4A THE RICHFIELD REAPER Wednesday, January 4, 2012

2011In reviewSnowpack soars

Huge snowpack numbers accumulated, becoming a theme throughout the year as water levels resulted in flooding in the summer.

Snowstorms dumped on the state over the course of the December 2010 started to be a concern in January. Hydrolo-gists from the United States Department of Agriculture de-termined the Sevier River Basin was at approximately 211 percent of average, with areas above Richfield pushing the 400 percent mark.

Snowpack even resulted in an avalanche near Fremont on State Route 72, which hit a Utah Department of Transpor-tation snowplow. There were no injuries, but the road was temporarily closed.

High school wrestlers from throughout the state converged on the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield for the 2A state wres-tling duels.

Local wrestlers who finished among the top included Joey Leavitt, who was named outstanding wrestler of the tourna-ment in Division B.

Teammate Colten Argyle was also undefeated in the tour-nament.

North Sevier finished the tournament in third place behind South Summit and Millard.

This year’s duels tournament is set for Friday and Satur-day, Jan. 6 and 7.

January 5, 2011

January 12, 2011

State wrestling duels hosted at SVC

Ashman Elementary School hosted an open house for the public to tour a completely overhauled facility.

The $5.1 million project added classrooms, a student drop off area, seismic structural improvements, a parking lot, a more efficient heating and cooling system and a fire suppres-sion system.

Principal Teresa Robinson said that tearing down and re-building a facility around 600 students and staff members was an impressive feat.

“They tore an entire school building down around our ears and rebuilt it all while we were still here,” Robinson said. “It’s been amazing to watch this miracle unfold around us.” The open house and ribbon cutting ceremony were hosted Jan. 11.

In addition to the remodel, a display of rocks, minerals and fossils were donated to the school by Richfield residents Bry-ant and Edna Washburn. The Washburns had hosted field trips from area schools to their private museum for years.

Approximately $15,000 was raised by the community for new playground equipment at the school as well.

January 19, 2011

Ashman remodel completed

With high snowpacks, and a lot of people wanting to take advantage of them with their snowmobiles and skis, the Sevi-er County Sheriff’s Office hosted an avalanche training.

Sevier County had one person die in an avalanche, Mike Pendleton in 2007. Sheriff Nate Curtis said training can help reduce the risk to people and possibly save lives.

“If search and rescue is called out, it’s usually for a recov-ery, not a rescue,” Curtis said. He said the chances of sur-viving an avalanche drop off dramatically after seven to 10 minutes. This means every second counts, and that people who are on scene at the time of an avalanche are going to have to be the ones to dig out someone who is buried if they are to be saved.

“It’s valuable information for anyone who travels the back-country in the winter,” Curtis said. Information about current avalanche danger is available from the Utah Avalanche Cen-ter’s website — utahavalanchecenter.org.

Recorded messages of current conditions are also available by calling (888) 999-4019.

January 26, 2011

Avalanche training hosted

February 2, 2011SALINA — The North Sevier Community Center in Salina

was officially completed with the installation of racquetball courts.

“Sometimes, I didn’t think it would ever happen,” said Brady Edwards, the director of the North Sevier Recreation Department.

The two courts were among the final steps to getting the community center 100 percent finished. The project was de-

Community center completed

The eighth annual agricultural diversification business was announced as being hosted at the Sevier County Fairgrounds in Richfield.

“This is an educational and networking conference where participants will have the opportunity to learn about agricul-tural rural business and network with those who are success-ful,” said Jody Gale, Utah State University extension agent.

The conference featured 33 breakout sessions in produc-tion, marketing, new or expanding business and other topics related to agriculture in the state.

Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell gave the keynote address at the conference. Other presenters included local business owners, specialists and resource providers, who discussed business principles that have helped make them successful.

February 9, 2011Ag conference hosted

February 16, 2011

Wolves earn second at divisional

February 9, 2011North Sevier High School’s wrestling team came close, but

Millard was able to capture the 2A Division A victory at the Sevier Valley Center.

North Sevier finished in second place with 242 team points, behind Millard’s 291. South Sevier nabbed third place overall with 193 points.

The Wolves ended the tournament with one individual title winner — Reed Udy in the 119-pound division.

South Summit won Division B of the tournament, beating second place Beaver 317-246.

The divisionals were the last wrestling event before the state wrestling tournament, where the Wolves finished in third place.

More than 200 people attended A Date Night to Remem-ber at the Sevier County Fairgrounds in Richfield.

The free event, hosted in conjunction with Marriage Week in Utah and the Utah Healthy Marriage Initiative, featured Brad Wilcox, motivational speaker and Brigham Young Uni-versity professor.

Wilcox focused his presentation on how to deal with tough situations, and finding humor in any situation, but not at the expense of others.

He said instead of making cutting remarks, like those of-fered by sitcom television characters, people need to look at ways to offer compliments.

“You may sound corny,” Wilcox said, “but people eat corn.”

Event organizer Rebecca Mills, Utah State University ex-tension agent, said the activity was very successful. She said research indicates that children from split families have a higher incidence of drug and alcohol abuse, behavioral prob-lems, and higher divorce rates themselves later in life.

