ST. GEORGE — After six years of providing entertainment in Washington County, Brigham’s Playhouse is closing its doors following its final show of the season. The intimate theater, which is billed as a “dessert theater,” complete with signature desserts designed around each production, has seen its share of successes – but also setbacks.

Owners of the playhouse said they are taking a sabbatical to raise much-needed operational funds and get official nonprofit recognition. Executive producer and co-owner Jamie Young told St. George News they hope to reopen – though likely in a new location – in the near future.

The sabbatical will begin after the final performance of the theater’s current production of “A Christmas Carol,” which runs Wednesdays through Saturdays until Dec. 28.

Brigham’s Playhouse opened Feb. 14, 2014, and audiences have been steadily growing since. In the beginning, attendance averaged around 79 patrons per night; this year the 200-seat theater has seen an average of 134 patrons per night, Young said.

“We’ve seen a steady increase throughout the years,” he said, “but there were some unexpected surprises in our first couple of years that really set us back, and we’ve always been trying to play catch up.”

One of the more recent set backs came in July when the playhouse was granted only half of the RAP tax funds it applied for with Washington City.

City Council members approved $26,600 of the $53,000 requested by Young. Council members cited concerns over the future of the playhouse after Young said at a work meeting with the City Council that he could only commit to keeping Brigham’s Playhouse open through the end of 2019.

“Part of the concern is the possibility that Brigham’s Playhouse may not be here,” Councilman Jeff Turek said in July. “One of the thoughts I had is that we fund $25,000 through January, and they come back and say, ‘Yeah, we’re going to be here another six months.’ We’ll fund the rest at that point.”

Though Young told St. George News he remains grateful for the funding he did receive in July and for the community’s support, the funds were only enough to last until the end of this year.

“We just finally ran out of money, and our fundraising wasn’t keeping up with our needs,” Young said.

During the sabbatical, Young said they will be working to raise $600,000, which will go toward operational costs as well as marketing and increasing ticket sales.

“It takes money to make money,” Young said.

Owners and operators will also be working toward receiving official 501(c)(3) status from the IRS, something that the groups has been lacking and has been a road block in the past to receiving both RAP tax funds as well as private donations.

Young said they have started a not-for-profit company, but without the official recognition they are unable to guarantee a tax deduction to would-be supporters. He hopes to have that in place sooner rather than later, adding that they will only be collecting pledges and not actual money until they have secured enought pledges to meet their financial goal.

If they meet their fundraising goals, they will be looking to relocate from their current location in Cottontown Village next door to Rowley’s Red Barn, Young said.

“We feel like our home is Washington City, and we don’t want to leave,” he said.

The rent on the property where the playhouse is located has increased in recent years, Young said, and the playhouse’s growth has not managed to keep up. But, Young said, he wanted to clarify that they are not relocating because of the price of rent, adding that the owners of the property have been very gracious to him and the playhouse. Rather, they are closing down and leaving the building because they can’t expect the owners to hold onto the space for them for however long it is going to take to meet their goals and reopen.

“A Christmas Carol”

Based on the classic novella written by Charles Dickens and published in 1843, the story of miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge has endured the ages. It has also been a staple production at Brigham’s Playhouse throughout the years. In Brigham’s Playhouse’s production, Young and Taylor Williams have revamped the tale and given it a modern setting.

Though some of the names of the classic characters have changed in this adaption (Scrooge is now Everett “Rett” B. Blithe), Young said they tried to remain true to the source material while updating the story for a new audience.

One of the adaptation they made to the story, he said, was to give the Scrooge character a more intrinsic motivation for change rather than being scared into change by ghosts.

Audiences will still see Blithe (played on alternating nights by Tj Dick or Jason Buck) travel through Christmases past, present and future with his former business partner – now Ms. Marley (Jasmine Anderson) – but they will be given more opportunity to learn what shaped Blithe into the crotchety penny hoarder he becomes and what drives him to change his ways.

The production has some very touching moments, and Young said he believes that audiences will be able to relate to at least one of the characters in the story.

The show is double cast, so some of the lead characters will alternate nights.

“A Christmas Carol” runs Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. until Dec. 28. Tickets are $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and $17 for children 5-17 and students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office located at Brigham’s Playhouse, 25 N. 300 West, Washington City. Box office hours are Tuesday-Friday, 2-7 p.m, and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.

“It’s a very moving story,” Young said. “We love this show and hope that we’ll be able to keep doing it for years in the future.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — By this summer, the St. George Bicycle Collective will be in a new location on Bluff Street.

Currently, the city owns the building the collective leases. But its long term plans are to demolish it along with the Inn at St. George in order to develop the two lots. According to city officials, there are no firm plans on what will occupy those lots. But what is in the works is for the city to lease space at the Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization Building at 39 S. Bluff Street and sign a long term lease allowing the St. George Bicycle Collective to move in.

Before the collective moves into its new permanent location, it will occupy a temporary space after Christmas at 389 Industrial Road, #8.

“Although the city purchased the MPO building a few years ago to tear it down in preparation to widen Bluff Street, the plan now is for the city to maintain the building with the possibility of still tearing it down 15 or 20 years from now,” said Danielle Larkin, co-founder of the St. George Bicycle Collective. “So, for now, it’s a great spot for the collective to utilize hopefully for the next 10 years.”

Now the biggest challenge for the collective will be to find enough volunteers to help with the renovations required to make the space usable for their needs.

“With the new space we’ll need more volunteers,” she said. “We are going to need a bunch of support for getting remodeled. We need help from builders and anyone who is willing to contribute. We are always, always, always looking for more volunteers.”

The community collective bike shops located in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo and St. George are staffed with professional mechanic instructors who are there to walk patrons through tune-ups or repairs. The idea is that those people will, in turn, become more regular and confident riders after learning how to patch the tube or adjust the brakes.

