SPEAKER_04 0:00

And you are listening to iTalk 1067 FM, the voice of the mountain. I'm your host, Janine Ford. I have Mike Montan on the phone from Heber, Arizona. And this is so exciting, Mike. What's going on with this massive, incredibly sized flag in Heber? Tell us what's going on.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Well, it really is fantastic. And you can hardly appreciate how big it really is. The flagpole, it'll be the tallest civic flagpole in Arizona. It's a hundred and fifty-five feet tall. Ooh. And the the flag is forty feet by eighty feet. It'll it's lighted, it'll fly full time. You'll be able to see the flag coming into Heber. You know, we're we admit Heber's kind of a map dot, you know, people see them, you know, coming up from Phoenix, driving through on their way to Pine Top and Lakeside. But now as they come over that hill up at the top, you'll see this flag for miles. Either either direction, driving from uh from up from Phoenix, you know, coming up from Payson or coming down from Sholo, you will know you're going through Heber. It's it's located at the football field. It'll actually the community is putting it together. And there's there's it's still a legacy thing. There's a a a big wall at the base with laser-engraved pavers. So the donors who've helped build this thing have their name on there. And it's not too late. It's not too late. There's a second wall we're putting up of pavers. If you go on the website at raisetheflag250.org, you can purchase a paver with your, you know, and some some are anonymous. I like I love that when people do that, but some people put them in memory of some veterans in their family or or their organization. You give us a logo, we can engrave it on a paper.

SPEAKER_04 2:00

Oh, I love this. So this is awesome. Raise the flag to 50.org and give us an idea of where it's going to be and the overall massive size, isn't it like two feet at the base around the pole?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yeah, so the the pole it it's just huge. You know, the pole starts, it's 26 inches at the base, and of course, you know, no human can raise a flag that big, so there's a one horsepower winch inside there to to raise the flag. Everything is just big about it. And you know, it goes 18 feet into the ground. Uh you know, it's just a it's a very large-scale event. And it's been the vision of a couple of Hebrew families for a long time. But then they got Hochran, the Hebrew Overguard Community Resource Network, involved. So there could be a 501c3 and donations could be taken. And then they got the high school involved, and the high school had a little twenty-foot flagpole there at the base of their football field. And they said, How about right there? Yeah. We we we we pulled that twenty-foot flagpole up and and and you know it's been wonderful. The locals in Heber, you know, graded the pad and dug the hole and donated crane time, you know, all the the things that were necessary to get this flagpole put up.

SPEAKER_04 3:26

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

And it's uh it's been exciting.

SPEAKER_04 3:29

And you know what? Everyone coming up the mountain, going to the White Mountains and going through Heber are just gonna be like, oh, wow. You know, incredible.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

They're gonna see that flag flying and and it's a landmark. Yeah, it really will.

SPEAKER_02 3:44

Yeah, it's gonna be a huge landmark.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

I I recall you know, growing up in Phoenix, my parents had a cabin in Pine Top, and I just know when I drove through Heber, the sign meant I'm an hour from the cabin. You know, that's all that's all it was. Right, right. But now I'm gonna come around that that hill and see that flag flying, and you're gonna know where you're at.

SPEAKER_04 4:06

Right. I love that. That's gonna be so incredible. It'll be a destination to go see the biggest flag in Arizona. That's incredible. Now, also, and we want to mention if people want to donate, do this and help them out. Raise the flag250.org again, and we'll mention that again, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Yep, that's correct. And so I said we we take donations of any type, but if there are pavers available, and I know this won't come as a surprise, but the smallest pavers, the hundred dollar ones are sold out, but we've got pavers all the way up from two hundred and fifty dollars to five thousand dollars. And you know, we've had some wonderful families come in, and some of the creative artwork they've come in to put on the larger pavers is gonna be beautiful. You'll love it.

SPEAKER_04 4:52

Oh, this is great. I love this. I'll just love it. And also talk about the dedication where everybody's gonna be out there and and then it's gonna go into the 4th of July where the fireworks are held there too.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Absolutely. So, and you know this prayers are welcome. Every year, yeah, every year, the fireworks are not gonna happen, right? There's too much fire danger. We're right there right now. If nothing changes, there will not be fireworks. But every year, right around the first of July, the prayers are answered, the rains come, and we're able to hold those fireworks. And they're they're some of the best in the country.

