FLAGSTAFF – On March 21st, 2023, Coconino High School (CHS) was placed in a shelter in place at the school’s administrator’s direction. The Flagstaff Police Department responded to the campus due to a report of public safety issue outside of the school building.
The school continued to operate as usual with learning continuing in the building. The shelter in place lasted for approximately 15 minutes and has since been lifted.
A shelter in place is initiated when the potential threat is outside of the school building and staff needs to stay inside the building for safety.
Flagstaff Police Criminal Investigation and patrol personnel remain on the campus while this investigation is on-going and for safety purposes. There are no current on-going threats at the school.
For additional information, please contact the Flagstaff Police Department at (928) 774-1414.
Category Archives: News
Fraudulent Scam Targeting Individuals in Coconino County
FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has received several concerns from citizens reporting an apparent phone scam with the caller identified as “Captain Smith” of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office does not employee a “Captain Smith”.
The scammer poses as local law enforcement, contacting the victims and accusing them of failing to appear for jury duty, stating a warrant for their arrest will be issued until the fine is paid. CCSO will never call to solicit funds or collect fines over the phone. Jury summonses are sent through the mail and communication through any other medium should be considered suspicious.
Anyone receiving such a call should contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office or their local law enforcement.
Reduce the risk of becoming a victim of a scam by following these crime prevention tips:
- Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, texts, or emails.
- Be cautious of mimicked telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Even if the information displayed on the caller ID appears the same as a law enforcement or government agency, hang up and call the agency directly to verify the caller’s legitimacy.
- Never use a phone number provided to you by the caller to verify their credibility.
- Never give money or personal information to someone with whom you don’t have ties and did not initiate contact with.
- Take your time and trust your instincts: if an unknown caller makes you uncomfortable or says things that don’t sound right, hang up.
Public Meetings Set for Proposed Increases to County Fair Fees
FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County Parks & Recreation is hosting public meetings about the proposed Coconino County Fair fee updates. Two meetings have been scheduled for the public to hear the presentation, ask questions, and inform the Department of any concerns they may have.
Those meetings are scheduled for Saturday, March 18 beginning at 10:00 a.m. and on Wednesday, March 22 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Both meetings will be held in person at the Fort Tuthill County Park Mess Hall Conference Room and online through Microsoft Teams. The presentations will last approximately 1 hour including the Q&A.
Residents can learn more, RSVP, and provide comments at coconinocountyfair.com/feeupdate. The public may also post comments and questions to the County Fair’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CoconinoCountyFair.
2.5-mile Stretch of Garland Prairie Road Closed Due to Flooding
FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Public Works Department, in conjunction
with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service, has closed the
2.5-mile stretch of Garland Prairie Road between Sycamore Creek to the east and
McDougal Flat to the west due to flooding along the roadway. Access to Garland Prairie
Road from White Horse Lake Road, which intersects from the south, also has been
closed, and signage is in place to direct motorists away from the flooded area.
This closure is necessary for public safety as flows of at least two feet in depth have
been reported on this section of Garland Prairie Road. The closure will remain in effect
until weather conditions allow Public Works to safely reopen the roadway.
2023 pronghorn, elk hunt draw results available
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has released the draw results for 2023 pronghorn and elk hunts.
A customer’s AZGFD portal account is the only source for finding out draw results and viewing bonus points. A free portal account can be created at accounts.azgfd.com/Account/Register (account features for minor dependents are available).
A portal account allows customers to create a secure account where they can view and manage their contact information, as well as their licenses, draw results history and bonus points in their personal “My AZGFD Dashboard” section. For questions about creating a portal account, call 602-942-3000 and press “7.”
By the numbers:
- 24,863: The total number of hunt permit-tags issued.
- 225,376: The total number of those who applied for hunts or bonus points.
- 184,489: The total number of applications submitted.
AZGFD expects to mail hunt permit-tags to customers by April 14, with the exception of those who have downloaded the new Arizona E-Tag mobile app (from either the Apple or Google Play stores) and opted-in to receive an electronic hunt permit-tag in their portal account. Customers who have downloaded the app but opted-in after the Feb. 14 deadline will receive their hunt permit-tag by mail. Information: www.azgfd.gov/hunting.
