WILLIAMS—The last chance to sign up for Williams Junior and Major League baseball and try out for the teams is this Saturday, April 6th at the little league field. The $45 fee and an acceptable proof of age is required at the time of registration. Ages for the various league divisions are T-Ball 4-6, Minor League 7-8, Major League 9-12 and Junior League 13-14.
Practices will start in May and the games run from May to early July. Volunteers for coaching, umpiring, score keeping and other positions are also open.
The league is comprised of teams from Ash Fork, Grand Canyon, Parks and Seligman in addition to the City of Williams. The games are played in the surrounding communities so travel is required.
For more information, Contact Luci Felton at 928-266-2470 or via email at williamslittleleague@gmail.com.
The sign outside the new Parsonage of the First Baptist Church tells the story.
WILLIAMS—The First Baptist Church of Williams has closed the 10-acre Welles property and the adjacent home. The 10-acre area will be used to construct the new Church. The church dedicated the property on Easter Sunday. The property has been on the market for some time.
Pastor Andy (Left) and Youth Pastor Dan astride the dedication sign.
A significant number of members attended the ceremony which was lead by a prayer by Pastor Andy McDaniel. Pastor McDaniel thanked the Lord for the property and dedicated it to Him.
The Baptist Church is also planning their Vacation Bible Study for the week of July 15-19 themed Colossal Coaster World based on 2 Timothy 1:7 which reads:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Any member wishing to help with the VBS should contact Carol Gutshall at 928-635-1291 to arrange to attend the training on April 6th at First Southern in Avondale.
Members of the First Baptist Church gather for the dedication ceremony.
CASA GRANDE, AZ – Authorities have released the name of a young girl who died after she was accidentally shot by another child in her home Thursday night.
She has been identified as 11-year-old Joan Plumb.
Pinal County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Tamra Ingersoll said the shooting happened around 8 p.m. in the home near Gila Bend Highway and Thornton Road.
Ingersoll said there were three other children in the home along with the victim’s father. At the home were Joan’s 15-year-old brother, a female friend of Joan’s and a male neighborhood friend. The children ranged in age from 8 to 15 years old. Joan’s oldest sibling and mother were out of the house at the time of the shooting.
The children were in the family room of the home when the shooting occurred, Ingersoll said.
Neighbors were shocked.
“We heard nothing,” Carol Stewart, who lives next door, said. “My grandson looked out the window and he saw EMTs and I got really horrified. I said, ‘Something bad has happened.'”
WILLIAMS—Coconino County announced that the 2.1 million Cataract Lake County Park will open on April 13th. The funds to renovate the park were derived from the Coconino Parks and Open Space sales tax program approved by county voters in 2002.
Mayor John Moore of Williams explained that the transformation of the old camping site into a day use area is not a loss for Williams. “I personally don’t think that the loss of camping will bad. I think it will make a place for the locals, now, to go in for a day, have family reunions in some of the shelters and be able to go fishing.”
Fishing at Cataract Lake requires a trout stamp. There are still camp site on the south-east area of Cataract Lake which can be accessed by taking Cataract Road to Copper Ranch Road. As of this writing, that camping area is closed for the season.
“It’s a county park operated by the City of Williams,” Mayor Moore added.
County Parks and Recreation Director Judy Weiss said, “The renovation of Cataract Lake County Park is our new model of park operation that we have implemented to provide quality park amenities in the most efficient way possible.”
The $2.1 million dollars invested to redevelop the park was used for planning, development, design and construction of the site. The park features restrooms, a boat launch, two picnic ramadas, a playground, fishing areas, walking trails and horseshoe pits.
The County and City of Williams plans a barbeque from 11 am to 3 pm on April 13th to christen the new park.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking the public’s assistance in finding the individual or individuals responsible for illegally killing a cow elk in a poaching incident in northern Arizona.
The poaching may have occurred during the weekend of March 16. Evidence discovered at the scene indicates that the elk was shot twice, with a center fire rifle, from Lake Mary Road near the Narrows, about 12 miles southeast of Flagstaff. The entire animal was left to waste, leaving investigating officers to believe that the suspect(s) may have been scared off by another vehicle, were spotlighting, or just randomly shot the elk from the road.
“We investigate numerous poaching cases throughout the year and rely heavily on the public’s help in catching the people that do this.” says Wildlife Manager, Lee Luedeker. “The weather was really nice that weekend and a lot of people were out, we need information from someone who was in that area. Luedeker adds, “They may have enough information for us to bust the poachers, all it takes is one piece of evidence to break a case.”
Anyone with information regarding this case can call the department’s Operation Game Thief Hotline toll free at (800) 352-0700 or use the online form at www.azgfd.gov/thief. Callers should provide case number 13-000609 when calling. All calls may remain confidential upon request. A reward of up to $1,350 may be available for information leading to the arrest of the violator(s).
