Glamping At The Lake

June 29, 2015 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Prior to their July 1 public opening, Conestoga Ranch would like to cordially invite you, your family and your Garden City neighbors to their Local's Preview Party. Please join them in celebrating.

Five-Star Camping Comes To Bear Lake, Utah
Spacious Family Tents Starting From $105/Night
Vacationing at Bear Lake—the “Caribbean of the Rockies”—is now easier and more exciting than ever. Nestled on 18 private acres in Garden City and overlooking the lake’s famous turquoise waters, Conestoga Ranch is Bear Lake’s first true glamping resort and the perfect base camp for your outdoor adventures. Specially designed to accommodate couples, families and groups, our resort has everything you need for an unforgettable getaway with all the comforts of home.
Reserve Your Tent Or Conestoga Today

Book Now
Conestoga Ranch • 844-Go-Glamp (844-464-5267) • 400 W 300 N Garden City, UT • info@conestogaranch.com

Connie Jean Weston Wilson 1953 - 2015

Connie Jean Wilson passed away June 23, 2015, in Salt Lake City, Utah with her family rallying around her.

Connie was born on September 21, 1953 in Evanston, Wyoming to Morrell and Lucille (Cornia) Weston. She married her high school sweetheart, William "Bill" Wilson on October 19, 1973 in the Ogden LDS Temple. Her greatest joy in life was being a wife, mother, and grandma. She spent her days serving her family and friends. She also enjoyed camping, fishing, rock hunting, playing cards, yard sales, and especially loved spending time with her family.

Connie is survived by her husband, William Wilson; children: Deny (Ryan) Shaul; Glenda (Todd) Blackner; Wyatt (Jem) Wilson; Leslie (Colten) Argyle; Anne (Mike) Holden, Oaklee (Kord) Feller, and 18 grandchildren.

Her mother: Lucille Weston; Sister: Helen (Woody) Bair; brothers: Gary (Betty) Weston; and Ken Weston. She was preceded in death by her father, Morrell Weston.

Friends and family will gather at the Randolph L.D.S. Church on Saturday, June 27, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. in the Randolph Cemetery under the direction of Crandall Funeral Home, Evanston.

Online condolences may be given at crandallfhevanston.com

Published in Salt Lake Tribune on June 26, 2015 

Termination Notice To Rich High Teacher Due To Sex Abuse Allegations

By Pat Reavy and Sandra Yi    KSL NEWS

RANDOLPH, Rich County — A longtime teacher and coach at Rich High School has been served with a termination notice after accusations surfaced of inappropriate sexual relations with a student more than a decade ago.

A girl who went to the school 16 years ago, who was a junior or senior at the time, recently came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, according to Heidi Alder, an attorney for the Rich County School District.

Both the teacher and the student were interviewed, Alder said. Although the alleged illegal activity happened only once, district officials believe that inappropriate communication between the two went on for a couple of years.

The Rich County School Board held an emergency meeting Saturday night to discuss the situation and served the teacher with a termination notice on Monday. He can appeal if he wants to, she said.

The teacher has been with the school for 22 years, teaching social studies and acting as a counselor during that time in addition to coaching.

Alder said the district does not believe there were any other victims. But if there are, they should contact police.

It was unknown Monday whether criminal charges could still be filed against the man. He has not been arrested. But Alder said there is no statute of limitations for the school district to take administrative action.

"The district takes this very seriously no matter the time frame," she said.

The teacher has been placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of his termination process. He did not return messages on Monday for comment.

Fourth Of July Safety

 

Salt Lake City – Utah State Parks anticipates full campgrounds and busy waterways and trails over the Fourth of July weekend. Whether you’re camping, hiking, boating, biking, or riding off-highway vehicles, park rangers encourage visitors to be prepared. 

 

Stay safe by following these tips: 

 

• Wear your lifejacket
•  Wear a helmet when operating and riding off-highway vehicles
•  Do not operate a boat or OHV while under the influence of drugs or alcohol 
•  Stay hydrated – drink plenty of water
•  Build fires in designated fire pits and extinguish thoroughly
• Fireworks, including firecrackers and sparklers, are prohibited in Utah’s state parks.

