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Show Utah Press Association 1521 E3900SSte 100 Salt Lake City UT 84124-1550 T H E O N E T H A T ' S R E p The Spanish Fork News JJLL L VOL 4 / NO. 25 O C A L L Y O W N E D A N D O P E R A T E D WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2009 50^ SPANISH FORK, UTAH Cougar sighted in Spanish Fork Jen Allen STAFF WRITER On the evening of Thursday, June 18, a local family had an unusual visitor in their garage. The visitor was none other than a common cougar. There were two reports of sightings of the animal, including the capture. Witnesses of the event stated that the cougar saw its reflection in the doors of an LDS church and immediately ran, looking for a hiding place. It came upon a garage with the door wide open and ran in to hide. The owners of the home immediately closed the garage door and gathered their children in a safe place in the home, while animal control was called. Animal control officers were unavailable for comment, but the chance of a cougar running through suburban neighborhoods closely located to the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon is not completely unfeasible. Last year a black bear followed the Spanish Fork River downstream and into town. Wild animal sightings can be called into Spanish Fork Police Department at 801-798-5070. Lori Clayson to receive needed treatment Jen Allen STAFF W R I T E R It took as little as three months for Lori Clayson to becomelegally blind Though she had eyesight problems before, it was never an issue that a pair of glasses with the right prescription couldn't fix. In September Clayson picked up her new pair of glasses and simply thought something just wasn't right about the prescription. She quickly brushed it off. The problem with her prescription got worse over time, but Clayson hesitated to go right back to her eye doctor until February. However, the problem in front of Clayson now is much more serious. Parafoveal Telangiectasia, or Mactel, is a disease in the eye that causes the barrier between the blood vessels on the top of the eye and the retina to disintegrate allowing for the blood vessels to hemorrhage into the eye or pool at the back of the retina. This then causes scaring which can completely block out vision. Clayson explains that her current vision is like using a pair of binoculars that are slightly unfocused. It's unfocused just enough so that Clayson can see items, but not the detail. In February, when Clayson was diagnosed with Mactel, she was instantly referred to Dr. Laurence Yanuzzi. Yanuzzi is the foremost doctor specializing in Claysons disease. Instantly Clayson and her husband made an appointment for the first opening Yanuzzi had. June 6th Clayson will travel with her husband to meet with Dr. Yanuzzi. Unsure of what he will say, or offer in regards to treatment, Clayson is hopeful that she will be receiving a drug therapy treatment that day instead of surgery on the eye. "I'm in awe of the re- search process. People talk about the politics of research but what [they] don't realize is research is helpful ... and maybe I can help others through research." The drug therapy Clayson is hoping to receive is part of the research process on her specific disease. With the rarity of her case, there isn't much information out there that people can read without having some extensive medical knowledge of the eye and how it works. Luckily Clayson has "People have been so great and I'm very, very grateful." - Lori Clayson family close by in Pennsylvania that she and her husband will be able to stay with during her appointment and treatment in New York. "The upside is that I get to see my family, and it may be the last time I see them, but I'd rather have my sight aniLaoi-41-aveao^ [see the specialist],"-she said. Clayson is a familiar face around town. She has worked at SAG's gas station for six years as well as working at the I Dunno Diner for two years. Because of her loss of vision, she's had to quit both jobs. She doesn't drive anywhere, and after last weekend isn't too interested in doing the "crowd" thing. "If someone wouldhave told me three years ago, I wouldn't have thought to have my eyes checked. But it's important! People have been so great and I'm very, very grateful." Miss Utah Congratulations to Brooke Christensen, Miss Salem 2008, who finished in the top 10 at the Miss Utah Pageant on Saturday, June 20. She is the daughter of Kurt and Janie Christensen. Her | platform was "Financially Fit for the Future." Kate Jarman / Spanish Fork News STATE FINALISTS: Junior Miss winners from the Spanish Fork/Salem area, pictured left to right, are Kayla Christensen