Services for beloved Federico Avila will be Friday at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church at 900 W Grant Ave. The services will begin with a rosary at 9:30 a.m. and mass at 10 a.m.
Afterward, the casket will be escorted to the cemetery by veterans led by Air Force veteran Bob McCarty.
The family is working on a viewing to be held Thursday night, but the family has yet to confirm this. Updated information will be posted on our Facebook site.
WILLIAMS — After several successful years of partnering together to conduct forest restoration work and provide employment opportunities to tribal members, the Kaibab National Forest and Alamo Band of the Navajo Nation have expanded their relationship by committing to tackling mutually beneficial projects through the year 2020.
The Kaibab National Forest signed a supplemental agreement with Alamo Navajo School Board Inc., the primary employer for the Native American reservation headquartered in Socorro County, New Mexico, to work together to reduce the risk of high-severity wildland fire and improve ecosystem health around the communities of Williams and Tusayan through forest restoration efforts such as removing trees from overly dense stands and treating the remaining slash.
“We are very excited to see this partnership continue to grow and develop because it is accomplishing great restoration work on the forest while providing an economic benefit to the Alamo Navajo community and on-the-job training to Alamo community members,” said Heather Provencio, supervisor of the Kaibab National Forest. “It really is a win-win for everyone, and we are pleased to build upon the successes of recent years.”
Over the next four years, Alamo Navajo crew members will mark and cut at least 800 acres of ponderosa pine, juniper and pinyon on priority forest restoration projects for the purposes of fuels reduction, forest health and wildlife habitat improvement under the supplemental agreement. They will also be responsible for treating the activity slash – the felled trees that result from the thinning work – by piling, scattering or producing firewood for use by tribal communities.
“These crew members love to come out to the forest and do this work,” said Steve Guerro, ANSBI president. “They want to keep coming out and doing more. This program provides work training and a great educational experience for our young people.”
According to Bill Ferranti, natural resource specialist for the Alamo Natural Resources Department, Alamo is one of three noncontiguous Navajo communities and is therefore largely isolated from the larger Navajo Nation. “Alamo has a current 73 percent unemployment rate in the 18- to 34-year-old age group, and 55 percent of its members have never been in the workforce,” Ferranti said.
“We established ANSBI as a 638 (Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act) program because we were asking ourselves, ‘How are we going to grow and develop our own people and make our community self-sufficient?’ We have a high rate of unemployment back home,” said Earl Apachito, ANSBI board member.
As part of the overarching ANSBI program, an Alamo community natural resources management workforce was established and trained in order to provide Alamo members with marketable skills and employment opportunities while simultaneously fulfilling a need to restore forested lands across the Southwest.
“This project provides training and shows the crew members that they can do anything,” Apachito said. “These guys are hard workers, and this partnership with the Kaibab National Forest shows our capabilities.”
It was in 2012 that the Kaibab National Forest first teamed with ANSBI, which administers close to 50 different programs for the 2,000-member Alamo community including health services, education, technology, roads and forest restoration through grants and contracts with federal, state and tribal agencies. At that time, ANSBI hired, trained and managed a crew of Alamo members to complete a fuels reduction and habitat improvement project on the forest’s Tusayan Ranger District. The project involved the marking and cutting of 208 acres of ponderosa pine forest over several weeks for the purposes of ecosystem restoration, fuels reduction, and wildlife habitat improvement. Kaibab National Forest managers specifically sought out the Alamo crew because of their previous success in restoring forested lands on the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico.
The Kaibab National Forest secured funding for that original project on the Tusayan Ranger District through the Coconino County Resource Advisory Committee, a local community group that provides recommendations on funding for projects that benefit resources on federal lands. Over the years, additional work was able to be completed because the partnership competed well for grant and other funding due to the multiple benefits it provided including forest health improvement, employment opportunities, workforce training, and fuelwood for nearby Native American communities.
To date through the partnership, 930 acres have been thinned, 38 acres have been piled, and 280 cords of fuelwood have been provided to local communities of the Navajo Nation. That work can now continue through 2020 thanks to the Kaibab National Forest and ANSBI executing the supplemental agreement to extend the partnership.
“This partnership is so important for so many reasons,” said Mike Lyndon, tribal liaison for the Kaibab National Forest. “Not only does important forest restoration work get done and Alamo members have opportunities for training and employment, but also we are able to provide firewood to tribal communities free of charge for their home heating, cooking and other needs.”
There is typically a high demand for firewood within rural communities, including many tribal communities bordering the forest. Elderly tribal members and those with health conditions often have difficulty gathering sufficient firewood in a season. Within rural Navajo communities, many people rely on fuelwood as their primary heat source, so it is a valuable byproduct of important fuels reduction work.
