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KNEU 1250Congressman Rob Bishop is hitting the road for a series of town hall meetings in Utah’s 1st Congressional District this week and Vernal is his first stop. Bishop says he reads the emails and letters he receives from constituents.
The driver of a semi involved in a crash that killed a Duchesne County man and paralyzed a Salt Lake County woman in 2017 has been sentenced to jail. 37-year-old Nathaniel Bone was charged last December with 2nd degree felony Automobile Homicide, Negligence Use of a Handheld Wireless Device and Misdemeanor Use of a Handheld Device While Driving.
The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office closed down Taylor Mountain Road for periods of time over the weekend as they conducted an investigation. On Friday, the Sheriff’s Office announced a temporary road closure that took place from 4 to 8pm during which crews worked to retrieve a vehicle that had been found in a ravine on the face of Taylor Mountain.
Whatever your feelings on the matter, it’s back to school time! In Uintah School District, registration for all schools except Uintah High School is going on today from 9am to 3pm. For any students who attended a school in Uintah School District last year, registration for classes can be taken care of online at sis.uintah.net. Back to School Nights for all elementary schools except Lapoint Elementary will be held on August 16th. 6th Grade Orientation for Uintah Middle School will be August 14th and 7th and 8th Grade Back To School Night will be August 15th. Vernal Middle School will have 6th Grade and New Student Open House on August 16th. Uintah High School will have Freshman Orientation on August 16th. Those with questions for the Transportation Office can call 435-781-3180. Today is also the last day for the Back To School Immunization Clinic at the Vernal Middle School from 8am to 4:30pm. For more Uintah School District Back to School information, visit uintah.net.
Once again Duchesne County set the bar for having fun and enjoying summer adventures. The Duchesne County Passport Party was held at the Centennial Event Center in Duchenne City on Wednesday, August 8th, with a great turnout.
The Bear Trap Fire, located in a remote area of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, has been tricky for firefighters on multiple levels but progress is slowly happening. On Wednesday afternoon, firefighters were able to safely engage a small portion of the fire directly with the assistance of a Type 3 helicopter. According to the BIA Forestry & Wildland Fire-Uintah & Ouray Agency, firefighters limited growth as the fire backed down an aspen covered ridge. The helicopter was able to drop buckets of water to cool the fire’s edge as the firefighters worked. The Bear Trap Fire’s total acreage was last reported at 2,152 acres.
The start of the elk and deer hunts are coming up next week and Utah Fire Info is reminding hunters that there are closures in effect in parts of the forest. “Due to active fire and ongoing firefighting operations associated with the Dollar Ridge Fire, the Ashley National Forest closure order for Timber Canyon Road and Reservation Ridge Road is still in effect,” shares Utah Fire Info. “These road closures are NOT expected to be lifted before the start of the elk and deer hunts on Saturday, August 18th. Hunters should plan accordingly.” Timber Canyon Road is closed beyond the Forest Service boundary due to the fire burning there. The road is open from the Strawberry River Road in Duchesne County south to the Forest Service boundary. Reservation Ridge Road remains closed north of the junction with the White River Road.
Uintah High School Theatre has announced an ambitious and exciting lineup for their 2018-2019 production season. They kick things off in the fall with Smokey Joe’s Cafe in the high school’s Little Theatre as renovations continue in the auditorium.
The Uintah Basin Shrine Club Annual BBQ is an opportunity to help children in need. The event marks 61 years of helping the Shriners’ Hospitals for Children in Salt Lake City. Clinics are held every year in the Basin in which children in need are selected to receive medical care at no cost to them or their parents.
Christmas for many locals kicks off by attending the Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus Christmas concert the first Saturday of every December. The magic of that event starts many months before with auditions that are currently underway through August 15th. The process is simple and includes submitting an audition video.
Many firefighters around the state, region, and beyond are staying busy moving from one fire to the next. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, pilots flying UH-60 Black Hawks from the Utah National Guard 211th Aviation Battalion are currently helping with firefighting efforts on the Dollar Ridge Fire as well as the Coal Hollow Fire in Utah County.
A fire that started on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation on July 21st remains at zero percent containment. The Bear Trap Fire started on a ridge just north of Bear Trap Knoll, west of Big Springs in a very remote area. It was inaccessible by vehicle but helicopters immediately began to work on the fire.