Month: December 2019

While this is a busy time of year, getting tickets for the family to see Uintah High School’s production of ‘Elf The Musical’ will be absolutely worth it. “‘Elf The Musical’ is based on the popular Christmas movie featuring Buddy the Elf,” shares Uintah Theatre Director Christopher Piner. “In fact, I would say it’s even better than the movie. All of the quotable lines are in the show and a bunch of really awesome songs.” The show stars Devin Reynolds as Buddy, Dane Smith as Santa, Abigail Spainhower as Jovie, and Gus Scott as Walter Hobbs. While the entire cast has put the work in to deliver a fantastic show, Reynolds as Buddy is especially perfect in his iconic role.

It is an unfortunate reality that scams and thefts occur year round yet some people are inclined to let their guard down during the Christmas season. Law enforcement throughout the region have warned community members to be watchful and wise by not leaving out property or packages on porches as well as being sure of who you are donating to when asked. The Rangely Police Department is adding a new warning to the list, this time giving the public and businesses a heads up to be on the look out for counterfeit bills as they are currently circulating through the area.

The warnings and dangerous conditions were not enough to deter some adventurers in southern Wyoming over the weekend who are now especially grateful for a new specialized piece of equipment recently acquired by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office. On the evening of November 29th, Sweetwater County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of four vehicles stranded on top of White Mountain in blizzard conditions. Wind speeds were estimated at 60 to 70 miles per hour with gusts as high as 80 miles per hour. To make matters worse, two of the vehicles were actually off the roadway near the edge of the mountain and the winds were causing the vehicles to slide down the mountain.

Craig City Council is moving forward following the arrest and subsequent vacancy of former council member Brian MacKenzie. Craig Daily Press reports that the Council appointed Craig native Ryan Hess to fill the vacant seat. 48-year-old Brian Paul Mackenzie was arrested on October 11th for the crimes of Internet Luring of a Child, Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and Criminal Attempt Sexual Assault on a Child. In the aftermath, MacKenzie submitted a letter of resignation from the Craig City Council at which point the City began accepting letters of interest from community members.

Opioids are a real danger to all communities but has definitely hit the Uintah Basin community hard. While there is a great deal of effort and expense to battle this epidemic on both a federal and state level, it is the community that is looking to educate this week. The Utah State University County Extension is hosting a free Naloxone training event. The event plans to educate the community to the dangers of opioids and to try to reduce the number of overdoses related to them. Those that attend the event will learn how to administer Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, and then they will receive a e rescue kit to take home.

The Uintah School District has announced the appointment of a new business administrator to replace Scott Ruppe who resigned from the district, effective at the end of December. In a press release issued Wednesday morning, the Uintah School District announced that, pending board approval, Jason Johnson has been appointed to the business administrator position.