One week ago, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Deputies located 2 boys, ages 6 and 4 at a home in the 24000 block of North Highway 89 in Paulden.  Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn explains deputies were told Jacob Billiter had allegedly abused the boy. The younger boy had an injury to his forehead resulting from punishment from Billiter, who D’Evelyn says was nowhere to be found. Billiter is facing charges of child abuse, aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.  The children were treated at the hospital and are in protective custody.  A 23 year old woman who was living with the suspect and caring for the boys isn’t expected to face any charges.  

The Prescott City Council will get a construction update on the Airport Wastewater Treatment Plant, and you can join in on the discussion. In 2010, the City contracted with a professional engineering firm to complete Capacity and Technology Master Plans for this facility.  Design plans are currently at the 60 percent design level and 3 phases are recommended with a total build-out capacity of either 9.6 or 15 million gallons per day.  The final cost is pending the outcome of a Construction Manager at Risk process, which is used to gather input on construction of the design and to create a cost model for the future project.  Public Works Department representatives are scheduled to make a presentation to City Council and the public at 3 this afternoon.  The workshop will be held in Council chambers on South Cortez Street. 

Expect delays on many Prescott Valley roads due to chip sealing work.  Chip seal is placed on streets to waterproof the pavement surface in order to extend the life of the pavement.  Public Works Director Norm Davis explains this work is done annually, usually during the summer months. All roads will remain open for through traffic but flaggers will be on scene. Neighborhood streets that will be treated include those in the area west of Robert Road, between Tranquil and Long Mesa Drives, between Roundup and Long Mesa and in the Pronghorn Ranch and Lynx Lake Estates subdivisions.  For a detailed list of the major roadways that are being treated, go online to pvaz.net. 

The fire restrictions that are in place in the Prescott National Forest are being lifted at 8 tomorrow morning, thanks to recent rains.  Stage 2 restrictions prohibit the use of campfires and charcoal grills on forest lands, including developed campsites and campgrounds.  Despite the wetter conditions, Forest spokeswoman Debbie Maneely says you still need to extinguish your campfire properly. Maneely explains what uses are allowed once the restrictions are lifted. The forest entered into the Stage 2 restrictions on June 8th due to the dry extremely dry forest conditions. 

A 52 year old Prescott Valley man is believed to have died of natural causes following a bike ride.  On Saturday morning at around 8:45, 3 friends had just finished their bike ride on Iron King Trail.  Sergeant Brandon Bonney explains the other 2 noticed something was wrong after the victim left. The man wasn’t breathing and was slumped over the wheel.  Central Yavapai Fire and ambulance personnel responded to Tuscany Way and Santa Fe Loop but sadly, he was pronounced dead at Yavapai Regional Medical Center East.  Bonney says the cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner. The 2 friends performed CPR on the man until emergency personnel arrived. 

The Arizona Sundogs are hopeful rookie Zack Firlotte will bring some much needed defense to the team.  The 26 year old Firlotte most recently played for 5 seasons in the Atlantic University Sport, a regional membership association for Canadian Colleges.  
In 2009, he was named the Acadia Axemen’s Defensive Player of the Year.  In 4 years with the Axemen, he tallied 22 points and 142 penalty minutes.  Prior to collegiate hockey, Firlotte played 2 seasons in the Quebec Major Junior League, racking up 12 goals, 44 assists and 273 penalty minutes in 129 games.  He joins forwards Jeff Kryzakos, Mickael Bedard and Adam Smyth as members of the 2012 Sundogs roster. 

The monsoon rains have brought some relief from the dry conditions, but they have also caused a closure of Crown King Road.  Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn explains why the road department has closed Crown King Road until further notice. D’Evelyn explains there are some exceptions to this closure. Margaret Henningsen, who works at the Town General Store, says the Gladiator Fire and the rains that followed really did a number on the area. Henningsen says the town got hit hard by the weekend storms, but residents were prepared. The road will remain closed until it is cleared and deemed safe for travel.  Residents are being allowed access to the road under escort during certain times of the day and mail deliveries are also being made to the town.