WILLIAMS — There being no business before the City Council, the Williams City Council will not meet this Thursday. The next regular Council meeting is scheduled for August 27th.
Monthly Archives: August 2015
PDFZilla PDF converter review
I have a need to convert Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files to various formats. Mostly text. As an author, I sometimes have to convert PDF files to text so that I can copy and paste certain portions for articles and reviews. As a news reporter I often get large files in PDF format. The need to convert these to text format is obvious. In those PDF files there are sometimes graphics which I require for news reporting. I have been using the old Print Screen and save system requiring a graphics program to cut out the graphic. If I could extract the graphic easier, it makes my job that much easier.
Supreme Court decisions are a good example. Many are in PDF. It is helpful to convert to text so that I can copy and paste portions of the decisions into my articles. Other times I need to covert the whole file with graphics—as in the case of military manuals or other PDF files I might download from Archive.org or Project Gutenberg.
I have searched for and used several online options. They do all right, but tend to produce some gobbledygook in the translation. They do not seem to work well with graphics.
During my search I ran across PDFZilla. Having experience with Mozilla and Filezilla, I was hoping this was free. It is not, however. As a disclaimer I should note that I downloaded the trial version that only translates 50% of the file and has other limitations. I am writing this review based on that version and am told I can get a license for writing this review.
I will give you the bad first. You can select where the output file goes, but you cannot create a new folder while saving a file. You should plan to set up your folders before translating PDF files or separate them into folders later if you need to. Also the windows cannot be resized for easier viewing.
You can see the various conversion options in Figure 1. I did not use the PDF to Excel Converter because I do not have files that I need converted into that format. At least I have not run across any yet.
Two options I like are the PDF Merger and PDF Cutter. The PDF Merger is a good option. In the trial version they add a water mark. I had two particular files to test. I downloaded two SEABEE manuals. The came in Volume I and Volume II. Though the word “Merger” is misspelled in the window for this option, PDFZilla merged the two files seamlessly. This option I can find useful at times. The one problem with this option is that it does not give you the option to export the file to a folder you select. You can select the output folder by clicking on the link at the bottom.
The other option, PDF cutter, allows you to cut out pages. I had some problems with testing this one. I chose a file over 700 pages longs with graphics at first. This file sent the PDF Cutter into a tizzy. It uses drag-and-drop functionality. That is you drag the PDF to the cutter window. The file did not show up and I had to eventually restart the computer to clear the memory. The second time I tried a plain Supreme Court text PDF and it displayed (50% of it) and I edited out a few pages. The edited output file appeared in the folder that I selected it from. You can resize the file, but not the window. The window should be about the same size as the main screen to see the file easier. Again the cut file in the trial version adds a watermark.
Transferring from PDF to Word was difficult for me, but might not be for you if you use Microsoft Word. I use Openoffice.org—A Microsoft Word clone. It has to import the Microsoft Word DOC file into ODT format. It does well, but the formatting is odd. In most cases I would not use that option anyway preferring PDF to text.
The PDF to Text converter works well saving in RTF format or TXT. While on this feature, I will go over some of the options on the screen.
On the upper-right portion of the window you will see a drop-down menu for output formats. I selected PDF to txt and this is what shows. You can use the drop-down menu to select other formats in case you mistakenly push the wrong option from the main screen. Just above that is the Options where you can select the first page and last page to covert and whether or not you desire page breaks. Below that you can select the folder you desire to output to and, of course, the button to start the conversion is at the bottom.
You can drag-and-drop the PDF to the screen. Or you can choose the file by selecting the green cross on the File Menu. Next to the green cross is a folder with a green cross. This option allows you to add an entire folder of PDF files for bulk conversion. This is very useful to convert bulk PDF files to a specific format. The red X allows you to delete some of the PDF files if you do not desire to convert them. Thus you could select a folder and delete those you do not want to convert.
The PDF to text works good. Especially with straight text PDF files such as articles and Supreme Court decisions. There will be some formatting required. For example if you convert a file with a large a table of contents. You might have to remove the table of contents depending on your need. But it converts the text well. I have used the PDF to RTF format and it converts everything including the graphics, but the graphics appear upside down. You can rotate the graphics depending on the program you use to for your final print. You can also save the graphic and adjust it for your need in a graphics program.
