Story Archive for 08/09/2010
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Millard Commissioners hold hearing on gas facility
Published on August 09, 2010 at 03:45PM
(FILLMORE) – Millard County Commissioners held a public hearing last week to gain input on an application for two Conditional Use Permits for a natural gas storage facility and a gas pipeline right-of-way north of Delta. Millard County officials said the hearing was sparsely attended by the general public, except for those directly involved with construction of the facility. Commissioners are in the process of approving the CUP on the application to store natural gas in a salt cavern south and east of the IPP Power Plant at the intersection of Brush Wellman Highway and Jones Road, about 10 miles north of Delta. The Commission also wants to approve a Gas Pipeline Right-Of-Way as part of the construction of the project. Commissioners will either approve or deny the application at the Aug. 17th meeting.
One of Two Arizona Escapees Captured @ Yellowstone
Published on August 09, 2010 at 12:50PM
Updated on August 09, 2010 at 07:04PM
(PHOENIX)-Monday, federal agents captured one of two inmates who escaped from an Arizona prison as he walked, armed with a handgun outside a Wyoming church, while they are still hunting for the other fugitive and an alleged accomplice. Convicted killer, Tracy Province, informed authorities he was relieved the manhunt was over when was arrested around 6:20 a.m. Monday morning around Meeteetse, Wyo., about 60 miles away from Yellowstone National Park, stated David Gonzales, the U.S. Marshal for Arizona. The other inmate, John McCluskey, along with suspected accomplice, Casslyn Welch, are still on the lam. Gonzales reported agents are working on leads in Wyoming and he said he believed McCluskey and Welch are no longer at Yellowstone, where more than 100 armed park rangers are searching amid 30,000 tourists and visitors. Authorities tracked down Province in Meeteetse when a resident told them they saw him on the steps of a church and chatted with him about getting odd jobs, Gonzales said. When marshals and other law enforcement officials arrived on the scene, he denied being Province and was carrying a 9mm handgun at the time. The trio has been pursued by law enforcement officials since they were linked to a double homicide in Santa Rosa, N.M. Since then, they have kidnapped two semi-truck drivers at gunpoint, leaving the drivers unharmed at a Flagstaff, Ariz. truck stop, authorities said. The manhunt percolated Saturday when forensic evidence linked the two inmates and Welsh to the killings of an Tecumseh, Okla. couple, Linda and Gary Haas, each of whom were 61 years old. Before his arrest Monday, Province was currently serving a life sentence for murder and robbery out of Pima County, Ariz. while McCluskey was serving a 15-year prison term for attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm out of Maricopa County, Ariz. The trio was featured on America’s Most Wanted, thus causing more people to know about their whereabouts, investigators said. In the future, a billboard featuring the trio has also been planned.
Feds To Round Up Wild Horses in Utah
Published on August 09, 2010 at 12:46PM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Federal authorities plan to round up hundreds of wild horses in Utah’s west desert. The Bureau of Land Management believes that the population of horses far exceeds the ability of parched range lands to support them. The BLM plans to remove more than 400 wild horses in September from management ares in Juab and Millard counties. The bureau says more than 650 wild horses roam across range lands able to support less than a third of that. The horse management area covers about 700 miles of basin and range around the Conger and Confusion mountains. The BLM says it plans to put up captured horses for adoption or relocate them to pasture lands.
Delta Ace Hardware damaged in weekend burglary
Published on August 09, 2010 at 11:42AM
(DELTA) – A retail business in Delta was burglarized over the weekend. A Millard County Sheriff’s report said employees of Courtesy Ace Hardware arrived at work Saturday morning to find the rear entrance to the business had been broken into. They said that display cases in the store had been damaged and several items were taken. Store employees said that the store lost over $3,000 in merchandise in the burglary and damage has yet to be determined. No suspects have been arrested in the theft and the investigation continues.
