Proposed Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (Azpdes) Renewal Permit

ADEQ-2Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A907, the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) proposes to issue an Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) Permit to discharge pollutants to Waters of the United States to the following applicant, subject to certain effluent limitations and special conditions:

Public Notice No. 15-41
Published on February 17, 2015
Published in the Northern Arizona Gazette

AZPDES Permit No. AZ0021245

Arizona Game and Fish Department
Page Springs Fish Hatchery (PSFH)
5000 W. Carefree Highway
Phoenix, AZ 85086

The Arizona Game and Fish Department applied for a renewal AZPDES permit for the proposed discharge of up to 22.8 million gallons per day (mgd) of hatchery process water from PSFH to the

Oak Creek in the Verde River Basin in Township 16 N, Range 4 E, Section 23, in Yavapai County, Arizona. The PSFH consists of two flow-through fish hatcheries (Bubbling Ponds and PSFH). Water for the two production operations (cold water species and warm water species) is obtained from two natural springs, is not comingled through the hatchery processes, and is discharged to two different locations on Oak Creek. Biosolids requirements are not applicable because fish wastes are not considered biosolids under the 40 CFR 503 provisions.

The permit and fact sheet may be viewed online at http://www.azdeq.gov/cgi-bin/vertical.pl by typing the permit number in the box left of “Search Event”. The public notice and related documentation also are available for public review, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the ADEQ Records Center, 1110 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. In Phoenix, please call (602) 771-4380 or e-mail recordscenter@azdeq.gov 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment to review the file.

Persons may submit comments or request a public hearing on the proposed action in writing, to Jacqueline Maye, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division, 1110 W. Washington St., 5415B-3, Phoenix, Arizona 85007. All written comments received by ADEQ by the close of business on the date 30 days after publication of this notice will be considered in the final permit decision. A public hearing request must be in writing and must include the reasons for such request. If there is a significant degree of public interest, the Director will hold a hearing in accordance with A.A.C. R18-9-A908(B).

ADOT MVD offers online vehicle license tax report for 2014

PHOENIX – As Arizonans start working on their tax returns, many want to know the amount of vehicle license tax they paid last year.

The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offers a free online service, Vehicle Fee Recap, on ServiceArizona.com to help vehicle owners easily obtain their vehicle license tax paid in 2014 as well as any specialty license plate donations.

From the ServiceArizona home page, a customer can select the Vehicle Fee Recap link and follow the simple instructions to receive a free, printable report. The Vehicle Fee Recap report will only contain information for the previous calendar year.

“Vehicle Fee Recap has proven to be one of ServiceArizona’s most popular features during tax season,” said Motor Vehicle Division Director Stacey Stanton. “This service is yet another way MVD works to save valuable time for our customers.”

Owners of Arizona-registered vehicles who wish to use the data provided in the Vehicle Fee Recap report for tax returns should seek guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, the Arizona Department of Revenue or other tax professionals.

The Vehicle Fee Recap feature of ServiceArizona is also accessible by mobile devices.

USFS Law Enforcement Officer Acting within his Lawful Duty in Shooting Death of a suspect

FLAGSTAFF – The criminal investigation of USFS Law Enforcement Officer who fatally shot a suspect who attacked him in the Blue Ridge area on September 19, 2014 has been completed and the officer will not face charges.

Evidence collected during the investigation showed that USFS Officer Andrew Pederson was acting within his lawful duty when he came in contact with sixty-six year old Courtney James Van Riper. Investigation of the events that led to the shooting death of Van Riper indicated that the officer was defending himself during the shooting incident.

Following the shooting death of Van Riper, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office conducted the criminal investigation into the officer involved shooting death of Courtney Van Riper.

The investigation was forwarded to the Coconino County Attorney’s Office who reviewed the case. After reviewing the evidence, the Coconino County Attorney’s Office completed its report that no charges would be filed against Pederson. In their report, the County Attorney’s Office found that the evidence shows that Pederson was discharging a lawful duty when he encountered sixty-six year old Courtney James Van Riper.

The evidence shows that during the encounter, Van Riper produced a large can of pepper spray which he pointed and sprayed at the face of the officer. The evidence also indicates that Pederson’s actions of firing multiple rounds at the suspect were based on the reasonable belief that Van Riper might take control of his service weapon once he was incapacitated by the spray.

The County Attorney’s report cited Arizona Revised Statutes 13-410(C)(1) which permits law enforcement to use deadly physical force in self-defense.

Friends of the NRA selling raffle tickets

friends-nra-drawWILLIAMS – The Grand Canyon Friends of the NRA is selling tickets for your choice between two guns. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20. Only 200 tickets will be sold and there are less than 100 left. The drawing will take place when all tickets are sold.

The winner will have their choice between two weapons. The Ruger American bolt action rifle in .308 caliber or Soeger P350 pump action 12 gauge shotgun.

The winner must be able to comply with all State and federal laws concerning firearms. Must be at least 18-years old and able to pass background check.

The group is also gearing up for their annual dinner at Doc Holiday’s in Williams. The dinner is August 1 and the doors open at 4:30 p.m. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

The Grand Canyon Friends of the NRA supports sport shooting events in the northern Arizona area.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Williams Wear inside Buck’s Place at 117 W Route66 in downtown Williams.

