Rich County Sheriff's Office Incidents in March 2026

Traffic Accident w/ Damage 5 

 Traffic Accident, w/ Injuries 1

 Intrusion Alarm 5 

 Alcohol Offense 1

 Agency Assistance 1 

 Citizen Assist 5

 Attempt to Locate Person 1

 Attempt to Locate Vehicle 3

 Controlled Substance Problem 1 

 Civil Dept. assist 10 

 Citizen Dispute 1 

 Domestic Violence 1

 Fingerprints 1 

Smell of Smoke/No Flames 1

 Found Property 1

 Fraud 2 Harassment 1

 RCSO Jail Booking 3

 Found Child 1

 Lost Property 1

 Medical 3

 Noise Problem 1

 Property Damage (all types) 2 

 Sex Offense 1 

 Sovereign Lands Issue 1

 Suspicious Drugs 1 

 Suspicious Incident 1 

 Suspicious Vehicle 1 

 Theft 1 

 Threats 1 

 Traffic Hazard 4

 Traffic Violation 1 

 Trespassing 1

 Dead Body 1 

 Utility Problem 1 

 Vehicle 1 

 VIN Number Inspection 8 

 Welfare Check 1

Total Incidents 77

Rich Jr. High Honor Roll 2025-2026 2nd Trimester

 6th 

Payson Argyle

Kate Bjoralt

Brooke Davis

Cheyenne Dyer

Emeline Eborn

Adalyn Floyd

Indiana Jones

Kaylee Linton*

Tatum Morse

Emmie Parry

Macky Payne

Amberly Pray

Myles Pugmire

Briscoe Robinson

Brecken Smith

Kinsley Stocking

Coulson Stringham*

Clay Stuart

Kaislee Stuart*

Brady Weston

7th Grade

Lane Bruce

Blakelee Call

Jaylee Davis*

Hayzee downing

Mila Haddock

MaKayla Holm

Josephine Kratsas*

Paisley Larsen*

London Mckee

Holden Scott

Emery Smith*

Carter Stacey*

Traiden Stuart*

Cooper Thornock*

Danee Wasden

Brody Weston*

Lee Weston*

Lola Wright

8th Grade

NICHOLAS BJORALT

KINLEY CHRISTENSEN

KARLI CROMPTON*

MAYLEE GLEAVE*

TRISTEN HILLIER*

WILL HOFFMAN

OAKLEY HUNTER*

PAISLEY HUNTER

ISABELLA JOHNSON*

JAXON LEAVITT

LONNA LEE

JOURNEE MORSE

CARSON NELSON

DURBIN PUGMIRE

ISAAC REES*

CHARLES SMITH*

THEOPHILUS STOCKING

QUINCY STOKES

LUCY STUART

ABIGAIL WAHLBERG

BERKELY WESTON*

CALGARY WESTON

REESE WHEELER*

*4.00 GPA

Laketown Town Council

 Notice is hereby given that the Town of Laketown Town Council will hold their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:00PM on Wednesday April 1, 2026, in the Laketown Town Office located at 10 North 200 East Laketown, Utah.

1.	CALL TO ORDER - MAYOR BRANDON WILLIS
2.	OPENING CEREMONY - TBD
3.	ROLL CALL
4.	APPROVAL OF AGENDA
5.	EXECUTVE SESSION (If needed. Public will be asked to leave the room and wait outside)
6.	APPROVAL OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES
7.	BUDGET REVIEW
8.	APPROVAL OF BILLS 
9.	ACTIVITY COMMITTEE - Chairman Heidi Hodges
10.	UPDATES FROM CLERK'S OFFICE (Lisa)
Continued discussion on Xpress bill pay/credit card payment
Utah League of Cities and Towns
Updated clearance form for Planning and Zoning
Filing cabinet for Planning and Zoning Commission
Office will be closed April 6-10, 2026, April 22-24, 2026, and May 4, 2026
2026-27 Fiscal year budget

The Town Council will not begin discussion on the following agenda items before 6:30 PM

11.	QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL: 
Any person wishing to comment on any item, not otherwise on the agenda, may address the town council at this point by addressing the mayor and town council and giving his or her name and address for the record. Comments should be limited to not more than three (3) minutes, unless additional time is authorized by the mayor. Citizen groups will be asked to appoint a spokesperson. This is the time and place for any person who wishes to comment on non-agenda items. Some items brought forward to the attention of the town council will be turned over to the clerk to provide a response outside of the town council meeting.