Instead of hauling off or burning the remnants of their forest restoration efforts, the Alamo Navajo crew members use a firewood processor purchased by ANSBI in 2014 to cut precisely-sized firewood pieces as they go, creating a stockpile that is intended to help meet the needs of nearby tribal communities.
“We continue to look for ways to add value to this partnership for all of those involved,” Lyndon said. “It’s not only the work being accomplished but also the relationships being forged that we see as important. I hope this effort sparks new ideas and approaches to managing public lands together with our tribal partners.”
PHOENIX — The Self-Driving Vehicles Oversight Committee, created by Governor Doug Ducey to support research and development of self-driving vehicle technology in Arizona, will hold its first meeting on Monday.
Community members, businesses and other stakeholders are welcome to attend and to provide their input and ideas. The agenda also includes a presentation on autonomous vehicles by John Halikowski, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. in the auditorium of the ADOT Administration Building, 206 S. 17th Ave. in Phoenix.
Gov. Ducey created the panel, made up of transportation, public safety and policy experts, to advise ADOT, the Department of Public Safety, universities and other public agencies on how best to advance the testing and operation of self-driving vehicles on public roads. Its goals align with the governor’s mission of boosting economic growth, creating jobs and promoting innovation that improves the way Arizonans live.
Corrected 8/15; 5:28 a.m.
WILLIAMS — We have learned of the passing of Fedrico “Perico” Avila who passed away at the Peaks in Flagstaff. Mr. Avila had been at the Flagstaff Medical Center for knee surgery and was transferred to the Peaks for rehabilitation. We believe he was 83-years old.
Mr. Avila was a well-known Korean veteran and Chaplain for the American Legion Cordova Post #13. He worked hard to conduct the service for Memorial Day each year in Williams.
He was born in Williams and returned after his service to paint signs around town. During each holiday he was busy painting holiday images on windows adding his unique signature. He was a well-loved person who remained active in the community until his untimely passing.
Our prayers go out to his family, friends and fellow veterans.
Monsoon is in full swing and the Arizona Game and Fish Department warns boating and off-highway vehicle (OHV) users that weather conditions can change quickly and could be dangerous for those who aren’t prepared.
The severity of monsoon storms vary greatly from a minor dust storm to a violent thunderstorm capable of producing hail, deadly lightning and/or flash flooding.
“While Arizona is known for our often unbearable summer heat, it’s also known for great places to get outdoors, whether it’s on an OHV in the high country or one of our many lakes,” said Matt Eberhart, AZGFD OHV Safety Education coordinator. “However, it’s important for people to keep the day’s weather in mind. If severe weather is likely or storms are starting to pile up around you, it’s likely a good time to safely get off the water or trails and head indoors.”
In addition, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Boating and OHV Safety Education programs offer users the following tips to protect themselves and passengers during the monsoon season.
When on a boat or personal watercraft
The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak this Thursday night – Friday morning, August 11-12. This may be an above average year for the number of meteors.
The best time to watch for Perseid meteors will be from about 1 am (after the moon sets) until about 4 am at the first traces of daylight.
Perseus will be high in the northeast, but meteors should be visible over much of the sky. A dark observing site will be best.
PHOENIX — Because of structures the Arizona Department of Transportation has acquired in the future path of the South Mountain Freeway, probationary firefighters with the Rural/Metro Fire Department were able to practice what’s known as a mayday scenario, wearing blacked-out masks to simulate being trapped in a building filled with smoke.
At a former hotel, SWAT teams from various law enforcement agencies practiced responding to hostage situations. At homes scheduled to be removed, Phoenix firefighters learned how to cut through roofs to provide ventilation during fires.
In advance of Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway construction, ADOT has continued a tradition of working with first responders to provide real-world training opportunities using the controlled environment of vacant structures. Since last year, more than a dozen agencies have been able to train scores of personnel.
The Phoenix Fire Department was able to send 48 ladder companies as well as every recruit for rooftop-ventilation exercises.
“For the recruits, it is the opportunity to practice this critical skill prior to an actual event at 3 a.m., in the dark, or whenever the call may originate,” Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Riley said. “The amount of training we were able to do was invaluable to our department.”
The Rural/Metro Fire Department held training in three homes. One presented a scenario in which crawling trainees who are unable to see through their air masks have a chain-link metal structure drop on them to simulate being trapped by a falling roof. This mayday drill forced them to communicate, work through the problem and breach a wall to get out.
“There is no question that the job these firefighters do is dangerous,” said Shawn Gilleland, a Rural/Metro Fire Department public information officer. “Partnering with ADOT, we are able to provide real world training in a very controlled environment.”
ADOT has acquired nearly 200 properties since receiving federal approval to move forward with the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. Using the structures for training before they are removed involves no expense for ADOT or the training agencies, other than a training agency needing to secure insurance beforehand.