For more information, log onto strongermarriage.org.

Date night hosted in Richfield

The Utah Legislature contemplated cutting the funding to receiving centers throughout the state, which could have left rural areas scrambling for ways to deal with youths.

Police use receiving centers, such as the one in Richfield, for several different things. First, youths who are involved in serious crimes can be taken to the facility — those involved in felonies or abuse cases can be placed in the detention part of the facility.

Another thing it is used for, is receiving. Police can take a juvenile who is unruly or causing problems to receiving, where the center’s staff will work with the youth and his or her parents.

The centers are also used as a temporary shelter for youths who are in abusive or at risk situations.

However, if the receiving area was closed, it would have cost local agencies time, money and manpower. Youths who would regularly be put in the receiving area would have to be either cited and returned to their parents immediately, or transported to Provo.

“It also is very beneficial to have the facility right next door to the district court, as the judges have the ability to send juvenile offenders directly to the detention center from their court,” said Sevier County Sheriff Nate Curtis.

Without the centers, officers would have to transport chil-dren 150 miles.

The funding was eventually preserved for the 2011 year.

February 23, 2011

Funding battles fought

March 2, 2011

South Sevier earns 2A crown

What was expected to be a rebuilding year for the Rams of South Sevier High School, ended in a boys’ basketball state championship.

The state championship was hosted at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.

The Rams came out on top in a 42-37 battle. “I knew we had to slow the game down,” said coach Scott

Hunt. Big defensive stops in the final 30 seconds helped the

Rams stay on top as the clock wound down to zero.Hunt said the title, his third, was as exciting as they

come.“The last 10 seconds I knew we had it and I almost lost

it,” Hunt said. For the South Sevier basketball program, the title win

marked the 10th boys’ basketball championship in school history.

UDOT consolidating area buildings

March 9, 2011The Utah Department of Transportation consolidated its

facilities in Richfield.For years, the UDOT’s employees in Richfield had been

split between a pair of locations — a leased building on 1300 South and a group of buildings located at 708 South 100 West.

Zoning Monroe for wastewater

March 16, 2011MONROE — The issue of creating a sewer system in Mon-

roe came to the forefront during 2011. The proposal resulted in an initiative petition being presented

to the city council in an attempt to force a vote on it. Later in the year the Monroe City Council adopted the petition’s proposal that any wastewater system in the city be put to a public vote prior to installation.

However, this came after the proposal was nixed by the Mon-roe City Council following public hearings and an opinion sur-vey. Out of the 857 surveys sent out, 441 were returned. Of those surveys, 61 percent were against the project.

Rock crushing approved near Sevier

March 23, 2011The Sevier County Commission upheld a permit for a

mining/rock crushing facility previously issued for Millen-nium Construction Materials, Inc. and Green Solutions.

The two companies have proposed to mine a material, pozzolan, which is described as a natural product with properties that can improve the life cycle of concrete, while helping to reduce greenhouse gasses, according to develop-ers. The Sevier County Planning and Zoning Commission granted a permit for the operation in November 2010.

The county commission heard a pair of formal appeals in January, with a total of 17 points of contention. The Sevier County Commission did not find that the planning commis-sion had violated county ordinance, procedure or merits, which means the permit stands.

Conditions in the permit disallow the crushing, storing, packaging or other activities related to radioactive materi-als, and require a monitoring system. The final condition was to have independent experts conduct a chemical analy-sis to assess the material for potential airborne hazards.

While the county’s permit was approved and upheld, the company is still working through the environmental permit process of the U.S. Forest Service.

“They’re optimistic that they may be mining and pro-ducing by spring [of 2012],” said Sevier County Commis-sioner Gordon Topham.

Aspen programs leave Wayne

LOA — An announcement was made that three youth treatment programs based in Wayne County would close their doors forever as their parent company, Aspen Education Group, restructured.

The result is the loss of approximately 190 jobs to south central Utah.

In addition to the loss of employment, approximately 25 students were taken out of the school system in Wayne Coun-ty by the closures.

“Our business is driven by credit markets,” said Phil Her-schman, president of Aspen Education Group. He said parents generally have to finance the admission and fees for the pro-grams. Herschman said the three in Wayne County had been operating at a loss for several years.

The largest portion of the employees facing the cutback is the 113 individuals who worked at the Aspen Ranch. Some 55 people worked for the Aspen Achievement Academy, while another 25 worked for the Passages to Recovery.

The closure took effect in August. Since that time, two locally based programs have been

working to reestablish some of the services provided by the Aspen Education Group.

Tom Jeffery, Wayne County commissioner, said the group trying to reestablish the business consists of people who for-merly worked for Aspen.

“They are trying to open every door they can,” Jeffery said.

March 30, 2011

Rylan Frischknecht hooks a rainbow trout at the Sevier Valley Sportsman Expo at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield. Frischknecht is a son of Garett and Kalie Frischknecht, Redmond, March 25.

South Sevier’s Joey Leavitt takes down an opponent during the state wrestling duels at the Sevier Valley Center.

