October Sheriff's Report

 RICH COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORT

Anita Weston, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. October,2014.  Each month the report is written into an article.  It might be interesting to see the report as it is handed to the Rich Civic Times.

LAW TOTAL INCIDENT REPORT BY NATURE

                   OF INCIDENT

Nature of Incident	Total Incidents
Agency Assistance	6
Alarm	2
Animal Problem	5
Attempt to Locate	3
Burglary	1
Citizen Assist	5
Citizen Dispute	1
Civil Process	11
Criminal History	8
Domestic Disturbance	1
DUI Alcohol or Drugs	1
Fire	2
Fraud	2
Juvenile Problem	2
Lost Property	1
Medical Emergency	9
Missing Person	2
Traffic Accident with Damage	6
Traffic Accident with Injuries	1
Suspicious Person-Circumstance	9
Theft	4
Traffic Hazard	3
Traffic Violation	1
Trespassing	2
VIN Serial Number Inspect.	4
Welfare Check	2
TOTAL	94

LAW TOTAL INCIDENT REPORT,

            BY LOCATION

Location Code	Total Incidents
Not Defined	1
Garden City	25
Laketown	21
Out of County	1
Randolph	29
Woodruff	17
Total	94

Maggie and Jiggs

By Bob Stevens, The Muddled Male

      When we travel I always seem to get a severe case of gout.  I like to think of it as a genetic flaw gifted to me by one or both of my parents.  Ann, my wife, on the other hand, claims that it is my own fault for living too much like Jiggs, a cartoon character of my youth.  In Wikipedia you will find that Jiggs was one of the main characters in an influential American cartoon strip called Bringing Up Father which was created by cartoonist George McManus.  It was distributed by King Features Syndicated and ran for 87 years from 1913 to the year 2000.  

       Most people called the strip Maggie and Jiggs after Jiggs the husband and Maggie, his wife.  The humor centered on Jiggs, an immigrant Irishman whose previous occupation was a hod carrier but came into wealth in the United States by winning a million dollars in a sweepstakes.  Though newly rich, he still longed to revert to his working class habits and lifestyle.  His constant attempts to sneak out with his old gang of boisterous, rough-edged pals, eat corned beef and cabbage, and hang out at the local tavern were often thwarted by his formidable, social-climbing, rolling-pin wielding, critical and scolding wife who claimed that Jiggs’ constant battle with gout was his own fault, caused entirely by his uncontrolled lifestyle.

      Now I don’t eat corned beef and cabbage, and I don’t hang out at a tavern.  Neither is Ann a social climber nor does she carry a rolling pin, but she does claim that my gout is entirely the result of my uncontrolled lifestyle, just like Jiggs.  I tried to explain to her that gout is simply the result of too much uric acid in my system, a compound that likely comes from my genes, which makes it my parents’ fault.  She immediately responds with her analysis that there is little difference between the uric acid that I claim causes my gout, and the carbonic acid that puts the fizz in my favorite pop.  “Acid is acid,” she says, and goes on to remind me that my gout comes as a result of my poor choices while traveling.  And that is the same argument she has been making for the fifty-nine years we have been married.  Okay, I admit that she is correct in saying that I drink more pop on the road than I do at any other time, but I still maintain that Carbonic acid is not Uric acid and fizz is not gout, proving that the cause for my gout is my parents’ fault, not mine.

      I will confess to you, however, that shortly after starting our current trip I began to feel twinges of gout in my toes.  So without telling Ann, I voluntarily switched from drinking pop to drinking sugar free, carbonation free, pomegranate flavored water as a possible way of staving off both gout and high blood sugar, fearing that if Ann found out that I had come down with either she would change into a rolling pin swinging Maggie.  I am happy to report that my secret switch in drinks did help with the gout.  But my blood sugar hit 160 by the second night of our trip.  I still claim it was not my fault, unless you call stopping twice to have Chinese food where I was caused by some unknown force to consume several portions of sweetened walnut shrimp, orange chicken, and sweet and sour pork my fault.

