Category Archives: Arizona

County COVID-19 surveillance and response continues

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FLAGSTAFF – Coconino County continues COVID-19 surveillance and has submitted two samples for testing at the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory. Both have been negative for COVID-19.

Coconino County Health and Human Services, in partnership with federal, state and local partners, is continuing to prepare for the possibility of the illness in Coconino County.Governor Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency in Arizona due to COVID-19. The World Health Organization also designated the outbreak as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Although there are no confirmed cases in Coconino County, health officials are communicating with community partners, including healthcare providers about recommended guidance and processes, testing procedures and criteria for monitoring and isolation.

A person will be considered for testing if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms and have one of three variables; contact with someone who was tested positive, traveled to China or other areas experiencing community spread of the virus or respiratory testing has not identified a known illness. COVID-19 testing is conducted at the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory.

People with travel history to impacted areas that may have increased their likelihood for contracting the virus and are not displaying symptoms are under self-monitoring with guidance from the health department. Currently, there are less than ten people in the County who are in the self-monitoring status. There are currently no confirmed cases in Coconino County.

While much of the details of the virus are still unknown, the CDC is reporting a relatively low fatality rate compared to previous coronavirus outbreaks. Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever, cough and shortness of breath consistent with pneumonia or other respiratory illness. Individuals who are experiencing symptoms and have traveled to an area where COVID-19 is circulating or have had close contact with a person with confirmed COVID-19, should contact their health care provider prior to visiting a health care facility.

The County has established the Coconino County COVID-19 Information Line. The number is 928-679-7300. Information is also available at www.coconino.az.gov.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection. As a reminder, CCHHS recommends actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

  • Get a seasonal flu shot
  • Wash hands frequently.
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.
  • Avoid contact with people who are sick.
  • Cover your mouth with your upper sleeve or with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Additional preparedness information from the CDC can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/home/get-your-household-ready-for-COVID-19.html

Leftover hunt permit-tags available for 2020 elk hunts

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PHOENIX — Arizona hunters still have an opportunity to receive a hunt permit-tag for select 2020 elk hunts.

There are 824 leftover hunt permit-tags — 677 for the minimal occurrence zone/low density (general) hunt in game management units 12A, 12B, 13A and 13B. All remaining hunt permit-tags will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis as follows:

By mail: Paper applications will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, March 23, and must be addressed to: Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn.: Draw/First Come, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. Note: There is no “mini” draw. Allow 10 to 15 business days to receive a hunt permit-tag by mail.
In person: If any leftover hunt permit-tags remain, they will be available for purchase beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, March 30, at any of the department’s regional offices statewide.

For a list of leftover hunt permit-tags, visit www.azgfd.com/Hunting/Draw/.

Some of the leftover hunt permit-tags are for Hopi hunt open areas and are available to everyone, both tribal members and non-tribal members, through the first-come, first-served process.

A number of leftover hunt permit-tags remain for military hunts at Camp Navajo, for those who qualify. For more information, visit dema.az.gov/army-national-guard/camp-navajo/garrison-operations/camp-navajo-hunting-information.

For more information, including license and hunt permit-tag requirements, view the “2020 Pronghorn, Elk and Raptor Capture Hunt Draw Information” booklet online, or call (602) 942-3000.

Arrest made in Cavanaugh Homicide Case

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FLAGSTAFF – On February 28 and March 5, 2020, Shawn Eckard and Jason Eric Johnson were served warrants separately, reference the investigation of the homicide of Craig Cavanaugh.

Both men have been indicted in Navajo County for first degree murder of Craig Cavanaugh. Shawn Eckard is currently in the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections on unrelated charges, and Jason Eric Johnson is currently in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections on unrelated charges.

Both have been served warrants and are pending appearance in Navajo County. This investigation began for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, 2019 when the Farmington New Mexico Police Department requested assistance with a missing person case that started on July 4. Craig Cavanaugh was reported missing after not returning to Farmington from a trip to Arizona.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted follow up and a body was located in the woods outside of Heber, Arizona on August 5. This body was later identified by the Pima County Medical Examiner as Craig Cavanaugh. Since this discovery, Coconino County detectives investigating this case as a homicide developed leads and additional evidence that was presented to the Navajo County Attorney’s Office for charging and later presented to a grand jury.

