Daily Archives: April 15, 2015

Prescribed burns planned this week

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Photo by Brenda Carter

FLAGSTAFF — Fire managers are planning three prescribed burns this week in areas near Lake Mary Road, Luke Mountain and Mormon Lake basin.

Mountainaire Project: Planned ignition will be Wednesday (April 15) if conditions are suitable for burning. This burn includes approximately 550 acres along the south side of Lake Mary Road just one to two miles east of Pulliam Airport. Smoke is expected to disperse to the southeast and will be visible to those in the Flagstaff area.

Rocky Project: Planned ignition will be Thursday (April 16) or Friday (April 17), depending on weather conditions. The burn area includes 385 acres in an area near Luke Mountain that is located about 7 miles south of Munds Park on the east side of Interstate 17. Smoke is expected to disperse to the northeast away from I-17, but smoke may drift back towards the interstate during evening hours.

Mormon Lake Basin Project: Planned ignition will be Thursday (April 16) or Friday (April 17), depending on weather conditions. The burn area includes 1,000 acres in an area just west of the Village of Mormon Lake off Forest Road 219. Smoke is expected to disperse to the northeast, but settle in to the Mormon Lake area and may impact the community around Mormon Lake.

Read more at FLAGScanner

Williams Water responds quickly

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Wenesday 2015-04-15 002WILLIAMS — While walking in Williams, this reporter happened upon a burst pipe at the train park on Railroad Avenue across the street from I-40 Fleet Rentals.

The burst irrigation pipe was reported at 3:33 p.m. and an investigator responded in less than four minutes. In ten-minutes, a crew was on the scene to secure the water.
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It appears that the pipe had just burst and because of the quick response only about 30-gallons may have been lost, at most.

Even though the city may be in Level 1, it is important to report leaks and bursts pipes immediately to the city at 928-635-4451 so that they can be secured.

Flagstaff Police respond to Marshall Elementary School threatening call

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flagstaff-policeFLAGSTAFF — Flagstaff were dispatched to Marshall Elementary School (850 N. Bonito) at about 1 p.m. today in regards to a threats call. Staff at Marshall Elementary School received a computer generated call which stated, “I am in the school and I want to kill 100’s of children.” This computer generated call was repeated several times.

Marshall Elementary School Principal John Coe initiated a lock down of the school and communicated to the Police Department as well as the surrounding schools.

Officers responded immediately to the area in conjunction with Administrative Staff from Flagstaff Unified School District. Officers conducted a room by room search of the building, including the playground and surrounding residential area with negative contact with any suspicious armed persons.

The Flagstaff Police Department are currently investigating. Last month police responded to Thomas Elementary school due to a threatened suicide.

Blue Water Navy act will expand presumption of exposure to Agent Orange

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Photo americanorange.com

Photo americanorange.com

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2015, H.R. 969, would include the territorial seas of the Republic of Vietnam for the purpose of presuming exposure to “certain herbicide agents” while serving in Vietnam.

The bill, with 209 cosponsors, has not moved from the the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs since March 6. The list of cosponsors is apparently growing.

The bill is intended to amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify presumptions relating to the exposure of certain veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam, and for other purposes.

300agent-orangeAccording to the Vets 101 web site, the presumption of exposure to certain environmental hazards may make a veteran entitled to certain VA disability compensation and more VA health care services. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes several diseases which have been linked to the use of the chemical known as Agent Orange.

Agent Orange was a chemical defoliant used indiscriminately in Vietnam. At the time it was believed to be safe. An Army medic who served in Vietnam told me that they had to wear wet weather gear when the chemical was sprayed in his area of operations.

Navy personnel could have been exposed when loading and unloading the chemical on transport ships.

More information on Agent Orange: History Channel.

ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm

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Wikipedia Photo

MEXICO — Recent reports racing across the Internet indicate that ISIS has set up cells inside Mexico and that Mexican authorities are aware of their presence.

Judicial Watch reports that the ISIS terrorists are being assisted by the Mexican drug cartels. Their report states;

…cartel-backed “coyotes” are also smuggling ISIS terrorists through the porous border between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas.

According to Judicial Watch:

ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector.