They carry a large selection of used bicycles that are overhauled by mechanics and given a multi-point inspection so they’re ready to ride out the door.

The collective also carries used and new parts and accessories to get people’s bikes dialed in perfectly to fit their riding style and personal tastes.

The bicycle collective in St. George is the newest location and the only community bike shop in Southern Utah.

It all started with a small group of volunteers that committed hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to build bikes for those in need.

What started in St. George in 2015 as the Bike Kitchen with Larkin and a handful of volunteers became a full-fledged collective community bike shop in October 2017.

“Basically what we do is take donated bicycles and recycle them to get them back onto the community,” Larkin said.

Along with its youth program which focuses on providing bicycles and safety gear to elementary school students as well as educating them on how to change a tire and perform basic maintenance, the collective has its “earn a bicycle program” where people in need can donate six hours of their time for the two-wheeled transportation. The collective also donates bicycles outright to charities like Goodwill and sells bicycles to generate income.

“There are so many people here on bicycles, but there are so many people who need them and can’t afford them,” Larkin said. “There are also people in St. George who have a bicycle, but they don’t have the money to maintain them.”

To assist this segment of the population, the collective offers maintenance benches and teaches people how to keep their bicycles in good working condition.

“If you have a bike that is broken down you can come in,” Larkin said. “If you have maintenance knowledge you can use our benches, but if you lack the knowledge one of our mechanics will assist you. We won’t fix it for you because that’s the purpose of why we are here. We want people to learn how to do it on their own.”

Throughout the collective’s four satellite offices, the organization gave away more than 1,500 bicycles in 2018, with its more than 2,000 volunteers donating nearly 17,000 hours of their time.

For more information on the St. George Bicycle Collective, call 435-574-9304

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Monday afternoon, 65 Desert Hills High School teachers gathered in one of the school’s lecture halls to participate in a training that prepared them to save lives.

The Department of Defense initially partnered with the American College of Surgeons to create the “Stop The Bleed” program after 26 people, including 20 children, were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Since its founding, over 1 million participants have been trained to stop bleeding in a severely injured person while they wait for medical services to arrive.

Kena Sullivan, a trauma nurse and injury prevention coordinator at Dixie Regional Medical Center, told St. George News the program is meant to help increase the survivability of severely injured people, whether it be during a sporting event or a mass shooting.

“We see too many people that pass away because of uncontrolled bleeding and all it takes is that to stop it to save a life,” she said.

Sullivan led the 45-minute training that began at 1 p.m. As a Level II trauma center, medical center staff has been granted the authority to provide training for Southern Utah communities. During the training, participants are taught three different techniques they can use to help stop bleeding in an emergency situation, no matter the cause.

“There are a multiple variety of injuries we can see that can cause uncontrolled bleeding and life-threatening bleeding,” she said. “We see these in the workplace, we see them at home, in car accidents, out having a good time on the four-wheelers. There’s just a lot of times and places you will need this information in your life.”

During the training, participants are taught to help a severely injured person in three steps: immediately call first responders, locate the bleeding and compress. Next, they learn three different ways to stop bleeding, including how to apply direct pressure on a wound using household items, if necessary, as well as how to pack a wound or use a tourniquet.

People experiencing uncontrolled bleeding can pass away in a matter of minutes, Sullivan said, which is why it is important for everyone to know how to “Stop The Bleed.” The Stop The Bleed course does not qualify someone as a first responder, it simply gives the participant the knowledge and experience to help save a life while they wait for emergency medical services.

From church youth groups to high school teachers and everyone in between, Sullivan has trained a number of people and has heard of children as young as 7 years old participating in the training. The training is not limited to any age group.

Blood can be a trigger for many people, Sullivan said, but the program is beneficial to everyone, even if they won’t be directly working to stop bleeding.

“It is pretty hard to see,” Sullivan said. “If you can help on the scene in any way, and if you know these techniques, you can help someone help, perhaps direct them into saving a life if you feel you cannot. You never know when you’re going to need this training.”

Desert Hills High School is one of three schools to have their faculty participate in the training. The school’s principal, Justin Keate, jumped at the opportunity to equip his teachers with the knowledge they need to potentially save the life of a student.

Keate said his school offers students access to amenities that many other schools don’t have, like a wood and auto shop, but these amenities also increase the likelihood of potentially life-threatening injuries.

“We want to be prepared,” he said. “Coaches and teachers. This is not just about shootings. This is just good training anyway here all around. Obviously we want to have these kids and have this training so that we can jump in and do something. This is worst-case scenario here.”

Sullivan showed the group of teachers a bleeding control kits during the training which comes with a number of necessities, including Quikclot gauze, tourniquets and gloves. Keate said the school has one bag, which comes with enough supplies to potentially save about 24 lives, in each of its three buildings, but is looking into getting kits for each classroom.

The trauma department at DRMC hosts the free training course every month in Southern Utah, which can be found on the Stop The Bleed website.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — The St. George Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 11-year-old boy in St. George.

Officers are currently searching for 11-year-old Noel Hernandez who was last seen in the area of Town Square Park at 82 S. Main Street in downtown St. George, according to a reverse 911 from the St. George Police Department.

Hernandez is described as being an Hispanic male with “shaggy” black hair. He is around 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds. He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt with a “Fortnight” logo, cargo pants and tennis shoes.

Police have advised that Hernandez is autistic.

The public is asked to be on the lookout for Hernandez and to check around their yards and homes. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the St. George Dispatch at 435-627-4300.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A Las Vegas couple is in jail on more than 30 felony charges each after police responded to a Cedar City hotel for unruly guests Saturday evening and walked into an alleged fake credit card manufacturing operation.

Ashley Huddy, 23, and Lance Dominique Mann, 29, both of Las Vegas, each face 37 third-degree felony counts, including 15 counts of unlawful acquisition of a financial card, 21 counts of identity fraud and one count of possession of a forgery device, along with two misdemeanor drug charges.