SPEAKER_04 5:29

Oh, yeah. I love Hebrew's fixed. Hebrews fireworks are incredible. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

And so there will be actually two events. Uh Friday morning at 7 a.m., there's a community breakfast, uh, and we will raise the flag for the first time at that event, and then Saturday morning at 6 30 a.m. is the big community event. And of course, we'll have 40,000 people in Heber just for 4th of July. Yeah. And so that that'll be the event to see everything happen at 6 30 in the morning. 4th of July, 250 years.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

Oh my gosh, yes. Like for always forget we're celebrating 250. And the 4th of July fireworks there. I love how the kids are all out playing. You're just on your blankets and your chairs. It's like an old-fashioned fireworks 4th of July celebration.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Well, you know, the the the location is perfect because the high school's got not only a football field, but uh several baseball and softball fields surrounding it. So it just gives a huge area to picnic and layout and safety also.

unknown 6:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

It's just a fantastic layout for fireworks.

SPEAKER_04 6:42

But that canyon right there, too. What's so great about it is you lay uh literally they're cl they're closer than most fireworks displays you'll watch, okay? And very safe, but very but closer uh up close to where you lay on your backs. We all lay down and look up at the sky, and it feels like the sky is covered with fireworks. It's it's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Yeah, it is it is a great show.

SPEAKER_04 7:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

We're really looking forward to it. So this this 250th, you know, I'm old enough. I remember this the bicentennial really well.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Yeah, that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

I remember watching fireworks in on 1976. This will be better. 250 years will be better.

SPEAKER_04 7:21

Yeah, so exciting. Now, remind us all again of how we can help raise the flag250.org, how we can help the flag.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Uh absolutely. Be there for the breakfast on the third. That's a fundraiser. Donate as much as you think the pancakes are worth. Or go on raise the flag250.org and make a donation, buy a t-shirt, or make a big enough donation to get your name on a paper and make it uh make it a uh a a long-term commitment to the community.

SPEAKER_04 7:54

Oh, I love this. I just love it. Okay, guys, we are fast approaching the 4th of July. It is coming so fast, and this flag, I am so excited about this. This is incredible. We're gonna just love that. Okay, so Mike Montanan, thank you so much for calling in. And we want to remind everybody raise the raise raise the flag 250.org. Raise the flag 250.org. Mike, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Thank you, Janine.

SPEAKER_04 8:20

Okay, and you have a great evening. All right, everybody, keep it right here. ITalk 1067 FM, the voice of the mountain. And welcome, welcome everyone. You're listening to iTalk 1067 FM, the voice of the mountain. I'm your host, Janine Ford. So glad you're rolling with us this afternoon. And I have a really great show for you. I have uh Titia Carlisle and I have Robert Black. Titka is with the White Mount Republicans women women, and Robert Black is City Councilman in Holbrook. And we are talking about this petition that has started to get basic ordinances. I mean, they're very basic that others, like seven other counties have done this stuff, getting some protections against wind and solar. We went through all these meetings, two years begging, everything, and we basically got nothing from our Board of Supervisors in both Navajo and Apache. Um and now people are starting to wake up and realize what this means for ranchers, for people all around us. And um let's start off with you, Titia. And uh well, I mentioned you were a member of the White Mountain Republicans, wim Republican women, but this is a bipartisan issue which is very exciting. Absolutely everyone is worried about the wind turbines, right? And the in the solar fields.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

Yeah, it's not party specific at all. So yes, we we need we need signatures on the petition from from everybody. So you have to be a registered voter in Navajo County to sign the petition.