Public meeting March 29 for Drake Cement proposed exploration
WILLLIAMS – The Kaibab National Forest will host a community meeting for Drake Cement’s proposed pozzolan exploration project to answer clarifying questions about the proposal and the overall environmental analysis process. All interested parties are welcome.
Community Meeting for Drake Cement proposed pozzolan exploration
(Open House – no scheduled presentations – come and go at your convenience)
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Williams High School Viking Grill (440 S 7th St, Williams, AZ 86046)
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The purpose of scoping is to help the Forest Service understand concerns people have about the effects a project may have on natural and cultural resources and nearby communities. To be most helpful, comments should clearly articulate your concerns. Be as specific as possible and support your statements with facts and references, and be solution-oriented. Do more than just provide an opinion or vote. Note that names, addresses, and comments become part of the public record for the project.
You can submit your comments by email, mail, fax, or hand deliver it to the Williams Ranger District Office during business hours. There will also be a collection box at the meeting for hard-copy comments. Any hard copy comments should be as legible as possible to ensure they are properly transposed into the public record.
Email: comments-southwestern-kaibab-williams@usda.gov (include “Drake Bill Williams Exploration Project” in the subject line)
Mail and hand delivery:
Kaibab National Forest – Williams Ranger District
Attention: Drake Bill Williams Exploration
742 S. Clover Road
Williams, AZ 86046
Fax: (928) 635-5680
Information about the project can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/DrakeProposedExploration.
After Record-Breaking Snow, Coconino County Roads Will Remain Hazardous Through Weekend
FLAGSTAFF — Much of Coconino County continues to be under a Winter Storm Warning by the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Flagstaff. The Arizona Department of Transportation reports many state routes and interstates have now reopened, but hazardous road conditions may persist.
“We’ve believe we’ve seen the worst of it, for now at least,” said Coconino County Manager Steve Peru. “We understand our communities have withstood one of the worst winter storm seasons in history. Our public safety agencies are working around the clock to assist the public to the greatest extent possible.”
The forecast for the weekend promises the return of sunshine and slightly higher temperatures, the reprieve is greatly needed to make headway on clearing hundreds of miles of county roads.
The County Public Works Department continues to plow and maintain hundreds of miles of county roads. Public Works staff are asking the public to please reduce driving over the weekend and move cars off of streets into driveways so they have the greatest leeway for storm recovery. Public Works community relations staff are available weekdays during business hours at (928) 679-8300 for urgent requests. Frequently asked questions about County roads and snow removal priorities can be found online at www.coconino.az.gov/snow
With record-breaking snow amounts, the Winter recreation season in Northern Arizona should last several more weeks. Those looking to travel to Coconino County for winter recreation should consider delaying until after this weekend to allow time for proper road cleanup and snow removal.
Coconino County Storm Information
Snow Removal Information
County Twitter
Emergency Management Twitter
Public Works: (928) 679- 8300 from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Arizona Department of Transportation
ADOT Traveler Information and Closures
ADOT Twitter
National Weather Service
Local Forecast and Alerts
NWS Twitter
Bearizona closes for a record number of days
Williams — The recent snow has caused many businesses to shut down. Even Bearizona Drive-Thru Wildlife park was affected.
In a release, Sean Casey wrote, “After getting 13 more inches of snow last night, we are now at 10 feet! Not surprisingly, it has caused Bearizona to close for a record number of days this snow season.”
The latest snow dropped 13″ of snow in downtown Williams. That caused many of the businesses downtown to shut their doors and hunker down at home. Most restaurants and chain-stores remained open.
According to the Flagstaff Weather Service in Bellemont, Bellemont set a record of 146.7-inches beating out the 2009-2010 winter season. Flagstaff received 140.1-inches of snow this season almost reaching the 1948-1949 season when they received 153.9-inches. Williams received over 90″ of snow this season.
