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Saturday, September 10, 2016

New County Justice Court Judge Sought

Will Feelright
Cache Valley Daily
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com

Justice Court Judge Ross McKinnon has announced he will be leaving the bench at the end of the year, ending 23-years serving in Rich County.

Utah State Court’s communications director Geoffrey Fattah said applications are being accepted now to replace Judge McKinnon, who will retire on January 1.

Judge McKinnon was appointed Rich County Justice Court Judge in February 1993. He attended Utah State University and owns a cattle ranch in Randolph, where he has been a lifetime resident.

Fattah said applications to replace Judge McKinnon will be accepted through September 27. To be considered for a Justice Court judgeship, candidates must be at least 25-years-old, a citizen of the United States, a Utah resident for at least three-years, and have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. In addition, candidates must be a resident of Rich County—or an adjacent county—for at least six-months.

The annual salary range for the position is $8,000 to $12,000 with some benefits.

Fattah explained that Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three-to-five nominees to the Rich County Commission Chair William Cox within 45-days of its first meeting. Chairman Cox then has 30-days to make a selection. The candidate must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.

An application for judicial office form is available on the courts’ website (www.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs).

Ambulance Fees Will Not Be Increased

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, reporter
Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. September 7, 2016.  Kim Wilson, Rich County Ambulance, said that as of July 1, the County could increase ambulance rates to $933 per run from $700.  Wilson said that the Utah Ambulance Association noted that Rich County rates were the lowest in state. Not only that but Rich County has some of the longest runs in the state.
   
Wilson recommended leaving the rate as it is now but that it may change later.  She said, “So many areas have hospitals within a 20 minute range but we don’t.”  The ambulance drive to Logan about an hour away and then they have to drive back which makes an ambulance run about 2 ½ hours long.  In the summer, the ambulances run all day long.


There is no charge for an ambulance if they don’t transport.  The ambulance pays Medicare $30 per ambulance run whether or not the patient is on Medicare.   In addition to the $700 there is a $30 a mile charge.  Some insurances pay for ambulance service and others do not.  Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers ambulance services to or from a hospital, critical access hospital (CAH), or skilled nursing facility (SNF). Medicare covers and helps pay for ambulance services only when other transportation could endanger your health, like if you have a health condition that requires this type of transportation. But it may not pay for all of the ambulance costs.

The Commissioners voted to not raise ambulance fees.

Additional Funding For Bike Trail Expansion

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, reporter
Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. September 7, 2016.   A $74,000 Pathways Grant has been given to Rich County for more funding for the bike path.  Ultimately it is hoped that the bike trail will circle the lake.   Mitch Poulsen, Director, Bear Lake Regional Commission, advised  commissioners  about the Bear Lake Pathways Grant  Contract . Utah Division of Parks and Recreation gave the grant from the Rural Trails Program.
 
The segment of the pathway from First Point to Vista Grande will be extended 2500 feet. The county will do the digging and it will be covered with gravel.  However, it they can work with the contractors on the sewer line they may be able to put an down asphalt because the sewer line will be dug where the bike path would also be. 

On this small grant they do not have to comply to federal bike path standards and have until 2018 to complete the project.   Poulsen explained, “If we can wait for a year for the sewer line to go in then it will be to the county’s advantage because then we can put down asphalt.”


The Bear Lake Regional Commission has received money from many sources to build the bike trail and they will build it out as more money becomes available. Utah has been more aggressive than Idaho in creating trails and has more grant funding available. 

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Rich High School Announces he Homecoming Royalty for 2016


By Lonnie Kay, contributor
Rich Civic Times

First Attendant this year is Katie Carver, daughter of Jonathan and Emma Carver of Laketown, UT. She plays in the high school band and is part of the Rebelette Drill Team.

First Knight is Brennen Moldenhauer, son of Curtis and Rebecca Moldenhauer of Garden City, UT. Brennen runs on the cross country team and has been on the golf team. Brennen hopes that “everyone will find something to be involved in during homecoming and have a blast.”

The Queen this year is Melanie Lamborn, daughter of Dale and Wendy Lamborn of Laketown, UT. Melanie is a starter with the volleyball team, playing outside.

The King is Riley Ostler, son of Shawn and April Groll of Randolph, Ut. Riley plays cornerback and running back for the Rebels. His wish for this year’s homecoming is “to have a big win.”

Second Attendant is Kiarra Dalley, daughter of David and Lena Dalley of Garden City, UT. Kiarra is new to Rich High School and is a member of the Rebelette Drill Team.

Second Knight is Wyatt Mascaro, son of Sim and Camille Bell of Randolph, UT. He plays defense tackle on the Rebel football team.