SPEAKER_04 9:53

Okay. And Lila what let's go over that here off the top. Where can they sign petitions today? Well, today is um Monday the 15th. It's five o'clock, so we might we can't give it out today. But if we knew any of them tomorrow, I didn't think about that part, any of them tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

But yeah, I do have a a few already lined out for um Tuesday. Okay. Yes. Um you can you can go to Mike Sler Investments. Um they have petitions there in their office, they're in Sholo. Um and they'll have petitions every day, all day. So if you're up in the Sholo area and you want to get a petition signed, if you want to help circulate petitions, um, we are needing volunteers for that also. Um so that's one location that's gonna be available every day, Monday through Friday. Um, also tomorrow we have some volunteers at Pioneer Park down in Snowflake on the north side of town. Um, and she's only gonna be there from about 11 to 1. Okay. And then we also have a volunteer plan to be there's a dirt lot out front of the Taylor Walmart. Um we we're gonna do uh a canopy there, kind of a drive-thru type situation where you can just drive in, sign the petition, and drive right back out.

SPEAKER_04 11:09

Ooh, easy.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Um yeah, so we're planning on be there from four to six tomorrow in Taylor.

SPEAKER_04 11:16

Well, that sounds great.

SPEAKER_03 11:17

Locations now, obviously. Um if we get some more locations, we're trying to put those out on uh social media and um email different email circulations and what have you. So we'll add those if we have some more tomorrow.

SPEAKER_04 11:30

But a real steady place. Yeah, but a real steady place is that Mike Sler Investments, and that's right there by near uh Jack in the Box, you know, in that whole shopping center there. That's a pretty simple one. Robert, um Black, how are you feeling about this whole ordinance thing and the push for signatures?

SPEAKER_01 11:48

I think it has been a long time coming. I'm really excited about it. I think it's just uh yeah, I got out to the first annual Jack Rabbit car show this last weekend. It was the first one they had, and it was a a little little place outside of Joseph City, and it's really a neat car show. They probably had 80 cars over there. But you get to circulate in this this petition, and uh and uh y it's just crazy what you see. You either see a a little bit of anger or a lot of excitement. So I'm kind of anxious to see where we end up with this.

SPEAKER_04 12:24

Great. So some people, Joe City, Holebrook, everybody's got some people that are accepting signatures, correct?

SPEAKER_01 12:31

That's correct. We don't have anything set up permanent over here in Holebrook. Joe City area covered a lot of it uh Saturday, but we're trying to get set up, hopefully, uh maybe outside of safe way or tractor supply for a couple of days the next in the next week or so. Awesome in Holebrook.

SPEAKER_04 12:50

And both of you, if you would weigh in on, these are very smart, minimal protections, right? I mean, the other counties that's the same thing. And the reason we did these, they're far less than what everybody was, you know, wanting them. When you see the things that say stop wind and solar, we're not stopping it. We're putting on realistic like uh protections, like some soil testing stuff. Talk a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_03 13:17

Uh sure. So um obviously this what we're doing right now is not gonna stop any already approved projects. Those are still going to move forward, but um this would limit future projects. So, you know, we just don't know how many more projects our board of supervisors is gonna continue to approve. So this kind of puts on um some breaks on on and limits what they can continue to approve. Um so one of them it's an amendment to the ordinance, and if this passes on the November ballot, then from here on out, from there on out, um anytime a board of supervisors approves a project, that project has to go to the ballot and the voters will vote on it. So we will have a voice if we can get this approved and and get these signatures to get it on the November ballot. So that's just one one of the petitions that's going to be circulating.

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Right. And the other petition puts a minimal setback of like what, a half mile.

SPEAKER_03 14:17

I I believe it currently, right now, it's a quarter mile is the way the ordinance is written. This would put a mile from so they couldn't put a wind tower a mile from a residence. So it just makes it stricter um and and better.

SPEAKER_04 14:31

Gives us a little bit more a little bit more protections. And we want to mention that the White Mountain Board of Realtors came out strongly against these wind projects. They have already noticed people backing off of coming to the White Mountains as far as, ooh, we're not gonna buy here. It looks like it's gonna be just filled with wind turbines and solar, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:51

Right. And I I actually had somebody sign yes sign a petition yesterday um at Calvary Chapel Church, and she's like, if I wanted to look at these, I should have just stayed in California. There's a lot of people, yeah, that have moved here that were fleeing these these things and and now we're gonna have them pop up everywhere we look.

SPEAKER_04 15:10

So it's very sad, and the reason the White Mountain Board of Realtors weighed in is your property values in Oklahoma and Texas within five miles of wind turbines dropped up to 50 percent. That was very scary. And um, Robert, you have also talked to a lot of ranchers that are terrified to lose their ranch land, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Yeah, there's quite a few of them that are that are worried about losing their grazing grazing permits.

