Local Headlines

By Theresa Bierer

Flagstaff, AZ – Intro) The state's financial crisis has affected all levels of government and public education. At Northern Arizona University, the budget deficits have led to changes in the way things are done. Arizona Public Radio's Theresa Bierer has more.

By Gillian Ferris Kohl

Flagstaff, AZ – Arizona Highways Magazine is partnering with the state to help generate funding for state parks in jeopardy of closing due to Arizona's budget crisis. Arizona Public Radio's Gillian Ferris Kohl reports.

Flagstaff AZ – nterstate 40 will be opened tonight at 7 pm both east and west bound. Interstate 17 will be open south bound only at 7 pm tonight and then north bound I-17 will be opened at 7 am Saturday morning. All other closed routes in the Flagstaff area will still remain closed. Both Interstates still have snow packed sections and drivers need to use extreme caution.
SR 77 in-between Superior and Kearny: CLOSED.

Flagstaff AZ – OPENINGS:

Both directions of I-40 will open at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Friday, January 22, 2010/

I-40 Eastbound from the US 93 South Junction east of Kingman

I-40 Westbound from Winslow

CLOSED HIGHWAYS:

I-17 Northbound at Exit 298 or the Sedona turn off will be closed through Saturday morning, Jan. 23, 2010 and is expected to open at 7:00 a.m.

ADOT has informed us that they hope to have both I-17 and I-40 opened up as soon as possible, no later than tomorrow morning.

Flagstaff AZ – The Flagstaff Symphony has postponed its concert of Russia Master Composers. Originally scheduled for tonight and re-scheduled earlier this week for Saturday night, the concert is being put on indefinite hold because of the persistent storms battering the region. When the make-up date is announced, KNAU will have it for you and you can also watch flagstaffsymphony.org for the latest.

Tonight's event, "Do the Right Thing" at the Orpheum Theatre is canceled. Saturday and Sunday films are still on pending future snow storms.

Flagstaff AZ – Due to conditions resulting from sever winter weather, the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County and the State of Arizona have issued formal Emergency Declarations.
Owners & occupants of buildings with flat roofs are required to clear (and keep clear) snow and ice accumulations from their rooftops in order to avoid dangerous conditions. The City reserves the right to close buildings that fail to comply with this order.

Flagstaff AZ – ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel says assessments will continue as
long as runoff continues, and he says engineers will check bridge
supports once stream levels go down.

Nintzel says motorists can expect plenty of potholes and other
rough spots on highways due to runoff and slides.

He says repair costs will be a problem because of the state's
budget troubles.

The department already was stretching to cover snowplowing costs
and was selling vehicles to raise cash.

Flagstaff AZ – Flagstaff police Lt. Ken Koch says no injuries have been reported. He says the damage ranges from roof collapses at a fabric store and bookstore to leaky roofs at restaurants and compromised structural integrity at other buildings.

He says authorities and structural engineers are conducting building inspections Friday.

He advised employees against getting on rooftops to shovel snow without an inspection. Flat roofs are most at risk for damage.

A powerful winter storm has dumped around 4 feet of snow in the Flagstaff area this week.

Flagstaff AZ – Yavapai County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn says the boy's parents tried to bring the sick child to a hospital during a powerful storm on Thursday night.

The parents loaded the boy and his 8-year-old sister into a pickup truck at their home about 70 miles north of Phoenix. Floodwaters disabled the truck and pushed it off the road.

The mother somehow made it to higher ground, while the father and two children got into the truck's bed.