A cell-phone made all the difference for a pair of men who had become stranded Saturday while riding their quad in the Wet Beaver Wilderness area north of Camp Verde. YCSO spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn says one of the men, 61-year-old Carl Schwimmer of Flagstaff, was able to make cell phone contact with authorities. Schwimmer and 56-year-old Thomas Pearsall of Cottonwood had run out of gas. The pair had a water supply but no food.With the assistance of Schwimmer’s cell phone company, YCSO Communications was able to get a general location for the men. As foul weather rolled in, the men found shelter inside a small shed; they were also able to light a warming fire. At approximately 10AM Monday, rescuers were able to reach the shed and bring the men to safety. Neither man required medical attention. 

Have you received your 2010 Census form yet? They are hitting the mails this week in cities and towns. Census spokesman Russ Walton of Flagstaff says if you fill out that form and sent it back, your involvement in the national people-count is complete.Walton says non-responders will receive a follow-up door-step contact by a Census worker sometime in May.

Nearly every government agency in the country is struggling to balance their budgets by reducing staff, services, and access to historically public venues.  Though faced with similar challenges, the City of Prescott's Parks & Recreation Department has developed a program that will succeed in keeping its sports fields open. The main focus of the plan is to consistently collect fees for field reservations. Each year Prescott host’s 300-adult sports league teams with over 3,000 participants. The local economic impact from these activities brings in an estimated $6.8 million per year. 

A Cottonwood Police officer was recently honored during a ceremony held by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Sgt Gareth Braxton says Officer Cory Shilling was named DUI Officer of the Year for 2009. In 2009 Officer Shilling arrested 23-DUI offenders within Cottonwood. Of the 23, 4 were aggravated DUI and several others included DUI drugs, extreme Dui and DUI involving persons under 21. Officer Shilling was also awarded “Rookie of the Year” by the Cottonwood Police Department in 2009.

An employee with the Grand Canyon National Park was federally charged with possessing child pornography. A cell phone found by a park employee on March 6-th lead to the arrest of Timothy Veach. While trying to identify the owner of the phone, child pornography was located on the phone. Veach reportedly contacted the park employee and arranged to pick his phone up at which time he was taken into custody. Veach admitted he brought the photos with him during his recent transfer from Yellowstone National Park. Veach is a registered sex offender.

Republican legislators are changing their budget-balancing plan to at least temporarily shelve a controversial proposal that would close the state Juvenile Corrections Department and shift its responsibilities to counties.

One senior lawmaker says the change is part of a broader cost-sharing agreement with the state's two most populous counties. The change apparently smoothes over a major sticking point in Republican leaders' efforts to round up votes for their budget-balancing plan. The House had scheduled debate and voting on the overall budget plan for late yesterday, but it adjourned late in the afternoon. House Speaker Kirk Adams says a few "minor issues" still need to be ironed out. (Thanks to AP)

Drivers who use southbound I-17 to get to Phoenix should plan on delays of approximately 30-minutes starting next week. ADOT will begin overnight repair work starting Monday night on a slope next to the interstate about 2-miles south of the Sunset Point Rest Area. Over the past couple of weeks ADOT has been monitoring the area; heavy rains have shifted the slope, exposing loose rocks. Southbound-17 will be narrowed to 1-lane south of Sunset Point from 7-pm to 7-am Monday through Thursday nights over a 2-week period. 

Representative Ann Kirkpatrick will host her fourth “Ask Ann” tele-town hall next Tuesday. The topic will be the preservation of the right to bear and keep arms. The tele-town hall will start at 5:30. Participants can dial in toll free to 877-269-7289, and should press 15024 when prompted. They can then ask the Congresswoman a question by pressing *3.