Friday, July 3, 2009

 

KHV Officially Found To Cause Carp Die-Off
LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ – As expected, the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University has officially confirmed that a recent carp die-off at Lake Havasu is from the Koi Herpes Virus. Arizona Game and Fish biologists added the outbreak also killed carp in Lake Mohave in May.
AZGFD officials note the Koi Herpes Virus (KHV), which can impact carp as water temperatures warm in late spring, impacts gill function and can lead to suffocation and/or secondary infections. While there were bacterial issues as well, the lab tests show KHV as the primary cause of the die-off.
Health experts note this virus is localized to specific fish species and does not pose a human health risk. However, Game and Fish biologists recommend people avoid handling dead fish or take precautions, such as wearing protective gloves.
AZGFD Regional Fisheries Biologist Russell Engel added this fish virus appears to be working its way down river. Infected fish that don’t die become carriers of the virus and can spread it to healthy carp.  “We suspect it will eventually work its way down to the Yuma area and into canal systems fed by the Colorado River,” Engel said.

 

Funding for Rural Fire Stations Secured
NEEDLES, CA - San Bernardino County District One Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt recently helped  secure the approval to create a budget reserve that will reach approximately $5-million to build fire stations in remote areas of the ounty. Supervisors agreed during a final budget hearing to set aside additional federal funds for construction of fire stations over the next several years.
Response times on Interstate 40 can be up to an hour or longer because fire crews have to come from Needles, the Barstow area or even Baker. The distance between Barstow and Needles on I-40 is 150 miles. Supervisor Mitzelfelt is committed to building a new fire station in Amboy, about halfway between Barstow and Needles, and another one near Goffs, about 40 miles west of Needles.
The additional funding is from the federal governmentís Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program.
The County had been receiving about $1.8-million in annual PILT payments for the past few years. Congress last year agreed to fully fund the program through 2012 and the county received $2,877,981 in 2008 and $2,958,395 this year. Meanwhile,  Mitzelfelt convinced the board to use the difference, about $1-million per year for five years, for the desert fire stations.
Previously, the board agreed to spend $300,000 for design and engineering of the Amboy station, with another $2.6-million budgeted for construction in Fiscal Year 2010-2011.

 

Good News For Holiday Travelers -- Gas Prices Down
ARIZONA - Across the state and the U.S., drivers preparing to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July weekend can also celebrate lower prices at the pump. Statewide, motorists are currently paying an average of $2.640 per gallon, a drop of 2.5-cents from last week. Today’s nationwide average is $2.629 per gallon, a drop of nearly four cents from last week. 
Meanwhile, Arizonans are paying $1.45 less per gallon for gas  heading into the holiday weekend, compared to the state's  all-time high price of $4.090, set on July 3, 2008. To illustrate how current fuel prices compare to past Fourth of July holiday weekends, a list of statewide fuel averages for the week leading up to Independence Day for the past five years is listed below:

Independence Day	Arizona Fuel Average (per gallon)	Average Cost to Fill 15-Gallon Tank
2009	$2.648 (to date)	$39.72
2008	$4.081	$61.21
2007	$2.960	$44.40
2006	$2.893	$43.39
2005	$2.288	$34.32
2004	$1.999	$29.98

Nationwide, Missouri continues to hold on to the nation’s lowest fuel price with an average of $2.421. California motorists are paying the most for fuel in the lower 48 states with an average of $2.985 per gallon.

 

Good Sunday Heads For “Shore” He opened for Elvis and also created the top comedy club on the west coast. Legendary standup comic, Sammy Shore visits the show and goes one on one with host Roger Galloway to look at comedy, Elvis, audiences, and his new club in Laughlin. Celebrity reporters Don Hinson, Jack Russell, and Andre Fortin (in Hollywood, Nashville, and New York City) dish up an array of topics –the latest on Michael Jackson, including a Lake Havasu City connection –yes, there is one. Also, interesting tidbits on Carrie Underwood, Neil Patrick Harris, and Broadway’s dimming of the lights.  We’ll also talk about the end of filming on “Piranha 3D,” the good, the bad, and the ugly. Times and stations below. To hear Good Sunday, click here. Good Sunday Show Times: K-Hits • 101.9FM - 5 AM |  K-Rock • 101.1FM - 6 AM |  Krazy  •  96.7FM - 7AM Kazual • 104.5FM - 8 AM |  KNTR • 980AM & 97.1FM - 6 AM

 

 

 

COOL SHADES, COOLER PRINTS Bullhead City Police Investigator John Smith (right) fingerprints 3-year-old Bliss Hirter during the Mohave County Library’s “Storytime Wednesday” program. Parents were given Child Identification Kits and information on how to prepare in the event their child was ever lost or abducted. Storytime Wednesdays are free and open to the public and are held at the Mohave County Library. The Bullhead City Police Department will participate in the library’s summer program again on July 15th. During the next visit, 9-1-1 dispatchers will educate children on the department's 9-1-1 simulator. For more information call (928) 758-0714. (Photo: Emily Montague)

 

86403 (Lake Havasu City Weather Forecast, AZ)

 

Watch Your Pets During The Fourth! LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ -- The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office is urging all residents of the Tri-State area to keep a close eye on their pets over the upcoming Independence Day weekend. “More pets are lost this time of year than at any other time,” MCSO Public Information Specialist Trish Carter said. “All pet owners should make sure their animals are in a secured yard or preferably indoors during fireworks celebrations this weekend.” She added that shelters normally fill up with lost and stray animals during the first week of July because of unsecured animals that literally “bolt” when fireworks are going off.