The PDF to HTML seems to convert the text flawlessly even to recreating the format of the PDF. This makes a long HTML file, in some cases, with narrow columns. The trial version does not seem to translate any graphics, but the registered version might. It also automatically adds links to other portions of the HTML file. For example the file I translated adds an appendix and the HTML added several links to that Appendix and various graphics.
The other option I found useful was the Image to PDF Converter. I just happened to download several graphics for a technical document. PDFZilla converted them into a PDF file with watermarks. I then tried to convert that document to text, but only got the watermarks. The Image to PDF converter, as you see in the figure, allows you to add your own document title, an author, subject and keywords. You can also select an output path for the file. You can also adjust the quality of the file which will in turn make it smaller or larger.
Overall the trial version seems to work well. I would give it 3.5 out of five stars. I do not know if the registered version, allowing all functions, will work better. Some of the faults I cite may be corrected in future upgrades.
You could, of course, use register for Acrobat Pro. This requires a subscription of $14.99 a month (as of this writing) and a one year commitment. That is $179.88 per year. This is a good option for a large company having to edit or convert a large number of files. In addition to that you convert online in “the cloud” were anyone can have access to your files and the national government normally does.
PDFZilla is a program on your computer which converts the file on your computer. Although the NSA still has access to the file, it makes it difficult for others. If you are converting files for research for, say, a new invention idea, you probably do not want it floating on a “cloud” where any devil can intercept your work and develop your idea first. It is still a little more difficult to hack into your computer. The other advantage is that PDFZilla is $49.95 (as of this writing).
This program seems to be relatively new and may not covert everything absolutely flawlessly. What it does convert for me makes the price worth it. They could probably even squeeze a few more dollars from poor reporters such as me.
Jerold Joseph Williams Found Deceased
JACOBS LAKE — The worse fears of the community of Northern Arizona have been realized. The smiling 5-year-old boy who came up missing at Jacob Lake has been found deceased.
The body of Jerold Joseph Williams was found on August 10, 2015 around 4:30 pm by a group of volunteer searchers from Colorado City. The group was driving along Forest Service Road 240 when some boys who were in the back of the pickup saw the body of Jerold on the ground around 15-20 feet off the road.
Jerold’s body was found approximately 3.7 miles point-to-point from the place Jerold was last seen. By road it was approximately 8.6 miles from the place he was last seen.
Because Jerold was found close to the road and the road would have been a natural walking area for him compared to the very thick brush, it is believed that Jerold probably found his way to Forest Road 240 and followed it to Forest Road 241 in the direction away from the camp site and may have walked off into the forest to lay down to rest.
He was found fully clothed with no obvious external injuries, and there is was no evidence of foul play indicated at the scene. The weather had turned inclement early during the time he was missing. An autopsy was performed today and Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office preliminary findings appear to be accidental death due to environmental exposure. Based on the environmental conditions Jerold was exposed to it is unlikely he survived the first night.
The focus of the search area was based on information from data gathered from other searches (for example the Arizona Lost Persons Behavioral database and other resources), proven mathematical models, as well as a profile of the lost person including location and time last seen, mobility, activity level, and other behavior.
Jerold was found within what is known as the containment area of the search. This area is a concentric circle outside of the area of the main focus of the search efforts but within the search perimeter. Natural boundaries such as roads are often part of the containment area with the hope that the person will be found before leaving the containment. The main focus of ground search efforts had been some 21 square miles, which was a 2.1 radius from the point Jerold was last seen.
The search spanned 5 days and 4 nights with 1,000 or more people assisting. The support from the community was overwhelming. There were close to 900 people from the community who collectively volunteered thousands of hours of their time to the search efforts, not only in the field, but also by providing meals and other support. A great majority of these volunteers were from the community of Colorado City who gave their full support to the search efforts. In addition to the community volunteers, we are grateful to all of the state, local and federal organizations including the U.S. Air Force Rescue community which involved the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Air Force Rescue air crews, maintainers, and para-rescue. The Air Force Rescue crews were able to utilize advanced night optics to conduct overnight search operations. Many area businesses provided equipment and resources which was greatly appreciated. This was the largest spontaneous volunteer response the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has handled, and the cooperation of the community was greatly appreciated.