Jesters this year are Leann Barker and Tyler Perelle. Leann is the daughter of Pat and Renae Barker of Randolph, UT. Tyler is the son of Tricia Perelle of Garden City, UT. Tyler plays defense tackle. Tyler wishes “for the world” this homecoming.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Musings Of A Muddled Male

The Importance of a Tether, and other Life’s Lessons
By Bob Stevens, The Muddled Male

       I was a young boy long before OSHA set out to eliminate every conceivable work-area hazard that government bureaucrats could dream up.  OSHA, for those of you unfamiliar with government acronyms, stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  What living in a pre-OSHA era meant to an inquisitive young boy growing up in Devils Slide was that by cutting across the swinging-bridge that spanned the river and walking half a mile to the east I could wander almost unnoticed through a whole cement plant full of fascinating and, admittedly, dangerous machinery.  By dangerous I mean buildings filled with crushers, rotating kilns, ball mills, giant rotating sprockets, trip hazards, high voltage electrical panels, fast moving belt-conveyers, chain bucket conveyers, and auger conveyers moving the product through the various stages of production used to make cement.  The ball mills constituted an especially attractive temptation for boys who were always looking for ammunition for their flippers.

       Part of the cement making process involved tumbling the product in a series of giant, rotating cylinders filled with the product plus heavy steel spheres.  Tumbled together long enough those heavy spheres would gradually crush the product into smaller and smaller particles as the product moved from mill to mill with each succeeding mill being filled with smaller and smaller diameter steel spheres until the product became fine dust.  The spheres in the last mill started out being approximately half inch in diameter, the perfect size for flipper ammunition.  In time the spheres would become pitted and deformed so that they were no longer round.  At that point they would be removed and replaced with new, round, steel spheres.  The worn spheres would then be piled on the floor to eventually be sent off to a refinery to be melted and turned back into smooth round spheres.  If, while wandering through the plant, we came upon a pile of small worn spheres we would load up our pockets with the best flipper-ammo a young man could ever hope to find.  Two pockets full of steel spheres required a really strong belt cinched really, really tight around a little boy’s waist just to keep his pants from falling down around his ankles.  But it was all worth it because not even a magpie could dodge the lop-sided steel projectile shot with careful aim by a little boy pretending he was on a big-game hunt.

       Across the railroad tracks and over the highway to the west, however, was peace and tranquility.  Just the opposite of the noisy, dusty, dangerous plant.  With a little climb one could be atop a mountain bench situated at the bottom of Powder Hollow and overlooking the town of Devils Slide.  The name Powder Hollow came from earlier times when the cement plant stored dynamite there for use in an annual blast to loosen additional raw materials from the mountain needed for the making of cement.  For me, the bench was the ideal take-off and landing field from which to fly my kite.  Not a store-bought kite, mind you, but one made by me out of scrap wood, kite string, newspaper, and glue made out of flour mixed with water and a little sugar.  The wind blew down through Powder Hollow and across the bench toward the town.  If I made the kite correctly with a properly designed tail and enough kite string I could launch the kite and fly it across the highway and the railroad tracks to float above the town a quarter of a mile away.

       I learned three very important life lessons from those experiences.  The first was that a strong belt cinched tightly around a boy’s waist may keep his pants up, but it won’t keep the steel spheres from wearing a hole in his pocket and dropping onto the ground like Hansel and Gretel crumbs to help him find his way home where he is about to get a” whupping.”  The second was that if I ever expected to make a second kite I had better clean up the saw dust from cutting the kite sticks for the first kite and hang my dad’s rip-saw back on its special nail if I ever wanted to use his tools again.


       The third and most important lesson was that if a kite doesn’t have a tether it will simply flutter and fall instead of rising when the wind blows.  So young people and husbands, listen up.  Those rules that you think are holding you back and preventing you from having fun, might be there specifically to help you soar, at least that is what Ann, my wife, claims.

Peterson Hollow Fire 100% Contained

Thanks to the hard work from both firefighter crews and aerial support, the Peterson Hollow Fire has successfully been contained at 100%. Total acreage remains at 1,242. As of 6:00 AM today, a smaller Type 4 Incident Management Team has taken over management of the fire.

Area and trail closures on the Logan and Montpelier Ranger Districts will be rescinded Tuesday, September 6. Fire managers remind the public that while the fire perimeter is secure, there is still active fire in the interior. Firefighters will continue monitoring and controlling hot spots, and working on rehab. If you are traveling near the fire area, please drive slowly and cautiously. Public and firefighter safety still is our top priority.

The only closure that will remain in place is the Sink Hollow Trail. Due to fire activity in the area, there is high potential for falling trees. Therefore, forest managers have closed the Sink Hollow Trail, and it will remain closed until further notice for public safety. When practical, saw crews will clear dangerous trees along the trail. Forest managers will announce when the Sink Hollow Trail will be opened for use. For closure details visit the Inciweb page for the Peterson Hollow Fire at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4985/.

Fire investigators have determined the cause of the fire was an abandoned campfire in Peterson Hollow. Fire officials remind forest visitors that most wildfires are human caused, very expensive to put out, and completely preventable.

The kitten Marge, who was rescued by the Blue Ridge Hotshots near the fireline, has been successfully adopted by a local Forest Service employee’s family. Despite intense efforts to find the owner, no one came forward. Marge is thriving in her new home and loved by her adopted family.


The Northern Utah Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team would like to thank the public, cooperators, agencies, and everyone involved in fire management for the hard work in helping suppress this fire. Success was only achieved through the cooperative effort of all parties.






Find fire info:

Inciweb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4985/




For more information:

Logan Ranger District— 435-755-6320



Montpelier Ranger District— 208-847-0375

Sunday, September 4, 2016