The exact location where the terrorist group has established its base is around eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as “Anapra” situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Another ISIS cell to the west of Ciudad Juárez, in Puerto Palomas, targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to the United States, the same knowledgeable sources confirm.

During the course of a joint operation last week, Mexican Army and federal law enforcement officials discovered documents in Arabic and Urdu, as well as “plans” of Fort Bliss – the sprawling military installation that houses the US Army’s 1st Armored Division. Muslim prayer rugs were recovered with the documents during the operation.

This report should certainly shed light on one of the purposes of the Second Amendment and why “civilians” are supposed to be able to own “military-style” weapons according to Federalist Paper No. 29.

More at Judicial Watch

Williams looses Williams

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300-m-williamsWILLIAMS — Kaibab National Forest Supervisor Mike Williams has accepted a position in the Pacific Northwest Region of the USDA Forest Service after serving in his current role since 2001. Williams was recently announced as the Forest Supervisor for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, headquartered in Wenatchee, Wash.

“I am thrilled to announce the selection of Mike Williams as the new Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest Supervisor,” said Jim Peña, Pacific Northwest Regional Forester. “Mike is a proven leader and he brings an extensive set of skills and experience to the Northwest spanning fire ecology, restoration and natural resource management. His experience in community relations and collaboration will be a great asset to the forest and region.”

Williams became Forest Supervisor of the Kaibab National Forest in 2001 and has since worked diligently on improving forest health and restoring fire-adapted ecosystems through efforts such as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative and reintroducing fire on a landscape scale. Williams has worked for the Forest Service for more than 30 years and has served in many leadership roles throughout the agency. During that time, he has maintained a commitment to community relations and collaboration as key elements in achieving results on the ground.

“I started my permanent Forest Service career in the Pacific Northwest and am really excited to return,” Williams said. “At the same time, it is with great sadness that I leave the Kaibab National Forest and its employees and partners. We have set the stage for an unprecedented scope and scale of forest management work in northern Arizona in the coming years, and I expect that important work to continue. I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish through a commitment to shared stewardship of our public lands.”

Williams is a native of southern Minnesota and grew up in a small agricultural town north of the Iowa border. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in forest resource management from the University of Minnesota College of Forestry. His first permanent job with the Forest Service was on the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon coast in 1977. Subsequent jobs took him to northern California and assignments on the Klamath, Plumas and Lassen national forests. He was a district ranger on two forests in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains for more than a dozen years and also served on the forest management staff at Forest Service national headquarters.

Williams will report to his new assignment next month.

Governor Ducey appoints new member to State Transportation Board

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Photo by Chris Mooney; From Picor.com

Photo by Chris Mooney; From Picor.com

PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Michael S. Hammond to the State Transportation Board, representing the Pima County region in the planning and development of Arizona’s transportation network.

The seven members of the State Transportation Board serve six-year terms while representing local communities throughout Arizona to prioritize transportation needs, projects and funding.

“As someone who has lived in Southern Arizona for 39 years and traveled extensively throughout our state and the state of Sonora, Mexico, both for pleasure and business, I have a keen appreciation of our transportation infrastructure and its importance in adding to our quality of life, not to mention driving economic development and job growth,” Hammond said. “It is a privilege and an honor to have a voice in the future infrastructure investments made by the state of Arizona.”

His appointment requires confirmation by the Arizona State Senate. Hammond is expected to attend his first board meeting April 17 in Phoenix.

Hammond has been in commercial real estate since 1978 and is president, founder and managing shareholder of Cushman & Wakefield|PICOR, an independent commercial real estate brokerage and management firm based in Southern Arizona. In 2002, with his background in industrial real estate and interest in regional economic development, he began focusing on the border region and, more specifically, the state of Sonora, Mexico.

Hammond received “Tucson Man of the Year” honors from Greater Tucson Leadership in 2013. He is a member of various local, regional and national organizations, including the Arizona District Export Council, the Business Development Finance Corporation, Southern Arizona Leadership Council and Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities. He is a full member of the Urban Land Institute, and serves on the Urban Land Institute State of Arizona Steering Committee.

Hammond is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle.
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