The Town Council will pause the meeting at 7:00 PM to hold the scheduled public hearings for Ordinances 2026-01, 2026-02, 2026-03, 2026-04, and 2026-05

Public Hearing #1
Ordinance 2026-01: An Ordinance amending Title 9 Building regulations of the Laketown Town Code, enacting Chapter 9.7 Wildland-Urban Interface Code, adopting by reference the 2006 Utah Wildland-Urban Interface Code: 
The purpose of this ordinance is, as required by Utah State Law, the town is to adopt the 2006 Utah Wildland-Urban Interface Code and Map

Public Hearing #2
Ordinance 2026-02: An ordinance amending Title 8, Water Regulations, Chapter 8.1, Water Use and Service, Section 8.1.3, Fees and Rates of the Laketown Municipal Code: amending the Laketown Consolidated Fee Schedule, reducing residential water impact fees for individual residential connections.
The purpose of this ordinance is to lower the water impact fee for residential water connections (3/4' or 1') only.

Public Hearing #3
Ordinance 2026-03: An Ordinance repealing Ordinance 2025-10 adopted January 7, 2026, regarding the restriction of new culinary wells within five hundred feet of an existing town water line where the town's water system is able to provide service to the property.
The purpose of this ordinance is to repeal a current ordinance prohibiting the drilling of wells within Laketown city limits.

Public Hearing #4
Ordinance 2026-04: An Ordinance Amending Title 8, Water Regulations, Chapter 8.1, Water Use and Service, Section 8.1.2, Applications for Connection, Service: Amending the Laketown consolidated fee Schedule establishing a fee in lieu of dedication of required water shares and/or water rights:
The purpose of this ordinance is to allow in certain situations such as minor subdivisions, to pay a fee in lieu of transferring a water share or water right to the Town when connecting to the municipal water system. The proposed fee would be $6400 for 1/2 -acre lot equivalent

Public Hearing #5
Ordinance 2026-05: An Ordinance amending Title 9, Building Regulation, Chapter 9.1, Building Code, Section 9.1.3, Building Permit Required of the Laketown Municipal Code; streamlining the town's local administrative processes and procedures: amending the Laketown Consolidated Fee Schedule clarifying the application of the 1% surcharge required by the state on all building permits

The purpose of this ordinance is to clarify the administrative process and procedures when applying for a building permit, to clarify the State Building Permit surcharge of 1%, and the town council may condition the approval of a building permit application with the requirement the applicant connects to the town's water system.

Upon the conclusion of the final public hearing, the Town Council meeting will resume where it was paused.

12.	ITEMS OF BUSINESS
a.	Business License/Nellie Bakes'/ Nellie Brown
b.	Town BBQ sponsored by Centra Com/Wendy Jo Jensen
c.	Josh Oldham/Gary Mckee - Waterline connection for subdivision (loop line - Main St and 200 East)
d.	Large Event Permit/Démolition Derby- Max Massey
e.	Water Grant Application /Mayor Brandon Willis

