Flagstaff Today - News and Photos

Plans by a local couple to construct an ethanol refinery outside Flagstaff have grown to include a hard alcohol distillery, beer brewery, biomass power plant and carbon-dioxide recapture station.

And it’s all somewhat related to thinning the forests.

Diane and Dave Williamson, of Mogollon Brewery, are planning to build a $175 million ethanol refinery and biomass power plant either at Camp Navajo or elsewhere in Coconino County.

The plant would produce up to 59 million gallons a year of ethanol and use 338,000 gallons of water a day — about half what the 8,000 residents of Doney Park use daily.

azdailysun.com

Former Hopi Chairman Ferrell Secakuku, 69, who helped resolve a longtime land dispute between his tribe and the Navajo Nation, died Wednesday at a friend’s home in Flagstaff, Ariz., said his daughter, Kim. He had suffered from cancer.

Born in the Village of Sipaulovi, Secakuku was chairman of the Hopi Tribe from 1994 to 1997. While in office, he facilitated the negotiation of the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement, which was worked out after a federal judge in 1991 ordered the tribes to reach an agreement over land they had been quarreling over since the 1800s.

At the time, Secakuku said the agreement was important in providing a way for Navajo and Hopi families to live in harmony on the land in northern Arizona. The Hopi reservation covers more than 2,400 square miles and is surrounded by the much-larger Navajo reservation.

Secakuku grew up working in his father’s trading post and, after graduating with a business degree from Northern Arizona University, converted it to the only supermarket on the reservation. He also earned a master’s degree in anthropology from the university in 2006.

Los Angeles Times

A planned wireless network covering large portions of Flagstaff is expected to attract tech-savvy tourists and could possibly save the city thousands of dollars in cellular charges for its police and fire departments.

But how much the municipally sponsored wireless access will cost local residents — or whether it will be free — has not yet been determined.

Currently, the city pays a monthly fee for each of the cellular cards used in dozens of laptop computers used by the city’s emergency responders. Those fees could be eliminated if a planned wireless network for Flagstaff is built, said Vagen Ladd, the city’s Internet technology director.

With the network in the earliest of planning stages, Ladd was unable to offer specifics on costs and access charges. But he said those using the privately built wireless network would likely pay for access.

It is also unclear what parts of Flagstaff the Wi-Fi network would cover, how fast it would be and when it would be built.

azdailysun.com

In a calm, steady voice, the pilot from Channel 15’s helicopter asked a question that revealed just how confusing and dangerous covering a police chase from the air can be.

It was moments before Friday’s midair crash that killed four people, and pilot Craig Smith wanted to know the exact location of Channel 3’s helicopter.

Only his voice could be heard:

“Where’s 3?”

“Like how far? Oh, jeez.”

“3, I’m right over you. 15’s right over you.”

“Oh, jeez.”

At 12:47 p.m., the sound of metal hitting metal was heard over the air at Channel 15 (KNXV), and the live signal from the helicopter went to static.

Both helicopters fell hard and burst into flames at the park near Central Avenue and Indian School Road.

azcentral.com

A Clifton man remains in critical condition at Flagstaff Medical Center after a head-on crash with an alleged drunken driver in a stolen car.

According to the Eastern Arizona Courier, Ray Pini, Clifton’s 61-year-old town manager, was flown to FMC after the Monday afternoon wreck with severe trauma to the base of his skull and upper spine. Both legs, a hip and several ribs were broken.

His wife, Kathy Pini, 58, was killed instantly. She was a popular teacher and coach at Clifton Schools.

azdailysun.com

How do you move a 6,700-pound telescope mirror that’s 14 feet across but only four inches thick?

Leave it to University of Arizona optical scientists and technicians. They plan to move the mirror Wednesday, Aug. 1, to a polishing table in the College of Optical Sciences’ Large Optics Shop. Polishing is the next step in finishing the 4.3-meter (14 foot) primary mirror for the Discovery Channel Telescope.