SPEAKER_04 15:38

Yeah, and we saw the big story with the one that's gone over all over viral. And um I know Andy Biggs and Eli Crane are trying to help with that. And so our state lands, as Katie Hobbs and her landslady just basically sell out our state trust lands to these big solar fields signing 100-year leases, that's not what that land was meant for, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:00

No, that is not. So I it's meant for just exactly what they've been doing on it. It was grazing their cattle, and I mean, it is not meant for for these solar and wind turbines to be on them.

SPEAKER_04 16:12

Do both of you uh are you concerned about you think about like um Andy Biggs always talks about our food security. And with these going all over the place, what are we thinking about our ranch lands and farmlands and stuff like that across the country?

SPEAKER_01 16:27

Well, I I mean I think it's we're in trouble anyway with the drought and everything else that we've got going on. You know, the the the cattle is is uh the prices are way up. There's not that much cattle on the market anymore, and it's I think it's gonna get worse. It's not looking like it's gonna get any better. So people are worried. I mean, and then you start losing more and more raised land of these other things. I mean, what's our what's our uh long-term outlook out here? I I don't know what it is, but it doesn't look good to me.

SPEAKER_04 16:57

Right, right, exactly. That's the scariest part, I think. And and it's really funny, we mentioned this is a bipartisan issue. Um people who are a little bit hippies and a little bit green, that's uh I've always been that way. And these are filthy. I mean when you think about um uh mini nuclear, if we can beg the administration, everybody, to consider us. I know uh Nunez is has like 17 of them that the Trump Trump is going to separately like, you know, finance and do things. And if we get a mini nuclear, say it's in St. John's, it takes up five acres. Okay? And this is taking thousands and thousands and all of our ranch land, all that junk, right?

SPEAKER_03 17:40

Right.

SPEAKER_04 17:42

Okay, each of you tell me uh what you would say to people that are sitting out there thinking, should I vote for this or should I not vote for this? Tisha, why don't you start us?

SPEAKER_03 17:53

Uh well, I mean, really, really what we're trying to do right now is we we really just need signatures. So if you if you ever even just considered, oh, you know, I really don't know much about it, it you'll have an opportunity to decide to vote in November. So a yes or no vote to to amending the current county ordinance when it comes to the large wind and solar projects. And I just want to point out this does not uh apply to residential. Um we have lots of people that have asked that question too. So this is just large commercial industrial scale projects. Um but you know, I I mean if you like looking out at the sunset and not seeing red blinking lights at night, then you should probably vote for this, you know, um if you want to maintain your property values, um, because it is gonna affect everybody if if all of the land around our communities uh is gonna get a project on it. So um so it's not just just the rural area of the county, it's gonna affect everybody.

SPEAKER_04 18:50

So exactly. And uh what are your thoughts of telling people why they should vote? Robert?

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah, I mean, it it's a kind it's just like Tisha just said about, I mean, I think a lot of people around here were amazed at how little uh say-so they had and everything. I think it really uh opened their eyes when they tried to get some of these things stopped and were told that no matter which direction they turned, it was like, well, you need to touch somebody else. You need to touch somebody else.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

And never could get any answers on on where to go. So I think loss of government controls got people scared now. They didn't realize that they were they had that little government control list. So this one measure, if it puts things on the ballot in November, they're very excited about getting that control back.

SPEAKER_04 19:39

Yeah, to be able to have some say. And here's the saddest part is the Board of Supervisors, and then this was all headed up by Real A Z shoving, going out and soliciting these huge foreign companies, you know? And basically tailoring our ordinances to just everything they want and then not listening to the people here. And I know big energy is probably ultimately behind this, and and this is the sad part, is just rolling over all the little people. And I've been told by other counties that it's because our counties are so poor that we're a big target. You know? And that's that's uh, it is uh So that's what we're talking about. Right. We we need to um if if you guys are interested, you've got the locations. Mike Sler investment there in Chilo, you're gonna see this one poster that says stop wind and solar. And again, it doesn't stop at all, but and there'll be an arrow and those will be in locations where people are accepting signatures every day, so watch for those. And you just have to sign and then it'll go on the ballot and you can vote later. Is that correct? Yes, that's correct. Okay, guys, is there anything else you'd like to add?