ESA selling See’s candy

From See's Catalog

From See’s Catalog

WILLIAMS – The Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority members of Williams are selling See’s Candy in support of their projects. One of their main projects is to create Christmas packages for troops serving overseas each year.

The See’s selection consists of box candies wrapped in special Easter gift wrapping or individual eggs and other delights.

For more information or to order, contact Williams Wear at 117 W. Route 66 (inside the mall in Buck’s Place).
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Happy President’s Day

GeorgeWashingtonPrayingImpressed with a conviction that the due administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good Government, I have considered the first arrangement of the Judicial department as essential to the happiness of our Country, and to the stability of its political system; hence the selection of the fittest characters to expound the law, and dispense justice, has been an invariable object of my anxious concern. — Letter to U.S. Attorney General Edmund Randolph (September 28,61 1789). Source: The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor.

To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. — First Annual Address, to both Houses of Congress (8 January 1790).

A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies. — First Annual Address, to both House of Congress (8 January 1790).

No punishment in my opinion is too great for the Man who can build his greatness upon his Country’s ruin. — George Washington to President of Congress Joseph Reed, 12/12/1778, The Writings of George Washington, 13:383).
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Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties. — Abraham Lincoln

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ― Abraham Lincoln

St. John’s Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner tomorrow

st-johns-02WILLIAMS – St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran church will hold their annual Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. The event is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

St John’s is located at 202 W. Grant street; the corner of Grant and Second Street.

This event precedes Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent.

Babbitt-Polson Warehouse Stage exposed

UPDATED: Feb. 15, 8:35
640-bp-bw-i-001WILLIAMS – We discussed a little about the history of the Babbitt-Polson warehouse in our last article. The warehouse is the last example of warehouses that lined the railroad.

Eventually shipping via the road declined with the expansion of Route 66. These use of these warehouses as temporary storage for trade goods gave way to other uses. Like many other abandon buildings, there was also the inevitable graffiti. Opal Means obtained one of the warehouses and said that the inside wood had been removed, so any history is gone. This warehouse seems to be the only one with graffiti remaining.
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The inside is a conspiracy theory tribute to one of the truly forgotten wars fought by the United States. The now imprisoned isle of Cuba was seeking independence from Spain which began in 1895. What is interesting is that the American media was used to portray the brutality of the Spanish in an effort to gain support for the war. It worked. It was this event that caused the term yellow journalism to be coined. An article in Wikipedia explains:

The most famous example of a claim is the apocryphal story that artist Frederic Remington telegrammed Hearst to tell him all was quiet in Cuba and “There will be no war.” Hearst responded “Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” Historians now believe that no such telegrams ever were sent.

But Hearst became a war hawk after a rebellion broke out in Cuba in 1895. Stories of Cuban virtue and Spanish brutality soon dominated his front page. While the accounts were of dubious accuracy, the newspaper readers of the 19th century did not expect, or necessarily want, his stories to be pure nonfiction. Historian Michael Robertson has said that “Newspaper reporters and readers of the 1890s were much less concerned with distinguishing among fact-based reporting, opinion and literature.”

The sinking of the Maine on February 15, 1898 was the impetus for this war.

There is a local Arizona historic connection with the sinking of the USS Maine. Along Route 66 in Parks you will find a railroad sign that says Maine. There is a town which still exists called Maine near Parks. They took on the name after the sinking of the Maine. There is no downtown Maine, of course. The metropolitan of Parks absorbed the town of Maine over time. The Parks school is still the Maine Consolidated School district.

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The national government and the media portrayed it as a sinking by a Spanish mine. Because of the media fervor, no one questioned it. It was only years later that it began to leak that the USS Maine was probably sunk because of an explosion in their own magazine. This was probably not a “false flag” like the Gulf of Tonkin. It was probably just a happy coincidence for Theodore Roosevelt who was pining for war. He was able to convince President McKinley to convince Congress to declare war over the incident. Particularly since public opinion was set by the media.

The result of the war was the acquisition of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam and other territories from Spain.

It appears from the dates that the warehouses probably were abandon around 1911. That is when the graffiti seems to have started. Some of the graffiti in the warehouse refer to the sinking of the USS Maine. Some of the graffiti are simply names of people in Williams history.
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Sidewalk repairs on US 60 and Tegner Street in Wickenburg this week

WICKENBURG – Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance crews are scheduled to repair the curb and sidewalk on US 60 and Tegner Street in Wickenburg starting on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Westbound US 60 will be narrowed to one lane approaching the intersection and parking along the sidewalk through the work zone will not be permitted.

Drivers will be allowed to turn right onto Tegner Street from US 60 by using the left lane through the work zone.

Work hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and work is expected to be complete by Friday, Feb. 20.

ISIS forces repelled by Iraqi forces

isis-assesAccording to a FOX news report, Iraqi Security Forces repelled an attack by ISIS on an air base in Anbar province. Reports were that more than 300 Marines training Iraqis might be surrounded.

It turns out that the reports were exaggerated. Apparently eight terrorists attempted to break into the facility.

According to FOX news annalist General Jack Keane, the attempt was simply to get headlines. It appears that the U.S. Marines were never in danger.