13.	PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION REPORT - Chairman Duane Robinson

14.	ITEMS OF BUSINESS (CONTINUED)
f.	Dallin & Talyn Willis - request for a variance on their building permit setbacks
g.	Discussion and possible vote on Resolution 2026-02: A resolution suspending the 3% water rate increase
h.	Discussion and possible vote on Ordinance 2026-01: An Ordinance amending Title 9 Building regulations of the Laketown Town Code, enacting Chapter 9.7 Wildland-Urban Interface Code, adopting by reference the 2006 Utah Wildland-Urban Interface Code: 
i.	Discussion and possible vote on Ordinance 2026-02: An ordinance amending Title 8, Water Regulations, Chapter 8.1, Water Use and Service, Section 8.1.3, Fees and Rates of the Laketown Municipal Code: amending the Laketown Consolidated Fee Schedule, reducing residential water impact fees for individual residential connections.
j.	Discussion and possible vote on Ordinance 2026-03: An Ordinance repealing Ordinance 2025-10 adopted January 7, 2026, regarding the restriction of new culinary wells within five hundred feet of an existing town water line where the town's water system is able to provide service to the property.
k.	Discussion and possible vote on Ordinance 2026-04: An Ordinance Amending Title 8, Water Regulations, Chapter 8.1, Water Use and Service, Section 8.1.2, Applications for Connection, Service: Amending the Laketown consolidated fee Schedule establishing a fee in lieu of dedication of required water shares and/or water rights:
l.	Discussion and possible vote on Ordinance 2026-05: An Ordinance amending Title 9, Building Regulation, Chapter 9.1, Building Code, Section 9.1.3, Building Permit Required of the Laketown Municipal Code; streamlining the town's local administrative processes and procedures: amending the Laketown Consolidated Fee Schedule clarifying the application of the 1% surcharge required by the state on all building permits
m.	Discussion on lot sizes

15.	COUNCIL BUSINESS: 
-	Water Updates - Burdette Weston
o	Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) - Lisa 
o	Follow up on monthly water sampling, who will take samples over
o	Update on cost of radio read meters and quantity needed
-	Roads & Streets Updates - Kirsten Gash
o	stop & yield signs
o	snow removal truck
-	Park & Recreation Updates - Denise Johnson
o	Update on pavilion remodel
o	Recent Vandalism at the park
o	Estimate bug spray from Meli's complete lawn care
-	Rodeo & Arena Updates - Kris Hodges
o	Sponsorship fee: banners, chutes, program 
o	Ticket prices & seating
o	CM Weston update on ordering Queen saddle
16.	MAYOR'S REPORT: 
-	Bear Lake Regional Commission Report
-	Employee Compensation
-	Town Updates
17.	2nd EXECUTIVE SESSION (if needed) 

Rich School District

 

Thu Apr 02	7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
	8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Fri Apr 03	7:00 AM – 7:30 AM
	8:00 AM – 8:30 AM

Bear Lake State Park

 37° F

Mostly Sunny

Low Temp:

37° F
High Temp:67° F

Water Temp:44.6° F

Water Level:5916.25′

Garden City Easter Egg Hunt

 

Holy Week

 Good Friday is one of several holy days that take place in the week leading to Easter Sunday. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when Christ made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the crowds waved palm branches.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all mark events in the last days of Christ, including his cleansing of the temple and Judas Iscariot’s betrayal.

Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, was when Christ and his Apostles sat together for the Last Supper before his arrest. The day after the crucifixion, Holy Saturday, commemorates Christ’s burial.

America 250-cVirginia (Wkipedia)

 Several European expeditions, including a group of Spanish Jesuits, explored the Chesapeake Bay during the 16th century.^[13] To help counter Spain's colonies in the Caribbean, Queen Elizabeth I of England supported Walter Raleigh's 1584 expedition to the Atlantic coast of North America.^[14][15] The name "Virginia" was used by Captain Arthur Barlowe in the expedition's report, and may have been suggested by Raleigh or Elizabeth (perhaps noting her status as the "Virgin Queen" or that they viewed the land as being untouched) or related to an Algonquin phrase, Wingandacoa or Windgancon, or leader's name, Wingina, as heard by the expedition.^[16][17] The name initially applied to the entire coastal region from South Carolina in the south to Maine in the north, along with the island of Bermuda.^[18] Raleigh's colony failed, but the potential financial and strategic gains still captivated many English policymakers. In 1606, King James I issued a charter for a new colony to the Virginia Company of London. The group financed an expedition under Christopher Newport that established a settlement named Jamestown in 1607.^[19]

Though more settlers soon joined, many were ill-prepared for the dangers of the new settlement. As the colony's president, John Smith secured food for the colonists from nearby tribes, but after he left in 1609, this trade stopped and a series of ambush-style killings between colonists and natives under Chief Powhatan and his brother began, resulting in mass starvation in the colony that winter.^[20] By the end of the colony's first fourteen years, over eighty percent of the roughly eight thousand settlers transported there had died.^[21] Demand for exported tobacco, however, fueled the need for more workers.^[22] Starting in 1618, the headright system tried to solve this by granting colonists farmland for their help attracting indentured servants.^[23] Enslaved Africans were first sold in Virginia in 1619. Though other Africans arrived as indentured servants and could be freed after four to seven years, the basis for lifelong slavery was developed in legal cases like those of John Punch in 1640 and John Casor in 1655.^[24] Laws passed in Jamestown defined slavery as race-based in 1661, as inherited maternally in 1662, and as enforceable by death in 1669.^[25]