  

CAMPING:

 

The following state parks have campsites available for the holiday weekend, but are filling quickly: Antelope Island, Deer Creek, East Canyon, Fremont Indian, Green River, Quail Creek, Sand Hollow, Scofield, Snow Canyon, Starvation, Steinaker, Utah Lake and Yuba. Reservations are available online at stateparks.utah.gov or by calling 1-800-322-3770.

Upcoming Events

Live Music!

June 27 and Every Saturday night after, 2015 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm
Enjoy live music every Saturday night this summer at Cooper's Restaurant and Sports Bar overlooking the Bear Lake West Golf Course and beautiful Bear Lake. Call 208-945-2222 for more information.

Conestoga Ranch Local's Preview Party

June 29, 2015 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Prior to their July 1 public opening, Conestoga Ranch would like to cordially invite you, your family and your Garden City neighbors to their Local's Preview Party. Please join them in celebrating.

Zumba!

June 30, 2015 7:15 am - 8:15 am
Come join us for Zumba! Dance to great music, with great people, and burn a lot of calories without even realizing it! Every Tuesday and Thursday and some Saturdays.

Cache Valley Cruise-In comes to Bear Lake!

July 02, 2015 4:00 pm - 8:30 pm
The Cache Valley Cruise-In is a rod run event held annually in Logan, Utah (90 miles north of Salt Lake City) and is hosted by the Cache Valley Cruising Association. All types and models of specia ...

Woodruff 4th of July Homecoming

July 03, 2015 1:00 pm - July 04, 2015 6:00 pm
July 3rd:
1pm: Youth Rodeo, 6yrs and up $6, 5yrs and under FREE
Ranch events to follow, team doctoring and sorting July 4th:
10am: Parade
11:30am: Saddle Strings Concert held at the Woodruff Arena
1:30 Mutton Bustin
2 pm: Rodeo

Paris 4th of July Celebration

July 03, 2015 3:00 pm - July 04, 2015 6:00 pm
July 3rd:
3pm: Live Music, western & more
7pm: Band Gramps with Amps, bring your blankets & lawn chairs July 4th:
6am - 10am: Paris City Chuckwagon Breakfast. Adults $6, Kids 6-12 $4, 6 & under FREE ...


Montpelier 4th of July Celebration

July 04, 2015 6:00 am - 10:00 pm
6am - 11am: chuckwagon breakfast, $6 for adults, 7 to 12yrs $4
3pm to dark: bounce houses, climbing wall, water slide, raffle, and more!
4pm - 8pm: Dinner
Dark: Fireworks Show

Garden City Farmer's and Artisan's Market

July 04, 2015 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

The Unmuddled Mathematician

There Will Not Be Another

By Chris S. Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician

Even before my wife took over the task of producing a weekly newspaper for our county there was a clear highlight in each edition of the Rich County Times and then The Rich Civic Times.  The “Muddled Male” column, written by Bob Stevens, gave all of us a weekly dose of homespun humor and experiences from a life well lived and full of happiness.  Using his wife, Ann, as his foil, he wrote stories that made us smile, chuckle, and sometimes even belly laugh.

Bob is not dead, although if you believe him (and you shouldn’t) the only thing that has kept him alive is obeying his wife as she carefully controls every aspect of his life, especially his diet.  That’s just bunk.  I have watched him more times than you can count tuck some high fat, high sugar goodie into his pocket as he has hidden it from Ann, later to be wolfed down by Muddled himself.  Or just inhaling a big, greasy burger and leaving a spotlessly clean plate.  There will now be a race on at all the local fast food places to be the first with the most.  In particular, all the signs that say, “Famous Raspberry Shakes” will be replaced by, “Original Bob Stevens Curly Cheese Garlic Salty Fries—One Size Only X-Large”, or, “Raspberry Shakes Bigger than Bob Stevens Himself!, Eat Two, Then You Can Live To Be 80!”. 