The telescope is a partnership between Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory and Discovery Communications. It is being constructed at Happy Jack, Ariz., 40 miles southeast of Flagstaff. The primary mirror, which was cast and fused by Corning, Inc., in Canton, N.Y., was delivered to UA’s College of Optical Sciences in August 2006. 

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (July 25, 2007) — Nearly eight out of 10 incoming freshmen reported that Northern Arizona University was their first choice for college and that the university’s size was one of the determining factors in choosing NAU, a new survey reports.

The freshmen also said the most important reason for attending college was to learn more about things that interested them.

The university participated in a Cooperative Institutional Research Program Survey in the summer of 2006. In addition to securing responses from 2,197 first-time, full-time freshmen at NAU, the university’s Office of Planning, Budget and Institutional Research took the survey a step further by obtaining data from other institutions of a similar size and caliber to compare it with NAU’s respondents. 

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CQPolitics.com on Wednesday reported on the developing 2008 House race in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, where an ethics controversy has put Republican Rep. Rick Renzi at political risk. Though the 1st, at 58,608 square miles, is the 10th largest congressional district by area, a look at the political map shows a sizable chunk of the 2nd Congressional District virtually land-locked within the 1st District’s boundaries.

New York Times

The Flagstaff Fire Department plans to begin burning miscellaneous slash piles in various areas throughout Flagstaff following recent rains.

These pile burns can occur at any time of day to take advantage of winds and precipitation to limit smoke impacts to area residents. The following areas may be burned if conditions warrant:

– Fort Valley Road, north of the Coconino County facility;

– Westridge subdivision west of Thorpe Park;

– Southwest area of Mt. Dell, slash piles adjacent to Flagstaff Medical Center and the First Baptist Church in north-central Flagstaff.

Contact the Flagstaff Fire Department at 556-1207 with questions or concerns.

azdailysun.com

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - Former Hopi Chairman Ferrell Secakuku (seh-KAH’-koo-koo) died today in Flagstaff. He was 69.

The announcement of his death came from the Hopi Tribe.

Secakuku disclosed earlier this month that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer

Instead of fighting the disease with chemotherapy, his family said he was going to let nature take its course.

KOLD

PHOENIX - Democratic state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick resigned from the Legislature on Tuesday to run next year for the 1st Congressional District seat now held by Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi.

Kirkpatrick, a 57-year-old Flagstaff attorney, was in her second term in the state House, representing a legislative district that includes Flagstaff and the Navajo Reservation.

The 1st Congressional District includes much of rural northern and eastern Arizona, including Flagstaff, Prescott and the Navajo Reservation.

Renzi has been dogged by ethics question, and Kirkpatrick said she wants to restore integrity and confidence in the federal government.

Renzi, who has stepped down from House committees, has insisted he is not resigning from his congressional seat, but it is unclear whether he will seek re-election.

azcentral.com

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) - Two northern Arizona men arrested Sunday in Nebraska will be charged there with attempted second-degree murder and assault for allegedly beating up their stepfather.

Sidney, Nebraska, Police Chief Larry Cox says 19-year-old Noland Halwood and 24-year-old Orlando Halwood are accused of attacking their stepdad Sunday evening in a park.

The victim, 41-year-old Larry Benally of Waterflow, New Mexico, had to be hospitalized after the attack.

The Halwoods, who live in Chinle, were in Sidney to work on a pipleline project.

They’re jailed without bond.

KVOA

A former leader at a Flagstaff environmental group has been hired to manage scientific research and management at Grand Canyon National Park.

Martha Hahn, who was associate director at the Grand Canyon Trust, will oversee 55 employees who conduct research and make management recommendations at the Grand Canyon.

She is calling for more proposals to conserve energy, trim carbon emissions, conserve water and do more scientific sampling beyond the banks of the Colorado River.

Superintendent Steve Martin proposed making the Grand Canyon a site for study on climate change, by surveying a strip of the canyon repeatedly, all the way from rim to river.

azdailysun.com

More people in Arizona may be able to harness the wind to lower their utility bills thanks to $6.5 million in venture-capital funding received during the past quarter by Flagstaff’s Southwest Windpower.