In 1699, after the statehouse in Jamestown was destroyed by fire, the Colony of Virginia's capitol was moved to Williamsburg, where the College of William & Mary was founded six years earlier.^[26]

From the colony's start, residents agitated for greater local control, and in 1619, certain male colonists began electing representatives to an assembly, later called the House of Burgesses, that negotiated issues with the governing council appointed by the London Company.^[27] Unhappy with this arrangement, the monarchy revoked the company's charter and began directly naming governors and Council members in 1624. In 1635, colonists arrested a governor who ignored the assembly and sent him back to England against his will.^[28] William Berkeley was named governor in 1642, just as the turmoil of the English Civil War and Interregnum permitted the colony greater autonomy.^[29] As a supporter of the king, Berkeley welcomed other Cavaliers who fled to Virginia. He surrendered to Parliamentarians in 1652, but after the 1660 Restoration made him governor again, he blocked assembly elections and exacerbated the class divide by disenfranchising and restricting the movement of indentured servants, who made up around eighty percent of the workforce.^[30] On the colony's frontier, tribes like the Tutelo and Doeg were being squeezed by Seneca raiders from the north, leading to more confrontations with colonists. In 1676, several hundred working-class followers of Nathaniel Bacon, upset by Berkeley's refusal to retaliate against the tribes, burned Jamestown.^[31]

Bacon's Rebellion forced the signing of Bacon's Laws, which restored some of the colony's rights and sanctioned both attacks on native tribes and the enslavement of their people.^[32][33] The Treaty of 1677 further reduced the independence of the tribes that signed it, and aided the colony's assimilation of their land in the years that followed.^[34][35] Colonists in the 1700s were pushing westward into the area held by the Seneca and their larger Iroquois Nation, and in 1748, a group of wealthy speculators, backed by the British monarchy, formed the Ohio Company to start English settlement and trade in the Ohio Country west of the Appalachian Mountains.^[36] France, which claimed this area as part of New France, viewed this as a threat, and in 1754 the French and Indian War engulfed England, France, the Iroquois, and other allied tribes on both sides. A militia from several British colonies, called the Virginia Regiment, was led by Major George Washington, himself one of the investors in the Ohio Company.^[37]

Statehood

See also: Virginia in the American Revolution

In 1765, Patrick Henry led a protest of the unpopular Stamp Act in the House of Burgesses, later depicted in this portrait by Peter F. Rothermel.

In the decade following the French and Indian War, the British Parliament passed new taxes which were deeply unpopular in the colonies. In the House of Burgesses, opposition to taxation without representation was led by Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, among others.^[38] Virginians began to coordinate their actions with other colonies in 1773 and sent delegates to the Continental Congress the following year.^[39] After the House of Burgesses was dissolved in 1774 by the royal governor, Virginia's revolutionary leaders continued to govern via the Virginia Conventions. On May 15, 1776, the Convention declared Virginia's independence and adopted George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was then included in a new constitution that designated Virginia as a commonwealth.^[40] Another Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, drew upon Mason's work in drafting the national Declaration of Independence.^[41]

After the American Revolutionary War began, George Washington was selected by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to head the Continental Army, and many Virginians joined the army and revolutionary militias. Virginia was the first colony to ratify the Articles of Confederation in December 1777.^[42] In April 1780, the capital was moved to Richmond at the urging of Governor Thomas Jefferson, who feared that Williamsburg's coastal location would make it vulnerable to British attack.^[43

Town of Randolph

 

Obituary-James McLaughlin

 James McLaughlin passed away suddenly on March 10. He was born on February 14, 1951, in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Jim was the son of Richard Lawton McLaughlin and Margarita Antoinette (Toni “Amy”) McLaughlin.

