Warm-hearted: Dress A Child Inc. volunteers buy winter clothes for needy kids

Impoverished children - 600 of them - will be getting new clothes this week, thanks to Dress A Child Inc.

As part of the organization's annual project, 60 volunteers began shopping at Prescott retailers Nov. 1 for pants, warm long-sleeved shirts, underwear, socks and parkas for school-age children in the quad cities, as well as in Congress, Seligman, Ash Fork and Mayer. The children also receive vouchers for shoes.

In the past, Dress A Child Inc. gave new clothing to children at Christmastime, but switched to fall this year, said director Karyn Poole. "In response to feedback from donors, schools and shoppers, they wanted the clothes earlier," she said. "It's cold by Halloween, so we are targeting Thanksgiving now."

Dress A Child Inc. began in 1967 when Prescott-area nurses Bonnie Kempf and Agnes Cook noticed that some of their patients' children were without clothes for the cold weather. They asked Chapter 5 of the Arizona Nurses Association for help. Together they raised money by selling handiwork on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza and at the Salvation Army. They were able to buy clothing for 17 children that first year.

As the demand grew, Kempf, Cook and Chapter 5 invited the community to participate, and the response was overwhelming, Poole said. Over time Dress A Child Inc. established partnerships with many of the area schools and community agencies that serve children. Referrals for clothing needs must come from these entities, Poole said.

Kmart, Target, JC Penney and Walmart on Gail Gardner Way in Prescott are cooperative partners, Poole said, adding that Walmart and JC Penney offer financial incentives to Dress A Child Inc. to shop with them. The Prescott Chapter of the American Sewing Guild also donates hand-sewn items such as robes, pajamas, embroidered T-shirts, vests and dressier coordinated outfits to augment the purchases, Poole said. Shoppers then deliver all the items back to the schools and community programs for distribution to the children.

This past Friday evening, Alysa Cudney and Meg Goodall were browsing JC Penney to buy clothes for youngsters on their lists.

Cudney, a first-semester nursing student at Yavapai College, became a volunteer for Dress A Child Inc. through a student nursing association. She was picking out clothing for five boys, and said, "I think it's important for somebody who is going to be a nurse to be an advocate for the community and get involved in community service."

The boys on Cudney's list ranged in age from 3 to 11 and though she found choosing clothes for them a "hard task," she has some experience since she has shopped for cousins and brothers before.

Goodall, the family advocate for Chino Valley Head Start, was on her third annual shopping trip for Dress A Child Inc., this time looking for clothes for nine children.

The experience is "really rewarding," she said. "It just adds more to my job. A lot of times I see the worst circumstances that families are in, and I actually get to do something that helps them" as a Dress A Child Inc. volunteer.

Dress A Child Inc. is an all-volunteer organization, and though its board members are nurses, volunteer shoppers are not necessarily of that profession.

The nonprofit organization depends on monetary donations to sustain its mission to provide warm clothing for needy children, Poole said.

Those interested in volunteering their time or contributing financially may log onto the Dress A Child Inc. website at www.dressachildinc.com or send an email to kapoowi@gmail.com. The clothing for each child costs about $60, Poole said.

via: the daily courier

Yavapai County supervisors try new voting centers

PRESCOTT - Supervisor Tom Thurman handed his ID to Desi Zurcher Monday morning during a demonstration of a new vote center at a Yavapai County Board of Supervisors meeting in Prescott.

Zurcher, an election office technician, ran it through the check-in system then asked if he would like to vote on a touch screen machine or paper ballot.

Thurman then received one from a ballot-on-demand printer nearby.

When Thurman asked what would happen if he tried to vote at a different vote center, Zurcher - who put together the poll worker training program - showed him his name highlighted in red as already having voted. "If people insist that they haven't voted, they can fill out a provisional ballot and that will be compared to the vote center data to determine which is valid," said Ana Trujillo, the Yavapai County Recorder.

The Board of Supervisors will vote at their meeting Monday, Nov. 21, on whether to use vote centers in upcoming elections.

"In traditional voting, you are assigned a polling place in your precinct where you have to go and vote in order for your vote to count," said Lynn Constabile, elections director for Yavapai County. "In a vote center, all the polling places are interconnected so you can go anywhere, vote, and your vote will count."

