The 4th of July is celebrated as the birth of our nation. Locally, the 4th also doubles as the birthday for local celebrity Dippy. For those that don’t know, Dippy represents the original fossils of the Diplodocus that is at the Utah Field House of Natural History.
There’s no need to choose between the fun opportunities offered in Duchesne County on the 4th of July. In order to support the Neola parade that starts at 10am, Roosevelt City has pushed back their start time on the Redmud Run from early morning to 11:30am. Neola’s 4th of July Celebration includes a 5K run, co-ed volleyball tournament, the parade followed by a patriotic program, and the rodeo that night at 7pm.
Officials have returned from a special visit to the northwest which was in support of the proposed Jordan Cove LNG project in Coos County, Oregon. Uintah County Commissioner Bart Haslem shares that it is hopeful the project will move along and could be completed within 4 years. The project proposes to build a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export terminal in an Oregon bay approximately 7 miles from the entrance of a federally controlled and maintained navigational channel used for international trade.
If you’ve been thinking there is an excessive amount of mosquitoes this year, you’re not crazy. Mosquito Abatement District Director Kirk Robbins confirms that this is a bad year for mosquitoes as well as gnats thanks to the extra wet winter and spring. Mosquito abatement workers are continually working to treat sources and combat the mosquito population.
If you’ve bought some fireworks to enjoy, you only have one day to wait. Allowed fireworks can be discharged between the hours of 11am and 11pmfrom July 2nd through the 5th and July 22nd through the 25th.
Calling scouts of all ages! All scouters past and present are invited to show their patriotism and march in the Vernal 4th of July Parade on Thursday. This invitation is extended to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Packs, Troops, Crews, the Order of the Arrow, and volunteers. This force of Scouters will carry a 60 foot flag down Main Street behind the color-guard and then the group will raise the flag in front of the Uintah County building.
The 4th of July holiday is a popular time to recreate on water each year and the Bureau of Land Management in Utah has some safety reminders for the public. First, beware that slow moving rivers may appear to be safe but can still have strong currents and undertows.
Duchesne County libraries have big news to share. Starting today, there will no longer be late fees charged to patrons. Duchesne County is following in the footsteps of Uintah County that made the same change this Spring. Uintah County cited that one reason for stopping late fines is that the cost of collecting, receipting and depositing is more than what is collected in the end. Duchesne County announced their change in policy last week. One thing that’s important to understand is that it is still required to return items when they are due and patrons will not be able to check out more items until previously checked out items are turned in. Also, fines will still be assessed for lost and damaged library items.
Roosevelt City is spreading the word that travelers can expect to be impacted by upcoming UDOT construction. “The Utah Department of Transportation will be improving an 11-mile section of Highway 40 stretching from the intersection at West 2000 South in the Roosevelt industrial park to approximately 9000 East in Gusher,” shares Roosevelt City.
Headline: “Theater Family Shies Away From Spotlight!” An enigma, yes, but such describes the Litton family. Ron and Jo Ellen Litton became involved in the Outlaw Trail Theater in the early 90’s, their role growing as the theater took on progressively more ambitious performances. Since the year 1999, when Outlaw Trail presented its first Broadway show, the couple have been the engine underneath the hood of every production.