Bob, now 80, and Ann, age about 45 (this is a little tough to reason for the unmuddled mathematician)  since they have been married for more than 60 years), are moving to Cache Valley in a couple of weeks.  We will no doubt see him occasionally has he continues to work with the water company, but the frequency will go down.  Cache Valley wins, we are diminished but have been blessed by their presence.  Here is a test for you.  If you live in the Bear Lake Valley and have not personally been helped by Bob or Ann during your time here, please stand up.  I notice that none of you moved at all.  We have been blessed by their presence in our midst.

RAJ, in a church leadership meeting, looked at Bob and named his group, “The Little Guys”.   Actually that name became a joke but we little guys responded by serving “Little Smokies”, the tiny sausages, as full size hot dogs.  Bob wasn’t so little either when he journeyed each fall into the hills each fall go chop and bring firewood , as in big firewood, down to the widows and others who need it to stay warm.  In our photos of those trips you can’t even see Bob behind the wood he is packing down to the truck.

I hope that the makers of coveralls continue to make the pockets bigger so he can always accommodate the latest phone technology.  He is the ideal target for the Apple market skimmers, always ready (and needy) to jump immediately to the next and latest phone technology.   Somehow he has to convince Ann that the next model of “My Precious” is essential for survival.  So far he has been successful but his hands are scarcely big enough for current models, let alone what’s coming down the pike.  I did see a folding chair just outside the Apple store last week in Logan (this may be the real reason for the move), that has the words, “This Chair Reserved for Bob Stevens in the Waiting and Pre-Order Line”.  All the employees know him on a first name, candy bar gift basis.

On my IPhone, a device to which I have come lately, I have a section called “Favorites” for the people most dear to me whom I call.  On that short list are my wife, my two children, my 3 grandchildren, and Bob Stevens.  There will not be another pair like those two in my years remaining at Bear Lake.   Nobody knows this better than everybody who knows them.

Ed Note:  Bob may be leaving Bear Lake, but hopefully not the Rich Civic Times! Ann says she wants equal time to say it is all lies!

Detail of the Paris Tabernacle, Open This Summer For Tours

Photo by Lauriann Wakefield, Little Starling Photographs

Tolentino Named Garden City's Ad Hoc Rep On School Board

Chris S. Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

RANDOLPH, Utah.   June 16, 2015.  The Rich School District Board held its regular monthly meeting  in Randolph.   All board members were present, as were Mayor John Spuhler of Garden City, School Superintendent Dale Lamborn,  Rick Larsen, Rich High School Principal, and Kip Motta, Rich Middle School Principal.

The first item of business was the board’s acknowledgment that Mayor Spuhler has the right to appoint a designee who will be allowed to attend and participate in all open board meetings.  The legislature changed the wording in the state law this year from "may appoint" to "shall appoint", after the Rich School Board declined to allow cities to appoint ad hoc board members to sit in on board meetings. 

Mayor Spuhler appointed Scott Tolentino as his designee.  Spuhler said that Tolentino would serve until the second board member from Garden City was elected in the proposed restructuring  and that would make Tolentino aware of what was going on and able to participate in the discussion.

Other municipalities have the same right to appoint designees.  These are not voting members but are fully equal for purposes of board discussions.  The board may construct an arrangement whereby these appointed designees may attend closed sessions of the board.

Richard Clark, School Administrator, who is filling in for  Brandee Johnson, who resigned her post last month, made a report on the budget.  For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, expenditures exceed revenues by $210,053, which is a result of capital improvements resulting in a decrease in the total fund balance.  For the school year 2015-2016, the estimated revenues are approximately $100,000 less than estimated expenditures, also resulting in a likely decrease in total fund balance for the next year.

The board approved an increase in pay for assistant coaches at the high school level and extra compensation for coaches who attend end-of-year events like the state basketball tournament.

In an item without a lot of consequence but provoking considerable emotion, Superintendent Lamborn announced that the School Trust Lands Authority reclaimed $620 in distributed funds, indicating that their reason was that the money must be used for an academic subject and rejected its use for  basketball equipment.  The State Trust Lands Authority argues that  equipment  for physical education use, like basketball  equipment, was not academic, even though Rich School District strongly believes that physical education is an academic subject.