Southwest Windpower was one of four Arizona businesses that received a total of $35.25 million in venture-capital funding during the second quarter of 2007, according to the Quarterly Venture Capital Report to be released today by Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst & Young.

Susan Casebeer, Southwest’s chief financial officer, said the capital will help the 20-year-old business manufacture and sell its first residential wind generator that can be connected to the power grid.

Arizona Republic

Gas prices dropped below a national average of $3 a gallon over the weekend, while energy futures had their own decline on Monday on suggestions that OPEC may increase its output.

At the pump, the average national price of a gallon of gasoline dropped to $2.968 on Monday, down 3.6 cents since Friday, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. August gasoline futures fell 5.03 cents Monday to $2.1143 a gallon on the Nymex. Retail prices typically lag the futures market.

In the Valley, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.763 Sunday, down from $2.943 one month ago.

Drivers in Flagstaff have not seen prices drop below the $3 landmark.

In that northern Arizona town Sunday, the average price of a gallon of regular gas was $3.045. That was down from the average of $3.175 one month ago.

azcentral.com

Pedestrian killed on I-40
A man killed after being struck by a car while he walked along Interstate 40 in Flagstaff has been identified as Daniel S. Royal, 33, of Knoxville, Tenn.

FPD cracking down on tailgating drivers
Flagstaff police are on the lookout for motorists following each other too closely, which is the cause of many accidents every year.

Hearing brings out critics, supporters of Navajo Nation coal-fired power plant
Both sides spoke Thursday at a public hearing on a draft environmental impact statement for the plant, a joint venture between Houston-based Sithe Global Power and the tribe’s Dine Power Authority.

Lightning touches off 13 fires on Coconino forest
The Coconino National Forest responded to 13 reports of wildfires on Thursday. The most active was the Apache fire, north slope of Apache Maid Mountain, about 8 miles southeast of the Stoneman Lake exit off Interstate 17.

azdailysun.com

The article demonstrates our increased interest and need to develop solar as an energy resource. It also highlights obstacles that must be overcome if we are to make significant inroads in developing solar energy as a viable alternative for Arizona.

Current state policies are inadequate for achieving a meaningful contribution from solar energy. There is, however, a greater potential for solar to be tapped, made available on a large scale throughout Arizona and for an industry to be developed here to make it happen.

Arizona Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) - The recording industry is threatening to sue 12 Northern Arizona University students for illegally downloading music.

The Recording Industry Association of America says they are among 408 people at 23 universities who were sent letters in the latest wave of a campaign to stop illegal music sharing on campuses.

The letters invite the students to work out a settlement.

KVOA

Highway patrol officers found more than $35,000 in cash and almost a quarter-ton of marijuana worth more than half a million dollars in two separate stops on Interstate 40 Tuesday.

Around noon, a Department of Public Safety officer with a drug-sniffing dog stopped a car for an unsafe lane change about 2 miles from city limits on westbound Interstate 40. The driver was nervous and gave inconsistent statements, and would not consent to a search of his car, said Sgt. Rod Wigman of DPS’s Flagstaff office.

The dog still “alerted” outside the car on the trunk. A check of the inside revealed a duffel bag filled with shoes. Most of the money was bundled inside a small shoe box. The remainder was found wrapped in dryer sheets and plastic wrap and stuffed tightly inside shoes.

azdailysun.com

PHOENIX (AP) — A sheriff whose term in office has divided the communities of Apache County in northeastern Arizona is scheduled to appear in court Monday to enter pleas on 11 felony charges that he used public money and vehicles for personal reasons.

Sheriff Brian Hounshell, 41, was indicted by a state grand jury July 2 on charges of conspiracy, misuse of public funds, fraud and theft. His arraignment is scheduled Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix.

An investigation by special prosecutor and former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods says that Hounshell may have used county resources and employees to bolster his re-election campaign, remodel his bathroom, and to protect his father’s home during the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire.

azdailysun.com