Tag Archives: Nevada

Senators McCain and Flake Bring Attention to I-11 Benefits

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mccain-flake1PHOENIX – As the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study advances, it continues to gain attention from lawmakers in the nation’s capital. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Department of Transportation Director John S. Halikowski today expressed appreciation for the efforts of U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake to propose an amendment expressing the “sense of the Congress” in support of the proposed Interstate 11.

The proposed amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2015 expresses support for I-11 based on “significant enhancement for the western United States” for commerce, tourism, international trade, economic vitality and competitiveness on the global stage. In addition, the proposed amendment supports extending I-11 south to the international border with Mexico and north to the Canadian border.

The proposal lends support to an initiative led by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to study and construct I-11 as a critical economic link for Arizona and the Intermountain West region. Governor Brewer has been a strong advocate for the benefits of I-11, and has worked to focus attention on the proposed corridor.

“Not only will Interstate 11 create jobs in Arizona and Nevada, it also will integrate and increase the global competitiveness of the entire Southwest region,” said Governor Brewer. “I am very pleased to see strong bipartisan support at the local, state and federal level of this significant economic initiative.”

Halikowski expressed appreciation for the attention given to I-11 by lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

“As a corridor creating a stronger connection between Arizona and international markets, in addition to forging a more reliable, safer route between Phoenix and Las Vegas, Interstate 11 has benefits for the entire region,” he said. “ADOT appreciates the support of Senators McCain and Flake in highlighting the critical need for I-11 as a driver for continued economic expansion in the Intermountain West region. It is through leadership like this that we can continue looking forward, assessing our current and future needs and how to raise the funding to support those needs.”

In addition to Senators McCain and Flake, the amendment is supported by Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.).

The Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation have been working together since 2012 on the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study, which includes detailed corridor planning of an interstate link connecting the Phoenix and Las Vegas metropolitan areas, while extending the corridor through southern Arizona to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. Congress designated the future I-11 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas as part of the current surface transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

The Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study is a two‐year, multiphase, high‐level study examining the feasibility, benefits, opportunities and constraints of a proposed new interstate highway corridor. The study is expected to be completed this summer. Funding to construct this new corridor has not been identified.

Public meetings for the study are scheduled for June 25 from 6-8 p.m. in the Phoenix area and on June 26 from 4-7 p.m. in Las Vegas. A public meeting in Tucson was held on Wednesday. Through July 18, the public can also participate in a virtual meeting, reviewing the latest project information and providing feedback online. This month-long virtual meeting will be hosted on the project website, i11study.com.

Arizona and Nevada to hold public and virtual meetings for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study

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i11PHOENIX – Two years ago, the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation launched a study to determine the feasibility of building a new multimodal interstate corridor linking Phoenix and Las Vegas, while stretching south to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. That study is now nearing completion and will include one more opportunity for the public to get involved and provide comments.

Three public meetings and a month-long online virtual meeting are scheduled for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study to gather comments for the draft Corridor Concept Report, a document that will outline the vision for the corridor, reinforce the justification for building a new multiuse interstate corridor and define an implementation plan to move this project forward.

The Corridor Concept Report and the supporting technical reports and work products will determine whether sufficient justification exists for a new multimodal transportation corridor. It will also establish potential alternatives for the new I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor. The report will outline four chapters: the need for a high-capacity, multimodal corridor to link economies; corridor alignment recommendations that link metro areas and connect communities; the economic value of investment in the corridor; and a call to action, emphasizing the need for continued collaboration to move the I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor forward.

Three public meetings will be held during the month of June:

Tucson Area
June 18, 6 to 8 p.m. (presentation begins at 6:30 p.m.)
Tucson Electric Power Community Room: 88 E. Broadway Blvd. in Tucson

Phoenix Area
June 25, 6 to 8 p.m. (presentation begins at 6:30 p.m.)
Palo Verde Energy Education Center: 600 N. Airport Road in Buckeye

Las Vegas Area
June 26, 4 to 7 p.m. (presentation begins at 5:30 p.m.)
Fifth Street Historical School: 401 S. Fourth St. in Las Vegas

Virtual Public Meeting
From June 18 through July 18, the public can also participate in a virtual meeting, reviewing the latest project information and providing feedback online. This month-long virtual meeting will be hosted on the project website, i11study.com.

ADOT and NDOT have been working together since the summer of 2012 on the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study, which includes detailed corridor planning of an interstate link connecting the Phoenix and Las Vegas metropolitan areas, while extending the corridor through southern Arizona to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. Congress designated the future I-11 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas as part of the current surface transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

The Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study is a two‐year, multiphase, high‐level study examining the feasibility, benefits, opportunities and constraints of a proposed new interstate highway corridor. The study is expected to be completed this summer. Funding to construct this new corridor has not been identified. In addition to the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation, other study partners are the Maricopa Association of Governments, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Railroad Administration.