Personnel from Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Coconino County CERT Teams, Arizona Wing Civil Air Patrol, Utah Wing Civil Air Patrol, Arizona Department of Public Safety, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, FBI, Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children participated in this search.
Happy 25th birthday, Deck Park Tunnel!
PHOENIX – Twenty-five, years ago, the last segment of Interstate 10 was completed and it happened in Phoenix.
When the Arizona Department of Transportation opened the “Final Mile” between Third Avenue and Third Street, including the Deck Park Tunnel, it created the nation’s second coast-to-coast interstate, stretching 2,460 miles and across eight states, from Santa Monica, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla.
“This opening of I-10 is truly a milestone in transportation history,” Thomas Lane, head of the Federal Highway Administration, said at the tunnel’s dedication ceremony on Aug. 10, 1990. “Today, we mark the completion of a major transcontinental route.”
Fast-forward to 2015, on Monday, Aug. 10, when ADOT observes the Deck Park Tunnel’s 25th birthday.
While the opening of the Deck Park Tunnel marked the completion of I-10 as a transcontinental interstate, it also signaled the beginning of the Phoenix-metro area’s modern freeway system, which continues to grow today. Putting the age of the freeway network into perspective, “The Simpsons” has been on television longer than the Deck Park Tunnel has been open to traffic.
When the tunnel opened, construction of the Loop 101 and state routes 51 and 143 had just begun, and the Loop 202, Loop 303 and State Route 24 existed only on planning maps. Phoenix’s population boom made the expansion necessary. The 20th-largest city in the United States in 1970, Phoenix would rise to No. 6 by 2000, according to U.S. Census data. The completion of the Deck Park Tunnel connected the metropolitan area’s east and west valleys, allowing for quicker and more convenient travel across the metro area. The tunnel also emerged as a linchpin in Arizona’s economic development, supporting the efficient movement of goods and commerce into and through the state. Since it opened, an estimated two billion vehicles have passed through the tunnel’s tile-lined walls.
“The Deck Park Tunnel is more than simply a way to get through downtown Phoenix,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “It is part of an interstate Key Commerce Corridor that is integral to Arizona’s continued economic growth and development.”
Decades before it was built, transportation officials recognized the need for the Papago Freeway – the stretch of I-10 that passes through Phoenix. The first plans for the freeway were formalized in 1960. However, a tunnel wasn’t included in the original design.
The tunnel was a part of a solution to opposition that did not want the Papago Freeway built near the Phoenix city center, unsettling neighborhoods established before interstates existed. In 1969, plans called for an elevated freeway with wide, arcing “helicoil” ramps that were designed to minimize disruption of city streets and the utility grid. But a public vote to build the freeway was defeated in 1973. Two years later, the elevated freeway was scrapped in favor of a below-grade design, which included the tunnel, and Phoenix voters approved the measure. Engineers devised an innovative plan that set the freeway below street level for six blocks – from Third Avenue to Third Street. Above the freeway, 19 bridges would be lined up side by side, creating a tunnel effect for motorists, even though it does not meet the Federal Highway Administration definition of a tunnel. A 30-acre park would be built atop the bridge decks. That’s how it came to be known as the “Deck Park Tunnel,” though its official name is the Papago Freeway Tunnel.
Still, the Papago wasn’t yet a “go.” Freeway opponents put the issue on the ballot again in 1979, but citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor – 3-to-1 – of building the Papago Freeway and construction began in 1983. When it was finished in 1990, the Papago Freeway ranked as the most expensive highway project to date in Arizona at a cost of $500 million, plus $150 million for right-of-way purchases.
Not surprisingly, public interest in the freeway was high as the opening neared. According to a report in The Arizona Republic, more than 100,000 people attended a three-day “open house” at the Deck Park Tunnel, riding bikes and running footraces in yet-to-be-driven-on traffic lanes. At the dedication on Aug. 10, 1990, Federal Highway Administration official Thomas O. Willett addressed the obstacles overcome in the previous three decades to build the freeway.