      It was what happened at the Chinese restaurant, however, that caused me to think that Ann just might deserve more credit for insight and power than I had been giving her.  We had been having a vigorous discussion regarding whether or not my need to purchase an iPhone 6+ to replace my iPhone 5s that is barely a year old is really a necessity or an extravagance.  When the meal was over and we opened our separate Fortune Cookies, mine said, “LAVISH SPENDING MAY BE DISASTEROUS, BE CAREFUL.”  Ann’s said, “ENJOY WHAT YOU HAVE, HOPE FOR WHAT YOU WANT.”  And I did not make that up.  Now I don’t know if Ann has been outsmarting me because she is smarter than me as she claims, or because she is a witch that can change the writing on the slip of paper contained within the cookie while it is still sealed in its package.  She admits to being a witch but said that she is a GOOD witch who is only looking out for my well-being.

School Board Election Results

The school board elections resulted in every incumbent losing to a challenger whether it was in a primary race or in the general elections.  Most of the winning candidates ran on a "change" platform.
One race, School Board District 4, is still tied with 4 outstanding absentee ballots.

The results:  School Board 3; Monty Weston 85, Ralph Johnson 80.  School Board 4; Eric Wamsley 81, Dallas Clark 81.  School Board 5; Bryce Huefner 131, Tamalyn Calderl 89.

 

"Didn't Want To Confuse People"

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

Redistricting the School Board

RANDOLPH, Utah.  November 5, 2014.  Commissioner Bill Cox responded to newly elected school board member Bryce Huefner’s query about why the County Commission had not acted to reapportion the school board as required by the Utah Code.  Huefner pointed out that 8 months ago he had come to the board with data which could have been used. 

Cox said, “We couldn’t  have a committee it until after the election  because people would be confused about where to vote.” 

Huefner responded that redistricting should have been done at least 3 years ago.  “This is a process and people understand this, they would not have been confused.  We came to you as a committee months ago and you promised to get the committee selected within a month.  We have heard nothing.”

The commissioners said they were angered at the fact that Huefner had called the Lt. Governor’s office to report the fact that Rich County Commission had not followed the Utah Code regarding  the proper redistricting  of the county. 

“This is my second presentation to the commission,” said Huefner, who had a power point presentation and charts which demonstrated the growth from the 2000 Census to  the 2010 Census.  By 2010, Garden City had grown more than the other cities in the county.  It is now 19% larger than Randolph and the 5 board seats need to be reallocated by Utah law.

Huefner had convened a county wide citizen’s committee to look at population, land area and logical break points and  proposed a division of the county  as such:  Garden City North from north Garden City to the highway;  Garden City South, from south Garden City to Sweetwater Trailer Park and Round Valley; Laketown, Laketown unincorporated, Laketown and north Bear River Valley: Randolph, Randolph  City and Woodruff , south valley and Woodruff to the Wyoming border.  Each district is contiguous and has approximately 450 people.

Cox said that Huefner had appointed himself as the “Reapportionment  Czar.”  Huefner said he was a concerned citizen representing a committee of other concerned citizens and as a citizen had a right to come to the commission.  Cox said the commission had identified a 14 person committee which they would appoint  immediately.  A list of county reapportionment committee members includes: Bill Cox, Bill Kennedy, Renae Barker, Cally Leavitt, Taylor Payne, Shawn Groll, Betty Mills, Sim Weston, Chris Hopkins, Mike Meeks, Pete Cornia, Bret England, Curtis Moldenhauer, and Tammy Calder.

Norm Weston said they would take the advice of this committee, not the citizen’s committee Huefner represented.

Then Huefner pivoted to another discussion, that of changing the County Commission to a County Council.  The meeting grew testy after Huefner brought up the idea that the county needed a county council which had 5 members which would be apportioned just like the proposed school districts and which would give broader representation.

Huefner said that Garden City Residents don’t feel that the county commissioners represent them.  “You three are ranchers, I love ranchers, but you don’t understand us.  Tom Weston challenged Huefner to tell any time he or the other commissioners had not responded to his needs. “Now we in Garden City area feel that our viewpoints are not being respected,” said Huefner.  

