GRAND CANYON – The Grand Canyon will be be offering fee-free weekend on Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19 in honor of the start of National Parks Week. All national parks are offering free entry this weekend.
Grand Canyon’s South Rim sits at approximately 7,000 feet. As a result, visitors should be prepared for winter weather and driving conditions, and should be aware that road closures and temporary suspension of shuttle service may occur with little or no notice if winter weather passes through the area.
WILLIAMS — The Williams City Council will meet in a special meeting in the council chambers on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. to discuss a utility rate increase for Fiscal Year 2016. The council will review possible scenarios for the rate increase and will direct the staff on which increase to pursue.
FLAGSTAFF — A one-day ramp closure and a detour to JW Powell Boulevard will be in place to prepare for and accommodate construction of a roundabout on the east end of the project area.
Access to the I-17 southbound off-ramp at Exit 337 (JW Powell Boulevard) will be closed on Wednesday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., to install a temporary concrete barrier in preparation for the next phase of roundabout construction. This work is part of the intersection improvement project currently underway which includes new roundabouts and realignment of SR 89A/Beulah Boulevard.
The recommended detour for southbound I-17 connections to the Flagstaff Airport and to SR 89A is to continue southbound on I-17 past Exit 337, then exit at Kachina Trail/Mountainaire Road (Exit 333). Detour signage will be in place to assist travel in the area.
Travel through to JW Powell Boulevard via the existing roundabout will be closed to accommodate the new roundabout construction. Access to JW Powell will be maintained for both north- and southbound traffic along SR 89A via a cross-over just south of the construction zone and directed by area signage. This detour is expected to be in place until the end of June and will allow crews to build the new roundabout at the east end of JW Powell Boulevard.
ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.
WILLIAMS — After a struggle over signage, Love’s finally opened last Thursday in Williams. Love’s is a 24-hour truck stop with all of the truck stop paraphernalia. This includes the standard mobile phone and GPS electronics. They have tools, videos and books on tape. They have coffee available all day.
The exciting thing for many Williams residents seems to be the return of Subway. A 24-hour Subway at that. The addition of a Carl’s Jr. is the frosting on the cake, although it is not open 24-hours.
Travelers heading through south Flagstaff can expect heavy delays at the intersection of Milton Road (SR 89A) and Plaza Way on Tuesday, April 14, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., as ADOT electrical operations staff perform maintenance on the traffic signal at this location. A City of Flagstaff police officer will be on-site to maintain travel; however congestion may occur during maintenance operations.
Drivers are asked to allow for extra travel time to reach their destinations and use caution while electrical work is performed in this area.
TUSAYAN — The Kaibab National Forest will issue free-use, paid personal-use and ceremonial fuelwood permits for the Tusayan Ranger District out of the Forest Service office in Cameron, which is located just south of the Cameron Chapter House, beginning this month. The fuelwood permits will be available out of the Cameron office from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. Daylight Savings Time on the following dates:
April 23
May 15
June 11
July 16
Aug. 13
Sept. 10
Oct. 8
Oct. 29
Nov. 12
Nov. 19
Dec. 10
Dec. 17
Permits are also available at the Tusayan Ranger District office, 176 Lincoln Log Loop in Tusayan, (928) 638-2443, during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Permits will be issued for dead and down (dead standing and downed trees) and green fuelwood cutting. Dead and down permits are sold for $5 per cord. Green permits are $10 per cord. There is a minimum purchase of $20 per permit. Cords will be sold in increments to meet the $20 minimum. Free-use permits will also be issued for the removal of downed wood within designated areas. A maximum of six cords (combined) of paid fuelwood may be purchased per household. An additional four cords of free-use fuelwood may also be issued.
The Kaibab National Forest has a policy for providing free forest products to Native Americans for traditional and cultural uses. A permit is required for the collection of fuelwood for ceremonial purposes. Detailed information about the policy is available on the Kaibab National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/kaibab/fuelwood or by contacting Mae Franklin at (928) 679-2037 or mfranklin@fs.fed.us. Ceremonial use permits are only available on the Kaibab National Forest during fuelwood season, so interested individuals should ensure they get them prior to the close of the season.
