outbreak of a rare strain of hepatitis A, adding two more individuals to the list of those sickened nationwide.  Hawaii is the sixth state to be added to the growing outbreak.

State health officials in Hawaii say two adults, one from the island of Oahu and the other from Kauai, are among those sickened with the liver disease.  Like at least another 30 victims on the mainland, the Hawaii residents are believed to have consumed a frozen organic berry mix purchased at local Costco outlets.

The national warehouse outlet based in Seattle has removed the product from its shelves, and contacted it members who purchased the mixed berry product.  But the weekend passed without any official recall by manufacturer of the suspect product, Townsend Farms, based in Oregon.

Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend contains berries from multiple locations (Argentina, Chile and Turkey) and a pomegranate seed mix from Egypt, according to health officials.

Read more at Food Safety News

SEE ALSO: Case Count Rises to 49 in Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Frozen Berries