Cox asked, “ in what did we not support Garden City?” Jennifer Huefner said “ I would like to see less divisiveness, and that broader representation will make us more cohesive.    We know you have done a lot of work for us.”

Norm Weston said “We don’t need Garden City to tell us what to do.” Tom Weston said angrily, “tell me exactly what we haven’t done for you.”  At this point Huefner closed his presentation.

Ambulance Situation

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter
Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  November 5, 2014.  Randall Knight, Garden City Fire Board, gave the Commission the names of two volunteers for the new fire board opening.  The Commissioners nominated Jenny England for a four year appointment to the Garden City Fire District. 

Knight asked about the ambulance situation with Cache County and Rich County.  Last month a person was trapped in a vehicle for an hour in the Cache Forest while they waited for the ambulance to come from Logan.  If the ambulance from Garden City had been called it would have taken 10 minutes.

“There is a MOU existing,” said Bill Cox, “signed 5 years ago.”

“That information was not passed on to the Laketown dispatcher,” said Randall.  “So they followed their policies and procedures and called Cache County.”

 Knight said, “we need to use common sense.  Is there an obvious time boundary so that the ambulance could go to the closest response point?”  Kim Wilson, EMT, said, “we cannot respond in Cache County because they are a paramedic service and Rich County is not.  They also do not like to give up the revenues from their ambulance which costs more."  Knight said that we should not put revenue before saving lives.

Sheriff Dale Stacey said that Cache County has to invite the Rich County ambulance into Cache County and right now they do not like to do that.  Rich County cannot send in an ambulance legally without that invitation.

“We have to work with the Sheriff and bring Cache County public safety people in,” said Cox.   Knight asked if the meeting would be set up.  Cox said he would have the Sheriff come to talk with the board.

“Right now there is no legal impediment,” he said.

One Game Away From State Championship

Rebel football jerseys figures on display to cheer on team in cities around the county. Championship game at 1:30, Friday, November 14 at Cedar City.
Photo by Gary Mckee 

2013 Tourism Report

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  November 5, 2014. “Tourism related tax revenue grew a healthy 26.5%  in fiscal year 2013, with over 20% increases in county transient room tax, resort community sales tax (Garden City) and restaurant tax revenues.  Rich County’s 2013 taxable sales in the leisure and hospitality sector were highest in the summer and lowest in the winter, with a significant increase from the previous year in fall and winter accommodation sales. Restaurant sales in the fall of 2013 were 30% above sales the previous year.  “ said Melinda Hislop, director of the Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In 2013 tourism jobs increased by 25%, and room occupancy rates increased as well.  The Bear Lake State Park reported 184,355 visitors in 2013.

The TRT grants have been awarded.  The  Overlook Visitor Center will receive $22,000, Bear River Heritage 1,000; Logan Canyon Byway will match another grant with $1000.  This will be the last year for Byway grants.  Randolph was awarded a grand for a PA system for the baseball field.  Rendezvous Chamber of Commerce will receive $4000 for a map and new website.  Rich County Sheriff was granted funds for public safety during tourist season. 

The BLVCB will do more in state radio advertising this year.

Garden City Planning & Zoning

Randall Knight, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

  

GARDEN CITY, Utah. November 5, 2014.  The Planning and Zoning public meeting had several people in attendance and focused on the areas proposed for the four Hotel/Motel zones and if that zoning would increase the property tax.  They were assured the taxes would not be affected until a developer builds a hotel or motel.  Then the surrounding properties could be affected.  A person asked if a sufficient fire truck was available to fight fires on buildings higher than 35 feet.  The P&Z board stated that developers have to work with the fire district to provide the necessary fire truck. 

The P&Z meeting began as scheduled at 5:00 PM and the board members present were: Lance Bourne, Mike Schiess, Dewayne Gifford, Susan House and Jim Stone. Absent were Pat Argyle and Steve Arnold.  Gary Cox, City Administrator, was also present.