Supervisor Carol Springer asked what safeguards exist in the system. "It's always been a sore spot with me when I read about states like Illinois where lots of dead people vote," Springer said.

Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who attended the meeting, said his office receives information from Vital Records and passes it along to the counties each day.

"We receive information from the Department of Health Services about people who pass away, look through obituaries, and have spouses sign affidavits daily," said Karen McCracken, registrar of voters for the county.

Vote centers make sense for Yavapai County where 53 percent of registered voters cast their ballots by mail, reducing the need for polling places, Constabile said.

She noted that in 2010, the county reduced polling places from 95 to 50, and that vote centers would save the county more money, by reducing the number of polling places to only 30.

Two kinds of vote centers are proposed - urban and rural, Constabile said.

Urban vote centers in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Clarkdale/Jerome, Cottonwood, Village of Oak Creek, and Sedona would be near where people work, have as many as four check-in stations with the entire county's voter registration list loaded on them, touch screen machines, and ballot-on-demand printers so that you can choose whether to vote on the touch screen or on a paper ballot for your precinct, Constabile said.

Rural vote centers in Seligman, Ash Fork, Bagdad, Beaver Creek, Congress, Kirkland, Mayer, Williamson Valley, Cordes Junction, and Black Canyon City would have two check-in stations each, paper ballots for that precinct, and touch screen machines that contain all of the ballots anyone who lives outside that area would need, Constabile said.

If the board approves the vote centers, the department suggests using them in the upcoming Presidential Preference Election and renting the printers from the City of Phoenix for $15,000 for that election before determining if the county should rent or buy, Constabile said.

When Supervisor Chip Davis asked how long the ballot-on-demand machines could be expected to last, Constabile said they had a life cycle of at least five years and cost $60,000.

via: verde independent

This another test

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About A Year Ago

I snapped this picture on October 24, 2010 which is about a year ago. It was snowing there as you can see. The snow makes for very beautiful pictures.

Draft Congressional Map Chosen By AIRC

It appears that the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) has determined a draft map for Congressional districts.

According to a AIRC press release, a congressional draft map has been chosen today.

Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley would all be in the same district (currently #4) as Lake Havasu City and all the river cities, Quartzite, Fortuna Foothills, Congress, Fountain Hills, Apache Junction, gold Canyon, Florence, Payson, Ash Fork, Kingman, Boulder and Colorado City.

Camp Verde, Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams, to name a few communities, are not in District 4. Instead, they are in District 1, which stretches all the way from Fredonia to the farthest southeastern corner.

This map will also mean that a different Congressman will need to be voted on to represent the Quad City areas, as there will not be an incumbent for the new district. Paul Gosar, the current representative for the area, will now serve District 1. He is expected to be challenged by Ann Kirkpatrick, who has already announced her intention to run again, after losing to Gosar two years ago.

Speaker of the House Andy Tobin expressed his obvious disappointment in the selection, tweeting, "So, Dems approve a map for congress dists that was amended this wkend and 1st presented today. So much for transparency, and independence."

Voting in favor of the map were Chairwoman Colleen Coyle Mathis, (I), Vice Chariman Jose' Herrera (D), Commissioner Linda McNulty (D). Commissioner Richard Stertz (R) voted no, and Vice Chairman Scott Freeman (R) abstained.

Here is the formal press release from the AIRC:

Redistricting Panel Adopts Draft Congressional Map
PHOENIX (Oct. 3, 2011) - Arizona's Independent Redistricting Commission voted 3-1 today, with one abstention, to adopt a draft congressional-district map.

The map has been posted online at http://bit.ly/o1I2vo. It includes two vast rural districts: a northeastern district stretching from the Navajo Nation on the Utah border to the southeastern corner of the state that includes most of the Arizona's Indian nations; and a so-called Colorado River district stretching from the Utah border to the northern part of Yuma. It contains two so-called majority-minority districts: one in South Phoenix and one that stretches from southern Yuma east to Santa Cruz County. Three of the districts touch the border with Mexico.

As a result of reapportionment, Arizona will have nine seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for the next decade.

