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KNEU 1250Sentencing for former UHP trooper Rex Olsen has been rescheduled. On August 8th, the Utah Attorney General’s Office charged Olsen with one count of Second-Degree Felony Arson as well as a second charge for placing a lighted item on a highway/wildland area, a class B misdemeanor.
A bill, sponsored by Senator Kevin Van Tassell, that would increase authority of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining is slowly working its way up the legislative ladder. SB191: State Regulation of Oil and Gas was approved by the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday and is now placed on the Senate’s 2nd reading calendar. “The idea behind this bill,” explains Senator Van Tassell, “is that the Oil, Gas, and Mining board will set the policy and control the oil and gas. In the state, we end up with conflicts between surface rights and other property but minerals are the dominant asset so if in some areas a city says they want to ban fracking, for example, this says that the state oil and gas governing agency gets to regulate those.” The bill was worked on by many in both Duchesne and Uintah Counties, says Van Tassell, and received the support of Commissioners wanting to see it passed. SB191 will now work its way up the board but there are plenty of bills waiting to be heard so, in the words of Senator Van Tassell, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
The Uintah Heritage Museum may soon have more offerings for young museum goers. During last week’s Museum Advisory Board meeting, a proposal was presented for an interactive children’s area to be implemented into the office area of the Museum.
Roosevelt City Manager Ryan Snow provided a review of 2017 in the Roosevelt City Bulletin. The following are among the highlights: The Roosevelt City Chip and Seal project covered 12 miles of the 40 miles of roads within Roosevelt and the budget is outlined to have all the roads repaired and resurfaced by 2022. Significant improvements were made to the city’s water and sewer infrastructure, utilizing funding that was 90 percent grants. Governor Gary Herbert visited Roosevelt last summer to declare Roosevelt a “Business Friendly City,” an honor which has only been given to 30 cities in the state. Roosevelt City launched a new website last year maintained with up to date information. They also increased transparency by providing live video feed of all public meetings on a YouTube channel. The city council did a thorough review of city laws to ensure that Roosevelt is compliant with state and federal laws. And the city retired more than $1 million dollars in debt, reducing the amount of interest the city was paying. With a successful 2017 in the books, City Manager Snow says the city is “optimistic about what 2018 will bring for our city and residents.”
It’s one thing to hear about the new Union High School, it’s something else to go and take a peak first hand. Simply put, the building and surrounding facilities is impressive. The $81 million dollar new school is on schedule and within budget, shares the building Superintendent.
2017 was an excellent year for the Uintah County Heritage Museum. An annual report was made during the Museum Advisory Board meeting last week stating that last year was the second largest year for cumulative visitation. The Museum gathers its data using a guest registry and was recorded as bringing in 14,578 visitors.
The Director of the USU Bingham Research Center, Dr. Seth Lyman, gave an update on Uintah Basin air quality during the Vernal Chamber luncheon on Tuesday. Addressing winter ozone has been a focus of local officials for several years, especially since the EPA standard for ozone was lowered to 70 parts per billion. This standard has pushed the Uintah Basin closer to the possibility of non-attainment. According to Dr. Lyman, there have not been any days of non-attainment so far this winter but non-attainment is based on a 3 year average and the average varies depending on what 3 years are used. Dr. Lyman says based on the latest information from the EPA it is likely that parts of the Uintah Basin will be in the Marginal Non-Attainment category, which is the lowest exceedance level. In Marginal Non-Attainment, ways would have to be found to reduce emissions including offsets for large emission sources. A final designation by the EPA, explains Dr. Lyman, will be made later this year.
The community is backing up a great cause in Duchesne County. The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office is selling raffle tickets for a whole pig with a freezer included. The proceeds are going to the Duchesne County K9 unit. Tickets can be purchased off a link on the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page or by calling 719-429-3551.
The Rifle Police Department has issued a disturbing warning. Over the past week, shares Rifle PD, residents in several Counties in Colorado have encountered an influx of bottles turning up on river banks. The bottles are encapsulated in duct tape and are filled with corrosive and flammable liquids.
Ashley Regional Medical Center has received yet another accolade. The hospital has been named one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. This list is based on the iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength Index that measures facilities across eight pillars of hospital strength.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office has not committed one way or another whether they will appeal a judge’s decision made last week in 8th District Court to dismiss a charge against a Duchesne County jail nurse. The charge of misdemeanor negligent homicide against 50-year-old Jana Clyde was dropped by 8th District Court Judge Lyle Anderson last Thursday. According to Utah Attorney General’s Office representative Cindy Reinhard, the Attorney General’s Office is “currently reviewing [the] decision and is evaluating all [their] options moving forward.” Nurse Clyde was charged in September by the Attorney General with Negligent Homicide, a class A Misdemeanor, in the death of Madison Jensen in the Duchesne County Jail on December 1st, 2016.
While there hasn’t been much of a winter so far this season, snow did come down in full force starting Sunday. Vernal City is reminding residents that effective snow removal requires their efforts in addition to the hardworking plows. “Vernal City snow crews are diligently plowing snow from the streets and spreading sand and salt,” shares Vernal City Manager Quinn Bennion, who reminds citizens that when new snow falls, it takes hours to reach all the city streets. “As we enjoy the winter weather and welcomed moisture,” Bennion continues, “there are a few reminders for businesses and residents as they clear their own driveways and sidewalks. Residents are encouraged to keep the areas around fire hydrants clear as well as the sidewalks and ADA ramps in front of their homes. Also residents should not push snow from their own driveways into the street.” Pushing snow into the street causes hazards for drivers and problems for the road crews.