Month: February 2020

The Rifle mother whose 5-year-old daughter died after drinking water contaminated with methamphetamine is now charged with first-degree murder, an upgrade from the original charge of child abuse resulting in death. The mother, 26-year-old Stephanie Alvarado, as well as her cousin 27-year-old Daniel Alvarado and friend Bertha Ceballos-Romo, were together at a residence on the night in December that 5-year-old Sophie Larson passed away. According to court documents, Sophie had gone to bed around 10:30 pm but had gotten up and asked her mother for a drink.

School can get a bit overwhelming for our kids and they might need some extra help. One resource to consider in helping is the Homework Helpers at the Uintah County Library. This is a partnership of the Library and the Foster Grandparents from the Uintah Basin Association of Governments. The Homework Helpers will meet on Saturday to provide help for students in Kindergarten to 12th grade. Students needing help can sign up on the library events calendar or just walk in and sign up at the door. If the child is under 9 years old they must remain with their adult and the students are in charge of bringing their homework and reading materials.

Nutrition has a big influence on the school performance of our children. The Duchesne County School District has just released a new tool to help parents optimize menus and nutrition at the school. There is a new mobile app for the schools lunch menu. The “Web Menus” will feature interactive nutritional menus with nutrition information, item description, item menus, and item allergens. There will be PDF documents, the ability to link to an online payment provider, as well as link to the nutrition services website and an information section entitled “All About School Lunch”.

When I first read the 19th-century novel Jane Eyre as a teen, I idolized the heroine’s granite integrity. Despite a childhood of neglect and abuse, Jane grows into a warm and generous woman. When offered her first and likely only opportunity for love and family, she declines in deference to her virtuous fortitude. In our contrasting 21st century, “steadfastness” is not a popular aspiration. Character development as a whole has been replaced by sheer ambition. Life is spent in the pursuit of having it all, not being it all. I wondered, will a story that revolves around a supposedly “outdated” moral constitution hold up as a contemporary play?

The three juveniles that ran away from Cedar Ridge Academy in Duchesne County and were found safe on Tuesday have been booked into the Split Mountain Youth Detention Center in Vernal.”Investigators have determined that after running away from the private residential treatment center, the trio broke into a motorhome parked on private property at some point on Monday, February 24th,” shares the Sheriff’s Office. “It is believed the teens remained inside the motorhome until shortly before noon on Tuesday, February 25th.

Saturday was a tragic day in Rio Blanco County as two lives were lost in a fire. According to the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, a 9-1-1 call came in at approximately 8:00 pm on February 22nd that there was a cabin engulfed in flames. “The cabin [is accessible] by snowmobile only off of Rio Blanco County Road 14,” shares the Sheriff’s Office. Initial reports were that two people escaped and sought help while two people were likely caught in the fire and unable to escape.

There is still a bit of snow on the ground and so spring cleaning might not be in mind quite yet, but Roosevelt City isn’t waiting. Roosevelt City has announced that from April 25th to May 2nd residents can dump for free at K&K Sanitation. It is a perfect chance to clean up your own yard or find service opportunities around the city. As the free dump days get closer the city will release more information such as what is allowed at the dump and any restrictions.