DAVID ANDERSON/RICHFIELD REAPER

veloped over the course of six years of planning, designing, fundraising and building.

The NSCC is located at 373 West 400 North in Salina.For more information, contact Edwards at (435) 979-

7778.

The agency undertook a construction project so that all its offices could be moved to the 100 West location, creating a small campus.

The project was started after more than a year of planning, designing and remodeling.

“When dispatch moved out, it gave us an opportunity to reassess our situation,” said Kevin Kitchen, UDOT Region 4 public involvement manager. “There were a lot of things that came together for us to be able to do this.” The Richfield Communications Center moved from the 100 West location in 2009.

Another element that came together for the consolidation of the UDOT campus is the reduced need for warehousing.

The project was completed in the summer, and approxi-mately 60 people work on the UDOT Region 4 campus.

DAVID ANDERSON/RICHFIELD REAPER

THE RICHFIELD REAPER 5A

2011In review

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

A man suspected of counterfeiting thousands of dollars in U.S. currency was arrested after an investigation by Richfield City Police, working with agencies in Washington County, Orem, Mesquite, Nev., and the U.S. Secret Service.

Tylor Edward Paul, 23, Sandy, was arrested in Mesquite while trying to sell a four-wheeler that he purchased from a 17-year-old in Richfield.

The four-wheeler was sold for $1,800, which was paid in cash by Paul.

The problem was after Paul drove off with the ATV, the juvenile and his parents noticed the money wasn’t real. All the bills had the same serial number on them.

Paul was found by police in Mesquite trying to sell the four-wheeler in a Walmart parking lot.

June 15, 2011

Counterfeiter busted in Richfield

With 375 pieces of art on display, organizers of the Sevier County Commissioners’ Art Show celebrated its 30th anni-versary with one of the largest turnouts in the event’s his-tory.

The 2011 show featured 60 artists, with 163 pieces in the regular show. Fifteen artists participated in a 30-week chal-lenge, which resulted in the balance of the pieces on dis-play. The art challenge was to produce 30 pieces of art in 30

May 11, 2011

Commissioners’ art show turns 30

The community support of the 2nd Battalion 222nd Field Ar-tillery of the Utah Army National Guard was formalized during ceremony unveiling of the remodeled Richfield armory.

“The way you people come and support this unit is a civ-ics lesson I wish every high school student in the country could take,” said Maj. Gen. Brian Tarbet. He said Richfield has long been a leader when it comes to community support of soldiers.

The armory completed a $1.3 million upgrade. The up-grade included paint, carpet, floor and ceiling tile, landscap-ing, heating and cooling systems, an additional 3,000 square feet of classroom space, ADA compliant restrooms and build-ing access ramps, windows, enlarged entryway and front fa-cade for the building, as well as communication and data sys-tem infrastructure. The building was originally completed in 1974.

The Richfield armory was one of 12 armory upgrades funded by the Utah State Legislature.

By the time the upgrade to the armory was completed, the 222nd was informed that it would be returning to Iraq during a deployment set to begin in June.

May 18, 2011

Community support of Guard formalized

A wrecking crew wiped away a building and a piece of Richfield’s shopping history as the old Alvin’s Market lot was cleared off in preparation to sell the property.

Alvin Jensen originally built the store on the front of a home he purchased from his grandmother in 1946. Another portion of the store apparently started out as a single room log cabin, putting its original building date at sometime in the 1800s, Nebeker said.

Alvin’s Market had been located on the corner of 400 South and Main Street in Richfield ever since. Alvin’s was also known throughout Wayne and Garfield counties as it ran a delivery service at its height.

The store was closed in 1998. The building is being torn down so the property can be sold as a commercial lot.

May 25, 2011

Alvin’s building taken down

State of emergencyJune 1, 2011

Some 28 years after the largest floods in Utah’s history, flooding hit the south central Utah region.

During a May 25 meeting in Richfield, Sevier County Commissioners officially declared the county in a state of emergency due to the flooding situation, and the expectation of more flooding that is yet to come.

Making the declaration was part of the procedure the coun-ty needs to go through in order to have an opportunity to get state and federal funding to help with flood mitigation and repairs of any damage that may be caused, Topham said.

While several homes were threatened by the 2011 floods, damage was primarily limited to agricultural lands and roads.

June 8, 2011Nearly 100 citizen soldiers based at the Richfield armory who

are members of the Battery A Second Battalion 222nd Field Ar-tillery of the Utah Army National Guard left the area for what was projected to be a year-long deployment to Iraq.

The 222nd is comprised of approximately 400 soldiers from Richfield, Cedar City, Beaver, Fillmore, St. George and sur-rounding communities.

A group of soldiers loaded onto a bus in Richfield, which took them to Cedar City, where they boarded a flight for Camp At-terbury, Ind. They trained at Camp Atterbury for several weeks before heading to Iraq.

The 222nd had previously been deployed in 2003, initially bound for Iraq but was redirected to Fort Lewis, Wash., to pro-vide training of ROTC cadets. In 2005-06 the unit deployed to Iraq to conduct supply route security, defend forward operating bases, provide artillery fire to disrupt insurgent operations and to recruit and train Iraqi police forces.

