Month: August 2017

Representative Rob Bishop spoke during the Uintah County Republican Organizing Convention last Thursday and provided an outlook on the happenings in Washington, D.C. “It’s not as bad as it seems,” shares Bishop. “We have passed more legislation in this President’s first 6 months than during any other administration but you don’t hear about that.” Bishop says he is looking forward to heading back to D.C. in September to continue work on what he calls extremely important issues that are moving forward like the Sportsman’s Bill that address gun rights as well as looking at monuments and the Antiquities Act. Bishop says he feels pressure to perform stating that this is not the first time there has been a Republican Senate, House and Presidency but it’s crucial that they don’t “screw it up” again. “We actually need to do things in statute,” shares Bishop, “and streamline the process so it can last beyond this Presidency.” Bishop also noted that there continues to be local land issues and that while it will take time to get there, he assured that “one way or another we will be successful.” 

A bank robber that has hit banks in Utah and across Idaho over the last year was caught trying to leave the country. The FBI had been warning the public of this serial bank robber for months when he made the mistake on August 7th of attempting a cash exchange at an Idaho bank without wearing a disguise. The bank denied the request and provided photographs of the individual’s face and his vehicle to law enforcement. The vehicle was the same that was photographed during a robbery at a credit union earlier that day. The FBI made the photographs of the individual public and two people positively identified the man as Josue Daniel Alfaro, the Great Outdoors Bandit. On Sunday, August 13th, Alfaro was arrested, pursuant to an arrest warrant for bank robbery, at the Los Angeles International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Brussels, Belgium. According to his brother, Mr. Alfaro lived in California but would travel to the family’s Utah residence during the time of the robberies.

One man is lucky to be alive after losing control of his motorcycle after failing to negotiate a curve on Mirror Lake Highway in Duchesne County. According to the Utah Highway Patrol, a man in his 60’s was traveling with a group of friends on Saturday near Milepost 30 on Highway 150 westbound when the motorcycle hit gravel on the shoulder and left the roadway to the right. “The male fell off the motorcycle towards the top of the hill but he fell approximately 150 feet,” shares the Highway Patrol. “The motorcycle continued to the bottom of the hill, approximately 200 feet.” The man did sustain various injuries but none were believed to be life-threatening. He was transported to University of Utah Hospital.

A highly anticipated improvement to Highway 40 is underway this week in Uintah County. Last December, UDOT announced plans to add a turning lane at the McCoy Flats turnoff on Highway 40 west of Vernal. The McCoy Flats turnoff was the site of a tragic fatal accident in the spring of 2016 that drew additional attention to the dangerous conditions in that area

Utah legislators are taking a closer look at where state money is being spent. Representative Scott Chew gave a report during the Uintah County Republican Organizing Convention on Thursday explaining that it had appeared that the state was spending just to spend rather than being guardians of funds.