of Spanish Fork, Ginelle Jack of Salem and State Alternate Mallory Murphy of Spanish Fork. For more photos, see Around Town on A9. Jr. Miss winners crowned Kate Jarman STAFF WRITER On the night of Wednesday, June 17, 15 girls from from the Spanish Fork/Salem area strutted their stuff before judges in UVU's Ragan Theatre. At the Junior Miss Scholarship Program, "My Time to Shine," countless family and friends were also there to support their girls, who competed for scholarship money as well as the title of Spanish Fork/Salem Junior Miss. The two Spanish Fork/Salem Junior Miss State Finalists were Ginelle Jack and Kayla Christensen; the Spanish Fork/Salem Junior Miss State Alternate is Mallory Murphy. The finalists both received $1,000 scholarships and the alternate received a $700 scholar- ship. Jack and Christensen will go on to compete in the state Junior Miss Program in March 2010 for more scholarship money as well as the title of Utah Junior Miss. Throughout the day of the pageant, the girls participated in the competition featuring five different categories. Earlier in the day, every contestant was individually interviewed by the judges' panel. The judges examined the contestants' perception, clarity of expression, sense of values, maturity, human relations and personality during the interview. Their score in this category amounted to 25 percent of their overall ranking. Also previous to the performance that evening, a qualified panel of educators reviewed each girl's transcripts, class ranking, class difficulty level, score on national tests and college entrance exams in order to determine their level of scholastic achievement. This portion was worth 20 percent of their overall score. During the evening's performance, the categories of talent, fitness and self-expression were reviewed. Talent, which comprises 25 percent of the score, is based on the girls' originality, technical ability, appropriateness of selection and costume, and stage presence. Fifteen percent of the score was made up of their performance in the fitness category, where judges looked at the contestants' overall condition without regard to physique or athletic ability during the choreographed See PROGRAM • A8 Iceland Days set for June 26-28 Iceland Days 2009 will be held June 26-28. All events are open to the public. Friday, June 26 will feature Icelandic culture workshops starting at 7 p.m. at the LDS Spanish Fork Stake Center, 1006 East 200 South, Spanish Fork. Workshops will include: • "Fun Facts about Iceland" (people, names, waterfalls, glaciers, puffins, songs) by Jack Tobiasson of Payson • "Icelandic Family History and You," by Bliss Anderson of Spanish Fork and Rick Mathevvs of Provo • "Spinning: Wooly Wonders." How to take sheep's wool and then turn out splendid apparel, by Carole Miller of Orem • "Icelandic Stories Too Good to Miss," by Sunya Grossman from Las Vegas, Nev. • "Cooking Your Own Icelandic Pancakes." Participants can cook their own pancake, add whipped cream and jam and sample the tasty treat. The Iceland Days Family and Friends Fair will be held Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Spanish Fork City Park, behind the library at Center Street and Main Street. Events will include a flag t V ** L * Jen Allen / Spanish Fork News CELEBRATION: A children's choir performs during last year's Iceland Days festivities. ceremony; Barnabaer (children's village), with activities for children; Icelandic souvenirs and artifacts for sale; displays and booths (Iceland Days from 1897 to now; Icelanders in the Spanish Fork Cemetery; storytelling — stories from Iceland; live Icelandic sheep; family history and more). John K. Johnson will lead a guided bus tour of historic Icelandic sites in Spanish Fork, starting at 2 p.m. (cost is $2). There will be food avail- able for purchase, including Ponnukokur (Icelandic pancakes), pylsur (Icelandic hot dogs), kleinur (Icelandic doughnuts), baked goods, pastries and an Icelandic Lamb Lunch (pulled lamb, potato salad, pickled red cabbage, roll). The program will feature this year's honorees as well as music, Icelandic sheep, singing, a quilt auction, stories, Celtic music, door prizes and more Iceland Days will conclude Sunday, June 28 with the heritage fireside 7 p.m. at the LDS church at 300 East Center St., Spanish Fork. Icelander Kristjana H. Bardardottir will share experiences from Iceland and Canada, and Dr. Robert L. Millet will speak on honoring our heritage. Dr. Millet has served as Ancient Scripture Department Chair and as Dean of Religious Education at BYU. His areas of expertise include outreach to other Christian faiths, along with Christian History and Theology. |