After accepting the minutes for last month’s meetings the board began discussing the definition for a Gross Leasable Area.  The definition was accepted with the removal of a sentence about the parking space.

The next topic discussed and accepted was in regard to Hotel/Motel Zones height exceeding 35 feet.  The Commission agreed that the Hodges Canyon area be removed from the possible locations. A recommendation was made to accept the overlay for the remaining three areas for Hotel/Motel Zone; i.e. just above the old raspberry patch south of Hwy 89, above Hwy 89 but below Shundahi, and an area just south of Lochwood on both sides of the canal.

The commission agreed that new subdivisions need to require current surveys before any work could begin.  They also agreed that residential homes could be built in commercial zones.  Cox stated the city has been make progress on increasing public parking areas in town and they are currently looking at a plan to increase the parking at the City Park on the north and east sides.   Bourne stated the City is also planning on aligning their short term rental licenses with the HOA guidelines.  The city council feels it is wrong to issue short term rental licenses to people when they know the HOA will not allow it.   Joey Stocking gave a brief sign ordinance status report and stated the document had been reduced to 8 pages and it is still in a draft form but hopes to have a clean version for review next month.

During the miscellaneous discussion, Susan House, said she found a document that agreed to 3.5 parking spaces per 1000 sq ft of the Gross Leasable Area.  Mr. Bourne identified the following areas that need to be cleaned up: the building just north of the Chevron, an abandoned trailer on 75 North and an area across the street from the cemetery.  Cox said he would file a nuisance violation and leave it to the judge to settle.

Meeting adjourned at 5:50 PM.

    

Code Red

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  November 5, 2014. Bryce Nielson, Rich County Emergency Coordinator, said that the Emergency Alert System is signing an agreement with Code Red, which will provide an alert system through texting and e-mail to the region. The County pays for it with grant matches, but as homeland security grants are drying up, Bryce asked if the County wants to stay in it?  It will be $2,300 a year .

Nielson said, “people respond to text messages.”

He would like to incorporate it into the entire county.  Then people can be alerted to county meetings or events , as well as storm warning for boaters for example.  People opt in by giving the county their cell phone numbers.   In the sanitation bills there were notifications to send in cell phone numbers to Kathy Hislop in Garden City and Becky Peart in the County.  The Commission agreed to fund the program.

Artist At The Lake

Laurianne Wakefield's latest painting

Bear Lake Brawl Triathalon

Bobbie Bicknell Coay, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.  November 5, 2014.  Joseph Coles, director, Bear Lake Brawl, said that he felt the race went  well.  Tom Wston said that he had heard positive responses about this year’s race.  The race was moved to after labor day which increased business in the area during a slow time. Weston said, “Even a sheep run didn’t affect the biking part of the race, and  the water was warmer than the air around." 

In 2015, the race is scheduled for September 12 and 19 and will keep the same route through Round Valley.  “We hope that we get better every year,” said Coles. 

Kip Motta Writes About SAGE

It is always a good thing when we can celebrate our academic successes.  The SAGE testing results from last spring were released today, and out of all the middle/junior high/intermediate schools in the State, Rich Middle School ranked 8^th in mathematics and 15^th in English/language arts for the percent of students proficient.  We would like to let all of our students, staff, parents, and concerned community members know how proud we are to be ranked among the top performing middle schools in Utah.  Please take time to enjoy this academic success with our kids.

Kip Motta, Principal, Rich Middle School

Source:

http://www.deseretnews.com/top/2830/11/Rich-Middle-School-SAGE-scores-2014-Top-25-junior-highmiddleintermediate-schools-in-language.html

SCAM ALERT

Beware of phone scam targeting utility customersRocky Mountain Power urges customers to verify any phone calls about their account by calling

1-888-221-7070

Rocky Mountain Power is warning its customers and the public of a phone scam targeting its customers with criminals posing as utility customer service agents trying to get money and to steal personal information.

The fraud is occurring nationwide, but recent days have seen an upsurge in Rocky Mountain Power’s service area. The thieves are using sophisticated deceptive tactics that make it appear to Caller ID systems that the scam call is coming from the utility even when it is not. If customers receive such a call, hang up and call the company at 1-888-221-7070 to verify the call’s origins.

