A recent Utah state law which was passed caused some concerns among National Parks. The new law allows street legal off-road vehicles (ORVS) on any roads open to cars. While an ORV that meets certain safety standards and requirements can be deemed “street-legal” and able to use the roads, it won’t include National Parks roads.
Around the same time that U.S. Senator Mitt Romney touted his approval that energy disbursements to the state of Utah were up again this year, Uintah County found that its piece of the pie has all but disappeared. During the October 21st Uintah County Commission meeting, the Commission approved the creation of a temporary budget officer whose job will be to help the county make a plan for managing the budgets of 6 Special Service Districts, whose budgets rely on mineral lease funds.
Normally things are slowing down around closing time at Walmart but that will not be the case tonight. The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday that a training exercise will take place overnight tonight in Vernal. “Law enforcement and EMS will conduct a training exercise at Walmart in Vernal beginning Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 11 p.m. and ending Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 6 a.m,” shares the Sheriff’s Office.
There were two lockdowns at Uintah High School on Friday. In the morning at around 10:20am, a lockdown drill took place. Uintah High School informed the community in advance that the lockdown drill would be taking place and that they may see additional law enforcement officers on campus during that time as part of the drill.
The mystic of dinosaurs has captured the imaginations of children and adults for centuries and an expert will be presenting on an exciting topic in our area tomorrow. Everyone has a favorite dinosaur and one of the most recognized is the Stegosaurus. The two rows of plates down its back with the spike tail creates a silhouette that any five year old can identify, but surprisingly there is still not a completely known reason for their famous plates, just several hypotheses.
Of all the Halloween events you participate in this week, this one may be the most unique. The topic of money can send a chill down any spine but a class being offered tonight is aimed at showing community members that handling your money shouldn’t be scary.
The state of Utah will be having a new governor and the race is on. One of the new candidates just launched his campaign a few weeks ago. Jeff Burningham will be having a Vernal Town Hall Meeting where you can get a feel for Burningham and see if you agree with his assessment that he would provide “game-changing leadership for Utah.”
Following the arrest last week of former Uintah High School teacher Rodd Repsher, the Uintah School District issued their own press release and statement on the arrest. Allegations were made in 2016 that Repsher had engaged in sexual activity with a 16-year-old student. A teacher reported seeing Repsher alone with the student pressed up against the girl and the same teacher reported that Repsher admitted, among other things, to kissing the student. The district placed Repsher on administrative leave the same day and he was subsequently terminated.
The BLM has a clear message about vandalism while also sharing their gratitude for those who step up to repair damaged facilities. “In the last few years, vandals intentionally damaged facilities around Doc’s Beach Recreation Area on multiple occasions,” shares the BLM. “Vandals spray painted graffiti, dumped trash, and cut fences on public land and the neighboring Rancher’s private land. The vandals drove through areas closed to vehicles, destroyed vegetation, and caused significant damage to the facilities at Doc’s Beach.
The Ute Tribe was honored at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday during the 6th annual “Ute Proud” game. University of Utah football was victorious over University of California 35 to 0. The Ute Tribe halftime performance has become an annual highlight for many fans of University of Utah Athletics. The “Ute Proud” campaign kicked off in 2014 as part of an agreement between the Ute Tribal Business Committee and the University of Utah.