Wet week ahead for Williams

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WILLIAMS – Wet weather is forecast through Saturday. Starting tomorrow, snow is forecast before 10 a.m. and then rain and snow. It is expected to clear up and be mostly sunny Monday.

Monday night the chance of rain runs 20%. Tuesday there is a 60% chance or rain or snow. There could be about 1/2″ of snow Tuesday. Tuesday night and Wednesday there is a 70% chance of rain. Thursday the chance of rain drops to 40% and continues to drop through Saturday.

Winds are expected to be moderate except for Wednesday and Friday when winds could gust up to around 20-MPH.

ADOT mourns highway worker struck and killed Wednesday

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PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation employee was killed Wednesday while setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area.

Frank Dorizio, 55, was a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, which helps keep Phoenix-area freeways safe by setting up traffic control, removing debris and assisting stranded motorists.

“While the Arizona Department of Public Safety continues its investigation, this is a tragic reminder that drivers must stay alert around construction zones and always be prepared for the unexpected,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Lives are on the line when dedicated highway workers like Frank Dorizio are making things better for all of us in work zones.”

Dorizio joined ADOT in October 2015 as a highway operations worker with the Little Antelope Maintenance Unit in northern Arizona. In 2017, he joined the Happy Valley Maintenance Unit in Phoenix. He joined the new Incident Response Unit last September.

“Whether or not we worked directly with Frank Dorizio, each of us at ADOT mourns his loss and honors his commitment to getting everyone safely home,” Halikowski said. “His co-workers and friends say the same thing about Frank: ADOT was his family, and he was committed to our agency’s mission and to the people of Arizona.”

Dorizio is the first ADOT worker since 1998 to be struck and killed while working along a highway.

To call attention to the need to stay alert around work zones, many of ADOT’s overhead message boards will show the following over the weekend:

ADOT WORKER KILLED
IN WORK ZONE
DRIVE ALERT

To learn more about Work Zone Safety, please visit FocusOnDriving.com and follow the Work Zone Safety link.

150 business days left until new TSA ID rules take effect

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There are approximately 150 business days left until October 1, and the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division reminds customers to get the AZ Travel ID to make it through federal TSA airport checkpoints starting on that date.

“The clock is ticking and people need to get their AZ Travel ID,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser Richards. “We don’t want to see travel plans ruined because flyers don’t have an ID that the TSA will accept. That’s a very real risk for people who don’t get an AZ Travel ID.”

Customers should begin the application process at AZTravelID.com. They can make an appointment at ServiceArizona.com to visit an MVD office, or visit an Authorized Third Party office that provides license and ID services.

In order to get the AZ Travel ID, customers need to bring in a document such as a birth certificate or valid U.S. passport to prove identity and a second document with their Social Security number. Finally, two pieces of documentation proving Arizona residency such as a utility bill, bank statement or something similar with a current name and physical address (not a P.O. Box) are also needed.

The AZ Travel ID replaces the current license or ID and resets the expiration date. The cost is $25, and under federal law, it’s valid for eight years.

Bowser Richards added, “There are customers who plan to simply use a passport even if they’re just flying to someplace like Atlanta, Denver, or L.A., which is their choice, but we suggest that the AZ Travel ID is more convenient. Other customers have told us they rarely, if ever, travel by air, but having an AZ Travel ID would be valuable in case of an unexpected trip that required air travel.”

For more information and to apply for an AZ Travel ID: AZTravelID.com

Fees to increase in April for Mogollon Rim campgrounds

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CLINTS WELL – Fees for certain developed campgrounds on the Mogollon Rim Ranger District will rise, beginning April 17, due to increased use and in order to continue site maintenance and improvements.

Fees have not increased in more than a decade. A public comment period regarding the proposal of these changes concluded in summer 2019. More than 300 comments were received and analyzed, and the majority of respondents were in favor of a fee increase in order to maintain the sites.

Some campground fees will increase over two phases, as the following image indicates:

Of the recreation fees collected, 95 percent remain on the forest to operate, maintain and improve the facilities and programs at the campgrounds.

For more details regarding what was originally proposed, please visit our fee proposal frequently asked questions web page.