Visitors to the Kaibab National Forest are reminded to always be extremely careful with fire. Fuelwood cutters should be aware that chainsaws can throw sparks and ignite grasses and brush. Always carry a shovel and a fire extinguisher or water in case of a fire start. Additionally, all chainsaws must be equipped with a stainless steel spark arrestor screen. Cutters should check with forest offices periodically for information about the implementation of fire restrictions. For additional information on permits available out of the Forest Service office in Cameron, please contact Mae Franklin at (928) 679-2037 or mfranklin@fs.fed.us.
Love your country, but never trust its government.—Robert A. Heinlein; Author, WWII US Navy Veteran
Metro Phoenix? No. This is an operation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Sierra Vista, AZ — Though you may be tired of the NSA snooping through your emails and checking out your nude photos on the cloud, you now have the opportunity to get paid for surveillance.
EKS Group, LLC out of Brandon, Florida—with an office in Sierra Vista, Airzona—is looking for part-time Surveillance Role Players for some operation in Phoenix?
EKS Group is owned by a disabled American veteran that was established in Sierra Vista in December 2006 and is a member in the Chamber of Commerce. They provide both counter intelligence and human intelligence services to the DoD.
The applicant must be 21-years of age, a U.S. Citizen and be able to maintain a secret DoD clearance. The applicant must complete a 40-hour Surveillance Operations Course.
The job is physically demanding and applicants must have the ability to walk up to 18-miles per day up to twelve consecutive days. The applicant must be able to drive or ride in a vehicle for up to twelve hours per day.
The work environment includes exposure to temperatures over 100-degrees to cold conditions below 32-degrees. The applicants are required to perform in both rural and urban environments. There are no rural or urban environments in Phoenix that reaches a low of 32-degrees in the summer.
Jade Helm, although publicly announced, is unusual in its scope. Recently discharged veterans have said they participated in operations of this sort, but not on this scale and usually on Federal facilities. National Guard units conduct operations off of bases. This raises little concern since they do conduct rescue and humanitarian operations during disasters.
Most main-stream media in Texas are running stories that this is perfectly all right and everyone should remain calm. The operation is centered around a fictional invasion of Texas. The Washington Post agrees.
A Texas sheriff deputy pointed out that the military are, “…going to set up cells of people and test how well they’re able to move around without getting too noticed in the community. They’re testing their abilities to basically blend in with the local environment and not stand out and blow their cover.”
The title of this job sounds like the “cells of people” they are going to move and they may act in that capacity. The text of the job, however, appears as though they are setting up informers and drivers to move the “cells” in the region of the operations.
In February of last year, Justice Antonin Scalia spoke at the University of Hawaii lamenting the decision of the Supreme Court in the 1944 case of Korematsu v. United States (323 U.S. 214). He is quoted as saying:
“Well of course Korematsu was wrong. And I think we have repudiated in a later case. But you are kidding yourself if you think the same thing will not happen again.”
These factors have caused liberty advocates to vocally question the so-called National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. The NDAA is revised to authorize an Army which must be authorized every two-years. The Navy, and by extension the Marines, are the only authorized military forces in the Constitution unless the Congress declares every two-years that an Army is necessary.
The NDAA of 2012, signed by President Obama on December 31 of 2011, contained so-called “indefinite detention” clauses allowing the military to detain anyone at anytime for any reason without trial according to some claims.
According to Russia Today, the Congress re-affirmed indefinite detention this year. According to reports, Justice Scalia seems to have been correct.
In signing the 2012 NDAA, President Obama wrote:
“I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation.”
There is no such assurance when he signed the recent NDAA with indefinite detention authority.