The good news is that the sun came out about noon and started melting off the current snow. As the sun set, the temperatures dropped and the melt-off quickly started to freeze. The Weather Service long range forecast shows sunny days ahead through Thursday.
Russell Stover Chocolates Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Pecan in Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups
Russell Stover Chocolates of Kansas City, Missouri, is voluntarily recalling two (2) Best Before Dates of its Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups in 2.4 oz packaging due to the potential for undeclared pecans. The recalled Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups may contain Sugar Free Pecan Delights. Pecans are not declared on the label. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to pecans run the risk a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
The recalled Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups were distributed nationwide to wholesale and retail stores.
The recalled Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups are packaged in a 2.4 oz plastic bag, and they are labeled with Best Before dates of 01MAY23 and 01JUN23 and UPC of 077260096937 with Lot code(s): K0521, K0321, K0421, L2122, L2221, L2321. The lot code and best before date can be found on the back of the product packaging, below the UPC.
The recall was initiated following consumer contacts regarding the wrong product inside the outer packaging for Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups product. Russell Stover has received no reports of any illness or allergic reactions related to this issue to date.
Flood Control District Board Approves Two Essential Funding Sources for County Flood Mitigation Projects
FLAGSTAFF — At this week’s special session of the Coconino County Flood Control District Board of Directors they approved acceptance of two new Federal grants that will enable the District to immediately proceed with the first phase of long-term flood mitigation projects in the Schultz-Pipeline Flood Area.
The Schultz-Pipeline Flood Area is defined as the neighborhoods downstream of nine major watersheds damaged by the Schultz Wildfire in 2010 and the Pipeline Wildfire this past year. The District, along with several engineering partners, have determined that without extensive on-forest and neighborhood mitigation measures, the risk of life-threatening floods affecting our communities will only increase.
“The priority of local government is the health and safety of our citizens, and our citizens’ lives and homes were severely impacted this past monsoon season by the nine watersheds compromised by two major wildfires,” said Chair of the Board Patrice Horstman.
“We want to thank Senators Kelly and Sinema and former Congressman Tom O’Halleran for their strong support with securing this unprecedented funding. Without it, the District and County would have likely had to cut other services to provide flood mitigation.”
The two funding sources include $42 million from the United States Forest Service, which allows the District to commence with on-forest watershed restoration projects. After the Pipeline Fire damaged the nine watersheds, the downstream water flows increased 10 to 26 times resulting a massive amount of sediment leaving the burn area and moving into the downstream neighborhoods. On-forest watershed restoration is the most critical piece of the District’s flood mitigation plans, as these measures help reduce the flow of dangerous sediment and other debris that is impacting downstream neighborhoods.
“The Coconino National Forest is thrilled to continue our amazing partnership with Coconino County and support the important work to manage the impacts from wildfire and flooding in and around our communities,” said Aaron Mayville, Forest Supervisor on the Coconino National Forest. “We’re all in this together and I look forward to seeing the great work this funding will make possible.”
The second funding mechanism is $9 million through an agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service as a part of their Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP) to begin neighborhood flood mitigation projects in the Wupatki Trails and Brandis Way flood corridors. These projects will focus on improvements to channels and box culverts that will better manage the increased flood waters within these neighborhoods. The neighborhood flood mitigation from the Schultz Fire era was overwhelmed by the increased water flows during 45 major flood events in June, July, and August of 2022.
The Emergency Watershed Protection Program, a federal emergency recovery program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, helps local communities recover after a natural disaster strikes. The program offers technical and financial assistance to help local communities relieve imminent threats to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural disasters that impair a watershed.
“These grants are the product of great teamwork between the District and our partners and representatives in Washington D.C.,” added District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler. “I’m so pleased that we have this good news about being able to address the impacts of both the wildfires and the flooding afterwards.”
For the status of the Flood Control District’s ongoing flood mitigation efforts, important information about proper water management on private property, and information about private flood insurance and FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, please visit: https://www.coconino.az.gov/2926/SchultzPipeline-Flood-Area