For more information about the I‐11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study and to sign up for updates, visit i11study.com.

Cliven Bundy on ‘the Negro’: Why his words aren’t a huge surprise

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Unedited Version

0424-Rancher-clive-bundy_full_380The Nevada rancher who took on the BLM now posits that ‘the Negro’ may be better off as slaves. The link between racially offensive views and a certain strain of far-right politics seen at the Cliven Bundy ranch is well established, analysts say.

The “Battle of Bunkerville” – the ongoing grazing standoff between old-school Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and the federal Bureau of Land Management – was, of course, never just about cattle grazing. But it has now taken a turn that, at first glance, seems bizarrely unrelated: “the Negro.”

“I want to tell you one more thing I know about the Negro,” Mr. Bundy, who with help from armed supporters won a standoff with the BLM last week over cattle grazing rights, told admirers and a New York Times reporter at a press conference Wednesday. “They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn’t get no more freedom. They got less freedom.”

Conservatives who had framed Bundy’s fight with the BLM as an act of patriotism are now backing off their support in light of his comments, which Sen. Dean Heller (R) of Nevada, who had previously lauded Bundy, called “appalling and racist.”

Yet the connection between racially offensive views and a certain strain of tea party politics at the Bundy ranch is not all that surprising, some political analysts argue. Race and segregation have, after all, long been defended in the context of the 10th Amendment’s state sovereignty guarantees.

Read more at Christian Science Monitor

From Bunker Hill to Bunkerville – Americans Fight Back!

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Opinion by Lyle Rapacki

Bundy-RanchFreedom-Movement-550x353 copy

When the call arrived that Bureau Land Management (BLM) agents intended to begin a “Dynamic Raid” on the Bundy Ranch in Clark County, Nevada, I responded because of several responsibilities: I am an Oath Keeper, as well as a member of Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the presidents of both organizations asked for assistance. I also was responding to the call, as I coordinated the movement of several Arizona Legislators who, on their own and with their personal funds, made their way to the Bundy Ranch at Bunkerville. There were many citizens from across the western United States who also answered the call, and there were citizens and Oath Keepers and former military who came from the East Coast! U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar from Arizona also arrived. Besides Arizona Legislators, legislators from four other western states also heeded the call to Bunkerville, Nevada. Two County Supervisors/Commissioners from Arizona went, as did a couple more from other states; a couple of former state legislators from western states, a land commissioner, along with state coordinators of several patriot and Tea Party groups, at least a half dozen pastors including Chuck Baldwin, a dozen or more long-time (100-years+) ranchers, and a goodly number of teenagers from various states…we all met in a dry, windy, dusty, and hot place named Bunkerville, Nevada.

What drove us all there…what possessed thousands of people from across the country to forge their way to this remote part of the west? The reason as I see it is rather simple and eloquent; FREEDOM RISING! The Freedom Movement for this generation began in earnest a week ago at the Bundy Ranch. The Freedom Movement answered the call to stand firm against tyranny by a centralized federal government our Forefathers feared could raise its’ diabolical head if not kept in check, and it has not been kept in check by WE THE PEOPLE, who, are the true government of this exceptional Nation! Somehow, someway, WE THE PEOPLE became lazy and content being able to go to Starbucks and McDonald’s at will, and leave the governing to, well, government! The results are obvious to all who stood post at Bunkerville. The Federal Government of the United States has become mean spirited, vindictive, corrupt beyond belief, vile in its’ hatred of free speech and citizens challenging its’ authority. The Federal Government of the United States has worked diligently to become all-powerful, all-knowing, all-dictatorial, and all-militarized against its’ own citizens who dare to question the decisions and behaviors by its’ agents and representatives. The Federal Government of our country has chosen a hidden agenda to be implemented that goes directly against the values and principles by which our country was founded, and directly against the good for the people.

Read more at The Olive Branch Report

Nevada range war: Western states move to take over federal land

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Christian Science Monitor

Christian Science Monitor

Like a mustang tied to a fence post, many westerners for years have resisted Uncle Sam’s control of land they say more properly belongs to states or counties – or to nobody at all except the ranchers, miners, and loggers who work the land for its natural resources.

The tussle over Cliven Bundy’s 400 cows – grazing on federal land, although he refuses to pay the required fees now amounting to more than $1 million – sharpens this debate, which has featured state legislators, county officials, environmentalists, and federal judges (all of whom have ruled against Mr. Bundy).

In Salt Lake City Friday, representatives from Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington met for a “Legislative Summit on the Transfer of Public Lands.”

“Those of us who live in the rural areas know how to take care of lands,” Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder said at a news conference. “We have to start managing these lands. It’s the right thing to do for our people, for our environment, for our economy and for our freedoms.”