Guard leaves for deployment

Announcements of cuts of programs at the Snow College Richfield campus drew criticism from former educators at the instution.

“With a 20 percent cut, no matter what we do, it’s going to look like a cut,” said Snow College President Scott Wyatt dur-ing one of several meetings he hosted to discuss the future of the school.

Wyatt said his vision for the campus is to continue to grow both academic and applied technology programs, but that those programs need to address workforce needs in the region. Cuts were made to cover budget reductions by the state Legislature, as well as to refocus the career and technical programs at the school.

However, the cuts to technical programs have drawn criti-cism from a group of former educators, including Noel Bailey, who have accused Wyatt of raiding the Richfield campus to help fund programs at the Ephraim campus.

Changes at Snow spur controversy

June 22, 2011Private dam bursts

KOOSHAREM — The Boobe Hole Reservoir dam failed, resulting in damage to private property.

Boobe Hole is located northeast of Koosharem Reservoir on State Route 24. It is located on private property and used dur-ing the summer months to water cattle.

Several cattle were reported missing in the wake of the dam failure.

The amount of water in the reservoir was enough to raise Koosharem Reservoir by four inches.

Flood threat begins to recede

June 29, 2011The first half of the summer saw the Sevier Valley start to

fill with water, but as temperatures climbed to their summer peaks the threat of flooding along the Sevier River all but disappeared.

“I’m assuming the worst is over,” said Sevier County Commissioner Gordon Topham. Monitoring stations in the area, including Midway and Farnsworth Lake, which were two of the heaviest hitters in terms of water content, were pretty much done melting off by the end of June.

Topham said he was proud with how emergency man-agement officials and area residents dealt with the flooding situation.

Most of the counties’ roads that were closed due to flood-ing were reopened by the end of June.

MONROE — Monroe residents Dave and Karen Dastrup removed an old willow tree in their front yard, and used the tree to create a piece of art.

The Dastrups commissioned artist Shaun Beeler to create an original work of art. Beeler created the eagle piece using three different types of chain saws.

Beeler finished the eagle carving in May, which made the Dastrup’s front yard a popular place for passers-by.

Work on the carving began May 1, the day it was announced that U.S. military operatives had killed Taliban leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

July 6, 2011

Wooden eagle lands in Monroe

SALINA — The Eyes to the Sky balloon festival found itself at odds with the weather, but did manage to launch one of the three days scheduled for the balloons to fly.

The 19 hot air balloons had to scrub launches due to rain-storms that pummeled the area.

The middle day of the festival had weather conditions that allowed pilots to launch and land their balloons within a few feet of their take-off points.

For more information about the Eyes to the Sky balloon festival, log onto eyestotheskyballoon.com.

July 13, 2011Eyes to Sky launches

MONROE — James Lawton, 77, Monroe, was allegedly murdered by his adoptive son, William Lawton, 30, on Watts Mountain Road, west of Joseph.

Sevier County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the elder Lawton’s body after William reported that he and his father had been assaulted by two armed men.

However, as the investigation developed, William’s story fell apart, according to investigators.

Charges of aggravated murder were filed against William, who was arrested and booked in the Sevier County Jail on a $1 million cash only bail bond.

Lawton’s trial is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2012, as evidence is processed, and evaluation of the defen-dant’s mental state is compiled.

July 20, 2011

Monroe murder investigation starts

MONROE — The irrigation pond in Monroe officially opened to the public as a community fishery.

The waters, located south of Monroe, were stocked by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources with more than 900 pounds of rainbow trout — roughly 2,000 fish — March 30.

Two loads of fish — 455 pounds each — were dumped into the pond by trucks bringing the fish from the Fountain Green Fish Hatchery, each one emptying its contents into the pond in less than a minute’s time.

This initial stocking was something that the city had been originally told may not happen this year, as loads of fish have to be reserved for ponds a year in advance.

According to Devin Magleby, Monroe City’s public works supervisor, regular state fishing laws applied to the pond in 2011. A charter for community fisheries, which includes a two fish limit, will take effect in 2012.

For more information, contact Monroe City offices at (435) 527-4621.

April 6, 2011

Fish pond stocked near Monroe

The Utah Legislature voted to repeal a controversial gov-ernment records bill during a special session.

House Bill 477 modified Utah’s Government Records Ac-cess and Management Act, and drew criticism from media and citizens groups from throughout the state.

Sponsored by District 27’s Rep. John Dougall, HB 477 would have made any text, e-mail or voice mail exempt from GRAMA.

It would also extend a government agency’s latitude in the time allowed to respond to a GRAMA request, as well as the amount allowed to be charged for government documents.

Lawmakers voiced concerns that the current law exposes text messages, personal conversations and private informa-tion shared by constituents to the public.

The state House of Representatives voted to repeal the bill 60-3, and in the Senate 19-5.

March 30, 2011

GRAMA changes withdrawn

Caron Withers was hired as the director of the Sevier County Children’s Justice Center.

The CJC is a facility designed to give law enforcement and others a safe location to interview children who have been affected by crimes.