Rocky Mountain Power call center agents can be reached any time, day or night, toll free at 1-888-221-7070. That is the only number to call for any customer service need or if you suspect a call may not actually be from Rocky Mountain Power.

“So far, this has affected a relatively small number of customers, but any customer being taken advantage of in this way is one too many," said Blaine Andreasen, vice president of customer service.

“We have taken a number of additional significant steps to address this latest scam approach and to protect customers from fraud attempts,” Andreasen added. “We are working with law enforcement at all levels and also have increased security on our automated phone service system as a precaution to further assure that customer information is not at risk. For their own protection, customers calling about their account will need to provide their account number to gain access to account details.”

In order to help customers recognize the fraudulent calls, in general, the scam goes like this:

Scammers call residential or business customers demanding payment for overdue bills. Sometimes, the caller tells the intended victim that they owe a specific amount of money. The thief advises the customer to make a payment in one of two ways: either 1) immediately on the phone using a credit card, or 2) by going to a local store to purchase a pre-paid card and calling back on a special toll-free number, made to resemble Rocky Mountain Power’s phone response system, then providing the pre-paid card’s code to the phony “agent.”

Rocky Mountain Power wants customers to be aware that this is a scam and not a legitimate request. Rocky Mountain Power does not use these methods. If such a call is received, hang up and call 1-888-221-7070 to inquire about the call with Rocky Mountain Power.

When Rocky Mountain Power contacts a customer, the representative will always already have the customer’s account number. Even then, if you are contacted by phone and have any concerns about the validity of the call, it is always appropriate to let the caller know you prefer to call them back at the utility’s published customer service number—1-888-221-7070.

Rocky Mountain Power cautions that customers should never provide unsolicited callers or visitors with credit card numbers or any other information that may compromise their financial security.

Anyone receiving such calls or other contact regarding their utility account or bill is encouraged to pay close attention and note any information – such as the phone number they are asked to call, a number that appears on caller ID, an address where they’re told to send money, etc. – and then notify local police and report the call to Rocky Mountain Power at 1-888-221-7070. 

###

About Rocky Mountain Power
Rocky Mountain Power provides safe and reliable electric service to more than a million customers in, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. The company works to meet customers’ growing electricity needs while protecting and enhancing the environment. Rocky Mountain Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity providers in the United States, with approximately 1.8 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit rockymountainpower.net.

Margaret Oler

External Communications & Media Relations

201 S. Main, Suite 2300

Salt Lake City, UT  84111

801-220-2592

margaret.oler@rockymountainpower.net

The Unmuddled Mathematician

The 25 Year Joke

By Chris Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician

As a young man I learned of a joke it took my grandfather 25 years to complete.  It was a good one, but that’s another story.  However, the notion of trying one of these was implanted early on in my twisted mind and so I started mine.  If you think about it, it quickly becomes apparent that a joke of such duration likely involves a person known to you for the whole 25 years, namely, your spouse.  So it was with me.

My modus operandi for our 48 years of marriage has been to periodically state some completely ridiculous statement about science or math and have this utterance immediately and loudly laughed off by my wife.  The problem she faces still is that 9 times out of 10 my statements are purposely completely ridiculous and false (deserving her laughter) but 1 time in 10 are in fact strangely true but just sound ridiculous.  This plan gives her occasional pause before she pounces on my crazy utterances.  She is in a tough spot.  My sympathy is not forthcoming.

When we were first married we would travel to California once in a while.  Driving our little Chevy Nova back home we often passed through Reno, following the Truckee River down the canyon in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and then eastward.  About 10 miles east of Reno there was an illusory piece of geography with the river at the bottom.  I very casually told her that this was the only place on earth where water flowed uphill for a little ways.  It sort of looked like it did.  This was never forcefully stated but just mentioned in passing like, “Gee, isn’t that a pretty blue sky”?  I never defended my casual remark even when severely challenged by the boss but just moved on in conversation. 