The charges stem from an incident Saturday evening in which officers responded to the La Quinta Inn in Cedar City after reports of drug use and guests who were being “problematic” to other guests, according to the probable cause statements filed in support of the arrests.

When the suspect, later identified as Mann, opened the door, officers were confronted with the smell of marijuana from inside of the room. Drugs in the room were also in plain view of the officers, police say.

Both Mann and Huddy were detained by police while a search warrant was requested and obtained. During a search of the room, police allegedly found “several hundred credit cards and ID cards under different names,” the statement said.

Officers also found blank credit cards ready to be stamped, along with a credit card imprinting machine used to print account information on the cards. They also located what appeared to be methamphetamine and marijuana.

The pair were arrested while detectives were called in to process the scene for evidence and recover the cards and equipment.

Huddy is also a suspect in an unrelated investigation that began Friday when officers were dispatched to a reported mail theft involving UPS packages that were taken from a number of homes in the Cedar City area.

Video surveillance showed a woman with dark hair grabbing several recently delivered packages from the porch of a residence and then running to a silver SUV. While detectives were interviewing Huddy on the credit card incident, they told her they caught her on video allegedly taking the packages.

At that point the suspect admitted to taking the packages, police say, and told officers they would find them inside of the vehicle that had been impounded after her arrest. Officers then submitted one misdemeanor mail theft charge to the Iron County Attorney’s Office for review.

The FBI was also contacted by Cedar City detectives over the weekend on the alleged credit card fraud. On Monday, the FBI confirmed that their office will be handling the investigation going forward since the operation stretches beyond Southern Utah, Cedar City Police Sgt. Clint Pollock told St. George News.

Mann and Huddy are suspected of similar crimes reported in California, and possibly other states as well.

Pollock said once the FBI concludes its investigation the suspects will be indicted in federal court and the state charges will be dismissed.

Both Mann and Huddy are being held in the Iron County Jail without bail while the FBI investigation moves forward.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

OPINION — Well-deserved praises go out to Sen. Cortez Masto, Gov. Steve Sisolak, County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Mesquite Mayor Al Litman, Henderson Mayor Debra March, Moapa Band of Paiutes and Congressman Steven Horsford, all of whom stood up for Mesquite, Nevada, by speaking out against the Bureau of Land Management’s oil lease sales that threaten our drinking water. With them and the local community speaking up, we were able to convince the BLM to back off in November.

The November sale would have included over 100,000 acres in the East Mormon Mountains and Tule Desert abutting the Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area, just north of Mesquite. These are some of our most popular areas for locals and visitors to enjoy the outdoors.

For me as a realtor, the clients I help buy and sell homes for in Mesquite, and the many others who visit Mesquite, all enjoy and support our outdoor recreation. These unspoiled lands surrounding our community are the reason so many of us live, work and play in Mesquite. Outdoor recreation contributes $12 billion to our economy across the state and brings many, many visitors to Mesquite each year.

Unfortunately, these oil lease sales are not done, and the BLM has scheduled a sale for the Dec. 17, then again on Feb. 11 and March 24. In each of those sales, the waters of Mesquite and southern Nevada, as well as our favorite places to get out, will be targeted by the threat of industrialized oil and gas development.

Submitted by MICHELE BURKETT, Mesquite.

Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

ST. GEORGE — An attempt to make a U-turn on Fort Pierce Drive in St. George led to a collision Monday afternoon and resulted in a pregnant woman heading to the hospital.

St. George Police and other responders were dispatched to the corner of Fort Pierce Drive and Hedera Place around 3:45 p.m.

What responders found was a white Toyota Camry with its rear driver side door caved in from where they had been T-boned by a gray Honda Civic. Nearby, the Honda was partially off the roadway where it had been pushed onto a lawn. The front of the Honda had been heavily damaged and a portion of the bumper was destroyed.

After investigating the collision and taking witness statements, St. George Police Officer Joe Deim said the driver of the Toyota Camry had been westbound on Fort Pierce Drive and had briefly pulled over to the side of the road before attempting a U-turn.

When the driver made the turn, she didn’t see the Honda Civic that had been behind her, resulting in the T-bone collision.

While no major injuries were reported, the driver of the Civic, a woman who was several weeks pregnant, said she was experiencing chest pains and was checked out by Gold Cross medics. She was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center soon after by a friend for a possible check-up, Deim said.

A child riding in the Camry also experienced some scrapes to her face from one of the airbags that deployed in the car on impact.

Though the Camry’s driver was cited for making an improper U-turn, both she and the Honda’s driver were cited for driving vehicles with expired registrations.

The scene began to clear around 4:20 p.m. as both vehicles were loaded onto wreckers.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Earlier this month the Bureau of Reclamation announced it was seeking public comment in order to gauge the environmental and human impacts of the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline project.

The request for public comment comes following the Bureau issuing a notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact study for the pipeline project. The public has until Jan. 10 to submit comments and will also have the opportunity to attend scoping meetings between Jan. 7-9.

The last time the public was able to offer comments on the project at this stage was over a decade ago, said Rick Baxter, a project manager for the Bureau of Reclamation.

“We felt it gave people a fair chance to comment since the last time was over 10 years ago,” he said.

While the environmental impact statement process is starting anew under the Bureau of Reclamation, which recently took over management of the project, it will also be building upon data and reports previously gathered by other agencies.

“There’s no need to create studies that have already been done,” Baxter said.

Still, as outlined by the National Environmental Policy Act, the Bureau is seeking public comment as a means to help better consider both the environmental and potential human impacts of the project if built.

“The public scoping process is an important step in informing interested parties of the proposed action and gathering their issues and concerns,” Wayne Pullan, Reclamation’s Provo area office manager, said in a press release. “Their input will help (the U.S. Department of the) Interior define the scope of the EIS and identify significant issues to be analyzed in depth.”