The center opened recording and observation capabilities so that testimony can be gathered from a child in a safe envi-ronment. The recorded testimony could be used in the trying of criminal cases. This would allow testimony to be gathered once rather than forcing the child to relive traumatic events multiple times.

The center formally opened its doors in July.

April 13, 2011

Children’s justice center hires director

More than 1,300 eighth grade students from a dozen schools in the south central Utah area attended an eighth grade career day event at the Sevier Valley Center in Rich-field.

The event featured more than 50 booths with informa-tion about some of the career opportunities students may want to consider as they enter high school.

Many of the booths featured hands-on activities to help provide the students with a feel for what each occupation requires.

April 20, 2011Career day hosted

April 27, 2011Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed six bills passed during the

completed legislative session during a visit to Richfield.Utah Sen. Ralph Okerlund sponsored three of the bills,

while Rep. K.L. McIff sponsored the other three. Okerlund’s Senate Bill 221 was designed to make the fed-

eral government include the state in land decisions. SB 31, the rural fast track amendments, is designed to help

rural areas tap into state resources to promote business and economic development. Senate concurrent resolution four was the third item signed by the governor, which was designed to preserve free over-the-air television by reserving the spec-trums utilized by translator stations.

McIff’s first item, House Bill 173, is designed to help pre-serve roads and public access.

HB 272, designed to refine how indigent counsel is admin-istered in the courts, was also sponsored by McIff, a former Sixth District Court judge. The final bill addressed was HB 202, which reforms death penalty procedures. McIff said that when the death penalty is sentenced, often it is years before it is administered.

“These are substantive bills, not fluff,” Herbert said.

Gov. Herbert signs bills in Richfield

May 4, 2011

weeks, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the show.Selected paintings produced for the challenge were com-

piled into a calendar, which was sold at the show.Guest artist Susette Gertsch said she enjoyed the work that

was presented during the show, and purchased two paint-ings.

The commissioners’ award went to Sandy Barfuss, who won with her painting Mountain Top Highway. Katie Rollins’ painting, Garth Hawley Home, was judged best of show.

Katie Rollins, left, Lisa DeGraffenried and Sharleen Kelsey look at the art boxes that were created locally to help promote the 30th annual Sevier County Commissioners’ Art Show.

DAVID ANDERSON/RICHFIELD REAPER

Utah Sen. Ralph Okerlund, left, Gov. Gary Herbert and Rep. K.L. McIff address a group of more than 40 people at the Sevier County Commission Chambers in Richfield. Herbert was in town to sign six bills sponsored by Okerlund and McIff April 21.

DAVID ANDERSON/RICHFIELD REAPER

6A THE RICHFIELD REAPER Wednesday, January 4, 2012

2011In review

September 21, 2011A man described as one of the most dangerous people

ever prosecuted in Sevier County entered a guilty plea after two years of litigation.

Sexual predator enters plea

September 28, 2011SALINA — The Utah Highway Patrol hosted a citizens

academy in Salina and Richfield over the course of two weekends.

A group of citizens, including Sevier County Commis-sioner Gordon Topham and state Sen. Ralph Okerlund, were instructed in firearms, hand-to-hand techniques, search and rescue, driving tactics, dispatch center chal-lenges and other topics related to law enforcement and emergency management.

This was the first time in the 17-year history of the UHP citizens academy that it was hosted in Sevier County.

UHP teaches citizens

October 5, 2011One of the wettest water years on record ended, with a total

of 12.49 inches of water measured at KSVC Radio’s weather station in Richfield.

This is in excess of 4 inches more than the previous year, which ended at 8.39 inches. The average in the area is 8.12 inches of water each year.

Water totals reflected the flooding season experienced by Sevier County and the surrounding areas earlier in the sum-mer. The flooding was some of the worst experienced since 1983, when the water year totaled 10.54 inches. In 1982, the total was 14.62 inches.

Wet water year ends

AURORA — A four-year wait ended as Amy Croft pinned the Purple Heart medal onto the shirt pocket of her husband, Garth Blake Croft Jr., at the community center in Aurora.

The honor is given to soldiers in the United States military who are wounded or killed while on active duty.

Blake had been wounded while in duty in Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Croft was serving with the Alpha Battery 2nd Battalion

32nd Field Artillery Regiment 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army and was on patrol in the Yarmouk sector of Baghdad, Feb. 20, 2008, when the vehicle he was driving detonated an improvised explosive device.

According to Amy, Blake received a concussion from the explosion, and was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury from the event. She said he has also suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome since returning from Iraq in April 2008.

October 12, 2011

Croft presented Purple Heart

A bridge on 200 East in Richfield remains closed while city officials are grappling with how to fix it, as well as another bridge, which is deteriorating.

With limited funds available for projects like replacing bridges, Mayor Brad Ramsay said he would like to see the county step up and help with the bridge repair.

The city is exploring the possibility of getting help from the Sevier County Special Service District Number 1, which utilizes federal mineral lease funds.

However, the bylaws for the SSD don’t allow for incor-porated areas to use the funds. The bylaws would have to be changed for the proposal to be legal.