Jim was the oldest of five. His brother, Marty, passed away on December 14, 2013. He is survived by his younger sister, Susan McLaughlin; his brothers, Michael McLaughlin and Greg (Pancho) McLaughlin; six nephews; his wife, Cindy McLaughlin; and his three beloved fur babies, Georgie, Angus, and Buster.

Jim was raised in Treasure Island Florida, Jim was always a prankster and a rebel; he did things his way. Jim’s parents dropped him off at a military school in northern Florida, and by the time they arrived back home, Jim had already beaten them there.

He went to high school in Arkansas with his cousins, where he learned to BBQ turkeys and pork and to run moonshine.

Jim loved running the intracoastal waterways around Treasure Island in his boat, fishing, driving fast cars, and riding motorcycles. He knew which bridges he could get under that the TI boat police could not. Running his boat, outrunning storms on the Gulf being Jimmy Mac.

Jim helped establish the family business, K-Way, and later opened a local beach restaurant on Treasure Island called Bosco’s with Cindy, named, of course, after his English chocolate lab at the time.

“Big Jim” met his sweetheart, Cindy (CR), at Harry’s Beach Bar on St. Pete Beach at the Sirata Beach Resort, Harrys was managed by Cindy and owned by Jim’s family friends, the Nicklaus’s, around 1984.

Jim and Cindy eloped in 1992. Together, they decided to make Bear Lake their home and moved there in 1993. They first settled in Meadowville, then built the home they live in now- a piece of pride and joy, and a place Jim truly loved.

Jim was known to drive around town and, shall we say, offer a bit of commentary to his friends. You never knew what he might say, but it was always what was on his mind, plain and honest.

After moving to Utah, Jim tried all of Cindy’s hobbies. He was a great sport, even taking up horseback riding- bumpy rides that created many cherished memories. He also attempted to keep up with Cindy on the ski slopes but soon decided that cooking in the parking lot at The Beav was much more his style.

Jim loved camping with his fur babies at Alpine, Mesquite, and Lava, and last summer at The Shanty.

Cooking was how Jim showed his love. Those who knew him will forever miss his lemon bars, nut bars, and- of course- his unforgettable tiramisu.

Jim worked for E.A. Miller as a truck driver for 20 years. Jim and Cindy later opened another restaurant in Garden City, Utah- BoDean’s Bear Lake BBQ & More- a feat that was no easy task. They eventually sold the location to Café Sabor. Jim continued catering, helped Cindy wherever he could, and spent meaningful time with Cindy’s family and their great friends.

He also loved traveling with Cindy and her family, visiting the German cousins, being convinced to go on the Queen Mary, and enjoying several other cruises together.

For the past 25 years, one vacation was always marked on the calendar: Cabo San Lucas at the end of February. Jim loved sitting in his chair, feeling the ocean breeze, watching the waves, and spotting whales in the distance.

December always meant the NFR in Las Vegas for Jim and Cindy. They loved attending every year with friends. Traveling together, spending one‑on‑one time with his wife, family, and his dogs, these things meant everything to Jim.

Big Jim, James, Luther, and Jim Bob- we will miss seeing your big, grumpy face, always knowing there was a smile behind it. Thank you for the wonderful memories and for all the incredible food you shared with us over the years. Jim, you are forever in our hearts.

A heartfelt thank you to the first responders who came to help. They are our friends, neighbors, and true professionals who care deeply about and support our community. To know the voice on the other end of the 911 call was so supporting to Cindy. The numerous messages and calls of support from friends- my pack, as Cindy calls them, would have meant so much to Jim.

As requested by Jim, there will be no funeral or viewing. Please send your personal memories, photos, or cards to PO Box 241, Laketown, Utah 84038. They will be placed with his ashes in a location Jim held dear: The Shanty.

There will be a memorial for Jim at Crepes and Coffee (235 Bear Lake Blvd) on April 17 from 4:00-7:00PM. Friends and family are welcome to stop by, share memories, and celebrate Jim's life. 

In lieu of flowers, Jimmy would have wanted to help care for more fur babies. Please consider donating to ANH Bear Lake at https://anhbearlake.org or by calling (208) 339‑0130 in his memory.

Memories and condolences may be shared and expressed at www.allenmortuaries.com