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Show Wednesday en-da- night Thursday page A7 Haslem City aglow. See Page C6 Iraq. y See Page ;cast i Christmas in Mostly cloudy B1 Snow posstta th p m.. Single Copy 50 C Wednesday, December 24, 2003 77 Vernal, Utah 84078 111th Year No. 52 28 Pages Q cr SUPPORT OUR TROOPS Express online: www.vernal.ccm 3 arrested in joint drug sweep Kathy Mashbum and Teddie Evans coordinated all confidential records for the massive charitable Santas Community Effort. Santas helpers go all out By Maureen Spencer Express Writer Im here to help tell me what to do! This sincere offer to help provide gifts, food and necessities to those needing help within the community has been constantly repeated, according to Kathy Mashbum and Teddie Evans of this year's public generosity. Mashbum and Evans directed the Santas Community Effort which "coordinated donations to individuals and families from a wide variety of community sponsors. The goal of the program is to avoid the duplication of resources within the community during the holidays. This year, we have been able to provide for over 350 children and says just under 200 families, Mashbum. Volunteers solicited donations from organizations, businesses, individuals. and churches Volunteers did the shopping for gifts, using the donated funds collected to purchase from each of the businesses who sponsored merthe chandise - for program. Volunteers bagged and organized the gifts, being guided by the anonymous needs of dozens of individuals throughout the commu- Uintah County Sheriffs Deputy Kevin Orr and Serenity Burg get Law officers By Mandi Oaks Express Writer Members of various local law enforcement agencies teamed up with McDonald's, Big K and Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to give less fortunate children a better Christmas in the 2003 Shop with a Cop event nity. Western Living employees donated $5 out of every paycheck through the year towards Santas Community Effort. The Trees for Charity event brought more donations. All food donations made have been directed through the Ashley Valley Food Pantry. Volunteers refurbished have about 20 bicycles to look and perform as though brand new. Volunteers organized and prepared mounds of toys destined for Santas delivery. Among the most colorful of Santas helpers in the program were the Naples City Fire Department assisted by the Naples City Police, who personally escorted Santa to several homes that the departments had been directed to visit. Were hoping we can give some of the kids a ride with Santa on the fire engine while were doing this, says Naples fireman Brett A lot of other city Reynolds. departments have jumped in to help. Every day, it seems we were calling Teddie to give us another family. The Junior High Drama Club under the direction of Norman Bernard, assisted by the Junior High choir and Uintah High School Improv, brought 55 student volunteers to help shop for 40 families in the program, covering a combined shopping list of 100 children. Mashbum encourages private 0 family sponsors to call 5 or to identify recipients so the charity can be spread out evenly. 789-488- 789-342- u 1 i a visit from Santa during Shop with a Cop. tiaCie Hindis sUDopiponng held on Saturday. There was a very large turnout for the annual event this year with 50' children and almost as many cops participating, according to Deb Smith of DCFS. The day started with breakfast at 7 a.m. at McDonalds restaurant, which donated the food and small gifts to the children. After breakfast Food meetis CueDodlav meeds By Maureen Spencer Express Writer Norma Jurado is amazed at the Uintah Basin response to food donations to the needy this Christmas season. Jurado, manager of the Ashley the Valley Food Pantry, says response this year has gone above and beyond what we anticipated. The generous contributions filled the requirements for meat and other staples to be able to meet normal needs along with providing hearty Christmas meals. The Christmas boxes included turkeys or turkey roasts and a ham, oranges, peaches, com, stuffing mix, potatoes, powdered sugar and cake mix. Ashley Valley Food Pantry does not keep track of tonnage provided through the holidays, but Jurado praises the area Boy Scouts. The over Scouts have contributed 40,000 pounds of food as of October. This is above anything that they have been able to do in the past. A blanket drive held in conjuncfood drive tion with the Wal-Ma- rt was considered a great success, making the warm winter necessities available to many clients. In its second year this season. It is planned again next year. Jurado recognize a growing trend with more new files being opened th's year than in years past. "These are under provided' individuals, she says. "The majority is not unemployed, as most people assume, but just not making enough to make ends meet. Most clients are very grateful for the assistance with food. She expresses concern over the senior citizens increasingly using the Food Bank, noting that younger clients can go out and get jobs to bring in more food funds, whereas the older citizens are generally unable to do so. Jurado says that clients frequently wait until the middle of November before applying for assistance for special things. She stresses We have special things at the beginning of November. Clients dont need to wait until the middle of the month. Ashley Valley Food Pantry provides meals on a regular basis throughout the year for approxi1,200 individuals per mately month, which represents over 400 families. Jurado says that although State Food Bank and USDA food surpluses handled through the State Food Bank are necessary, these two sources alone do not feed the local needs. We ask people to please be sensitive to the continual need all year long, she says. Each box provides three meals per day per person, with the food designed to last three to four days. Ashley Valley Food Pantry will remain closed until Tuesday, Dec. 30, when it will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Pantry w ill then close again and re open Tuesday. Jan. