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KNEU 1250The annual blue-green algal bloom has started at Matt Warner Reservoir. According to DWR Conservation Outreach Manager Tonya Kieffer-Selby, the Department of Environmental Quality is visiting Matt Warner today to assess the situation. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality answers frequently asked questions on their website.
A fire is burning south of Highway 40 near the Utah/Colorado border. According to the Uintah Basin Interagency Fire Center, the call came in on the West Raven Fire at 1:28pm on Wednesday. It is burning in grass, brush, pinion, and juniper 5 miles south of Highway 40 on the Old Bonanza Highway.
A field fire in Naples was quickly brought under control on Pioneer Day. According to Naples Fire Department, crews were dispatched to a field in the area of 1300 East 5800 Southat 9:04pm. Naples Fire arrived to a fire burning in grass and sage brush.
The Department of Workforce Services released the latest unemployment numbers this week and there’s been little change for local counties. Daggett County remains at 4.6 percent unemployment which is down from one year ago at 5.2 percent. Duchesne County ticked up a tenth of a percent to 4.6 percent, having been at 5.5 percent one year prior. Uintah County remained at 4.8 percent, down from 6 percent one year ago. State unemployment stayed at 3 percent from the month before and from 3.3 percent one year ago. National unemployment registered at 4 percent, which is also down from one year ago when it was at 4.3 percent. Utah’s private sector employment grew by 3.6 percent over the year, adding 44,200 positions to the economy. The largest private sector employment increases were in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities. Next was in Professional and Business Services.
Craig Police Department has asked the public to be on the lookout for a man wanted in contempt on multiple charges. 38-year-old Charles J. Lira is wanted for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals and Driving Under the Influence.
Vernal City Council approved an agreement last week with a small residential recycling company named Recyclops that will allow citizens to opt in to curbside recycling in Vernal City limits. For those that opt in, the recycling service will be added on the utility bill at a monthly rate of $10 dollars for twice a month pickup.
Thankfully there were no fatalities in a head on collision that involved three pickup trucks on US-191 north of Vernal on Tuesday afternoon. According to Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Brett Gehring, the crash occurred near Milepost 358 at the turn off to Moonshine Arch.
Flash flooding south of the Dollar Ridge Fire burn scar stranded people and flooded properties on Sunday but thankfully little permanent damage was done. The stranded group included 30 adults, 13 kids and many pets at Camelot and about a dozen more people in the Timber Canyon area. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, the county building official found that no serious structural damage was done to the properties in the Strawberry Pinnacles and Camelot areas. Property owners with crawl spaces in properties were advised to be sure to adequately dry the areas to avoid future issues. The most permanent damage caused by the flooding was to the Strawberry River Road which was closed indefinitely due to road damage. Flash floods and debris flows are expected to continue to be a hazard in the area due to the Dollar Ridge Fire burn scar.
Kids making their way to East Elementary School will have an easier, safer time thanks to the new sidewalk project now underway. The Roosevelt Bulletin shares that the city received just under $100,000 dollars in grant funding from UDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program.
While boating is still allowed in the reservoir, the Steinaker Dam repair project is getting underway. “Boaters please be aware of the buoys that have been placed near the dam,” shares Steinaker State Park. “The area beyond them is restricted, no vessels are allowed. There is still water in the reservoir but water levels are dropping fast so boat at your own risk.
Locals turned out to support an important cause Friday night at the Vernal Rescue Run. The annual 5K raises funds to donate to Operation Underground Railroad, an organization of modern day abolitionists who free children from trafficking around the world.
Multiple wildfires are burning on the Ute Indian Reservation. According to the ‘BIA Forestry & Wildland Fire – Uintah & Ouray Agency’, the West Wildhorse Fire started on Thursday and is located about 70 miles south of Fort Duchesne in the Wildhorse Basin area east of the Green River/Desolation Canyon. On Saturday, the Incident Commander reported the wildfire as 75 percent contained.