Read more at The Christian Science Monitor

Militiamen make presence felt in protest of BLM’s livestock grab

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0410BLMProtest02_t653BUNKERVILLE — The militiamen rolled in to draw a line in the dirt.

About 70 miles northeast of Las Vegas, they set up camp on a sun-baked patch of land next to a bend in the Virgin River, keeping supplies — like rucksacks and sleeping bags — in neat piles under the roof of an abandoned shack.

Gruff and largely unshaven, dressed in camouflage fatigues and cut-off shirts, the men kept their intentions quiet, telling news reporters the reason they pulled their trucks into this rural desert town — on one of the hottest days of the year — is simple enough: “We’re here to camp,” said one man who would not share his name.

The group even had a sign, posted for arriving members: Militia Sign In.

But they were really here to protect one of their own from the perceived enemies: a band of federal agents recently dispatched to the scrub desert to seize the cattle of embattled rancher Cliven Bundy.

“They’re here to protect Cliven’s family and home,” said Lynn Brown, one of Bundy’s daughters.

Read more at Las Vegas Sun

You can help connect the dots for the DOTs on Interstate 11

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freewayArizona and Nevada announce opportunity to provide feedback on the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study (PDF MAP)
Public can comment online in February about Level 2 Analysis

The Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation are hosting an online opportunity through the month of February for anyone interested in providing feedback on the latest Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study results.

Today a public feedback period is being launched at www.i11study.com to provide an opportunity to comment on the Level 2 Analysis, which was recently completed by the study team. Those interested in providing input will be able to view a narrated presentation about the current status of the study and then submit comments online.

The two transportation departments have been working together since the summer of 2012 on the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study, which includes detailed corridor planning of a possible interstate link between the Phoenix and Las Vegas metropolitan areas, along with high-level visioning for potentially extending the corridor north to Canada and south to Mexico. Congress designated the future I-11 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas as part of the latest surface transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

Since last fall, the study team has explored the universe of alternatives for potential routes from Mexico to northern Nevada. That broad range of possible corridor alternatives underwent an initial evaluation and screening process by the study team in October. An additional level of analysis — the Level 2 Analysis — was recently conducted for the congressionally designated portion of the corridor that would connect Phoenix and Las Vegas. This month’s online feedback opportunity will allow the public to view the results of this recent analysis and provide feedback prior to the study moving forward. Those interested in participating should visit the project website at www.i11study.com.

Online feedback for this phase of the study is being accepted through the end of February. However, comments about the I-11 study can be submitted at any time via the project website on the “Get Involved” page.

The Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study is a two‐year, multiphase, high‐level study examining the feasibility, benefits, opportunities and constraints of a proposed new interstate highway corridor. This initial study is expected to be completed later this year. Funding to construct a potential corridor has not been identified. In addition to the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation, the Maricopa Association of Governments, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Railroad Administration are partners in this study.

There is an Interstate 11 coalition with a difficult to read web site supporting the proposed freeway extensions.

The Las Vegas Sun reported two years ago:

If it seems like there’s a hidden catch to this positive news, however, now would be a good time to recite your favorite saying about some things being too good to be true.

None of this gets done without hundreds of millions of dollars that the RTC doesn’t have. That means Southern Nevadans would be on the hook for the bulk of the $350 million Boulder City Bypass tab in the form of higher county gas taxes.

The RTC has entrusted its fortunes to the Clark County Commission, the seven-member body that will likely vote next month on whether to tie the gas tax to inflation. Such a move would increase the gas tax by about 3 cents a year, resulting in the average motorist paying about $16 more for gasoline every year until 2016, when voters can decide to freeze the tax or maintain its link to inflation.

Woman wins knockout game. Did not desire to play at the time.

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Well, this participant of the knockout game probably will reconsider future engagements after being beatdown by the woman he punched.

The video shows the assailant targeting the woman, who doesn’t go down after he lands his punch. She turns around and starts punching him repeatedly in the head – but, only after the man next to her delivers an epic kick to the face.

According to OpposingViews.com, the incident occurred in a Las Vegas, Nevada shopping mall.

Source: CNS News

Bullhead City fireworks display; Sima Valley fireworks end unexpectedly

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The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.

I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.—John Adams in a letter to wife Abigail of July 3rd after the ratification of the Declaration of Independence.

BULLHEAD CITY—Hundreds of people lined the boardwalk in Laughlin to watch the spectacular fireworks display across the Colorado river in Bullhead City. The fireworks set off several small fires along the Colorado, as usual. Still the fireworks continued into the night by private parties to celebrate 237 years of independence.

The fireworks finale set off car alarms at the Pioneer hotel and casino across the waterway.

The fireworks display at Sima Valley, California took a tragic turn, however, where the LA Times reports 36 injuries after the fireworks exploded unexpectedly.