Meanwhile, more videos of concern are surfacing on the Internet. A YouTube video from DAHBOO777 showed a marshal-law type exercise in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He apparently received another video, recently, purported to be from Canada showing trains moving military equipment toward the west coast. Canada and the United States signed an agreement to assist one another in times of civil disobedience. According to the video, Facebook has been taking it down from Canadian sites.
So if a clean-shaven soldier in a well-pressed uniform approaches you and politely asks you to step into the back of a van with no threat of force, he is not mental. He’s Canadian.
PHOENIX — Tomorrow the Surprise Motor Vehicle Division office will close for interior renovation, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The remodeling project will almost triple the customer waiting area capacity, offering customers more efficient and comfortable service at the office.
Currently, because of maximum occupancy guidelines, only 68 customers can be inside at one time, leaving many who visit the Surprise office to wait outside before receiving a number. After the renovation is finished, the office will hold a maximum of 188 customers.
“This renovation is an example of the Motor Vehicle Division’s ongoing commitment to efficient customer service,” said Motor Vehicle Division Operations Director Chuck Saillant. “Our updated offices, self-service kiosks, ServiceArizona website and Authorized Third Party providers provide customers with a variety of quality service options.”
The project is scheduled to last a few months, with the office anticipated to reopen sometime this summer.
Besides increasing the capacity of the customer waiting area, the project will include expanding the number of customer service windows, upgrading the air conditioning system, upgrading the restrooms and enhancing the look of the customer waiting area.
“We are very excited for this remodeling project,” said Surprise MVD Office Manager Tricia Hervey. “The renovation will allow us to better serve our customers in the Surprise and Northwest Valley areas in an expanded, more modern facility.”
While the Surprise MVD office is closed, customers may visit either the Glendale MVD office at 16380 N. 59th Ave. (59th Avenue south of Bell Road) or the Phoenix-Northwest MVD office at 20626 N. 26th Ave. (north of Loop 101). Customers may also choose to visit one of MVD’s Authorized Third Party providers.
MVD is in the process of placing a ServiceArizona self-service kiosk at the Surprise City Court for public use. Customers can also access more than 20 MVD services online through ServiceArizona.com.
The Federalist Papers course concentrates on the government-approved arguments to ratify the Constitution of the United States. These papers are considered to have been written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and the Father of the Constitution James Madison.
The courses run 10-weeks with an examination at the end of each week. The course has already started so a couple of weeks of courses may be available. It is recommended, however, that you take your time and read all of the course material.
Once you sign up, you can find a list of their older courses including a course on great historic literature. You will, of course, receive the inevitable emails asking for donations and a subscription to their Imprimis Magazine. They even give you a certificate suitable for framing when you complete each course.
The course should inspire you to look at all of the arguments surrounding the ratification of the Constitution. I believe they are incorrect in their premise that the anti-Federalist, those opposed to the Constitution, wanted slavery, for example. If you read the anti-Federalist arguments you will find that many of them were written in the North—very much against slavery. Still the online video lectures and reading material provided are all free and give you a good basis for further research on your own.
The biggest contribution by the anti-Federalists was to convince James Madison—formerly against a Bill of Rights in the Federalist Papers—to change his mind and lobby for an inalienable Bill of Rights.
WILLIAMS — Restrictions will be in place beginning Monday, April 13 on a section of State Route 66 between Bearizona Boulevard and Pine Street in Williams as ADOT crews begin construction on a roadway improvement project on behalf of the city.
The work will be conducted during daylight hours only and is anticipated to be completed by early summer. The roadway improvement consists of milling and replacing the existing pavement, applying new roadway surface sealant, striping and markers, and is scheduled weekly from Monday-Friday during daylight hours only. No weekend or holiday work is anticipated.
During construction, traffic may be reduced to one lane of travel, with flaggers in place. Drivers can expect delays and are recommended to allow for extra travel time while construction is underway. Access for businesses and adjacent properties will be maintained at all times during the roadway construction.
GRAND CANYON – The Grand Canyon will be be offering fee-free weekend on Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19 in honor of the start of National Parks Week. All national parks are offering free entry this weekend.