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As of Jan. 6 the regular hours Tucsday-Frida- y will he resume. the shoppers headed for Big K, where law enforcement agents helped the kids pick out gifts for themselves and for their families. Each child got $100 to spend but Smith noted that the majority of the kids did not use all the money for themselves. Instead, many of them used a large portion of their money to purchase gifts for other people. Local been have agencies involved with Shop with a Cop since 1989. Smith said it is intended to let children who have had experiences w ith law enforcement agents see the agents on a different level than the unhappy circumstances under which they may have met before. Kim Boren of the Vernal Police Department, who helped organize the event this year, agreed that the purpose of Shop with a Cop is to let kids see that cops are there to help the kids and not hurt them, as many of the children have seen their parents being arrested or have been the victims of abuse. This years program was a joint effort among law enforcement agencies, McDonalds, Big K and DCFS. McDonalds donated breakfast and gifts. Big K donated time and money, DCFS found the fami lies to participate and donated time and law enforcement agents donated time and money. Boren said many local businesses donated to the cause, adding that they were extremely generous this year Participating agencies included Vernal Police Department, Uintah Sheriff's County Department, Uintah County jailers, Uintah County Animal Control, Utah Highway Patrol, United States Forest Service and Utah State Fish and Game. In addition to raising money, many agents ended up donating their own money toward the cause as they do every year. Smith said agents have donated a total of about $1,000 out of their own pockets each year for the past three years. Boren said all the officers really enjoy participating in the program, which helps to explain this year's high turnout. For many, including Boren, Shop with a Cop has become a holiday tradition. Boren was unable to participate one year and she said Christmas just wasn't the same. I felt there was really something missing in my Christmas that year. Three individuals were arrested Monday, Dec. 15. as members of the Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force assisted agents with the Utah State Department of Corrections. Adult Probation and Parole with field isits. The three were amested after illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia were recovered from two homes in downtown Vernal. Reneta Tracy Dick. 31, was arrested after 31 individually packaged baggies of methamphetamine were discovered by AP.S.P agents, who were conducting a search of her residence. Each of the baggies contained 1 gram of suspected methamphetamine. The street value of the drugs is approximately $120 per gram. Reneta Dick w as booked into the Uintah County Jail tor possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Dicks husband. William Alfred Billy Dick, 34, is currently on parole and is under the supers ision of Adult Probation & Parole. He was taken into custody and booked with interfering with police, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both William Alfred Billy Dick and Reneta Tracy Dick are Ding Court graduates. Later the same day, members of Strike . the Uintah Basin Narcotic Force again assisted Vernal Adult Probation and Parole agents with the search of the residence of Larry Dee Harrison, 32, of Vernal. Harrison, who is currently on Parole for drug offenses, was arrested after he was found to be in possession of suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Harrison was booked into the Uintah County Jail on possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia and is currently being held on a warrant issued by the Board of Pardons. The Uintah C.'sin Narcotics Strike Force is comprised of offithe Vem.il. cers representing Roosevelt and Naples Police the Uintah and Departments; Duchesne Sheriff's departments. Adult Probation and Parole, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Department. The Strike Force is funded by federal and local dollars, administered through Vernal City The Strike Force operates in the area of Uintah and Duchesne counties. The Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force is asking any persons with information regai ding illegal drugs or any other drug intelligence, to contact local law enforcement agencies, a strike force agent or call the secret witness lines. two-coun- ty |