Fire/Rescue Boat Discussed At June Garden City Fire Board Meeting

Chris S. Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  June 18, 2015.  The Garden City Fire District governing board held its monthly meeting.  Present were members Howard Pope,  Jenny England, and Randall Knight.  Absent were Brian House and Perry Wakefield.

There was substantial discussion of the Fire/Rescue boat being prepared for operation.  It is a nearly 31 foot long Trophy model and is being modified to include large and useful lights, radar, side scan sonar, GPS, and night vision goggles.  If funds permit, hand-held infrared sensing devices will be purchased.  It will have radio capacity to communicate with all similar rescue craft and law enforcement in Utah and Idaho and will be berthed in the water at the Utah State Marina, and trained fire department personnel will man it, following a set of operating procedures being developed.  The boat will have a water cannon mounted for fire suppression and will have all basic EMT equipment on board to handle nearly every medical emergency.  The boat should be functional and on duty at least by the 1^st of July.  The boat may need a power upgrade to increase boat speed as saving time in rescuing people in the water can save lives before hypothermia becomes fatal.  Tests will be run on speed and if more power is needed the fire chief will begin to seek grant support.  The boat currently has two outboards with a total HP of 300 but it may take significantly more engine HP to meet ideal speed.

In other issues, GRAMA requests for the fire department should be sent to board member Randall Knight, who has completed all the training.  The request form is available online.

Six individuals completed and were certified at the firefighter II level.  It was a busy month with several medical calls, 2 wildfires,  extrication from an accident (the one with the boat on top of the car), a number of fire pit inspections and minor repairs to some of the department equipment, all of which have been completed.

Garden City Farmer's Market Starts Saturday

The Garden City Farmers' and Artisans' Market will start on June 27th and run through Labor Day.  It will be held every Saturday morning from 10 am - 1 pm.  in the city parking lot north of the LDS Church.

If you have produce, eggs, honey, baked goods, or handmade crafts to sell you can download an application and get complete information at www.gardencity.ut.us then click on Farmers Market.  Otherwise, drop by during the summer to shop local and support our community farmers and artisans.

Leading The Way On The Lake

Photo by Brian Hirschi

Herb Stone Dies

Michael Herbert Stone died Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Logan, Utah. He was 72 years old.  Herb Stone was long time resident of Garden City, Utah moving here from Logan because he loved  to hunt and fish. Stories are told that he would go to the grocery store and buy sacks of groceries and secretly give them to people who needed them.  He liked antiques and old things and would salvage things that he felt had beauty.  He had two sons and a daughter.  There will be a private service in the mountains for Herb.  We will miss him.

Good Stuff Reviews

We are introducing a new columnist to the RCTonline, hope you enjoy!

By John Brown, The Man

One of the most important things I ever learned about telling stories was in Orson Card’s weeklong boot camp where we “workshopped” stories by doing zero workshopping. Zero critiques. In fact, critiques were verboten.

Instead, Card asked us to simply provide a report of what he called the three grunts a reader makes when things aren’t working–where it was boring, unclear, or didn’t ring true. We were to provide a report of our reader reaction, including parts that really entertained or interested us. NOTHING more.

He compared it to going to the doctor. We were to report our “symptoms.” The writer’s job was to diagnose if it was an issue and prescribe a remedy, if any.

Doing that with 19 stories over three days was amazing. It totally opened up what story was about. And taught me what beta reading was all about. One of the most insightful writing experiences I’ve ever had.

Nowadays when I read, I try my best to simply report. And that’s it. If, afterwards, the writer wants to brainstorm ideas together, that’s fine. But I don’t ever want to diagnose and prescribe because there have been too many books that didn’t work for me that delighted tons of readers. My critique or advice would have been exactly the wrong thing.

All I can do is report my reaction. And then think about what would have fixed it for me.

