Kids making their way to East Elementary School will have an easier, safer time thanks to the new sidewalk project now underway. The Roosevelt Bulletin shares that the city received just under $100,000 dollars in grant funding from UDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program.
Locals turned out to support an important cause Friday night at the Vernal Rescue Run. The annual 5K raises funds to donate to Operation Underground Railroad, an organization of modern day abolitionists who free children from trafficking around the world.
Vernal City Council approved an agreement last week with a small residential recycling company named Recyclops that will allow citizens to opt in to curbside recycling in Vernal City limits. For those that opt in, the recycling service will be added on the utility bill at a monthly rate of $10 dollars for twice a month pickup.
While boating is still allowed in the reservoir, the Steinaker Dam repair project is getting underway. “Boaters please be aware of the buoys that have been placed near the dam,” shares Steinaker State Park. “The area beyond them is restricted, no vessels are allowed. There is still water in the reservoir but water levels are dropping fast so boat at your own risk.
Flash flooding south of the Dollar Ridge Fire burn scar stranded people and flooded properties on Sunday but thankfully little permanent damage was done. The stranded group included 30 adults, 13 kids and many pets at Camelot and about a dozen more people in the Timber Canyon area. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, the county building official found that no serious structural damage was done to the properties in the Strawberry Pinnacles and Camelot areas. Property owners with crawl spaces in properties were advised to be sure to adequately dry the areas to avoid future issues. The most permanent damage caused by the flooding was to the Strawberry River Road which was closed indefinitely due to road damage. Flash floods and debris flows are expected to continue to be a hazard in the area due to the Dollar Ridge Fire burn scar.
Thankfully there were no fatalities in a head on collision that involved three pickup trucks on US-191 north of Vernal on Tuesday afternoon. According to Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Brett Gehring, the crash occurred near Milepost 358 at the turn off to Moonshine Arch.
Multiple wildfires are burning on the Ute Indian Reservation. According to the ‘BIA Forestry & Wildland Fire – Uintah & Ouray Agency’, the West Wildhorse Fire started on Thursday and is located about 70 miles south of Fort Duchesne in the Wildhorse Basin area east of the Green River/Desolation Canyon. On Saturday, the Incident Commander reported the wildfire as 75 percent contained.
It took a team of agencies to help a group of people to safety after flash flooding in Duchesne County on Sunday. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, a group of 50 people found themselves trapped by fast moving water and debris on Sunday afternoon in an area south of the Dollar Ridge Fire burn scar.
It’s been a difficult few days on Duchesne County roads with two fatal accidents in two days, the first one involving three motorcycles on SR-35 that resulted in three fatalities. According to Utah Highway Patrol, a fatal crash also occurred on Friday on SR-191 in Indian Canyon about 8 miles south of Duchesne.
There will be plenty of ways to celebrate Utah’s pioneer heritage on July 24th in the Vernal area. First, the annual scout breakfast will run from 6:30 to 9:30am at the Vernal City Park Colton Pavilion. Breakfast costs $3.00 dollars per person. The 24th of July parade will run down Vernal Main Street at 10:00am.