This practice continued for 25 years, not annually of course, just on those trips we drove past that same spot during our travels.  She always indicated that it was the dumbest thing she had ever heard (and I was full of dumb notions) but I never engaged in further argument or defense.

Our eldest daughter married a wonderful guy named Steve, from Randolph.  This was great, a new addition to the family and finally another male.  There soon came a time after the 25 years of marriage when we took a family trip to California, sightseeing, camping, introducing the new son-in-law to extended family.  Bobbie wanted all this to go well as it was the first chance for him to experience the weird side of his new in-laws (mine), and she wanted it to go well.  Near the end of the trip I remember camping in the lovely campground near Donner Pass.  The next morning we had breakfast, loaded up, and began our last leg of the trip, eastward along the Truckee River.

Maybe it was nerves on her part, maybe something else, but with our son-in-law in the car we reached that spot spoken about above.  It was there that she, not me, perhaps in an effort to impress him, told our son-in-law that this was the only place in the world where water flowed uphill.  Being very polite, Steve didn’t say anything but the look on his face told me that he wondered what kind of nut case family was now part of his.  My wife looked at his face, realized what he was thinking, in less than a nanosecond realized my story of 25 years was just junk, and began the nearly fatal beating of her husband.  It is hard to laugh when your arm is being pounded over and over but I managed. 

I’m not sure to this day what Steve thought about the whole thing but I learned that in planning a 25 year joke it would be wise to consider the unintended outcomes.  I now play tennis left handed.

Garden City School Board Candidate Correction

The editor put in an old response from Bryce Huefner, this is his response and Tammy Calder's response side by side.  We apologize.  Be sure to vote November 4.

BRYCE HUEFNER GARDEN CITY DISTRICT

I recognize the impact a local school board has on the education of its children.  It is a solemn duty and honor to hold such trust of the people.  As many of my friends and neighbors in the community know, I am very concerned about the education of our youth. 

There are several things I would like to work for if elected:  1) Work to keep the federal government out of our school district.  The constitution of the United States of America expressly prohibits programs like Common Core and federal school lunch programs and we shouldn't allow the federal government to have power over our lives or our childrens' lives by taking money from "them".  2)  I will work to see more input by parents, also known as constituents.  We have felt for years that the school board represents the administration and teachers not those who elected the board.  3)  I will bring some business ideas to the table that can save money and improve the education.  4)  I will be tough but fair to employees in the district.  I say tough because I will work to have the boards' benefits & pay reduced to $0 then the board can require tough changes by the administration and other employees.  I say fair because I realize people rely on equitable treatment when providing a service for pay. 

 

TAMMY CALDER GARDEN CITY SCHOOL BOARD, Candidate

Hello residents of Rich County.  For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tammy Calder (Tamalyn E. Calder on the ballot) and I am running for school board member in the Garden City precinct.  

I have served on the Rich School Board for 16 years and would love to continue to serve you and your children for another term.  There is a common theme in the political arena at this time that it is "time for change", and I couldn't agree more.  There is ample room for both change and improvement in many of our governing bodies.  With that in mind, I am asking you to re-elect me at this time because of my stability,experience, and desire to offer our children the best education possible in this ever-changing and challenging world.

I believe strongly in keeping a small-town atmosphere and work ethic in our schools, while still preparing our students to compete in a global work force. I bring a "feminine" view point to our current board that includes four male counterparts, which is important in decision making.  

I do not believe in making political promises to sway your vote.  I will tell you that I will do everything in my power to make the best choices possible in educating our children, spending our tax dollars wisely, keeping a balanced budget, and constantly monitoring policies and procedures while making changes when necessary.  I am more than happy to listen to your concerns and discuss alternatives to current methods of instruction.  

I believe our administration and teaching staff is second to none and that they truly have the best interest of educating our children foremost in their minds and in their hearts.  I have lived in 
this community since 1983 and am proud to call it "home".

 I would appreciate your vote of trust and confidence in serving you with another term on the Rich School Board.  Thank you.

Tammy Calder