County officials said if the funds are utilized by one mu-nicipality, others would expect the same consideration, which could drain the funds from county projects.

October 19, 2011

Bridges spur SSD funds debate

SALINA — New ordinances regulating the keeping of ani-mals within city limits in Salina were passed by the city plan-ning and zoning committee, then later approved by the city council.

The new regulations loosened up the standing laws regard-ing keeping animals inside the city limits, allowing residents with at least a half acre property to keep smaller animals, and larger animals to be kept on lots larger than one acre.

The adoption of the new ordinance was the culmination of more than seven months of work and research.

July 27, 2011

Salina updates animal ordinances

August 3, 2011SALINA — A 43-year-old Redmond man died after being

shot during an altercation with a Salina City Police Officer.Jeffrey J. Sorensen was pulled over for suspicion of drunk

driving by Officer Cory Madsen. As Madsen attempted to ar-rest Sorensen, a fight broke out.

According to the report and eye witness accounts, as Mad-sen attempted to place Sorensen under arrest, the suspect at-tacked the officer. After the initial blow, Madsen retreated toward the rear of his car, with Sorensen pursuing. Madsen pulled his firearm and fired once, resulting in a fatal injury to Sorensen.

The report compiled by the Sevier County Attorney’s Of-fice details the standard for use of deadly force is reached when an officer is in danger of becoming incapacitated or se-riously injured.

After spending a month on administrative leave while the investigation into the incident was completed, Madsen was cleared to return to duty.

It had been nearly 20 years since an officer involved shoot-ing has had to be dealt with in Sevier County.

Man dies during fight with police

Monroe resident Dave Dastrup posts an American flag into place on a carving of a bald eagle, which was created from an old willow tree in his front yard.

CHAD HUNT/RICHFIELD REAPER

August 10, 2011

Murder, suicide occurs in Salina

SALINA — A murder-suicide left two people dead in Sali-na.

A call was made to 911 reporting that a woman, Tina Bates, 39, Salina, had been shot by her boyfriend.

When police arrived, they found Bates’ body, as well as that of Tracy Hill, 50, also Salina, in the female victim’s home.

The investigation into the incident confirmed that Hill had shot Bates, and then turned his firearm on himself.

Bates’ 13-year-old son, who was in the house at the time of the incident, was able to escape uninjured to the neighbor’s house where he asked them to call 911.

“He’s a brave young man,” said Salina Police Chief Greg Harwood.

Investigation indicated that Hill and Bates had dated for several years, but that the relationship had ended within the last two months.

Investigators from the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office as-sisted the Salina City Police Department in the investigation.

August 17, 2011

Pot farm busted near Clear Creek

CLEAR CREEK — A marijuana farm hidden a few hundred yards from the main road through Clear Creek Canyon was dismantled by law enforcement officers and search and rescue volunteers.

The farm contained approximately 7,200 plants. Offi-cers from the Central Utah Narcotics Task Force, Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Richfield City Police Department, Salina City Police Department, Utah Highway Patrol, Mil-lard County Sheriff’s Office, Piute County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigra-tion and Customs Enforcement participated in the bust.

The estimated street value of the bust is some $50 mil-lion, according to information released by the task force.

At least two suspects who were involved in the cultiva-tion escaped apprehension by police.

August 24, 2011BRYCE CANYON — A tourist from Hamm, Germany,

was killed by lightning as a storm rolled into Bryce Can-yon National Park.

Volker Kunz, 51, was on the Rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset points in Bryce Canyon when a thunderstorm approached the area. Kunz and his family members be-gan returning to their vehicle to seek shelter from the rain. He sought refuge under a ponderosa pine tree, which was struck by a bolt of lightning.

A registered nurse was first on the scene and determined that Kunz had no pulse. He didn’t respond to CPR, which was administered by the nurse, Garfield County emergency medical technicians and park rangers. He was pronounced dead at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch.

The last lightning-caused fatality in the park was in 2004.

Lightning kills Bryce Canyon visitor

The Fishlake Relay took athletes 63 miles from the north shore of Fish Lake to the Richfield City Park on scenic back roads in Sevier County.

Twenty-one teams with members from as far away as New Zealand participated in the event, which was followed by a Mer-rill Osmond concert at Sevier Valley Center. The Osmond fam-ily, as well as its Making a Difference Foundation, both fielded teams in the relay.

The winning team — Utah Heritage Foundation — complet-ed the course in 8:34:29 to win the men’s portion of the event, as well as being the first team to finish overall. The team included Travis Sheffield, Ben Wilcock, Chris McCord, Nick Bassett, Di-ane Tracy and Scott Wyckoff.

Next overall and for the men’s was the Receding Hairlines, who finished with a time of 8:45:21. The team included Mark Alger, Matt Barney, Mike Torgerson, Rick Tennant, Colton Burr and Jim Mullenaux.

Rapid Thigh Movement won the women’s division, with Molly Foster, Rainette Gould, Kelly Kitchen, Ashley DeMille, De Reitz and Dana Erickson.

AURORA — A rancher from Aurora had the opportunity to be seen on national television as he earned a spot on the CBS reality series Survivor.