This will include anything from potential impacts on endangered species, existing habitat and viewsheds to socioeconomic and cultural impacts.

“The study runs the gamut of possible impacts,” Baxter said.

The Lake Powell Pipeline is a proposed 140-mile, 70-inch diameter pipeline that will run from Lake Powell to the Sand Hollow Reservoir. It is anticipated to carry around 77 million gallons a day to 13 communities in Kane and Washington counties.

Local and state water officials say the pipeline is needed to support the continuing growth and economy of the region. It also adds a second water source to Washington County communities. Currently, the county’s primary source of water is the Virgin River Basin.

Originally, the federal agency providing oversight for the Lake Powell Pipeline was the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission due to the project having some hydropower generation elements. Utah water officials dropped that portion of the plan earlier this year, which resulted in the withdrawal of its application to FERC. This subsequently led to the Bureau of Reclamation becoming the lead federal agency.

According to the Bureau’s Notice of Intent to begin the scoping process released last Friday, the Bureau will be examining two proposed routes for the pipeline.

As described in the notice, the two routes are known as the Southern Alternative and Highway Alternative:

The Southern Alternative would travel south of the Kaibab Indian Reservation while the alignment for the Highway Alternative would cross lands held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, following Arizona state Route 389. The Southern Alternative would cross land administered by the BLM in Utah and Arizona and would require multiple right-of-way (ROW) grants and an amendment to the Arizona Strip Resource Management Plan (RMP), because a small portion of the pipeline would go outside an approved utility corridor.

The Highway Alternative would cross BLM and tribal trust lands, which would require the BLM and BIA to issue ROW grants and require a tribal resolution from the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians. Both alternatives would cross lands administered by Reclamation and the NPS, requiring Reclamation to issue a license agreement and the NPS to issue a ROW permit under either alternative.

While the Southern Alternative route is considered preferred by local water managers, Baxter said the Bureau has made no such distinction and will not until the environmental impact statement has run its course.

The bureau is also considering a request by the Utah Division of Water Resources to exchange the state’s ability to divert some the state-allotted water from the Green River above the Flaming Gorge Dam to Lake Powell.

The Bureau asks that comments be substantive and filled with details regarding concerns surrounding the project. Simply stating one’s support or opposition for the project without going into details doesn’t help the review process, Baxter said.

The public has between until Jan. 10, 2020, to submit comments to the Lake Power Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement website, through email at lpp@usbr.gov, sent through a fax to 801-379-1159 or sent through the mail to:

Bureau of Reclamation

Provo Area Office

302 E. Lakeview Parkway

Provo, Utah 84606.

In addition to the Bureau of Reclamation, other federal agencies involved in the development of the draft environmental impact statement will include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.

Three scoping meetings will be held Jan. 7-9 at the following locations:

• Jan. 7, 2020—Kanab Center, 20 N. 100 East, Kanab.
• Jan. 8, 2020—Dixie Center, 1835 S. Convention Center Drive, St. George.
• Jan. 9, 2020—Valley High, 325 W. 11000 South, South Jordan.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Everything in the Crimson Cliffs gym is brand new. There’s a shiny new floor, new basketballs and clean practice jerseys. And when it comes to the girls and boys basketball teams, both programs have a lot of unknowns, but they’re hoping to fly under the radar and surprise some people.

Girls basketball

The girls team has a lot of younger players with little to no experience at the varsity level; however, head coach Kacee McArthur said she is going at the season step by step and waiting to see how her players will progress as the season goes on. There will be a learning curve for the Mustangs, but that experience will come as they play more games.

“I think for us, because we are so young and we are so new, it’s going to be a process,” McArthur said. “We’ve used these first few games to figure out some different things, but I think you’re going to see us grow and progress throughout the season as well. I do know we have a lot of athletic girls. We’ve got some really good big, strong girls too, so we’ll work to play to our advantages as much as we can.”

McArthur is trying to see what lineups work best together and what style of play will fit best for their roster. She said a lot of girls will get an opportunity to play.

In addition to being the first time most of their roster has played at the varsity level, most of their girls have also never played together, which has been a challenge for the Mustangs. However, Brooklyn Winget said she is enjoying the challenge.

“I think it’s been way fun since we’ve never played together,” Winget said. “It’s fun getting to know new girls and seeing what their strengths and their weaknesses are, learning from each other and making each other better.”

The Mustangs will face tough competition in their region, but McArthur said she wants her team to never give up.

“We’re going to work to play 32 minutes of every single game as hard as we can and improve every single game,” McArthur said. “I think we’re probably going to surprise some people.”

With everything being so new, this year’s team will have the opportunity that no other team in Crimson Cliffs history will have: They get to shape the program how they want it.

“I think it’s awesome that we’re the first team to create and establish girls basketball,” Winget said. “Older schools have their traditions and the same stuff they do every year, but we get to make that.”

Crimson Cliffs opens up region play with a 1-4 overall record and will take on Snow Canyon on the road in their first Region 9 game Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Boys basketball

The boys basketball program is undergoing similar challenges as the girls program. Their players haven’t played together, they have a brand new coaching staff and there are definitely a lot of uncertainties. Head coach Kasey Winters said that’s why the job was appealing. He gets to start from scratch and build the program how he wants.

“It’s been really fun so far with the new gyms and new uniforms and all new kids,” Winters said. “We had a really good summer just trying to get to know each other and figure each other out a little bit. Now that the season has started we’ve hit the ground running a little bit.”

With the challenges comes the positives. People don’t know what to expect of the Mustangs. They don’t know what Winters is going to do or what style of basketball he prefers as a coach. Other teams might know the Mustang players, but they will be left in the dark for a lot of it.

“That’s something we plan on using to our advantage, hoping it takes some time for everyone to figure us out a little bit,” Winters said.

