Monthly Archives: May 2018

Kaibab, Arizona Trail Association host mountain bike event to celebrate 50th anniversary of National Trails System Act

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FREDONIA – Mountain bikers of all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to participate in an 18-mile mountain bike ride along the Arizona Trail on Sunday, May 13, 2018, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Arizona Time (9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Utah Time).

The ride will begin at the Orderville Trailhead in the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest. This segment of the Arizona Trail is mostly flat and considered an easy ride. Experienced trip leaders will be your guides.

“The North Kaibab Ranger District is privileged to manage 48 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail to the Utah border, and we are excited to partner with the Arizona Trail Association and Amazing Earthfest to celebrate this National Trails System Act 50th Anniversary Event,” said North Kaibab Wilderness and Trails Specialist Allison Ayers. The Arizona Trail is an 800-mile hike, bike, ride your horse adventure. The trail runs from Mexico to Utah thru some of the most spectacular scenery Arizona has to offer.

Directions to this event are as follows: From Kanab go south on U.S. 89A toward Jacob Lake. Drive 1.5 miles past Jacob Lake on 89A to Forest Rd 205/247. Turn right on 205 to enter the Orderville Trailhead Parking lot. Allow 40 minutes to drive from Kanab to the trailhead. To carpool from Kanab, meet at 8:00 a.m. Utah Time at the Amazing Earthfest Information Table, Kane County Office of Tourism, 78 South 100 East, Kanab.

Before starting the ride, Arizona Trail Association staff will offer a brief history of the trail and the 50th Anniversary of the National Trails System Act. A shuttle will be available at Government Reservoir, the turnaround point, for any riders who may prefer to stop at nine miles.

Riders are reminded to bring a bike in good working order suitable for single dirt track with rocks and roots, helmet, riding gloves, appropriate footwear and extra clothing, water, spare tire tube, and snacks. A support vehicle will be staged at the 5-mile point.

· For additional information about this event, contact Allison Ayers at (928) 643-8149 or allisonayers@fs.fed.us.
· For more information about Amazing Earthfest 2018, visit www.AmazingEarthfest.org.
· For more information about the National Trails System’s 50th Anniversary, visit https://www.trails50.org/.
· To register or get more information about the AZT In A Day event, scheduled for Saturday, October 6, 2018, visit https://aztrail.org/events/50th-anniversary-events/azt-in-a-day/.

24th Annual Payson Wildlife Fair Set for Saturday, May 12

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PAYSON – On Saturday, May 12, Green Valley Park comes alive with a multitude of wildlife and outdoor fun activities for the whole family at the 24th Annual Payson Wildlife Fair.

Catch a rainbow trout, cruise the lake in a canoe, or touch a live snake … there is something for everyone. People come from all over the state for this outdoor event. It’s a great day up in the cool mountain air of Payson, at a time of year when the Valley is really heating up. And it’s all free.

There will be booths from many local and state organizations, hands-on activities, an archery range, and (out)door prizes for the kids such as fishing rods and lures. Live birds of prey will be on display, as well as snakes, Gila monsters, tortoises and other wildlife. The fair celebrates Arizona’s great outdoors and our state’s diverse wildlife.

Green Valley Lake will receive more than double its normal stocking of trout in preparation for the Fair, thanks to the generosity of the Mogollon Sporting Association (MSA). No fishing license is required for fair attendees, and equipment and bait are provided at the free fishing booth at the fair.

The Payson Wildlife Fair is a cooperative effort between the Arizona Game and Fish Department, USDA Forest Service, Mogollon Sporting Association, and Payson Parks and Recreation Department. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 12 at Green Valley Park in Payson.

PHONE SCAM ALERT

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FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino Sheriff’s Office is warning that they are getting new reports of scams like ones that have hit our area in the past.

In the most recent report, The scammer represented himself as a police officer and used the name of one of the staff of the Coconino County Sherif’s office.

