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Show Aurora Boasts Own Weatherman AURORA Tiny Aurora (population 873, according to 1980 census figures) has its own television weatherman. And although he's only 12 years old, Rycharn Freeman even has some of the same weather gear that the "pros" have. Aurora is about five miles southwest of Salina and 13 miles northeast of Richfield. And although Richfield has a population of 5,444 and Salina, 1,983 (1980 census fiures), Aurora usually gets more attention each evening on the KUTV Ch. 2 weather report because it has it's own KUTV certified weatherman in the person of Rycham. Marlis Freeman, Rycharn's mother, says Rycharn has always been interested in the weather and usually watches the weather report on television each evening. "He wondered, why can't we have Aurora on it, if it's even as small as this." So Rycharn called KUTV and asked he could begin collecting Aurora weather information for the station. He began collecting the information for the station on March 25. He has since visited the station and met KUTV newspeople and received a small tour of the station's weather facilities. Every evening Rycharn checks a thermometer outside his home and records the high and low temperatures for the day. Then, that evening at about 5 p.m., he calls a toll free number in Salt Lake City and gives KUTV an update of weather conditions in Aurora. And if there's rain, he can tell them how much. Windy? Rycharn even has a gauge that will tell him just how windy it is. His simple weather gear is stationed in the backyard at the Freeman home on a fence. Rycharn has a high and low temperature thermometer, a wind gauge and rain gauge. Rycharn calls in his first report at about 5 p.m. each day. Then he will often call at about 9 p.m. for an update if conditions have changed. He also keeps a weather dairy and sends in monthly weather reports to the station. Rycharn says that so far the station has usually included Aurora weather in its nightly weather report, except on weekends, when the city will sometimes be excluded. Itycharn Freeman checks this wind gauge to find out w ind conditions and also a plastic tube that shows how much rain has fallen in the Aurora area. This in formation is recorded. Itycharn also keeps a monthly weather diary that tells him of records set during the month. |