With new kids coming from various programs around the area, they are still learning how to play with each other, but the Mustangs worked out and played pickup games to help with that. Trei Rockhill, a transfer from Desert Hills, said he was originally on the fence about coming to Crimson Cliffs, but when he learned about the coaching staff and the kids who were going to be moving to the new school with him, he was excited.

“It’s been nothing but positivity, honestly. It’s been so much fun,” Rockhill said. “We all come from different schools, so it kind of makes us bond together even better.”

Rockhill’s play style as a guard will fit in well with what Winters is looking for out of his team. The Mustangs will look to run in transition and take advantage of the fact that they are a bit undersized compared to other teams in Region 9.

The inclusion of Danny Wade, Ryan Roundy and Jacob Nielsen makes for a nice core of players. They also have players with some experience at lower levels, but they’ll grow as the season moves along.

Winters will give the Mustangs a ton of room to make the reads that they should be making. They will not be robots, running sets to perfection. Winters has given them a basic motion set, but the players will be able to play out of it.

“We’re going to look to score in transition,” Winters said. “Our bigs can run, and we’ve got some shooters on the wing with guards that like to create. Once it does get into the half court we’re going to set a lot of ball screens and just kind of open it up for these guys and let them play.”

With regards to goals, Rockhill said the Mustangs are hopeful.

“We talked about region. We talked about state. There’s nothing that we can’t accomplish in this first year,” he said.

The Mustangs beat Enterprise in their only preseason game but open up region play at home against Snow Canyon also Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — After more than a year of delays, the case of a man charged with the aggravated attempted murder of a another man who was severely beaten and robbed made it to trial Monday with the jury hearing opening arguments.

Kade Robert Shearer, 21, has been charged with first-degree felony aggravated attempted murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping, along with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor tampering with evidence and threat of violence.

Shearer is accused of masterminding a plan to have his girlfriend, co-defendant 21-year-old Sasha Michelle Davis, lure a man to Turkey Farm Road in Washington County on April 14, where they mauled him with a hammer, tied him up, shocked him with a stun gun, dragged him by a rope tied around his neck and stole his wallet and phone.

After the attack, Davis and Shearer fled to Newcastle and were arrested the following day by Cedar City Police at a friend’s home.

A third defendant, Vincent Montel Rodabough, also took part in the scheme and was later charged with aggravated assault and felony obstruction of justice.

The events that led up to the April 2018 incident were revisited during the opening of the trial Monday as Washington County Attorney Joseph Hood and defense attorney Edward Flint gave their opening arguments.

Hood opened by saying that when the victim of the alleged attack received a text from co-defendant Davis inviting him out to a secluded area, he believed it would be “the night of his life. … a night of pleasure with Sasha.”

What the accuser didn’t know at the time, Hood said, was that the text was part of a plan that was hatched by Shearer, and instead the man “would be confronted with a night of unimaginable pain.”

Hood continued by saying the experience that night would have been terrifying when Shearer emerged from his hiding place in the truck wearing a dark mask and gloves and approached the man, whose attention was diverted by Davis kissing him in the car.

“That is who the victim was confronted with that night as he was repeatedly beaten — within an inch of his life,” Hood said.

When it came time for the defense, Flint opened by saying that during the Iron Age, any man who causes harm to another man’s wife shall give a “life for a life, eye for eye, tooth f

or a tooth,” paraphrased Exodus 21-22, adding that the same message is repeated again and again in the Bible.

“The whole eye for an eye concept goes back even further than the Bible,” Flint said.

Flint went on to say that Davis was dating Shearer at the time, and she told him she was sexually assaulted by the other man. Flint said Shearer was acting on that information when he assaulted the man.

Flint also said his client admitted to assaulting the man out on Old Turkey Farm Road and that Shearer even told police “I took it too far.” The attorney said the defendant “even cried” when talking to authorities.

Flint said if aggravated assault was the only charge his client was facing, “then we wouldn’t be here.”

“But the state’s position is that Shearer’s plan was to beat, rob, kidnap and kill the man out in the desert.”

In the end, Flint said, the case involves a fight over a girl that went too far, but his client never intended to kill the man. “That was never part of the plan.”

Davis also took the stand Monday, and Hood first asked the witness to tell the court the charges to which she pleaded guilty in exchange for her testimony against Shearer.

Davis testified that she was charged with aggravated attempted murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault, along with misdemeanors for tampering with evidence and threat of violence.

She pleaded guilty to all charges except for aggravated murder and the misdemeanor drug charge which were dismissed as part of her plea deal. She was sentenced to serve three years in prison during a hearing Jan. 22, and she has the option to serve the third year in a treatment program if she can be released into the facility directly from prison.

Davis also recounted the events that took place that night on Turkey Farm Road. She admitted to telling Shearer that the accuser sexually assaulted her and that the plan was to beat the man and “teach him a lesson.”

Davis said that she and Shearer knew the man for at least 10 days prior to the incident and that even though she and the victim had a falling out, she texted him indicating that she wanted to have sex with him and told him to meet her at a spot on Turkey Farm Road in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

When the man arrived, he found Rodabough, a mutual acquaintance, in a car with Davis, and at some point, Davis got into the victim’s car and he began kissing her. Shearer came out of the other car’s trunk and started beating the man with the hammer.

Davis also described how she used the victim’s own finger to unlock his cell phone to delete incriminating messages. She described the scene and said she and Rodabough decided to take the man to the hospital since he “was in pretty bad shape at that point.”

She also testified that the trio intended to take the man’s money, but killing him was “never part of the plan.”

Davis will be back on the stand for cross-examination by Flint on Tuesday.

The state charges against the third defendant, Roadabough, are pending after he was sentenced on federal charges of conspiracy to manufacture 1,000 or more marijuana plants and use/carry of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

He was ordered to serve his time in a federal drug court program. A review of the case involving the April 2018 incident is scheduled to take place in December 2020.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Officers in Washington City were busy Monday with two vehicle stops that resulted in drug charges. The first stop yielded 11 pounds of marijuana, and in the second stop, officers found heroin and methamphetamine inside of the car, along with three occupants who had active warrants for their arrest.