Kaibab National Forest to begin marking trees in early March in Government Prairie Project north of Parks

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WILLIAMS — The Kaibab National Forest will begin marking trees in early March within the 1,400-acre Government Prairie Project north of the community of Parks in order to prepare the area for a future timber sale as part of ongoing forest restoration efforts.

The project area is located about 5.5 miles north of the intersection of Forest Road 141, also known as Spring Valley Road, and Historic Route 66 between Government Mountain and Government Hill. Much of the broader Government Prairie area includes large grassland and savanna ecosystems that have become less healthy over time due to significant encroachment by trees and other vegetation not historically found there.

Crews recently began painting the boundaries of the Government Prairie Project area. Next week, they will start marking trees within those boundaries with a leave-tree mark, meaning that the trees that are intended to remain post-treatment will be marked with paint. Forest Service marking crews make every effort to limit the visibility of tree marking paint where possible, such as along roadways and adjacent to private property, so as to not impede the views of residents and visitors.

There are varying treatments within the 1,400-acre project footprint, which are based on historic conditions in different units. In historic grasslands and savannas, the vast majority of encroaching conifers will be removed in order to encourage species diversity, reduce dwarf mistletoe infection, promote understory grasses and forbs, restore connectivity between grassland habitats for wildlife species, and move the entire area closer to historic and healthy ecological conditions.

Grasslands play an important ecological role, especially for various wildlife species such as pronghorn antelope, and are known for their high biodiversity. Healthy grasslands are better able to carry out natural processes such as nutrient cycling and provide increased water availability and habitat quality.

Other treatment units within the broader project boundary are dominated by stands of ponderosa pine trees. These stands have become overly dense due to fire exclusion and other factors. In these units, treatments will focus on removing trees in order to more closely resemble historic stand structures, which include more openings between groups of trees and fewer areas of interlocking crowns. Goals of these treatments include reducing threats to lives, private property and forest resources posed by unnaturally severe wildfire; improving the overall health of the remaining stand by increasing tree age and species diversity; and enhancing wildlife habitat through improved grass and understory vegetation growth.

Once the project has been marked, which will likely be completed by this summer, it will be offered as a timber sale. Implementation of the Government Prairie Project is anticipated to begin in early 2021, depending on the contractor selected to complete the work as well as weather conditions at the time.

The Government Prairie Project is one of several grassland restoration projects that have been implemented or are planned across the southern two districts of the Kaibab National Forest. Forest managers monitoring the effects of these projects have already documented increased use by a variety of wildlife species.

The efforts to improve conditions in the Government Prairie area are part of the broader Four Forest Restoration Initiative, which seeks to accelerate forest restoration treatments across 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest on the Mogollon Rim of northern Arizona. The project area was part of almost a million acres that were analyzed under the 4FRI 1st Environmental Impact Statement, which approved forest restoration work across more than 580,000 acres of the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests.

To learn more about 4FRI, visit www.fs.usda.gov/4fri.

What is this Amateur Radio?

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Glen Davis, KG7YDJ

An amateur radio operator, Yvette Cendes, KB3HTS. Wikipedia photo

You might have heard of Amateur—or “Ham”—radio, but do not really know what it is about. You may be familiar with Citizens Band, or CB, radio and have seen it in movies. Perhaps you purchased those bubble packs of walkie-talkies off of the shelves at Walmart. These are nothing compared to amateur radio. This article will attempt to explain the differences between these radio services and how you can obtain a license.

We should explain where you can find the rules about the radio services, first. The radio services and radios mentioned above are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. The regulations are found in the Code of Federal Regulations. You can simply search for 47 C.F.R. and you will find all of the FCC regulations. Part 97 of those regulations cover Amateur Radio and Part 95 of those regulations cover CB and other radio services. “In the business,” we simply refer to Part 95 or Part 97.

We will start with a brief explanation of Part 95. The regulations for Citizens Band, General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Family Radio Service (FRS) are covered in Part 95. There is another little used radio called Multi-Service Radio Service (MURS). CB, FRS and MURS are “licensed by rule.” That means that you can use these services without getting a “hard copy” license from the FCC. If you break the rules in Part 95, however, the FCC can track you down and fine you and order you to stop using them.