The draft map reflects a number of revisions proposed today by Chairwoman Colleen Coyle Mathis (I-Pima County) after hearing public reaction to the map that was considered on Friday. She led off today's meeting in Tempe by walking her fellow commissioners through those changes.

Following some discussion and a period of public comment, she urged the commission to formally adopt the map.

"I think we've worked really hard on this, and it's time to move forward," she said.

Commissioner Linda McNulty (D-Pima County) moved to adopt the map. Vice Chairman José Herrera (D-Maricopa County) seconded the motion. Mathis, Herrera and McNulty voted "yes"; Commissioner Richard Stertz (R-Pima County) voted "no"; and Vice Chairman Scott Freeman (R-Maricopa County) abstained.

The adoption of the draft map triggers a 30-day public comment period highlighted by IRC hearings around the state during the middle of October.

Following their adoption of the congressional draft map, the commissioners returned to work on a legislative-district map.

Via: Prescott News

Core business, new outlet at Olsen's Grain

The trend of keeping a backyard flock of chickens for a steady source of fresh eggs has been a growth industry for the local Olsen's Grain store.
Managers Warren and Kristi Hubbard of the Flagstaff store said they've sold more than 7,000 baby chickens since last year, up several thousand from historic levels.
But it is their indirect role in the sale of pork and beef that illustrates the family-owned company's commitment to helping their customers with special orders and how it could afford to open a new location off of Highway 89 during a tough economy.
The company doesn't sell cattle or pigs, but Warren said he is quick to introduce his customers to local ranches -- also customers of his -- that can sell the livestock.
"We put people together," Warren said. "We definitely are seeing people buy pork and beef and raising them in their backyard."
The recession has also meant that his customers are buying smaller items -- bridles rather than saddles. But core staples like animal feed are still steady, Warren said.
Pet food sales, however, were not hit as hard by the lousy economy.
"The recession definitely affected the dog food (sales), but the one thing we've learned is that truly that people in Flagstaff are very fond of their animals -- they are members of the family ... I think they would go without rather than let their animals go without."
The two have seen the pet food side of the company evolve since the store opened in 1997.
"Pet food, especially dog food, has changed immensely: More natural, more holistic. All of the trends that happen to humans tend to cross-merchandise into the pet food," Warren said. "Grain-frees, Atkins diet, vegetarian to all-natural -- that is what is neat about working here. It is constantly evolving."
The newest location for Olsen's Grain is relatively small when compared to the 12,000 square feet the company has in Flagstaff. The married couple is turning to their prospective customers for advice.
"We are asking the community there what they would like us to carry so we have some different products that we will be carrying out there," Kristi said. "We can't carry everything we carry in this store just because of space."
But they are not averse to special orders.
"If there is something the customer wants and we can save them the trip coming into town, we will take it out there," Kristi said. "A portion of our customer base is in Doney Park, so to do deliveries out to the new store would take a little pressure off of (the Flagstaff) store."
The pair spent $45,000 to open the new location.
"The biggest expense, which we haven't purchased yet, is going to be a delivery truck because our deliveries have increased," Kristi said.
Customers come from as far away as Ash Fork and distant parts of the Navajo Nation to buy feed and other supplies, she said.
The Timberline location has a planned grand opening on Oct. 1 and will be offering a free rabies clinic.

Via: az daily sun

rainy night in AF

It's a rainy night. I know it all too well. The floods, the mud, the streams flowing. Ash Fork monsoon season is here.

