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Show tEfre Page A6 Blender passed away; now rests on bluff overlooking his river The redbone hound that became known far and wide for his passion to float the Colorado River near Moab has died. Blender, who at the age of two developed a penchant for riding the rapids, lunching g with rafters and his way home to Professor Valley, was the subject of countless newspaper articles and features. His storied antics, which first were publicized by The and later Associated the picked up by Press news wire, became the subject of a book, Blender ; Colorado River Dog, published in 1997 then revised and reprinted two years later. The book later was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post and Blenders rise to national renown was well on its way. nt Blender lived at the Hauer Ranch near Fisher Towers for 13 years. As a pup, he was taught to swim by rafting guides who would launch their boats from the shores of the river on the ranch. Blenders initial interest in the boaters was their food, and as he developed his skills as a paddling pooch, as one newspaper called him, he began to embark on many a trip that would take him down the river, following in the wake of boaters floating the section known as the Allen Memorial Hospital announces scholarship winners. E. Nicole Garrett, Megan Knight, Meggan Baxter and Laura Relph will receive $500 each from the Charles A. Redd Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is awarded to a qualifying candidate(s) whose career goal is to work in health care. Marla Moab Daily. These were not short jaunts for the dog; generally he would swim about a dozen miles downstream to the BLM take-ou- t or Sandy Beach, sometimes even to Big Bend. ISRANDUCOlEXTENSIO UNIVERSITY Series Utah State University Extension and High Desert Gardens invite you to learn more about Xeriscape plants Learn about the amazing variety of plant materials adapted to our area. They can give you gorgeous color and texture with less water use! Thursday, May 20th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. This FREE program will be held at High Desert Gardens Nursery, 2971 S. Hwy 191 Questions Call: 259-755- 8 Owner John Hauer recalled one time when a passerby on the River Road found him at Mile Marker Two 19 miles from home. Getting off the river was only part of the adventure for Blender, the other part was getting home. Quite often a river guide would recognize the hound and either take him to town or bring him back to Professor Valley. These Good Samaritans were rewarded F.O.B. with the (Friend of Blender) bearing the likeness of the dog on it. Blender became a television star in the 1990s when featured on ESPN. The show depicted how the dog, in the words of the book about him, tee-shi- rt became more skilled than any hitch hiker. AuEd thor Martley wrote, Of course it was scary to see him jump in front of a moving car, but you must remember that this is one of the worlds great athletes. He is in superb physical condition from battling the currents of the Colorado River every day, and his reflexes, honed in the rapids of the river and his battles with coyotes, are lightning fast. ESPN continues to air of the show occasionally each year. From the age of 4 on, Blender wore a radio collar that helped to pinpoint his location. He kept up a rigorous schedule of float trips each summer (and sometimes in the winter) until the last year of his life. Even though he had slowed down, his fame wasnt diminished. He received fan mail and calls of interest, he visited numerous local classrooms and has been adored by school kids, and his book remains popular. Blenders paw print emd bellishes the introductory page of the book about him. Under it is the message, I hope you enjoy reading about my life as much as I have enjoyed living it. Thus passed the years of Blenders amazing story, and he is to swim into the mythology of the Colorado River. Blender is buried on a high bluff overlooking a lazy bend in the river about a mile upstream from Onion Creek. From that perch he viewed many a boat pass by, and with eager anticipation of another good swim, embarked on many a journey in pursuit of rafters, their food and their friendliness. Alan C. Jensen, D.D.S., M.S. uii irJfMinj. d I bnji i 570 W. 400 N. Moab, UT 84532 Callfo an appointment June 24-2- 5 partnership results in CDC excellence award Michigan Antibiotic Resistance Reduction Coalition orga(MARR) is a non-prof- it nization dedicated to promoting appropriate antibiotic usage. MARR has developed an educational program, called Antibiotics & You, for children which include, in grades other among things, a segment on how germs are spread. By using Glo Gel, a product manufactured by the Glo Germ Company in Moab, Utah; it is possible to demonstrate the concept of germ transmission and cross contamination. The program has been very successful, earning the 2003 CDC Award for Excellence in Antibiotic Resistance Programming. MARR is currently training presenters nationwide to teach this program. The Glo 4-- 6, 259-489- 7 Germ Company is pleased to be part of this nationwide effort and will be supplying the Glo Germ Gel for the trainers kits as our donation to this very worthwhile effort, said Joe D Kingsley, President. Antibiotics ... You is gainand international national ing recognition because it presents a complex issue, antibiotic resistance, in a very easy to understand way, focusing on the importance of illness