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KNEU 1250The majority of Utah employers, including those in rural eastern Utah, are expected to see a reduction in their unemployment insurance tax rates for the 2018 calendar year. The Utah Unemployment Insurance Division announced on Wednesday that in 2018, more than 75 percent of Utah’s established employers will qualify for the minimum contribution rate of approximately $34 dollars per employee per year.
November marks 11 years since Uintah County Sheriff’s Detective Kevin Orr lost his life while on duty during a search and rescue mission. Detective Orr was organizing a search and rescue effort from the sky on November 22nd, 2006, when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed into the Green River and his life was lost. Last year during a special ceremony remembering his passing, Uintah County Sheriff Vance Norton retired Detective Orr’s call number Sierra 7 and his badge number 223. “Kevin’s name will remain on [the Sheriff’s Office] roster so we never forget him for the sacrifice he made to help others and to always show respect to the Orr family,” shared Sheriff Norton during that ceremony in 2016. Orr passed away when he was just 34 years old. He is remembered as a man devoted to his wife and four young children.
The Duchesne County Chamber of Commerce is at it again, once again offering an old fashioned Christmas for deserving children. “The Chamber works with local agencies, businesses, and others to make sure children can wake up Christmas morning to some beautiful new items, certain to delight any child,” shares Chamber Director Irene Hansen. “The generosity of the community, businesses, and families is so overwhelming and allows the program to help over 125 families every year.”
A fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshals as a federal parolee in a heroin death case was arrested Tuesday in Rock Springs. According to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, 30-year-old Darren Matthew Olsen was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2014 for his role in conspiring to possess and to distribute heroin in the Sweetwater County area that ultimately resulted in the overdose death of a local man.
The 1st annual Naples City Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony was a huge success Tuesday night. 500 people gathered on the newly landscaped Naples City Plaza next to the City Offices waiting for Santa to arrive and for the tree to be lit up. Mayor Baker welcomed the crowd with an emotional message about celebrating the Christmas season and the birth of Jesus Christ.
TriCounty Health is urging Basin residents to take flu prevention seriously. TriCounty Health nurse Katie Kissel is encouraging residents to get the flu shot before the season hits hard. Flu season has been mild so far, shares Kissel, with the only hospital reports so far of elderly patients. The CDC recommends fighting the flu by getting the flu vaccine every year and taking preventative actions like washing hands and cleaning surfaces.
Thanksgiving weekend included countless opportunities to ring in the holidays with fun and activities during Holly Days. The Holiday Fair held at the Uintah Conference Center brought its own very special Christmas feeling with its display of a live nativity scene. The beautifully simple production ran throughout the day on Friday and Saturday with different actors and volunteer families playing the silent roles while narration of the Christmas story played.
It’s time to gather your family and put your elf hats on. Trees for Santa’s Community Effort will soon be on display at Davis Food and Drug and Walmart in Vernal. Effort coordinator Brian Gorum says the act of buying gifts for local children in need has become a tradition for many locals and thanks to their generosity, around 350 children will be blessed with some presents under the tree this Christmas that otherwise would not have been there.
The Bill Barrett Corporation has announced the sale of its remaining assets located in the Uintah Basin for cash proceeds of approximately $110 million dollars. Bill Barrett Corporation is headquartered in Denver and develops oil and natural gas in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. The announcement, made November 20th, states that the company entered into an agreement with unaffiliated third parties to sell the remaining non-core assets in northeastern Utah.
The Uintah Conference Center was packed Monday night for the 19th annual Trees for Charity auction gala. It was a record breaking year with 450 tickets sold for the dinner and event. The grand total for the 40 trees auctioned off for local charities was $194,000 dollars and that isn’t counting the additional donations and silent auction items yet to be tallied. Half the trees went for $4,000 dollars or more and many were auctioned multiple times. The tree to benefit 4-year-old Jade Cooper of Vernal, who was recently diagnosed with Leukemia, was bid on three times for a combined donation of $11,200 dollars. A tree benefitting 20-year-old Karleigh Martin who is battling ovarian cancer took in a total of $12,300 dollars in donations. The tree to benefit Angie Earl, a mother of four diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer this year, took in the most donations with 7 generous bidders giving a combined donation total of $31,100 dollars. “This has been such an amazing year,” shares Trees for Charity Chairman Josh Harbison. “We have an amazing community that, even when things are tough, come out and help families that really need it.” The grand total of donations gathered will be announced by Friday. Photo credit: Trees for Charity Facebook page
Uintah County and local city officials metMonday afternoonwith the future of the BTA, the Basin Transit Authority, among the agenda items discussed. Vernal City Manager Quinn Bennion says Vernal City clearly requested that the Uintah Transportation Special Service District be the funding agency for BTA in Uintah County.
Utah legislature’s 2017 interim committees have wrapped up their meetings for the year, shares Senator Kevin Van Tassell, and many items were explored. One of the topics of local importance is consideration of fireworks restrictions.