“As a public safety agency, ADOT works hand in hand with police officers, firefighters and other first responders every day,” said Brian Rockwell, ADOT assistant chief right of way agent. “Much like the general public, we appreciate their life-saving efforts and were more than glad to be able to assist when we were approached by several agencies. The exercises provide valuable training that they might not have had otherwise and, in turn, are a tremendous benefit those these agencies serve.”
This training collaboration with Valley first responders dates back to the 1990s and has been used during construction on State Route 51 (Piestewa Freeway) and the Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) segment between 24th Street and the Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) interchange.
Prior to any training, structures that will be used must have been tested and abated for asbestos. Depending on the nature of the training and the location of the structures being used, neighboring properties are advised by the agency involved several days in advance.
The South Mountain Freeway, which will run east and west along Pecos Road, and north and south near 59th Avenue, will connect with Interstate 10 at each end. When opened to traffic by late 2019, it will complete the Loop 101 and Loop 202 systems, create a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley, and provide an alternative to I-10 through downtown Phoenix.
With construction scheduled to begin later this summer, ADOT is conducting preliminary engineering, addressing cultural resources in the right of way, acquiring and preparing properties, and relocating utilities.
PHOENIX — With an Arizona Cardinals preseason game and a concert scheduled Friday evening in the West Valley, those using Interstate 10 should plan for heavier traffic and budget extra travel time.
Monday’s evening commute also may require a little patience and planning ahead with veteran rockers Guns N’ Roses playing at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Kickoff for the Cardinals game against the Oakland Raiders is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at University of Phoenix. The Guns N’ Roses concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15.
ADOT is able to use its network of freeway message signs to provide traffic advisories in areas approaching Glendale and the stadium.
Friday also includes a 7:30 p.m. concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion featuring country singer Jason Aldean.
ADOT provides freeway-travel information via Twitter (@ArizonaDOT). State highway conditions also are available via ADOT’s Traveler Information site at az511.gov or by calling 511.
Please avoid distractions while driving. It’s best to check traffic conditions before leaving your home or office.
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and Keep Arizona Beautiful (KAZB) staff will conduct two “Environmental Resources Roadshows,” where attendees will learn about ways to improve their local environment.
FLAGSTAFF
Wed., August 24, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Coconino County Health Services District
Coconino County Community Services
2625 N King Street
Flagstaff, AZ 86004SEDONA
Thurs., August 25, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
City of Sedona City Hall Complex
Vultee Conference Room
102 Roadrunner Drive
Sedona, AZ 86336
The Environmental Resources Roadshow partnership encourages community members, Tribes, business people, elected officials, government agencies and school representatives in Flagstaff and Sedona and the surrounding area to attend one of the no-cost, two-hour events. Following brief presentations, attendees can engage in open dialogue and participate in a question and answer session.
Topics
ADEQ: successful recycling programs such as electronic waste and food recovery
ADEQ: how communities can benefit from ADEQ’s brownfields grants and technical expertise
ADOT: volunteer process for adopting sections of Arizona highways for litter cleanup
KAZB: statewide litter prevention, recycling and beautification programs
Williams had the opportunity, yesterday, to hear the story of a survivor of the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Doris Martin came to Williams from Flagstaff with husband and co-author Ralph to sign copies of her book Kiss Every Step: A Survivor’s Memoir from the Nazi Holocaust at the Wild West Junction. Doris and Ralph also founded the Martin-Springer Institute at Northern Arizona University, whose purpose is to apply the lessons learned from the Holocaust to benefit Mankind.
Mayor John Moore stops by to speak with Doris, husband Ralph and others having lunch before the book signing.
She related the terror inflicted by the Germans on the Poland Jews. They would be dragged from their homes on several occasions for various reasons and eventually sent back home. One time they were told to go to a stadium to get a stamp. They were told not to bring any food for the children because they were only going to get an identification stamp and would be sent back home.
They were taken to a stadium where the reality was much different. The whole town was herded into a stadium to receive the stamp.
“The whole town took the children, everybody to the stadium. But when we went into the stadium, it was not like that. We were only surrounded with the Nazis, with the German Shepherds, with the rifles,” she said in the interview. “We couldn’t go out from the stadium. And in the stadium was sitting a Nazi at a small table. And he would choose who should live, and who should die.”
Tuffy, the Wild West Junction mascot.
The family lived on a second floor of an apartment building. When they returned home, her mother told them that they should kiss every step up to their apartment, which they did. That was where the title of the book came from.
Though they were eventually separated and Doris was sent to Auschwitz, her whole family survived and were reunited. Unfortunately their hometown of Bendzin no longer existed.
Her story of survival is told in her book Kiss Every Step which is available online at Amazon and is available at Barnes and Nobles in Flagstaff.