SPEAKER_03 20:48

Uh we just if you're you know if you're passionate about this and it's you know um something you want to get involved with, like we said, this isn't political party um driven, you know, this is community driven. So we we just need we need volunteers to circulate petitions.

SPEAKER_04 21:04

Um and who do they get a hold of for that? How do they get a petition?

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Um yeah, so they can reach out to um the Naboe County Republican Committee and I can give a phone number for that. Please do twice. All right, 928-242-3527. That's 928-242-3527. And um whoever's answering that phone can can get them in the right point in the right direction to get petitions. Um the petitions do have to be a wet signature, so we we have no way to do any sort of electronic signatures, and whoever circulates them has to get it notarized. So there there are things that we have to do so so that the petitions will be accepted. Um and and we are on a deadline, we have to get all the signatures by July 1st.

SPEAKER_04 21:52

So if you're want to help, yeah, and and all you guys have to do is sign fast, like in a drive-thru sign. And then the sheets individually are notarized by the by the person taking the signatures. So if you want to volunteer to take signatures, you can call the Navajo County Republican Women. And again, that number is committee. What number is that again?

SPEAKER_03 22:16

Yep, it's 928-242-3527.

SPEAKER_04 22:20

Okay, there we go. And um anything else you guys uh want to add?

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Well, over here in the Holbert, Joseph City, Winslow area if they want to get a hold of somebody. We don't have anything set up like mixlers do yet.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 22:35

But I can give you my phone number and they can get a hold of me because I have petitions.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

Okay. Give us your phone number twice.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Uh 928-241-0042. Again, that's 928-241-0042.

SPEAKER_04 22:52

Okay, again, Robert Black, City Councilman in Holebrook, if you would like to get some petitions for signing. And and it would be really cool to do a count as we're going along in the next couple of weeks of about how many signatures are in. So maybe we'll look forward to that, right?

SPEAKER_03 23:10

Yes, that would that would be awesome. See how hard we need to keep pushing. So yeah, we do have a uh a minimum threshold of signatures we're trying to get well that we need to get it to get it on the ballot.

SPEAKER_04 23:21

So Okay, good. All right, and and one thing I wanted to add to, we are still hoping and praying that Apache comes through on this that they get their ordinance thing started, because I'd hate to see a lot of these projects then just flood into Apache, right? Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 23:39

Okay, so if you have friends in Apache, yeah, call them and say, guys, these are minimal ordinances. And again, these ordinances that you're signing, I just want to tell you, we've mirrored coaches and these other counties. They're minimal that won't be sued and thrown out. I mean, they're they're minimal. They're some they're they're just common sense ordinances, and it's a citizens ordinance, and uh a lot of people will be signing petitions. So uh we sure appreciate all the good work you guys are doing.

unknown 24:07

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 24:08

We appreciate you.

SPEAKER_03 24:10

Yeah, thank you for your support.

SPEAKER_04 24:11

Right, and there probably will be these petitions out at um events and all kinds of things going on all through Navajo County. So again, if you are in Navajo County, call the White White Mountain Women's Committee, White Mountain Republican Women's Committee, or get a hold of Robert Black, and there's a lot of other people you can get. If you're online, you can see Stop Lava Run. There's different things that are also sharing the Navajo part, even though Apache's not involved yet. But if you want to sign a fake signature, you'll probably be able to find a place and look for those signs that big bold letters stop, wind, and solar. And it's not again, it's not stopping them. It's just like soil testing and basic things that they need to do. Remediation, you know, so they don't leave the land just hideous for time and all eternity for our children, right? That's right. Okay. All right, and uh we so appreciate you guys. Tisha, Carlisle and um and uh Robert Black, and we appreciate you guys calling in, okay? Good luck to you.

unknown 25:14

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 25:15

Okay, thank you so much. You guys have a great evening. And everybody you're listening to iTalk 1067 FM, the voice of the mountain. I have a great story about a gal, Whitney. You're gonna want to hear this. Keep it right here. I talk 1067 FM, the voice of the mountain.