WILLIAMS—As the sign says, it is once more time for the Community Easter Eggstravaganza at the Williams Recreation Center and Skate Park on Railroad Avenue. The event features an Easter egg hunt and prizes and food.
There will also be the annual Sonrise Service this Easter Sunday at 6am at the Younglife camp on South Road. This service is open to the entire community. Of course each Church will have their own Easter service.
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said his decision to sign strict new abortion laws, including the nation’s toughest restriction on the procedure, was not based on “any religious belief or personal experience” and that he believes legislators have a right to ask such questions about abortion restrictions.
The Republican governor signed three anti-abortion measures on Tuesday — including one banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, or when a heartbeat can be detected. By doing so, Dalrymple positioned his oil-rich state as a primary battleground in the decades-old fight over abortion rights.
Within minutes of signing the laws, unsolicited donations began pouring into the state’s lone abortion clinic to help opponents prove the new laws are unconstitutional. The governor urged lawmakers to set aside cash for an inevitable legal challenge.
PHOENIX — Arizona businessman and philanthropist Eddie Basha has died at the age of 75.
Sources close to the family said Basha was taken to a hospital last week with congestive heart failure but was able to go home. He died Tuesday. The cause of death has not been released.
His family founded Bashas’ in 1910. At that time, it was a mercantile store. In 1956, the first Bashas’ grocery store opened on Seventh Avenue and Osborn Road in Phoenix.
Basha later took over the family business and grew the line of grocery stores to more than 150 locations with four well-known brands: AJ’s Fine Foods, Food City, Sportsman’s Fine Wines and Bashas’ grocery stores.
Diamondback Police Supply in Tuscon rescinded the order of a Sig Sauer M400 semi-automatic rifle for Mark Kelly. Mark Kelly is famous for his alleged obsessive-compulsive disorder in attempting to purchase weapons throughout Tuscon to show how easy it is to obtain a weapon that is Constitutional to own under the Second Amendment.
Douglas MacKinlay, Owner/President, Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc., explained on their Facebook page:
“While I support and respect Mark Kelly’s 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then for his personal use. In light of this fact, I determined that it was in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction prior to his returning to my store to complete the Federal From 4473 and NICS background check required of Mr. Kelly before he could take possession this firearm. A full refund was sent to Mr. Kelly, via express mail, on Thursday of last week.
The Sig Sauer rifle will be donated to the Arizona Tactical Officers Association where it will be raffled off to generate funds the association can use to purchase much needed tactical equipment for the organization’s members. The A.T.O. A. represents the SWAT and Special Response officers of the state’s law enforcement community who regularly place their lives on the line to protect the residents of this state.
Additionally, Diamondback Police Supply will make a $1295.00 contribution (the selling price of the M400 rifle) to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program that teaches children, in pre-K through 3rd grade, four important steps to take if they find a gun. The emphasis of the program is on child safety, something that is important to all of us and at the core of the current debate on gun control.”
David Smith, who apparently has never bought a gun, commented, “so douche-bag ‘merchants’ are free to violate The Constitution??”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “Firearms Transaction Record Part I – Over-the-Counter” Form 4473, Question 11a clearly states:
Are you the actual transferee/buyer of the firearm(s) listed on this form? Warning: You are not the actual buyer if you are acquiring the firearm(s) on behalf of another person. If you are not the actual buyer, the dealer cannot transfer the firearm(s) to you. (See Instructions for Question 11.a.) Exception: If you are picking up a repaired firearm(s) for another person, you are not required to answer 11.a. and may proceed to question 11.b.
Kelly, after being caught purchasing the weapons, stated that he was going to turn them over to the police department. While some state that this may constitute a “straw purchase,” the instructions for Question 11.a. on Page 4 of the form does state:
You are also the actual transferee buyer if you are legitimately purchasing the firearm as a gift for a third party.
This would seem to mean that anyone can legitimately purchase a weapon as a gift for a family member or friend. The purchaser would have to ensure that the person receiving the weapon is an eligible person. You are required to certify that on the form.
The form also clearly states:
I also understand that making any false oral or written statement, or exhibiting any false or misrepresented identification with respect to this transaction, is a crime punishable as a felony under Federal law, and may also violate State and/or local law.
It is unknown if any dealer has filed a form to the BATFE indicating the multiple purchase of weapons in a five-day period which is an unconstitutional provision of the form.
Imagine filing your income taxes in five minutes — and for free. You’d open up a pre-filled return, see what the government thinks you owe, make any needed changes and be done. The miserable annual IRS shuffle, gone.
It’s already a reality in Denmark, Sweden and Spain. The government-prepared return would estimate your taxes using information your employer and bank already send it. Advocates say tens of millions of taxpayers could use such a system each year, saving them a collective $2 billion and 225 million hours in prep costs and time, according to one estimate.
The idea, known as “return-free filing,” would be a voluntary alternative to hiring a tax preparer or using commercial tax software. The concept has been around for decades and has been endorsed by both President Ronald Reagan and a campaigning President Obama.