Rick Nelson said he’d tried out 13 times previously. “It was like a big habit for me,” Nelson said. “Every time

the season finale would come on and Jeff [Probst, host of the show,] would come on and say, ‘if you think you’ve got what it takes, apply now’ ... It was like a ritual every January to get out there and shoot another video. Heck, I might do it again this year, if they’ll let me.”

Nelson was announced as one of 18 castaways for the season — two are former castaways from a previous season playing for redemption. Nelson won his spot on the show by becoming the top vote getter in a cbs.com casting call video poll contest.

He went on to make it to the final night of competition, ending his run in the final five.

September 7, 2011

August 31, 201163-mile relay hosted

Nelson becomes a Survivor

After several months of preparation, a proposal to build a natural gas-fueled power plant near Sigurd took a step forward as the application for an air quality permit was turned into the Utah Division of Air Quality.

“We’re excited to be at this point,” said Bruce Taylor, prin-cipal for Nevco Energy/Sevier Power Company. “Everything was redone for it.”

The proposal was originally to build a coal-fueled plant. The DAQ had given an air quality permit for the coal-fueled pro-posal in 2004. However, in December 2009, the Utah Supreme Court issued a ruling requiring more work be done on the per-mit issued by the DAQ.

It was after the court’s ruling that Nevco switched the fuel source from coal to gas. When the decision was made to switch from coal to gas, Nevco announced it would secure a permit from the county prior to obtaining one from the state.

The permit from the county was approved in December 2010.

Since that time, Nevco has been working on submitting the new air quality permit, Taylor said. He said the company had to go to equipment vendors, such as General Electric, the manu-facturer of the turbines for the power plant, to get specifications so the emissions level could be projected.

Work on the original proposal started in 2001.The permit for the power plant from the DAQ may be ready

for approval in the first half of 2012.

September 14, 2011

Power plant files with state

The sequence of events that led to the bust began in May when a pair of bear hunters who were hiking through the canyon where the farm was hidden originally discovered the site and reported it to police.

Tamera Nance-Capson, left, embraces her son, Garth Blake Croft Jr., after he was presented with the Purple Heart in Aurora. Croft received the honor nearly four years after he was injured while deployed with the United States Army in Baghdad, Iraq.

CHAD HUNT/RICHFIELD REAPER

More than 7,000 marijuana plants were removed from a cultivation operation in Clear Creek Canyon in August.

Paul John Hattrich, 53, Sevier, was accused of 27 differ-ent crimes related to sexual abuse of minors. He offered a guilty plea for three first degree felony charges of sodomy of a child in Sixth District Court.

The plea bargain was reached the day before a jury trial for Hattrich was set to begin.

The plea allowed for the dropping of other charges, in-cluding two counts rape of a child, nine counts aggravat-ed sexual abuse of a child, two counts dealing in material harmful to minors and 10 additional counts of sodomy of a child.

Hattrich was later sentenced to three terms of 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison system.

DAVID ANDERSON/RICHFIELD REAPER

THE RICHFIELD REAPER 7AWednesday, January 4, 2012

2011In review

December 28, 2011They started trickling back home in November after

President Barack Obama made the announcement that the U.S. military presence in Iraq would come to an end by the end of the year.

The men of 2nd Battalion 222nd Field Artillery of the Utah Army National Guard returned home in time for Christmas.

“There is no more storied unit than this one,” said Gen. Brian Tarbet, commanding general of the Utah National Guard.

He said the support given to the 222nd during each deployment is incredible.

Guard members return from Iraq

November 16, 2011Allegations that a same-sex couple was dismissed from a

homecoming dance at South Sevier High School in Monroe prompted action by the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah and Sevier School District.

Brandie Balken, executive director for Equality Utah, said a parent residing in Sevier County, reported that her daughter was turned away from a homecoming dance and treated poorly for bringing a female date to the event.

Same-sex controversy hits Sevier County

One of the largest infrastructure improvements to be built in Richfield City went online.

A new 1.5 million gallon culinary water tank replaced an old concrete tank that was costing Richfield’s culinary water system points from state health department evaluations.

The new tank extends the life of the culinary water system, and expands the city’s storage capacity.

Completed for approximately $850,000, the new tank is a concrete structure. The concrete of the floor of the tank was laid down in one continuous pour. The walls, columns and lid of the tank were also done in continuous pours, which brought the total of pours to four for the entire project. The new tank also resulted in a $2 per month bump in Richfield City’s water rates earlier this year to pay off the loan secured for the project.

November 23, 2011

New water tank begins service life

December 7, 2011SALINA — A fire in one of the boys’ bathrooms at

North Sevier Middle School in Salina caused the school to be evacuated.

The fire appeared to have been started by a disgruntled student, who allegedly struck a match and tossed it in a garbage can, which ignited the papers in it.

Police have identified an 11-year-old male suspect, who is to face arson charges in Sixth District Juvenile Court.

While the fire created smoke, it didn’t cause any struc-tural damage to the school building.

Students were evacuated from the building, and walked to the elementary school gym to stay warm while officials made sure that it was safe to return to class.

