Daily Archives: June 19, 2013

Historic Marble Canyon Lodge and Restaurant Destroyed by Fire

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The remains of the historic Marble Canyon Lodge---Photo Courtesy of the Coconino County Sheriff's Department

The remains of the historic Marble Canyon Lodge—Photo Courtesy of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department


FLAGSTAFF–The historic Marble Canyon Lodge and Restaurant located on Highway 89A burned to the ground early this morning. Both the north and south bound lanes of 89A were closed for approximately two hours but were reopened at about 5 am. Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives and fire investigators from the Flagstaff Fire Department are on scene attempting to determine the origin of the fire.

At about 1:30 am this morning the burglary alarm for the Marble Canyon Lodge activated an audible siren that woke the owner who was asleep in a nearby residence. The owner also received telephone notification from the dispatch center of the alarm company. As the owner walked outside he saw a large amount of smoke and flames coming from the rear of the structure.

Crew members of a construction company that are doing improvements on the Lee’s Ferry Road and who are staying at the Marble Canyon Motel attempted to fight the fire with the aid of two company owned water tanker trucks. Firefighters from the city of Page, Arizona, arrived at approximately 3:00 am. Other responding agencies included the Fredonia Fire Department, Colorado City/Hildale Fire Department, Page Electric, National Park Service Rangers from Lee’s Ferry, and Kane County Medical Transport.

The newer building that houses the post office and convenience store and is located north of the lodge was not damaged nor was the motel that is located to the south. The Marble Canyon Lodge was established in 1926 and is located 125 Miles North of Flagstaff near the Colorado River at Lee’s Ferry.

Arizona Cowboy Artist Dies during Photo Shoot

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FLAGSTAFF—Seventy one year-old John William Owen “Bill Owen” (Facebook Page) of Kirkland, Arizona died on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at about 7 am while photographing cowboys who were conducting ranching activities at Camp 16 off of Indian Route 18 located in the area of Peach Springs, Arizona.

Investigating Deputies learned that the victim identified as Bill Owen who is a well-known western artist arrived at Camp 16 on Thursday, June 14, 2013 with the intention of photographing ranch hands while they conducted their day to day activities. The assumption was that Mr. Owen would later incorporate the images from the photos into his artwork. According to ranch hands, some of whom were in close proximity to Mr. Owen on Saturday morning, he was in the process of disassembling a portable tepee when one of the witnesses saw him fall to the ground. This witness shouted out that there was a “man down.”

Several of the ranch hands who were present rushed to Mr. Owen’s aid and administered CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) for an extended period of time, possibly as long as thirty minutes. Medical personnel from Peach Springs, Arizona arrived on scene. While one of the medical personnel was speaking on the phone with a physician from Kingman Regional Hospital, the victim was pronounced deceased. The victim’s body was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office in Flagstaff. At this point in the investigation detectives do not suspect foul play.

From his Facebook page, Mrs. Owen informs that a memorial for Bill will be held Saturday, June 29 at 11 am at the Lifepointe Church in Prescott Valley. The church is located at 10100 E State Route 69.

She also requests:

In lieu of flowers I ask that donations be made to the scholarship organization founded by Bill to help young people of the Arizona ranching community further their educations after graduating high school:
The Arizona Cowpuncher’s Scholarship Organization, Inc.
c/o George Vensel, Treasurer
PO Box 55
Patagonia, AZ 85624

Supreme Court Tears Into Fifth Amendment, Rules Silence Can Be Used Against You If Questioned

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dissent-silencedScott Shackford

In a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court ruled today that a potential defendant’s silence can be used against him if he is being interviewed by police but is not arrested (and read his Miranda rights) and has not verbally invoked the protection of the Fifth Amendment.

Tim Lynch at the Cato Institute explains that the Salinas v. Texas case was intended to be about whether prosecutors during a trial could cast aspersions on a defendant’s silence during questioning that took place prior to arrest — prior to the defendent being told he had the right to remain silent. Instead, the Supreme Court determined that they wouldn’t need to rule on the matter because the defendant had never invoked the Fifth Amendment’s protection. This decision means that it’s the responsibility of the individual to know about the protections offered by the Fifth Amendment even prior to arrest and to actually verbally invoke it:

The Court said Salinas simply remained silent and did not “formally” invoke any constitutional right, so prosecutors could offer commentary to the jury. What’s most disturbing about the ruling is its discussion of “burdens.” The plurality put the onus on the individual, not the government. That is the profound error in the decision. As the dissenters noted, in the circumstances of the case, it was evident what Salinas was doing. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has complicated the law for persons who are the most vulnerable–persons who lack education, persons who do not speak English very well, persons who may suffer from mental problems, and persons who may be under the influence of alcohol. This is a bad day for the Bill of Rights.

Read more at Prince Vega