Bill's Newscast: Snow and Wildfires

Snow and wildfires. Be smart about both.

Snow recommendations

Don’t get blindsided on roadways when a winter storm hits. ADOT snowplows are out in force when the snow falls, but drivers need to be aware of the changing road conditions. ADOT spokesman Ryan Harding says you should be prepared for any type of problem and give snow plows plenty of room. Monday’s snowstorm caused a serious crash on I-17 heading out of the Verde Valley, resulting in a closure for several hours.

Grim wildfire season expected this year

This wildfire season could be a bad one. Governor Doug Ducey told those in attendance at a wildfire briefing yesterday after experiencing an unusually dry winter, Arizona needs to prepare for a difficult wildfire season. State Forester Jeff Whitney, who was also at the briefing, says discussions on wildfire safety need to start now. Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority Chief Scott Freitag, who attended the briefing, says there’s a lot of concern over the wildfire danger. Freitag explains area residents and visitors need to use caution. Last June, the Goodwin Fire burned more than 28 hundred acres in the Mayer area. Freitag adds this season could be as bad as 2002, when the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire burned more than 468 thousand acres in the Show Low and Pinetop areas or 2011, when the Wallow Fire burned over 538 thousand acres in the White Mountains.

Rimrock man arrested

A Rimrock man has been arrested after he allegedly defrauded a Cottonwood bank of thousands of dollars. On February 5th, One AZ Credit Union employees contacted Cottonwood Police to report one of their customers was depositing fraudulent checks into his account. The investigation has revealed 33 year old Michael Taylor deposited the counterfeit checks and then immediately spent or withdrew the money before the checks cleared to the tune of almost 10 thousand dollars. Cottonwood Police detectives located Taylor in Rimrock on the night of February 15th. He has admitted to depositing the checks and using the money to support a drug habit. Taylor has been booked into the Yavapai County Jail for fraudulent schemes, theft and forgery.

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