Class was resumed within approximately an hour of the fire being reported. There were no reported injuries stemming from the incident.

NSMS evacuated due to minor fire

Sevier County home sales increase

December 14, 2011While real estate remained a buyer’s market, home

sales in Sevier County were up by 100 percent in Octo-ber, when compared to the same month in 2010, accord-ing to information released by the Utah Association of Realtors.

The report noted that while closed sales doubled, the local inventory of homes listed for sale was down by nearly 30 percent, with the average number of days on the market dropped from 154 to 98.

“It’s significant,” said Donna Hartle, president of the Central Utah Board of Realtors.

For people in the area looking to sell their homes, however, the average sales price in October was down 17.8 percent — $194,346 in 2011 compared to $236,333 in 2010 — with sellers receiving less than 85 percent of their original list price — down from nearly 90 percent at the same time the previous year.

New fire station takes step forwardRichfield City’s effort to build a new fire station now

hinges on a presentation to the Utah Permanent Community Impact Fund Board.

Designers and city council members met and trimmed down the original package of the fire department.

The bids for the original design were rejected in October because they exceeded the city’s budget.

Even with the refinements made to the design, bids for the new package came in higher than the city has funding to cover.

The city is set to ask the CIB for more funding Thursday, Jan. 5.

December 21, 2011

November 9, 2011

Pahvant fields top math classes

Students in five fourth and fifth grade classes at Pahvant Elementary School in Richfield flexed their mathematics muscles in a national math challenge, finishing in the top 51 of 2,500 classes across the country participating in the contest.

Hosted online Oct. 12 and 13, The American Math Chal-lenge tests students in two areas — adaptive testing of their knowledge of mathematical concepts and a mental math skills competition in which students are challenged across 10 levels of 60-second races against other students from throughout the country.

Results from the challenge were posted on mathletics.com, and five classes made it into the top 51 classrooms in the country, including one classroom, Mark Stewart’s fifth graders, cracking into the top 10 at number nine.

Other classes finishing in the top 51 in the AMC included Beth Ann Rickenbach’s fifth grade students placing 25th, followed by Wesley Blake’s fifth graders at 29th. Amee Roundy’s fourth grade class ranked 51st in the top classes, preceded by Brenda Cropper’s fourth grade class, which came in at number 39.

Kilo, a Utah Highway Patrol K-9 dog, bites Public Safety Dispatcher Joe Reynolds during a demonstration in Richfield. The dog’s performance was part of the UHP Citizens’ Academy Oct. 1.

DAVID ANDERSON/RICHFIELD REAPER

After a public hearing hosted by the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, a beer license for Cove View Golf Course was approved.

The Richfield City-owned golf course sought the license as a way to capture revenue from sales of beer. The course had allowed people to bring beverages onto it in the past, but with the license people who want to drink beer while golfing will have to purchase it at the golf course.

In addition to the revenue, the license also allows great-er control when it comes to how much is consumed on the course. The course staff is currently working on getting ready for beer sales in the spring. Employees attended a training in December to learn about the laws concerning beer sales.

October 26, 2011

Beer sales approved at Cove View

Amy Garren-Clark was named as the new Sevier County assessor.

Clark replaces Gail DeMille, who retired from the posi-tion in mid-October.

Clark’s name was submitted to the Sevier County Com-missioners following a meeting of the Sevier County Repub-lican Party Central Committee, where she was selected from among four prospective applicants.

Adhering to the county party’s bylaws, the central com-mittee — comprised of four officers and the chair and vice chairs of every precinct — are responsible for selecting re-placements for elected officials who leave office mid-term.

Clark has been with the Sevier County Assessor’s Office for 11 years. The county assessor’s office is responsible for evaluating property at its fair market value for taxation pur-poses.

Clark’s interim appointment expires in 2012, when the po-sition is scheduled to be up for election.

November 2, 2011

Assessor changes in county

However, school district officials said the student was dis-missed from the dance due to the age of her date, not the gen-der.

Sevier School District hosted trainings in response to a Nov. 7 letter distributed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah on how to address situations where students’ rights may be being violated.

“Almost universally, all of our superintendents have ex-pressed interest in addressing the issue, and have been pos-itive,” said Joseph Cohn, interim legal counsel for ACLU.

Richfield High School’s volleyball team celebrates a 2A state championship victory over San Juan at Utah Valley University in Orem Oct. 29. The Lady Wildcats dismantled the Lady Broncos in four sets to take home their second title in four years — the last one coming in 2008, which was the year before Richfield moved to class 3A.

CHAD HUNT/RICHFIELD REAPER

Two stabbed in Monroe

MONROE — Sevier County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 911 hang-up in Monroe, which resulted in

November 30

the arrest of a man suspected of attempted murder.David Kindrick, 59, Monroe, was arrested after being

accused of stabbing two people with a knife.While attempting to contact the person who called 911,

deputies said they could hear a female voice inside. She opened the door and collapsed on the ground outside.

Rebecca Fillis, 56, Monroe, told the deputies there were two more subjects inside.

Mark Randall, 45, Monroe, was also injured during the attack. Kindrick is now in the Sevier County Jail, await-ing trial.