Kristine Rusch recently wrote a great article about this and other things called “Writing by Committee” in which she suggests a list of things authors need to be successful. Give it a read. I think she makes a lot of good points.

And a few I disagree with. She is quite forceful about writers not acting as first readers. I think that’s bunk. And she says as much in the comments. If a writer can give a reader response instead of a critique, that’s as helpful as a non-writer giving a reader response. I also disagree that you have to toss something and start over if it doesn’t work. If it’s fundamentally broken, sure. But many times a small adjustment gets you back on track. Finally, yes, a story has to be surprising. At the same time, you had better deliver the type of experience you promise your reader. And that’s all defined by genre. You can’t promise your readers a thriller and deliver a romance. That only leads to irritated readers. I believe you have to consider your audience. But these are all quibbles. The article is great.

BTW, please note I used “storyteller” in the title. I did that on purpose. More and more, I find I’m not interested in writing. “Writing” doesn’t seem to convey what I’m after. However, I am interested in telling cracking stories.

Blue Nosed Cutthroat At Bear Lake

Photo by Bryce Nielson

Editorial

Rich Civic Times Editorial 

Our Utah Search and Rescue effort at the tragedy last week was outstanding, professional and heroic. Many of the rescuers risked their own lives trying to save others. Because RCT has raised issues of communication, we are seeing changes being made already which will benefit the entire Bear Lake area. While these current efforts might not have made a difference in the June 1 tragedy, it is worth looking at some additional issues and questions to be answered for future incidents, including:

1. Radio contact. Why is there no radio interoperability directly between Idaho and Utah Park boats? Utah has 800 MHz state of the art radios. Idaho has an old analog system. In 2003, 2007, and 2009 there were Idaho State studies about this problem and in 2007 there was a significant grant in Idaho for new radios but none was given to Bear Lake County which has to communicate with Utah (and others) in the Bear Lake region. The Idaho State Parks boat was unable to communicate via radio directly with any of the Utah rescue boats, having to work through central dispatch.

2. Ambulances unable to cross state lines. In 2003 there was an Interstate Agreement Compact signed between the state of Idaho and the state of Utah for Ambulance Licensure that had a single stated purpose, i.e.,  “To allow currently licensed ambulance services based in the states of Utah and Idaho  the ability to provide the public, of either state, emergency medical services and medical transportation without regard to state border.”  The agreement contains considerably more specifics and was to remain in effect for perpetuity until rescinded by either of the two states.  We can find no evidence that it was ever rescinded. The Rich County Commission is aware of this compact but has been told by their insurance carrier that it does not legally indemnify them, so the ambulances stop at state lines.

3. Idaho State Boat not ready to launch. The large Idaho State Park 26’ boat was parked for a period of at least two or three weeks prior to June 10 for repair and upgrade in the State Park facility at St. Charles, Idaho. Memorial Day is the start of the high tourist season .  In response to the emergency the smaller 20’ boat was launched on the evening of June 1 from the North Beach boat ramp ½ hour after notification, operated alone by a highly experienced and courageous employee, which is as fast as they could get it in the water. Kirk Rich, Idaho Parks, said that the 26' boat is now in the Utah Marina as of June 13, using docking space which Utah provides free of charge.

4. Using all the resources available. The Bear Lake Community Clinic has IV warmers for hypothermia victims but they were not notified. With 7 potential victims and only 3 ambulances plus the 3 Utah helicopters, the clinic could have been a resource to start treatment.

5. Spotting Training. Should Search and Rescue in both states train and equip with high power optics and communication gear several volunteer spotters around the lake in both Utah and Idaho about how to spot people in the lake and how to give clear directions to search parties? The two spotters from Utah who helped the rescue efforts from a vantage point in Idaho were very calm and very accurate so that they were able to help save at least two of the survivors.

6. Waterproof Boat GPS. Should boaters in large and potentially dangerous lakes and water ways like Bear Lake or Lake Powell, for example, be required to rent or have waterproof electronic tracking units or visual flare devices for night use?

Many people may have more ideas for increased boater safety and we hope you will share them with us.