Month: January 2020

Lane Frost captured the attention of the bull riding world by becoming the 1987 World Champion in bull riding. He became known to the world through the movie ‘8 Seconds’. Unfortunately, he tragically died after a successful ride when a bull turned on him. Lane grew up locally on a Lapoint farm. In his memory, the Lane Frost Challenge was established in 2001 here in Vernal. By 2009 the challenge had 10 events throughout Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota which included Professional Bull Riding and Championship Bull Riding stops.

An intoxicated registered sex offender recently released from prison in Iowa and enroute to California was arrested in Vernal on Wednesday for a sexual assault that allegedly took place on the Greyhound bus he was traveling on. According to the arresting officer’s Affidavit of Probable Cause, the manager of the KFC restaurant in Vernal called police after the bus driver reported that a man on the bus had a bag of alcohol and had inappropriately touched a female passenger.

UBTech is mulling around some big ideas and are asking the public to share their opinions through a short online survey. On Wednesday, UBTech director of marketing and recruiting Stephanie Carter informed local media partners that UBTech is considering adopting a collegiate mascot and would like feedback prior to proceeding any further with this consideration. The survey can easily be accessed from the front page of www.ubtech.edu and it will be available until the end of the month. All feedback from community members is welcome, whether or not you are a student or community partner in some way.

The Vernal Utah Elks Lodge is thoroughly engaged in finding ways to help the Uintah Basin community. This Friday they are holding a Charity Poker Night to benefit Maren Collier. Maren has been diagnosed with Cervical Cancer and the good people of the Vernal Elks Lodge are inviting the community to join them in a night of fun that will benefit Maren as she pursues treatment. “This is our first event,” shares tournament coordinator Josh Pike. “If we get a good turnout I am hoping we could continue doing it once a month for other people in need.”

Uintah County Heritage Museum had many great displays during 2019. It looks like the museum will be continue that trend going into 2020 as they feature the traveling art show entitled, Eres Poderosx: You Are Powerful. The display is from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums and features eight different artists from eight different homelands. Izzy Fernandez, David Peralta, Ella Mendoza, Jorge Arellano, Veronica Perez, Andrew Alba, Lola Reyes and Melissa Alvarez are all featured with their own art inspired by heritage and experiences from all parts of Latin America.

The Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife 2020 banquet is coming up this weekend. The SFW has a mission to “promote the protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat, assist in providing quality wildlife management programs, educating the public about the role hunters play in wildlife conservation, and perpetuating the family tradition of hunting and fishing." SFW is made up of nearly 8,000 sportsmen and women, everyone from average hunters and influential celebrities to wildlife experts, firearm and ammunition manufacturers, taxidermists, guides and outfitters, working together to create a future for wildlife and for hunters.

The Uintah Basin has unique challenges that create unique perspectives. Local author, Tonya Murray, has one such perspective that she is now sharing with the world in her new book, Functioning Hot Mess. Tonya served the Basin as the Director of the Uintah and Daggett Counties’ Children’s Justice Center. The book helps individuals embrace their inner chaos and be enough in a world that is trying to say that they are not. Her belief is that “you are enough – right now, in this moment.

It's impossible to completely protect your kids from germs during the cold and flu season but there are things you can do that will help. Representing TriCounty Health on the topic, local school nurse Ashley Harrison says that the best way to make sure your child’s immune system is running at its best is to make sure they are getting plenty of sleep, good exercise, and nutritious food. Harrison acknowledges that it can be difficult to get kids to bed but that it is worth the effort because it is not only important for their physical health but their cognitive and emotional health as well.