Fire Board President Assaulted

Conflict between a volunteer fire board and a segment of the rural community it serves appears to be intensifying north of Ash Fork.
This follows an overhaul of volunteers at the fire station amid allegations from the new board that former managers misspent thousands in tax money for personal purposes.
Jim Nelson, president of the Kaibab Estates West volunteer fire board, was attacked in his driveway Friday night following a contentious public meeting outside of the fire station.
Nelson went with his dogs to lock the gate outside his home for the night and was struck on the head with a heavy object. He turned to fight off two men who had been waiting for him in the dark, one of whom he thought he recognized from that night's meeting.
"It's escalating," Nelson said.
Deputies from Coconino and Yavapai counties responded to Nelson's call for help, as did his new volunteer fire chief, but the dispatcher from his own fire department did not acknowledge the call, he said.
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is planning to question one local resident who has recently stepped forward to speak to investigators.
There have been no arrests or charges related to the assault or any other part of the case, said Coconino County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll.
This comes after Nelson and fellow board member Lisa Monville found what they said was thousands in taxpayer dollars used for personal purposes at Kaibab Estates West's fire department, a volunteer agency where firefighters are supposed to be paid small stipends and for expenses like duty-related travel.
They reported their findings to county investigators and the Coconino County Attorney's office is now weighing the case.
Investigators have said that the spending does not appear improper or out of line with spending for a fire department.
"We don't see at this point that there is a criminal act, but we're still going to be sending that to the county attorney's office for review. These were customary expenditures and it did not involve a lot of money for a fire district that size," Driscoll said.
The former fire chief has previously denied any wrongdoing or misspending of public money.
As the two started raising questions and terminating some volunteers in June and July, Nelson found a dead skunk at his gate, Monville said she received a verbal threat on her life, and a mysterious fire destroyed the department's only ambulance -- inside the locked fire station.
No firefighter responded to extinguish the fire inside the fire station.
Later, a friend of Monville's found her puppy with its neck broken, and the animal partially skinned, Monville said.
One or more individuals moved around the furniture outside Monville's home the same night Nelson was attacked, she said.
The fire department's radio repeater came unplugged several times in recent weeks.
Investigators have not determined what ignited the fire inside the fire station.
"We don't have a suspect. We have lots of rumors. We can't prove it's arson," Driscoll said.
The fire board met Friday to consider 26 different fire department matters, but was frequently interrupted by a crowd that brought chairs and drinks, Monville said.
Coconino County Sheriff's deputies planned to attend Tuesday night's meeting, as did Nelson.
"I'm going to bring a big stick and put a football helmet on for this one," Nelson said.

via: arizona daily sun

Reward offered for info on Ash Fork elk poaching case

Arizona Game and Fish and an anonymous donor are offering up to $3,000 for information leading to a conviction in the suspected poaching of a bull elk north of Ash Fork.
The elk was found at Partridge Creek and was believed to have been shot and killed illegally, then left to decompose.
Anyone with information regarding this case can call (800) 352-0700 and reference case number 11-000959. Web submissions can be reported via the internet by going to www.azgfd.gov/thief. Identities will remain confidential.

Via: Arizona Daily Sun

The Ranch House Cafe

I have eaten at the Ranch House Cafe before. It's ok. Nothing to write home to Mom about. I ordered the standard breakfast there. There's a "bobby burro" that some say is fairly good. Here's a review of another person:

Zach Tamburello said: (quoted from the Urbanspoon website)
"The Ranch House Cafe, to me is the best restaurant in all of Ash Fork and its a reasonable price range for any budget."
 

Well, There aren't many restaurants in Ash Fork. 2, maybe 3. I would think that the place has it's "regulars" and those regulars keep the doors open. The truckers from interstate 40 help keep the doors open too. Somebody is always there, even when it snows. I know of another place and I will get info on it for another post.

A place to experience on old route 66

Road Kill Restaurant Review

The motto is you kill it we grill it. This is a place full of character on the old route 66 near Seligman.
The bar is very rustic with stuffed animals and the barman looked like Virgil Earp from the old cowboy days.
Good choice of beer.
We didnt eat but it had a comprehensive snack menu - and the food looked good as it came out.
A very interesting place to visit and an alternative route to the I40
via: tripadviser

70 days, 3,200 miles, 2 running shoes

WILLIAMS - Heading out of Ash Fork up the hill to Williams is a grind. Semi trucks shift into low gear to make the climb and many a vehicle has been known to make a forced pit stop on the side of the highway after over heating.

Imagine what it might feel like to make the journey on foot. Running.

A handful of runners did just that last Thursday while participating in the ninth running of the Los Angeles-New York Footrace. The 70 stage, 3,200 mile race across the United States following Route 66 was first run in 1928 during the great depression. As a promotional effort to market the newly created Highway 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago, organizer C.C. Pyle sent 199 runners on their way from LA through Chicago to New York. Just 55 runners finished.

