Construction work continues on Highway 40 from West Roosevelt to Gusher. “Work this week will include continued removal and replacement of the pedestrian ramps alongside US-40,” shares UDOT. “Additionally, crews will begin to lower utilities in preparation for upcoming asphalt work. Starting Monday, July 29th, the inside lanes of US 40 will be closed in order to prepare for work on the utilities.
Sometimes it takes members of the community to identify a need and step up to help. The BTA bus system has many stops throughout Vernal but not many of them have benches, a fact that the man behind a new bench initiative began to notice more and more after a one-stop ride on the bus with his little girl.
Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office posted a warning on Thursday concerning the rainstorms that were to come over the weekend and it turned out it was justified. Deputies and county road crews spent Friday trying to help at least a dozen people get to safety after flash flooding resulted in a scary situation.
It is a lot of fun to put on firework displays for family and friends. It also comes with a responsibility to be safe above and beyond what is expected. Recent events are a reminder for the public to take the extra precautions. Luckily, the first incident did not cause any damage as fire crews and officers received a call from dispatch for a garbage can that was on fire in front of True Value. The other incident started about 12:30am on Saturday, July 26th.
The bodies of two fisherman at the center of a 10 day search were recovered on Sunday from Strawberry Reservoir. Brothers 70-year-old Jim Gardiner and 61-year-old Mark Gardiner were discovered missing on July 18th after 9-1-1 was called with a report of an unoccupied boat drifting near the shore of the reservoir with the boat motor still running.
Volunteers helped the Division of Wildlife Resources gather valuable data about the local hummingbird population on Saturday. According to DWR conservation outreach manager Tonya Kieffer-Selby, the event had about 81 attendees. “Today’s hummingbird banding by Terry Tolbert was a huge success!” shares Kieffer-Selby.
An early morning flight lesson ended in injury on Monday at the Vernal Regional Airport. According to the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, an 18-year-old female and her 27-year-old instructor were seriously injured when the Cessna 162 Skycatcher they were in stalled during takeoff.
Questions and community outcry have been present since word spread in April 2018 of serious claims of a sexting ring taking place primarily between Union High School student. In April of 2019, a year after the case began, Roosevelt Police Chief Rick Harrison reported that the sexting case was complete and that four juveniles had been referred for juvenile court.
Public scoping meetings concerning the proposed Uinta Basin Railway wrapped up last week, gathering input from multiple perspectives of the project. Starting on July 15th, the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis held 6 meetings in 5 days traveling 1100 miles, making stops in Fort Duchesne, Craig, Price, Roosevelt, Vernal, and ending Friday in downtown Salt Lake City. “There was a good mix of attendees at each of the meetings,” shares Tammy Champo, spokeswoman for the 7 County Infrastructure Coalition.
Grand Junction Police are asking for any leads on a 17-year-old girl who ran away from her Grand Junction home in April. The young woman’s name is Kalani Gardner. She is 5’2” tall, approximately 105 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.