You are required to get a license from the FCC to use the GMRS frequencies. Even if you have those walkie-talkies you purchased from Walmart a few years ago. On some of those radio they combined FRS and GMRS channels. To use the GMRS channels, you are required to get a license. The reason is that GMRS uses more power than the other services and can use some features found in amateur radio. A ten-year license costs $75. Only the head of the household needs to obtain the license and all family members can use the same call sign assigned by the FCC.

The difference between the aforementioned radio services and amateur radio is power. Amateur radio uses more power and a broader spectrum of frequencies. You are not allowed to modify Part 95 radios discussed above. In amateur radio, however, you can modify radios for special uses and even build your own radio.

Amateur radios can be used to control radio controlled planes, robots, cars, boats or whatever. Although you cannot use the full power of amateur radio for this purpose, you can use more power than the controllers that come with normal models you put together giving you longer range.

Amateur radio can be used with the Internet to allow you to connect to different locations around the world. With the appropriate license, you can use amateur radio frequencies and power to contact people direct. You can also use radio frequencies and equipment to send and receive digital messages and send emails. You can use a simple handy talkie (HT)—what amateurs call walkie-talkies—to talk through satellites.

Amateur radio operators set up a trailer in Flagstaff to continue emergency communications as the Museum Fire threatened communication facilities on Mt. Elden.

There is more to amateur radio, but on a more practical level all of these radio services can be used in an emergency. In fact, anyone can use any radio service to call for help to prevent “…the immediate loss of life or property.” Amateur radio is used at the Emergency Operation Center in Flagstaff. At the beginning of the Tinder Fire in 2018, cell phones were useless. An amateur radio operator sent evacuation notices from the scene to the Emergency Operation Center in Flagstaff.

There are three-levels of amateur radio licenses. From lowest to highest they are Technician, General and Amateur Extra. You are NOT required to learn Morse code for any of the licenses. Most people are happy with a Technician license because you can do a lot even though you are limited in frequency privileges. The General license gives you access to most of the frequencies available in the amateur radio portion of the spectrum. The Amateur Extra is much harder to obtain and gives you just a few more frequency privileges over the General.

We should point out that you are not allowed to use any of the radio services if you have a felony conviction on your record. If you get your rights restored, however (which is not difficult to do), you can obtain a license. It might take a little longer.

Another thing about amateur radio is you are NOT required to join any club or participate in emergency communication programs, such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, to use the radio. Once you are licensed, you can use the frequencies appropriate to your license level. It is intended, first and foremost, as a fun hobby.

For more information you can consult the following web sites:
Amateur Radio Relay League
Bill Williams Mountain Radio Club
Coconino Amateur Radio Club

Grand Canyon School receives approval for ‘game-changing’ fiber project

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GRAND CANYON VILLAGE – A three-year effort by the Grand Canyon School District and the Town of Tusayan to bring high-speed Internet to the region has finally paid off.

A new 60-mile fiber line from near the City of Williams to the School will deliver bandwidth to students whose access to high-speed Internet lags badly behind other Arizona schools.

The $5.6 million project will be funded by the federal E-rate grant program that provides high-speed Internet to schools and libraries, along with a State of Arizona broadband initiative grant contained in Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s fiscal year 2019 budget. Commnet Wireless, a telecommunications company with other projects and assets in Coconino County and the Navajo Nation, won the contract to build the fiber system.

Since its approval in late 2018, the project faced several hurdles, requiring appeals and a federal waiver to extend the project’s time frame. Representatives from the Grand Canyon School District and members of the Tusayan Town Council successfully worked with Arizona’s Congressional Delegation and federal agencies to secure the final approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

“I am beyond thrilled that this game-changing project was approved,” said Grand Canyon School District Superintendent Dr. Shonny Bria. “Our students will finally have the broadband access they desperately need to excel in school and into their future careers and lives. I am thankful for the Town of Tusayan’s teamwork and support in getting this across the finish line.”

Tusayan Mayor Craig Sanderson echoed Bria’s comments. “Since I’ve been Mayor, one of the top needs of local residents, businesses and tourists has consistently been high-speed Internet. This is a great start.” Sanderson said. “I’m proud that the Town of Tusayan could play a role in getting this project going for local students. In the long run, this will benefit us all.”

According to Commnet Wireless, the project is expected to commence in the coming weeks and will take 18 months to complete.