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Show TheEmeryCountyReview.com Junior Rivalry Homecoming! Week of school spirit dampened by heartbreaking loss to Uintah Cougars battle Bulldogs B4 B1. REVIEW Emery County The Volume 2, Issue 39. Local News, Local Voice, Locally Owned Tempers flare in commission Kofford calls for Sitterud’s resignation during tense meeting James L. Davis Commissioner Gary Kofford made a public, impassioned call for Commissioner Drew Sitterud to resign during the public comments portion of the Sept. 16 meeting of the Emery County Commission. The meeting began with the official notification of Sitterud’s reinstatement to the commission after he pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of wrongful appropriation. Sitterud was originally charged with three felony counts of misuse of public monies, but the charges were reduced following a plea agreement. The original charges were filed against the twoterm commissioner on June 17 by Assistant Attorney General Pat Nolan and Sitterud was placed on administrative leave while the case was pending. According to a news release from the Emery County Attorney’s office, in the Sept. 2 plea bargain struck with the attorney general’s office, Sitterud pled guilty to two counts of wrongful appropriation, both Class A Misdemeanors. He was specifically allowed to plead guilty under a statute which does not automatically disqualify him from office. Upon his pleas of guilty, the original felony charges were dismissed by the court which, by operation of law, allowed him to return to office. He did so on Sept. 2, and that fact was Continued on Page A4. Commissioner blasts Review for not sensationalizing story James L. Davis The Emery County Review was taken to task by Emery County Commissioner Gary Kofford on Sept. 16 for not sensationalizing the story about Commissioner Drew Sitterud’s legal troubles. “Why are the papers afraid to print such a thing? I don’t think you’ve covered it very good. I don’t think the citizens of Emery County know what is going on. Commissioner Sitterud signed an Continued on Page A4. 75 Cents Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Forest Service concerned over OHV abuse Josie Luke As more and more hunters turn to ATVs for transportation, the Forest Service is under more and more pressure to keep operators on designated trails in order to preserve delicate scenic areas. According to Forest Ranger Don Riddle, it seems “as soon as hunting season starts, all reason is gone. The most important thing to them is harvesting whatever animal they’re licensed for,” he related. The Forest Service was surprised earlier during the archery hunt, when rangers patrolled trails which were posted as closed. They reported that nearly 50 percent of ATV users looked at the sign and drove around if there was no barrier. Many were stopped by rangers, and some were cited. The Forest Service is very concerned about the problem, especially the issue of usercreated trails. “It is amazing how many archers are on motorized equipment this year. I thought most of the problem with illegal routes was during the regular season, but it is as big a problem during archery season,” revealed Ferron District Ranger Mesia Nyman at the public lands meeting Sept. 9. She encouraged all those who use ATVs to get a free travel map for the area, produced by the Forest Service. Riddle firmly expressed that he is not against proper ATV use on the forest. He simply asks that those who use motorized vehicles be responsible. “It all falls back on what’s important to them. Do we really want an ATV trail in every canyon on every ridge?” he asked. According to a study on the Forest Service website, the state of Utah has the fifth highest ATV use in the country at 32.5 percent, with Wyoming having the highest and Rhode Island the lowest. Though hunting is not the highest reported use for ATV’s, Riddle reported that most of the problems are seen during hunting season. “I don’t want to put it all on hunters,” Riddle said. “I’m sure before the season there are those who are out recreating on the trails, but during the hunting season is when we see the worst of it all.” He offered a simple formula for those who may be confused or ignorant of the rules. “All trails are closed unless posted open. Most of the user-created trails will Continued on Page A3. Huntington council reports on beautification projects Sue Simmons paints the face of Aspen Bloomer during Clawson Town’s Harvest Celebration. A Good Harvest The Clawson community gathered for their annual Harvest Celebration on Sept. 20 and despite an afternoon rain storm, or perhaps because of it, the mood was festive as children tried their homemade boats down the suddenly active drains of the town, while others sat patiently for face painting. A yard and bake sale was held later in the afternoon, and the evening ended with a community dinner as the town celebrated the season and the way of life that is Clawson. Students get to work on new children’s justice center Kathy Ockey The official groundbreaking of the new Emery County Children’s Justice Center was held Sept. 19 at its new address, 900 North Center Street in Castle Dale. Shelley Wright, director of the Emery County Children’s Justice Center, said this project started two years ago when Emery County lost their justice center. The center at that time was a residence the county was renting and the owners of the property sold the home. Wright approached the Emery County commissioners about finding a home to rent or lease to re- Continued on Page A3. Photo by Kathy Ockey Emery High students gather with Children’s Justice Center and county officials for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new center in Castle Dale. Josie Luke Even after the dedication of the Crandall Canyon Miners’ Memorial, the Huntington City Council had a full plate of city business to address during their city council meeting. During the meeting, held Sept. 17, the council and mayor each in turn took time to express their gratitude to all those who assisted in completing the memorial. Mayor Hilary Gordon thanked the council and volunteers for their work on the monument. She especially praised Councilmember Julie Jones, saying, “Her aspirations are a lot higher than mine would have been, and the whole place looks beautiful. I’m really glad we went the extra mile.” Jones also expressed gratitude to all of the volunteers and businesses who contributed “endless hours” to the project. These comments were echoed by the other council members, including Travis Larsen who issued “a special ‘thanks’ to Julie and everyone else that was involved.” The council also announced that the city beautification project to cement neglected park strips along Main Street was finished Sept. 15. Larsen, who is over city beautification expressed that he believes the results were “worth every penny.” Jerry Livingston also complimented the construction company on their work. The next step in the process coordinated by the beautification committee will be installing benches along Main Street. Larsen reported that the benches would be delivered soon. Mindee Nicholson, from Four Corners Community Behavioral Health approached the council to request the assistance of a Huntington community member in gathering information to apply for a state incentive grant from the Strategic Prevention Framework to address the problem of illegal prescription drug use in the community. Nicholson has already traveled to many council meetings in the county to bring together volunteers from each town. Huntington council members Kathy Cowley and Jones volunteered to represent the city. Kent Wilson, owner of Emery County Sanitation also addressed the council. Wilson expressed his appreciation to Huntington City for “taking a big gamble” in choosing to approve his garbage service bid four Continued on Page A3. |