The scammer also provided names of local judges and their clerks to make his scam personalized to our judicial system. He spoke of state statutes and court dates and told the caller to go to Target or Walmart to get Smart Cards or Gift Cards to pay the fines. The scammer had spoofed the phone number so that it looked like a real Sheriff’s Office phone number, but provided a different call back number than the official Sheriff’s Office or Court numbers.

Remember: No legitimate court, judge, deputy, or police officer would ever have someone pay fines in this manner. Do not fall victim to these types of scams. Hang up and call the Sheriff’s Office (928-774-4523, extension 1) or Flagstaff Police Department (928-774-1414, option 1) to report suspicious phone calls.

You can also file a complaint with the FCC.

Kaibab National Forest to implement additional fire restrictions

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WILLIAMS – The Kaibab National Forest will implement additional fire restrictions, also known as Stage II fire restrictions, across the entire Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts beginning at 8 a.m. this Friday. These new restrictions limit the kinds of activities typically allowed on the forest and will remain in effect until significant and widespread moisture arrives.

Due to different weather and fuel conditions, the North Kaibab Ranger District, which is located north of Grand Canyon National Park, will not yet implement any fire restrictions.

Under the Stage II fire restrictions to be implemented Friday across the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts, the following are prohibited:

  • Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove fire, including fires in developed campgrounds and improved sites.
  • Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building.
  • Discharging a firearm except while engaged in a lawful hunt pursuant to state, federal, or tribal laws and regulations.
  • Operating chainsaws or any internal combustion engine between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
  • Welding or operating acetylene or other torches with an open flame.
  • Using an explosive. (It is always illegal to use any kind of explosives on National Forest lands.)

As a reminder, fireworks and all pyrotechnic devices are always prohibited on National Forest lands.

Exemptions to the Stage II fire restrictions include the following:

  • Using a device fueled solely by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the device.
  • Operating generators with an approved spark arresting device within an enclosed vehicle or building or in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the generator.
  • Operating motorized vehicles in compliance with the Kaibab National Forest’s Travel Management regulations. Parking off any road must be in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the vehicle.

The Forest Service uses fire restrictions to help prevent unwanted, human-caused fires and to limit the exposure of visitors during periods of potentially dangerous fire conditions. Implementation of fire restrictions normally occurs based on a combination of factors that are carefully measured.

Criteria used to determine when to implement restrictions include things such as current and predicted weather, fuel moisture, a variety of science-based indices, fire activity levels and available firefighting resources. Additional restrictions may be applied any time that conditions warrant. Fire restrictions typically remain in effect until the area covered by the restrictions receives significant precipitation, at which time they will be rescinded.

Forest officials would also like to remind visitors that having a campfire on the National Forest while under fire restrictions is a violation of law requiring a mandatory appearance in federal court and consequent fines and possible jail time. Visitors should use extra caution when recreating on all public lands during times of the year when fire danger is increased.

These fire restrictions apply only to the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts of the Kaibab National Forest. However, many city, state, and county agencies implement similar restrictions, so members of the public should check with the appropriate agency on any restrictions applying to privately-owned property or other lands not within Kaibab National Forest jurisdictional boundaries.

Know Before You Go! Members of the public can find additional information through the following sources:

  • Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
  • Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF (Text ‘follow kaibabnf’ to 40404 to receive text messages.)
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF
  • Arizona Fire Restrictions: firerestrictions.us/az

FCC proposes $5.3 million fine on Tele Circuit Network Corporation

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today proposed a $5,323,322 fine against Tele Circuit Network Corporation. The Duluth, Georgia-based phone company apparently switched consumers from their preferred carrier to Tele Circuit without their permission, misled consumers into believing that telemarketing calls were from the consumer’s current carrier, provided fabricated verification recordings of consumer consent to the FCC, added unauthorized charges to bills, and failed to fully respond to a Commission inquiry.

The FCC’s investigation into Tele Circuit was prompted by consumer complaints to the Commission, state regulators, and the Better Business Bureau. A large percentage of the complaints came from low-income Americans and senior citizens or people filing complaints on behalf of their elderly or infirm relatives. Many Americans, especially senior citizens, low-income consumers, and citizens in rural areas, rely on local and long-distance calling services from landline phones to provide a critical link to safety services and their communities.