UDOT warns drivers on construction projects
Published on August 09, 2010 at 11:18AM
(SALINA) – The Utah Department of Transportation is notifying the traveling public to be aware of several road closures and traffic delays along highways in South-Central Utah. Road crews will be applying new chip seal on I-70 up Salina Canyon from Spring Canyon to Wide Hollow. Single lane closures are expected this week for a distance of up to six miles in the construction area. UDOT also says chip seal crews will be working on SR-31 up Fairview Canyon to the Carbon County Line with 15-minute delays in traffic. Chip seal operations will be going on along SR-28 from Gunnison north past Fayette with traffic delays up to 15 minutes and also from Ft. Green to Moroni on SR-132. UDOT reminds motorists to slow down in work zones and take necessary precautions while driving.
Southern Utah Youth Head To Hershey, Pa. For Track Competition
Published on August 09, 2010 at 10:35AM
(HERSHEY, Pa.)-For over 30 years, the Hershey’s Track and Field games in central Pennsylvania have provided opportunities for youth to not only compete in track and field events but make long lasting relationships. Ten students, six of which are from the St. George area, are currently competing on both state and regional levels with other students from such places as Arizona, California and Hawaii. The Hershey’s Track & Field program was created over 30 years ago to promote youth physical fitness and provide a fun, learning experience for children from 9 to 14 years old. The program takes great pride in providing experiences for youth to engage in a fun physical activity and helping them learn the value of competition. For more information, please visit www.hersheystrackandfield.com
Branham Search Delayed By Bad Weather
Published on August 09, 2010 at 10:25AM
(ST. GEORGE)-Clay Branham, the 30-year-old Ely, Nev. man, who was reported as missing in Fredonia, Ariz. last month, has had his search hampered by bad weather in southern Utah and northern Arizona this past weekend. Friday, planned air search efforts were stifled by poor visibility and most of Saturday while bad weather ensued through Sunday. Instead, volunteers, friends and family members spent their time handing out Missing Person posters and searching for Branham’s truck, a 2001 black GMC extended cab shortbed with 20” chrome wheels in the designated area. Family spokesman, Mike Kelley, said that perhaps some propitious evidence may have turned up in Cedar City July 30 if a store surveillance camera may have spotted him. Kelley said that anyone who wants to help in the extensive search may download copies of the Missing Person poster and put it up in high traffic locations (truck stops, supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, etc.)
Fire Ensues Near Beaver
Published on August 09, 2010 at 10:20AM
(BEAVER)-An approximately 1,000-acre wildfire about 13 miles north of Beaver continued to burn Sunday. The Twitchell Canyon fire, which was started when two bolts of lightning struck the area July 20, is being managed to destroy excess fuel. The forest, which consists of spruce, fir, ponderosa pine, aspen stands and pinyon juniper is still burning notwithstanding recent monsoon conditions in the area, stated U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Esther Benson. The blaze has closed Indian Creek Road above the Pole Canyon junction. Authorities still expect the flames to smolder through the end of summer and into the early fall.
222nd Receives New Commander
Published on August 09, 2010 at 10:10AM
(CEDAR CITY)-The Utah National Guard has named a new commander of its southern Utah-based 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery Unit. Lieutenant Colonel, Brad Fuller, was elevated to lead the Triple Deuce during a change of command ceremony at the Cedar City armory Saturday. Fuller replaces the outgoing Steve Esplin, who is now the deputy commander of the Utah National Guard 65th Fires Brigade, an artillery brigade. Fuller, a native of St. George, joined the Armed Forces at the age of 17 and in his civilian life, he serves as the deputy fire chief in Henderson, Nev. Fuller says the Triple Deuce has been alerted by guard officials in Washington that it may be deployed in 2011. In the previous decade, The Triple Deuce’s 450 soldiers spent 15 months in Afghanistan.
Arizona Escapees Believed To Be in Yellowstone Area
Published on August 09, 2010 at 10:03AM
(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.)-Federal authorities say two men who escaped from a private Arizona prison and a woman thought to have helped them are believed to be in the Yellowstone National Park area. U.S. Marshals Service personnel say information has emerged over the course of the past two days indicating Tracy Province, John McCluskey and Casslyn Welch may be hiding in portions of the vast national park, spanning parts of Wyoming and Montana. Authorities stated it’s now believed that Province has separated from McCluskey and Welch. This manhunt intensified with the emergence of forensic evidence linking at least one of the inmates to the killings of an Oklahoma couple in New Mexico earlier this week. The couple’s body burned skeletal remains that were charred in a camper on a ranch in Santa Rosa, N.M. New Mexico State police spokesman, Peter Olson, has called the search “urgent” considering the New Mexican slayings.
