As you’re traveling along Highway 40 in Vernal be sure to notice a new community member that is watching the comings and goings of us all! The Chamber of Commerce has a new green dinosaur in front of their building and they would love some help giving this new friend a name.
In our struggle to help the Basin survive these trying times new ideas are needed. If you feel that you have some ideas that could renew, refresh, or otherwise help the economy of the Basin there is an opportunity for you. Uintah County is looking for 5 board members that are willing to serve on the County Economic Development Advisory (CED) Board.
All are asked to be on the lookout for crooks. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, oil and gas producers in the Uintah Basin are seeing an increase in theft and vandalism at their well sites.
Utah as a whole may be categorized in the ‘Orange-Moderate Risk Phase’ of the Utah Leads Together plan to slowly reopen the state’s economy but leaders in northeastern Utah are ready to move ahead.
A historic drop in oil prices has only added to the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the future remains unsure, there has been at least one positive announcement with the potential to help the the energy industry move in the right direction in the future.
Roosevelt City wants to help local businesses get through this difficult time. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, the City is working with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to offer BEAR sub-grants of up to $1,000 dollars for Roosevelt City businesses that have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of today, Dinosaur National Monument is beginning to increase recreational access for visitors. “Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Dinosaur National Monument is increasing recreational access,” shares their announcement.
Many are thrilled as services around the community slowly reopen and plenty will be happy about the following announcement. The Duchesne and Roosevelt branches of the Duchesne County Library System are preparing to open on Monday, May 18th.
Law enforcement agencies in the region, including the Daggett County Sheriff’s Office, are urging travelers to NOT pick up hitchhikers. “Don’t do it,” shares Daggett County Sheriff Erik Bailey. “Although it may seem like a nice gesture, you could be putting your life in jeopardy.” The warnings were issued throughout the region after the Sheriff out of Rawlins, Wyoming shared that at 6:22am on May 11th, the Wyoming Carbon County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a suspicious vehicle in the roadway with an unresponsive subject in the back seat on County Road 215. Wyoming Highway Patrol responded and found a male with a fatal gunshot wound in the chest. Carbon County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a person of interest in the case, a juvenile named Marcos Esteban Garza Calderon. He is 5’6”, 130 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. He is considered possibly armed and dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to call 307-324-2776. As for Daggett County Sheriff Erik Bailey’s warning: if you pass a hitchhiker in northeastern Utah, note their location and call Central Dispatch at 435-789-4222 and a deputy will go check on them.
One of our local teachers has been selected as a recipient of the 2020 UEA Excellence in Teaching Award. Marsha Curtis teaches sixth and seventh grade social studies at the Vernal Middle School. In a video highlighting her nomination on PBS Utah, it is clear that her learning experience starts with caring about the students first.