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Show TheEmeryCountyReview.com Boo! Hypno Laughs Hypnotist brings the laughs to Canyon View Play takes audience on a spooky, wandering trip B1 A6 REVIEW Emery County The Auto accidents dampen spirit of Halloween fun For officers from the Emery County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Highway Patrol, the Halloween weekend was marked by automobile accidents. Two major accidents occurred between 6 p.m. on Friday night and 1 a.m. Saturday morning. The first accident was reported at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Halloween night. According to the Highway Patrol, northbound traffic had slowed for a 5-year-old boy and an 18-year-old male who were crossing Highway 10 at 100 South, but when the two rushed to make it across the southbound lanes, the child was struck by an oncoming car. The 18-year old was not injured, but the younger boy suffered a bro- ken leg and was transported to the hospital. The second accident occurred near Ferron on Dutch Flat Road. The single vehicle rollover accident actually took place somewhere between 12:30 and 1 a.m., but it was not until later in the morning that a passer-by saw the truck and called the Sheriff’s Office. The passer-by approached the accident at first light and found the driver, who had been ejected. Both the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s department responded, arriving at approximately 7:30 a.m. The driver was transported to the hospital and remains in critical condition as of press time. ‘I’m Dissecting What?’ Agreement for Green River Industrial Park imminent C. Josie Luke Green River may soon have a few new business neighbors. A lease agreement between Emery County and the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is “imminent” according to Emery County Economic Director Mike McCandless. “We don’t have any more changes we want and I haven’t been informed of any changes they want. I’m just expecting them to send me a sign-able copy soon,” he revealed. “The signing is imminent. There are no more contractual issues, I don’t think, still to be resolved.” Both parties have been working together for nearly 18 months and are eager to finalize the agreement so that the first lessees can begin signing contracts. The first will be Mancos Resources who is planning on operating a uranium mill on the site. McCandless said he is actively working with 12 companies who are interested in the project. “It’s really exciting that we’ve got that much interest in something that’s not even started yet,” he expressed. McCandless stressed that none of these companies are “sure things,” saying that it may be a year or more before anything is finalized, but he was pleased to report that most of them would provide opportunities for 10 to 40 workers. Though he is still hesitant to give many particulars without a signed agreement, he revealed that Mancos Resources has already publicized their desire to locate to the Industrial Park. “They’re going to move as soon as we possibly can,” McCandless said. “There certainly are others, but they’re the furthest down the road. It’s going to be a full blown milling process, taking uranium ore out from mines in the West and turning that into what they call yellowcake.” He also said that they are currently in talks with a recycling company, a “very large” manufacturing facility and a couple of oil and gas related businesses. He explained, “They’re not ready today, but we’re aggressively pursuing to see what their interest level might be.” McCandless also reported that he is still receiving a great deal of interest from many other companies who are interested in the project. In light of the recent economic circumstances, he is encouraged by this. “The Green River Industrial Park is getting a lot of inter- Continued on Page A4. Tuesday, November 4, 2008 Local News, Local Voice, Locally Owned Volume 2, Issue 45. Photo by C. Josie Luke Sierra Williams shows her joy as she dissects owl pellets at school. Something to ‘Hoot About’ During Halloween week students at Cottonwood Elementary discover more about owls than they probably wanted to know C. Josie Luke T o some it was gross, to others, cool, but regardless of their initial reactions, third graders in Lori Labrum’s class at Cottonwood Elementary were intrigued as they concluded a week long study of owls by dissecting owl pellets on Halloween. “We just have fun with it the week before Halloween,” said Labrum.” It goes with our core and dissecting the pellets is a good hands-on experience for them.” During the week, she shares a lot of information with her students about owls, what they eat and how they fit into their environment. They then tackle, or rather delicately examine, their owl pellets on the final day. The pellets are fumigated and cleaned so they are not harmful to the students. The pellets consist of whatever the owls do not completely digest and are then coughed up, so the students find bones, feathers, fur and more when they dissect their pellets. Labrum said the students have found many interesting things in the pellets over the years. Each year, the students look particularly for skulls, one year finding a hummingbird skull with the beak still attached. They also try to classify the different bones, gluing them to a chart to try to construct a complete skeleton. Though they have never done so, they still have a lot of fun trying, sometimes taking the whole morning. After at least 15 years of this Halloween custom, Owl Pellet Day has become a tradition at the school, as past students ask the current third graders each year if they have “done their owl pellets yet.” Labrum even finds herself looking for owl pellets outside of school time. Once, she revealed, she even made her children help her pick up pellets from beneath a tree after they attended a funeral. She laughs it off saying, “Teachers will always be a teacher. You’re never off the job,” but her commitment to her students pays off when she sees the wonder in their eyes as they try to find a treasure in the most unusual of places. 75 Cents Resource plans approved for public land The Bureau of Land Management Utah State Director Selma Sierra announced Oct. 31 that Resource Management Plans for five of the agency’s Field Offices have received final approval. The updated Resource Management Plans cover public lands managed by the BLM’s Price, Kanab, Moab, Richfield and Vernal Field Offices. “BLM Utah has reached an important milestone as we prepare to replace outdated RMPs with plans that reflect current conditions on the land, as well as new and emerging patterns of public use,” Sierra said. “The new RMPs are the culmination of years of work and cooperation with the public, local and state governments, tribes, and our cooperating agency partners. This has been a truly collaborative effort in balanced stewardship for the future. We are pleased to have the plans completed and look forward to moving into the implementation phase of the planning process.” Sierra said the new RMPs will help the agency meet a variety of challenges that have emerged since the previous RMPs were written up to 25 years ago. These include the need for improved recreation opportunities, better management of cross-country travel to protect natural resources, the use of Best Management Practices to mitigate the impacts of energy development activities, and additional safeguards for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas. “Emery County is optimistic concerning the Record of Decision,” said Emery County Public Lands Director Ray Peterson. “Although the Resource Management Plan is not 100 percent what we would have desired, we feel that the decisions in the plan Continued on Page A3. Photo by James L. Davis The Giroux family of Ferron have been overwhelmed by the support of the community following Lucas’ surgery. From left to right, George, Lucas, Angelina, Shaun and Garbriele. Community rallies to support student with surgery costs James L. Davis Lucas Giroux is looking forward to the day when he can climb back behind the wheel of his pickup. It seems like it’s been a long time coming, but he knows it won’t be too much longer until he can have the freedom of being behind the wheel again. Until then he continues the slow process of regaining his strength, his stamina, and his life. The Emery High senior has faced a year like one he hopes never to face again, but after two surgeries he hopes the worst is behind him. A year ago he had no idea of the conditions that would slowly start twisting his body. “It’s been a double whammy for him,” said his mother, Gabriele. She recalls the day she noticed that her son was drooping his shoulders. She told him to stand up straight and was surprised when he told her that he couldn’t, it was painful. A trip to the doctor revealed the “double whammy” that would impact the rest of his life. He suffers from both kyphosis (a curvature of the upper spine) and scoliosis (a side-toside curvature of the lower spine). The conditions caught Lucas and his parents by surprise, especially when they learned that the conditions are usually diagnosed at much earlier ages than Lucas’. Doctors at Utah Valley Medical Center recommended surgery to treat the conditions and the decision to undergo surgery was not an easy one for the Giroux family, least of all for Lucas. His father, George, Continued on Page A3. |