Washington; San Juan Schools Need To Improve Under No Child Left Behind Act
Published on August 09, 2010 at 09:54AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Eight Utah schools, including two in southern Utah, need to improve under the federally-mandated No Child Left Behind act. Each of these eight schools, including Montezuma Creek Elementary School in the San Juan School District and Coral Canyon Elementary School in the Washington School District have to exceed proficiency standards over the course of the next school year to have the label removed. These schools are each classified as “Title 1” and receive roughly $60 million in extra federal support each year. Schools are evaluated based on standardized test results in language arts and math. If a Title 1 school fails to meet federal standards, administration must notify parents before school starts. Then, parents have the option to decide whether or not their children should continue attending these schools. If parents decide to move their children, the federal government will pay for the childrens’ transportation to another school. However, Utah’s Title 1 coordinator with the state office of education, Anne White, has called results thus far “encouraging.”
Report Shows a Drop in Violent Crimes in Utah
Published on August 09, 2010 at 09:48AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-New statistics from the Utah Bureau of Criminal Information show violent crimes dropped in 2009, but thefts of goods, such as gasoline and food, rose considerably. The preliminary report, including data from four Utah cities, Salt Lake City, Provo, West Jordan and West Valley City, shows that overall, violent crime was down 6 percent during 2 percent while larcenies increased. Provo saw the most dramatic jump in crime with statistics showing $458,000 worth of goods being stolen, up from just $6,700 the previous year. Provo City spokeswoman, Heather Anderson, said this was primarily due to an alleged theft of about $450,000 from NuSkin. Salt Lake City Police Sergeant Bryan Jewkes says the poor economy is partially to blame, but there were also many crimes of opportunity aligning with these thefts.
Lawmakers Assessing Numerous Immigration Bills
Published on August 09, 2010 at 09:43AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-More immigration bills are surfacing ahead of the 2011 Utah legislative session, including one requiring “surety” bonds for guest workers and their employees. Senator Howard Stephenson of Draper has developed the bonding measure, saying half of the United States’ illegal workers were once guest workers and that they have remained due to poor federal enforcement. Stephenson later went on to say that surety bonds are promises to pay if a second party fails to meet an obligation. Other lawmakers are working on various proposals while Provo-based representative Chris Herrod has several proposals, one of which would require hospitals, schools and jails to record ethnicity data. Orem representative, Stephen Sandstrom, was allowing legislative research to “comb through” his re-tooled Arizona law last week and said he expects to reveal the measure this week.
Corroon Campaign Raises $36K in Small Donations
Published on August 09, 2010 at 09:39AM
(SALT LAKE CITY)-Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Peter Corroon’s campaign says it raised more than $36,000 in three days through small donations. The three-day effort took place last week and the most common donation was $25 and the lowest was $2. Campaign co-chairman, Ken Gardner, matched the first $25,000 brought in through small donations, bringing the effort’s total to more than $60,000. Through July, Corroon’s campaign says it has raised more than $1.1 million. Corroon is facing off against GOP Governor Gary Herbert in a special election this year to serve the rest of former governor Jon Huntsman’s term.
Carbon County School superintendent arrested for theft
Published on August 09, 2010 at 07:30AM
Updated on August 09, 2010 at 03:37PM
(PRICE) – The new head of the Carbon County School District was arrested Friday morning on charges of misusing public funds when he worked as superintendent of the Garfield County School District. According to police reports, 66-year old George Park was charged with one count of second-degree felony after an audit showing he helped steal tens of thousands of dollars and signed a fraudulent contract for former Garfield County School District administrator, Justin Baugh. The arrest warrant also alleges Park paid himself unauthorized bonuses, gave himself a larger 401(K) contribution than had been approved by school board members and took an unauthorized raise. Police said an audit found $125,000 in potentially fraudulent payments to Park and Baugh. According to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Park resigned his position in April and hired by the Carbon School District in May. Baugh was charged with stealing between $50,000 and $80,000. He plead not guilty on several felony charges. Police said that charges against Park are directly related to Baugh’s case. He’s being held at the Garfield County Jail with bail set at $10,000.