The first stop took place shortly after midnight Monday when an officer stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation. The driver, 21-year-old Jesus Torres-Lopez, told police he did not have a driver’s license, Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News.

“The driver had no credentials – no driver’s license or any other identification at first,” Williams said.

Lopez then provided an identification card issued by the United States Department of State, but officers were unable to locate a valid driver’s license for him. The two passengers in the vehicle provided identification cards issued out of Mexico, according to the probable cause statements filed in support of the arrests.

The officer became suspicions when he noticed several “Scent Tree” air fresheners hanging from the roof of the vehicle, a common practice to mask the odor of marijuana, the officer noted in the report.

Once backup arrived, all three men were instructed to exit the vehicle. A Spanish-speaking officer spoke to the men for several minutes about their business in the United States until a K-9 officer was dispatched to the scene and conducted a sniff around the SUV.

“Once the dog indicated to the presence of drugs, they conducted a search of the vehicle,” Williams said.

Officers found a large black garbage bag in the rear section of the SUV, and inside were a number packages of what appeared to be marijuana wrapped in clear plastic packages that Williams called “consistent with packaging used in distribution.”

In Utah, marijuana sells for about $200 an ounce, Williams said, so the total value of the 11-pound seizure is roughly $35,200.

Tucked between the passenger seat and the center console, officers also allegedly found a Ruger pistol, and a pack of ammunition was located inside of the front passenger side floorboard.

“They found the ammunition inside of an empty Doritos bag,” Williams said.

Inside the center console, officers also found a clear piece of plastic that was tied at the top containing what appeared to be cocaine “within arms reach of all three occupants” of the vehicle, the officer noted in the probable cause statement.

Lopez and his two passengers, 32-year-old Dario Siqueiros-Hernandez and 28-year-old Jesus Orduno-Chavez, were taken into custody at that point.

During a search of the suspects, officers found a wallet inside of Lopez’s back pocket that contained what turned out to be a fake identification card issued out of Mexico. The card had an actual photo of the suspect but with a different name, and it was made with a different type of plastic, with markings that were inconsistent with the marking on an authentic ID card.

The trio was transported to jail and each one faces possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a weapon by a category II person, both third-degree felonies, along with misdemeanor charges for drug and paraphernalia possession.

Lopez also faces two additional charges, including one second-degree felony count of forgery for allegedly carrying the false ID card, as well as an infraction for never obtaining a driver’s license.

Chavez and Hernandez were being held on $7,630 bail, while Lopez was being held on $17,000 bail. However, Williams said that since the arrest, an immigration hold has been placed on all three men.

Later that same day, officers observed a vehicle parked behind Walmart on Telegraph and noticed a man, later identified as 26-year-old Charles Olson, getting into a second vehicle for a few minutes before returning to his own car and driving away.

The officer stopped the car and arrested three suspects on outstanding warrants, including Olson, who was wanted on seven warrants, five of which were felony warrants. Officers also located small quantities of heroin and methamphetamine inside the car.

Olson was transported to jail and booked on the warrants without incident, Williams said.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A Hurricane-based robotics team is representing Southern Utah in statewide tournaments, earning multiple awards at a recent competition at West High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

The Team Without a Cool Acronym traveled to northern Utah to compete against groups from Utah, Idaho and Colorado. The team, made up of six members, left the competition with the first place trophy for the Think award that recognized the members’ work within their engineering notebook. They also received the second-place Control award and the second place Inspire award, all in their first competition as a FIRST Tech Challenge team.

“We were very surprised because they were a first-year team, so we didn’t expect to come out winning a bunch of awards,” head coach Amy Hummel told St. George News.

Hummel’s team participated in the competition as an early qualifier to assess where the team is and see what improvements could be made in the following qualifying competitions in order to be invited to the state competition in February.

FIRST, which stands for “for the inspiration and recognition of science and technology,” is an organization that strives to introduce younger people the fields of science and technology as well as inspire them to be leaders and innovators in STEM. The entity is using the competitions to engage students in mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills and foster professional and personal life skills, such as self-confidence, communication and leadership.

FIRST Tech Challenge teams design, build, program and operate robots that compete in head-to-head challenges during competitions. The teams are advised by coaches and mentors while students develop STEM and professional skills and practice engineering principles. There are 15 FIRST Tech Challenge teams with members ranging from seventh grade students to high school seniors.

Because of their exceptional performance, the team is invited to the state championship at Weber State University where 36 teams will compete for the title on Feb. 22.

Throughout the competition, teams are assessed on a number of aspects, including their engineering notebook, their work in the community and their performance in the different challenges. During the challenges, teams have two minutes and 30 seconds to complete a task with an ally while attempting to outscore their opponents.

The first 30 seconds of each match is completely autonomous — where the robots have been programmed to complete actions without an operator — and the remaining two minutes is driver-controlled. TWCA received the highest autonomous score and the second-highest overall game score heading into the finalist matches out of all 24 teams that competed at the event.

TWCA was founded by two sisters who wanted to start a new community FIRST Tech Challenge team in Southern Utah. The girls partnered with Washington County 4H to organize the team and started to host outreach events where they began to realize a great need within the community.

There were a number of kids who wanted to compete, but there weren’t enough teams to accommodate to number of students. The team recruited new members and immediately began fundraising.

“We rely heavily on sponsorships,” Hummel said. “It is expensive. For us to go to these northern competitions, it’s about $1,000 for our team just in travel.”

Washington County 4H and Dixie State University donated grants to the team, and TWCA secured a “jumpstart” grant from FIRST to register their team during the off-season.

TWCA purchased a starter kit from FIRST and began to build their robot named the Platydroid which the team operates through a program members wrote for their phones and gamepad controllers.