prevention, i.e. good nutrition, hand washing, immunization, as the most effective way to preserve our antibiotic lifeline. Glo Gel is a crucial part of this program and appreciate the contributions which the Glo Germ Company has made to make our program such a success, said Mary Eley, Executive Director of the MARR Coalition. Alpha Rho awards nursing scholarship The Alpha Rho chapter of ESA sorority announced that they awarded the Betty Dravage Memorial Nursing scholarship to Vanessa Erickson, daughter of Ross and Pam Erickson. Vanessa is in her last year of nursing, and will graduate in December with he B.S.N. degree. She plans to work in the Coronary Care unit at St. Marys Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. Betty Dravage was an excellent nurse who worked most of her nursing career at Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab. She was a loyal mem ber of Alpha Rho, and the scholarship is given each year in her memory. Phone surcharges will help pay for 911 system by Lisa Church contributing writer Cellular and land line telephone customers will see a slight increase in the monthly surcharge that helps Utah counties cover the cost of pro- viding 911 ser- emergency vices. Beginning July 1, the billed fee will be each 65-cen- ts month, an increase of that was approved by state lawmakers earlier this year. Last year, Grand County received about $38,000 in 911 12-cen- ts surcharge fees. That money helps pay for the equipment and maintenance of Grand Countys emergency telephone system. The county paid $58,000 to lease 911 equipment in 2003, said County Clerk Fran Townsend. The county will own the equipment outright within the next two years, but costs for maintaining and upgrading the emergency system make the monthly surcharge, which is'mandated by state law, necessary, Townsend said. Grand County paid about Monday, May 24, beginning at 4:00 p.m. p.m. on Healthcare, Inc., the governing board for Allen Memorial Hospital and the administrator of the scholarship, selected the candidates from among the applications received earlier this spring. Congratulations to a fine group of young women from everyone at Allen Memorial Hospital. Health care has a promising future with candidates of this caliber and, who knows, they may return to staff the new hospital, Moab Regional Medical Center. Glo Germ Company Join host Howard Trenholme and his guests, Kathy Bierschied, speaking about water and fitness... and Alison Kennedy and Greg Sayers, talking about their upcoming trip to Africa. Interview Show: 20-2- 1 of May 26, 2004. Moab Valley This Week in Moab KZMUs Weekly May will present the gifts at the Awards Ceremony to be held at Grand County High School the night Theres a lot going on... 4-- 6 Will Be in Moab r, AdministratorCEO re-ru- (ItahStotc Summer Gardening Shelby-Drabne- two-legge- Thursday, May 20, 2004 Scholarships awarded to four students studying for careers in health care hitch-hikin- Times-Independe- Itmgg(3ltthepenbent This Week in Moab KZMU 89.7 & 106.1 FM Moabs Community Radio Station $17,000 in phone line expenses and system equipment maintenance in 2003. Right now, were just about breaking even with the costs, Townsend said. State lawmakers also passed legislation changing the way the fees are collected. In past years, service providers collected the fees from customers then paid those monies directly to each county. Now, the communication companies must forward all fees to the State Tax Commission, which distributes the funds to each county. Townsend said the change method has crecollection in ated unnecessary delays in payments made to the county. When the utility companies paid the money directly to us, we received it in about 15 days, she said. Now its taking two or three months. Its been so frustrating. We have bills to pay and the state tax commission is taking so long to get us our money. Still, Townsend points out that the service is essential to the community. You hope youll never have to call 911, but anyone who has needed the service knows how important it is, she said. It really does save lives. Ivy Gates at the piano . . . Ivy Gates, longtime R.S.V.P. member, still leads the Golden Notes Kitchen Band at the senior center every Wednesday. ever-popul- Ivy ar also plays patriotic songs on her piano every Monday and Fri- day. Kindergarten orientation will be held May 26 at Red Rock Elem. There will be a Kindergarten Orientation for all new 2004-200- 5 Kindergarten students coming to Red Rock Elementary School this Fall. have not done so already anytime on weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Red Rock Elementary, 685 Millcreek Drive. This will be held on Wednesday, May 26th, 6:30 in Need Printing? the evening at the school. Please plan to come with your students and find out about the teachers, the classrooms, and the program. You may register your new Kindergarten student if you Stop by for prices THE TIMES-INDEPENDE- NT 35 E. CENTER 259-75- 25 Moab Red Rock Stars Dance Team Tryout Clinic Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, May 25-2- 8 4 Yrs - 1st grade 3:30 - 4:30 2nd - 4th grade 4:30 - 5:30 5th - 8th grade 5:30 6:30 9th 12th grade 6:30 - 7:30 Tryouts will be held on Friday, May 28. At the clinic the dancers will learn a technique dance and a fun dance. We will go over dance technique an have a fun time. There will be a parents meeting before the tryouts. Anyone who has questions or cant be at the tryout clinic or tryouts, please call Melissa at 259-836- 3 |