The 14 runners participating in this year's race set out from Los Angeles June 19 before facing the sweltering heat of the Mohave Desert. Participants will run an average of 45 miles per day.

Markus Mueller is no stranger to long distance running, what those in the sport call "ultra-running." In 2001, Mueller finished the 2,700 Trans Australia Footrace in 10th place. The run began in Perth in the middle of the hot Australian summer and ended in Canberra, 63 running days later. A total of 24 ultra runners were selected from around the world with only 14 runners finishing the grueling race.

Mueller said the LA to New York race is particularly difficult.

"It is really demanding and you have to take care of your feet and not run too fast," he said.

Runners must maintain a minimum pace of 3.5 miles an hour for each stage or face disqualification. All stage times are totaled with the fastest runner named the winner.

Unfortunately, Mueller is no longer in contention to win the foot race after missing the cut off time heading into Needles, Calif. as well as on the Kingman leg of the race.

"Now, I have taken three days off in Flagstaff and just joined today again," Mueller said, adding he will finish out the race despite his official disqualification.

Every morning, an orientation meeting is held to go over the race route for the day. Organizers scout each route the day before to insure that all roadways are passable. Most racers have one support person following by car with water and food. Mueller said most racers stop every three miles, more in the hottest deserts, to rehydrate and fuel up.

Mueller said the 30-mile Ash Fork to Williams leg of the journey was actually one of the easier segments of the race.

"It is kind of a rest day for the runners," he said.

Just what drives runners to take on such a difficult journey, pushing their minds and bodies to the limit? Mueller said long distance running provides a different t perspective, another way to take a look at the world we live in.

"The motivation for me, and I think for the rest of the people, is just to see the country at a human pace," Mueller said. "You see things you would never see otherwise and you actually grasp every detail that is along the road - the good and the bad."

The race winds through the Navajo Reservation this week heading for New Mexico north of Los Alamos.

"We are in really remote areas, so support will be kind of difficult," Mueller said.

The race eventually ends in New York City by Central Park August 27 after crossing 14 states - California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

What do you do after 70 days on the road?

"Just drink a beer," Mueller said.

For more information visit www.lanyfootrace.com


via: williams news

Memorial Day 2011

We take time out to honor our men and women of the military who are serving and who have served to make our country free.
This video was made on Monday, May 30, 2011 in the town of Ash Fork, home of many veterans. I was driving down double A ranch road and made the right at Lewis Ave. I continued down Lewis to 6th st., made a left then another quick left onto Park Ave. Every year they put out the American Flag to commemorate Memorial Day. Everybody, please let's take a moment of silence.

The Wind Crys Ash Fork

Today and yesterday, the wind howled through the town of Ash Fork. I think the winds were clocked at 65 mph. The surrounding cities also experienced strong winds. When I look up at the roof of the house, I see the antenna spinning around violently. It grinds and creaks and keeps me up at night. I would go up there and repair the post, but I might get blown off the roof! Anyway, tomorrow is supposed to be a calmer day. I think I'll wait until tomorrow.

Arizona congresswoman among 12 shot at Tuscon grocery

What's going on these days?? The following article is from CNN.

(CNN) -- At least 12 people were shot at a Tucson grocery store on Saturday, and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was among them, a Democratic party source told CNN.


Giffords, 40, was holding a constituent meeting at the grocery store when the shooting occurred, according to a schedule posted on her website.

CNN could not confirm conditions for Giffords or any of the others wounded, but the Tuscon Citizen newspaper was reporting that Giffords was shot in the head.

The Democratic source described the situation as "pretty serious,"

The shooting occurred at a Safeway shortly after 10 a.m. MST, according to sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ogan.

Pictures from the scene showed a Giffords banner hanging from the storefront.



At least two victims with gunshot wounds were transported at Northwest Medical Center, according to spokesman Richard Parker.

First Seven Days of 2011

Well, here we are with the first week in. Tonight we had some big clouds in the sky. The sun went down, but nothing really great popped up, then some great reflection were there! I had to scramble to get this picture. The snow is still on the ground, but it is melting away.