As the team began to collect more donations and secure community sponsors, members were able to purchase and experiment with various building structures before designing and building the Perrytronic 3000, which is the robot they used to compete at most recent competition.

TWCA is registered to compete in two additional qualifiers: one at Southern Utah University on Jan. 25 and the second on Feb. 8 at Dixie State University.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

The six Team Without A Cool Acronym members, Hurricane, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Amy Hummel, St. George News

One of Team Without A Cool Acronym's founders, Katelyn Hummel, represent her Southern Utah team alongside members from other teams, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Amy Hummel, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's robot named Perrytronic 3000, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Amy Hummel, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's participates in its first FIRST Tech Challenge competition, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Amy Hummel, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's participates in its first FIRST Tech Challenge competition, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Amy Hummel, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's participates in its first FIRST Tech Challenge competition, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Dana Dellinger, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's participates in its first FIRST Tech Challenge competition, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Dana Dellinger, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's participates in its first FIRST Tech Challenge competition, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Dana Dellinger, St. George News

The Team Without A Cool Acronym's participates in its first FIRST Tech Challenge competition, Salt Lake City, Utah, Dec. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Dana Dellinger, St. George News

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Whether you’re grinding out long days in the backcountry for elk or glassing for sheep on a windy ridge, extreme hunting adventures demand extreme protection. This is where SKRE Extreme Mountain Hunting Gear comes in to play.

With trophy mounts lining the walls and clothing racks filled to the hilt with performance base layers, insulation layers, soft shells, ultra-lite rain gear and many more offerings, SKRE’s new location is open and stands ready to meet the gear needs of local hunters. The public is invited to join SKRE for their grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at 268 W. State St. The event will continue through Saturday.

Owner Mike Nielson told St. George News that since the highly successful global launch four years ago, the company has wanted to increase the size of their retail space where people who are serious about hunting can come check out SKRE HQ, try on gear and really see firsthand the quality and performance of SKRE’s offerings.

Tested by hunters in some of the most extreme environments around the world, SKRE offers everything from soft-shells to ultralight rain gear, merino wool and synthetic base layers, down puffies, insulation layers, gaiters, early and late season offerings and a long list of other offerings and accessories sure to please any hunter

“You’ve got to be prepared for anything,” Nielson said. “Whether customers visit our new location, subscribe to our email newsletter or visit our website, we want to educate hunters regarding the advantages of utilizing a layering system in contrast to the “one-jacket-fits-all scenario” so many hunters have used in the past.

Not your grandpa’s gear

An avid hunter and self-proclaimed gear junkie himself, Nielson has traveled to nearly every extreme location on the planet in pursuit of his quarry, and whether he’s pursuing bears in northern Alberta or stalking caribou on the Arctic tundra, he said one thing remains true: “It’s literally you and your gear against Mother Nature. Your gear is your Plan B”

SKRE gear was born out of rugged country and cut its teeth on the reputation of crafting layering systems that provide hunters with a system that has you covered, from the warmest conditions in summer to the coldest temps in the winter and every extreme condition in between.

“SKRE checks all the boxes when it comes to performance, weight, durability, revolutionary concealment technology and an anatomical fit hunters will immediately appreciate the second they try on their first piece of SKRE Gear,” Nielson said. “Our gear is designed to move with hunters through multiple seasons, temperature ranges and habitat environments.”

Nielson said their whole purpose has been – and will continue to be – designing gear that will meet the demands of extreme hunters around the globe.

“We are also very serious about concealment technology, which is based on science and not graphic design. I guess you could say, this isn’t your grandpa’s surplus hunting gear.”

SKRE offerings

The foundation of every good layering system is a performance base layer. SKRE take great pride in their merino base layer offerings. SKRE crafts all their merino offerings from superfine merino wool imported from New Zealand & Australia.

“I hate to keep throwing Grandpa under the bus,” Nielson said and smiled, “but this isn’t Grandpa’s surplus itchy army wool. Superfine merino wool fibers are 10 times finer than a human hair, resulting in a soft and supple next-to-skin layer that doesn’t itch. Merino is also antimicrobial, killing and neutralizing odors as they are produced, and it can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water and still feel dry. Simply put, merino wool is freaking awesome!”

Nielson added that they craft all of their gear out of the industry best materials “with zero compromise in craftsmanship.”

A hunter never really knows what weather conditions they will encounter, so everything is designed to be used independently or together as a layering system, with packability and weight being the central focus. It might be the perfect temperature down in a valley, but up on a windy ridge glassing sheep or mule deer, it’s going to get cold. Maintaining core temperature is a pretty big deal, which is why SKRE has put a lot of effort into designing, testing and crafting insulation layers that plain and simply work – and work well.

SKRE’s Ptarmigan down jacket is perfect for these situations. Ultralight at only 16 ounces, it’s 850 fill power provides plenty of insulation, Nielson said.

“It comes with an individual stuff sack and packs down to the size of a water bottle,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite pieces due to its incredible warmth-to-weight ratio and packability. Oh, and the face fabric and down are treated with DWR for added weather protection.”

The great thing about running a layering system, Nielson said, is you can add layers or remove layers as needed.

“And it’s not big and bulky,” he said, noting that even with the complete layering system, the hunter still has full range of motion. “You can draw your bow back, shoulder your rifle or cross rugged terrain without being restricted.”

All about the customer

All SKRE’s offerings have a lifetime guarantee. If there’s ever an issue or manufacturing defect of any kind, they will make it right, no questions asked. Nielson said their customer service will not be beat.

“Our online reviews stand as a testament to our five-star customer service.”

One concern people have about order online is sizing, but SKRE has you covered there too. SKRE was one of the first in the industry to offer a sizing guarantee. Every package comes with a pre-paid return shipping label, and the return process is simple and seamless. In the event a customer receives an item that doesn’t fit, simply apply the prepaid label to the carton or poly bag the item was shipped in, drop a note inside with the preferred size for exchange, secure the opening with tape and drop it at the nearest USPS. SKRE pays for all return shipping costs until the sizing is right.