The FCC alleges that Tele Circuit’s telemarketers misrepresented their identities by stating that they were calling on behalf of the consumer’s current service provider. The telemarketers also apparently discussed a fictitious government program for low-income individuals and senior citizens as a way to solicit consumer consent.

Following such calls, the company switched consumers’ local and long-distance service providers—often called slamming—and, in some cases, added unauthorized charges to the consumer’s bill—often called cramming. Tele Circuit apparently disconnected local and long-distance service in some cases after not receiving payment for the unauthorized charges—with Tele Circuit allegedly refusing to reinstate service until the crammed charges were paid in full. This dangerous practice left vulnerable consumers without telephone service for extended periods of time.

In response to FCC requests, the company provided the agency with recordings that purported to verify consumer consent. The Commission followed up with the consumers supposedly on these recordings and was told that the recordings were fake or that the consumers did not have any such communications with Tele Circuit or its third-party verifier. Many of the third-party verification recordings provided to the Commission also failed to adequately confirm that the consumer wanted to change carriers and understood what was being asked. The company also apparently failed to fully respond to formal inquiries from the Commission as required.

Expo Showcases Solutions to Stop Illegal Robocalls

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By Patrick Webre | Chief, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau

One thing we hear regularly at the FCC is, “What can be done about robocalls?” And each day, we discuss ways that we can help reduce this scourge. One of these ways is the work we do with the Federal Trade Commission, the FTC.

In March we teamed up with the FTC for a Joint Policy Forum on robocalls, which included expert panels addressing challenges facing consumers, industry and regulators, along with solutions and tools for consumers (see video). The technology solutions included those still in development, along with many call-blocking resources that are available to consumers today.

Some of these tools and solutions will be on display at our next event for consumers: the FCC-FTC Stop Illegal Robocalls Expo. Exhibitors will include major telecom service providers as well as app developers and other innovators focused on blocking illegal robocalls, texts, and caller ID spoofing. The event is open to the public and is set for 10 a.m. to noon EDT on April 23, in the Pepco Edison Place Gallery at 702 8th St NW, Washington, D.C.

The Expo is designed to raise consumer awareness of call-blocking technologies and to provide a venue for technologists and service providers to showcase solutions for filtering unwanted calls, which not only annoy, but oftentimes seek to defraud, consumers.

Meanwhile, the FCC continues to develop new policy solutions, creating effective new rules and working with service providers to help them stem the tide of illegal robocalls and texts. We are also taking strong enforcement actions against illegal robocallers. We partner in these efforts with the FTC, sharing information to go after bad actors.

In addition, we are engaged with consumers directly, and we encourage consumers to file complaints with us about illegal robocalls they receive. When you file a complaint with the FCC, you may be alerting us to new scams that are just surfacing. Your complaint may also help us track the bad actors who use phone networks and technology to spoof numbers and commit fraud and identity theft.

For more information on tools and resources for consumers to block robocalls, as well as tips for how to deal with spoofed caller ID calls, visit fcc.gov/robocalls.

Drivers should plan for traffic shift on Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff

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FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drivers traveling on Interstate 40 west of the town of Williams to expect delays as traffic will be shifted onto roadway crossovers beginning Friday, May 4. The traffic shift is necessary so crews can replace the pavement on westbound I-40 from milepost 156 to milepost 161.

A single lane of travel for both directions will be provided at all times; however, there will be lane restrictions and reduced speed limits in the area. Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction equipment.

Last year, project crews replaced the same section of roadway on eastbound I-40 with new concrete pavement. This project also includes installing new guardrail and rehabilitating the bridge deck at the Devil Dog Wash overpass. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

Public encouraged to participate in May 3 open house for US 180 Corridor Master Plan

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FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation will host a public open house for the US 180 Corridor Master Plan from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 3, 2018 at the Flagstaff High School Commons, 400 W. Elm Ave, in Flagstaff.

Everyone is encouraged to attend, ask questions and provide input. Visit the project website for more information.