“Completion of the Papago Freeway is far more than construction of concrete and steel,” Willett said. “It represents a successful culmination of a state, city and federal partnership forged by the challenge of a concerned public.”
New construction phase for US 89 and Haul Road roundabout begins Monday
PAGE — Construction is well underway on the roundabout at US 89 and Haul Road in Page, with a new phase to begin Monday (Aug. 10). During this phase of construction, travel on US 89 will be diverted through the frontage road access along the retail property located on the west side of the project area. This configuration will be in place for the next two to three weeks. Access to all properties in the project area will be maintained at all times.
A change to the work schedule will also be implemented with weekday hours to be extended through the weekends (Aug. 15-16 and Aug. 22-23) in order to expedite project completion. Construction will be performed during daylight hours only for all days of operation.
A couple of cloud bursts temporarily dampen enthusiasm
WILLIAMS — A couple of short cloud bursts over Williams caused scattered tourists ducking into businesses for relief. The enthusiasm was only temporarily dampened, however, when the sun peeked out again.
Les, Station Manager of KZBX 92.1, saddened by the rain.
About 1 p.m. a dousing caused KZBX 92.1 to fold up their remote. When the sun came out, so did the crowds.
Overall, the even seems to have been as successful as years past. In fact it seems that there were more participants this year. (Although we missed the incredible Marv-Mobile this year.) The crowds packed Route 66 throughout the day only thinning out with the brief downpours. 
Some came ready for the rain.
Elvis isn’t dead. He works at Addicted to Route 66 Deals.
Search for Jerold Williams continuing
Coconino County Sheriff photo.
Unfortunately searchers were dealing with heavy rains and winds estimated at 40 plus mph which created extremely muddy conditions and small windows for the use of aircraft to assist. The weather today has improved significantly and allowed for the use of more air resources. There are approximately 300-350 searchers in the field.
Personnel from many agencies have been assisting the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Coconino County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, including: Kane County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue, Mohave County Search and Rescue, US Forest Service law enforcement and fire crews, National Park Service law enforcement, AZ Game and Fish law enforcement, Coconino County CERT teams, Page Rural CERT teams, Nellis US Air Force Base, National Guard Blackhawk and Special Forces, AZ Department of Public Safety troopers and Air Rescue, Bureau of Land Management personnel and dog teams, and Civil Air Patrol.
The missing child is from Colorado City and there has been huge support from the community in Colorado City in assisting with this search. In addition to assisting on search teams, members of the community have been preparing meals for the responders.
The Coconino County Sheriff expressed gratitude at the community support and willingness to aid in the search
Michael Moening found deceased by family and friends
The search for Michael Thomas Moening is over with an unfortunate end. Micheal and his dogs were found today deceased in the woods by friends and family. Foul play is not suspected.
No further information is available at this time. Investigators continue to work this case.
Cool Country Cruise In in full swing
WILLIAMS — Lime green, canary yellow, cherry red—all colors of the classic car spectrum are represented today in Williams. Although Williams is visited by classic cars all year, this is the event where they are lined up waiting for your cameras.
The annual Cool Country Cruise In—centered around Arizona Highways award winning restaurant, Twisters—is in full swing. Classic cars from every era of route 66 are packed in for display and some are for sale.
Today is the day to check out the event because most will be gone tomorrow.
Free car wash at Cool Country Cruise In
WILLIAMS — Cool Country Cruise In is on in Williams and the weather is cooperating—or not depending on your view. Heavy rain is expected to continue with flash flood warnings until midnight. There is a slight chance of rain tomorrow which should clear up Saturday and remain clear until Monday when more thunderstorms are expected.
This is the first time in recent memory that the event has experienced this kind of weather. Today there was a short downpour with a couple of thunder cracks over Williams causing scattered tourists downtown. It cleared up by 7 p.m. in time for the gun show.
Generally Williams proper receives short bursts of rain in town while the surrounding areas get doused.