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KNEU 1250In the fall of 2018, the students of Union High School will be transferring to a brand new building across the street. According to Superintendent David Brotherson, the capacity of the school is 1,600 students, doubling the amount of students compared to the old high school.
Local Utah Highway Patrol is urging Basin families to be prepared for safe travels during the Thanksgiving holiday. “Everyone check the air pressure in their tires for safety and prepare for cold weather emergencies,” shares UHP Sgt. Kellie Oaks.
Unemployment numbers by County show a positive trend for the Uintah Basin. While still in the higher end of the state averages, County unemployment rates in Uintah and Duchesne County continue to decrease. Duchesne County went down by two-tenths of a percent from 5.4 to 5.2 percent while Uintah County decreased from 5.8 to 5.6 percent unemployment.
The Vernal City Council meeting last week included final approval on a refinance of higher interest bonds to a lower interest rate. During a council meeting this fall, the City secured municipal financial advisor, Zions Public Finance, to prepare all documents necessary to issue the bond resolution and the council had given the approval to move ahead.
The Division of Wildlife Resources is recommending more black bear hunting permits and public input is welcome. According to DWR biologists, the black bear population is doing extremely well in Utah with the number of black bears almost tripling in the last 20 years. The number of permits issued this past season gave hunters a chance to take 758 black bears in the state and for the upcoming season biologists are recommending that 860 permits be issued.
Hearts were full and pocketbooks open at the 2017 Enchanted Forest Auction held Thursday, November 16th at the Crossroads Community Center in Roosevelt. The event, hosted by the Roosevelt Rotary Club and Duchesne County Chamber of Commerce, welcomed over 250 people.
The Uintah Impact Mitigation Special Service District will soon be in need of a new Executive Director with the announcement that current director Paul Hacking has accepted the position as the next President of Tooele Technical College beginning January 1st, 2018. The primary purpose of the Uintah Impact Mitigation Special Service District is to support higher education efforts within Uintah County. Since Hacking became the Executive Director over 6 years ago, the District has orchestrated the Uintah County Resident Scholarship Program, worked closely with USU and UBTech supporting the building of the Nursing program, supported the USU air quality research efforts, and assisted with building over a dozen different educational programs. Moving forward, the Impact District Board of Directors has stated that they plan to consult with their higher educational partners and take the time necessary to consider the abilities, education, and experience required of the next Executive Director. “The Board intends to move forward in a prudent and strategic manner in order to build upon its successes of the past and to continue its specific role of supporting higher education in our County.” After this process, they plan to begin a public search for the next Executive Director.
New data is out from the Department of Workforce Services showing that Utah’s economy remains strong. The nonfarm payroll employment for October 2017 grew by an estimated 2.7 percent, adding 39,400 jobs to the economy since October 2016, bringing employment levels in the state to 1,492,600. The state unemployment continues to slowly drop with October’s rate landing at 3.3 percent, down one-tenth of a percent from September. National unemployment also decreased by one-tenth of a percent to 4.1 percent. “Employment trends in Utah have moderated slightly but continue to show notable expansion,” shares DWS Chief Economist Carrie Mayne. “Unemployment remains low, indicating that opportunities for employment are meeting the needs of job seekers.” Updated unemployment rates by county will be released this week.
A pair of Duchesne County Jail inmates are facing charges of Forcible Sexual Abuse following an instance within the jail involving two additional inmates. 30-year-old Zhondee Spring Nephi, who was arrested in connection with the August 23rdhomicide of Sukakee Manyhides, and 21-year-old Letha Beston, who is being held for a weapons offense charge, are each charged with two counts of second-degree felony Forcible Sexual Abuse and Nephi is also charged with third-degree felony Assault By A Prisoner.
Scammers rarely stick to one area and the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office is warning of two new scams in local circulation for folks to be aware of throughout the region. One scam involves a bogus ‘eviction notice’ that is being emailed and purports to be from the ‘Rock Springs Sheriff’s Office.’ Within the email is an attachment for more information on the phony eviction.
Utah’s 1st congressional district which includes northeastern Utah is set to benefit from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week. According to Representative Rob Bishop, 71,033 taxpayers in the 1st District claim the child tax credit which will now be increased from $1,000 dollars per child to $1,600 dollars per child.
Two Uintah High students have been commended for high test scores. Emily Semadeni and Heidi Daniel were both recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. for their performance on the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Heidi and Emily were presented with their awards at a school assembly this year.