“We are very customer service driven,” Nielson said. “We’re all about taking care of the customer. We want them to feel confident that if they ever have a problem, we’re not going to put them on trial to get a return processed. We’re going to take care of them.”

Nielson said if people come into the new location, they’ll be impressed with SKRE’s gear and equally impressed with the way they do business.

“You can’t go to a Cabela’s or Sportsman’s Warehouse and buy our gear,” he said. “We operate as a direct to consumer, which means customers will save money without compromising quality. If you are in the area or just passing through, we’re open for business. Come see us.”

Be sure to visit SKRE HQ for their grand opening event on Thursday through Saturday. There will be cool prizes and great food.

“Bring in a copy of a hunting or fishing license or tags from any state and lunch and a free hat are on us,” Nielson said.

Also be sure to get in on the “Score the Buck” contest. The contestant that guesses or produces a score closest to the Boone and Crockett score of the buck in the new showroom will take home an Elite Starter Bundle valued at $450.

SKRE HQ is located at 268 W. State St., Hurricane.

Written by ANDREW PINCKNEY, St. George News

• S P O N S O R E D C O N T E N T •

Resources

• Skre Gear | Address: 268 W. State St., Hurricane | Telephone: 435-703-9901 | Website | Facebook.

Email: apinckney@stgnews.com

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — In an effort to enhance fishing throughout the state, as well as boost native fish populations, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stocks a variety of fish species throughout Utah each year. In 2019, the division stocked more than 10 million fish into 603 local water bodies, a total of more than 1.1 million pounds of fish.

The practice of stocking fish in the Beehive State goes back more than a century, as fish were first formally stocked in Utah in 1871. At that time, fish were transported from other states by train and were stocked into lakes along the train route. In 1898, Utah opened its first hatcheries for raising trout locally.

“These original hatcheries were really impounded streams where we put fry that we got from the federal government,” DWR sportfish coordinator Randy Oplinger said in a press release. “We opened our first traditional fish hatchery — with raceways like we have today — where we produced our own eggs, in 1899 in Murray.”

Over time, the DWR expanded its fish hatchery operations, and there are now 13 facilities across Utah. The bulk of the fish stocked in 2019 came from these hatcheries, which produced 9.4 million of the total 10,081,077 fish stocked throughout the state. The other almost 680,000 fish were transported from various states across the U.S., including Arkansas and Wyoming, as well as from two federal hatcheries in Utah.

“Our hatcheries are important because they provide the majority of the fish that we stock in Utah,” Oplinger said. “Stocking is a crucial management tool that we use to provide Utahns with the numbers and species of fish that they desire — it helps ensure that the public has a great fishing experience.”

There were 20 different fish species stocked in 2019. The DWR produces multiple strains of some species, and some of the fish are sterile (meaning they can’t reproduce) — a management tool to help control various populations in different water bodies. This includes eight different cutthroat trout groups and five separate strains of rainbow trout, as well as channel catfish, largemouth bass and bluegill from Arkansas, and Arctic grayling eggs from Wyoming that are then raised in our local hatcheries. Several native species were also stocked this year, including over 28,000 bonytail chub, almost 4,700 Virgin River chub and more than 30,000 June suckers, a species only found in Utah Lake. In recent years, June suckers have made an impressive recovery due to conservation efforts and were recently proposed for a downlisting — from endangered to threatened — under the Endangered Species Act.

In 2018, the DWR stocked more than 12 million fish, a total of 1.1 million pounds. The division decided to stock fewer, but larger fish this year. The DWR increased its stocking of 12-inch rainbow trout in 2019 because research has shown that these 12-inch fish are more readily caught by anglers than the 8- to 10-inch rainbow trout the division has traditionally stocked.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT —  When a child facing is facing a life-threatening or critical condition, every break from the reality of the situation can make a world of difference and give the child something to look forward to beyond their illness. For 4-year-old Conner Alberts, these small moments can change his entire life, and that’s where Make-A-Wish Utah steps in, often with the help of community support.

Every year, before the holiday season begins, the employees of St. George-based RAM Company find new ways to give back to the community. In past years they’ve held various fundraisers and helped gather thousands of pounds of food, but this year, after hearing about Conner, RAM owner Kevin Ganowsky told St. George News everyone agreed they wanted to donate to Make-A-Wish.

“They really were touched at this,” he said. “The employees really came through.”

Whether it was online donations, payroll deductions or even throwing a few quarters in the lunchroom bucket, Ganowsky said RAM’s employees were able to raise thousands for the charity, with every dollar contributed by employees matched by the company. By the end of 30 days, they had raised $7,554 that would benefit Conner and seven other Southern Utah kids.

“We were glad to be able to contribute to this cause for him,” Ganowsky said. “We donated to him and his family so that they could have a nice Christmas.”

Two years ago, Conner was diagnosed with leukemia, a life-threatening form of blood cancer. In the months since, he has faced a barrage of difficult treatments, from chemotherapy to radiation. Daniel Dudley, director of development for Make-A-Wish Utah, told St. George News Conner’s perseverance is remarkable. As of his last checkup, Conner is currently cancer-free.

At Make-A-Wish Utah, their whole purpose is to make wishes come true for children facing a battle for their lives — to give kids “something to think about beyond” what they are facing. They believe a granted wish can make the kids fight harder and help carry them through the difficult times ahead.

As soon as Make-A-Wish is alerted to a child’s request, they begin investigating exactly what the child hopes to experience and then do their very best to make sure it happens. Conner’s dream was to meet all the superheroes. His favorites are Spider-Man, Disney-Pixar’s Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and of course, baby Jack-Jack, the Incredibles’ youngest child.

“We’ve been able to get to know the family,” Dudley said of the Alberts, “and it’s been a long road. He’s doing much better. … And with the help of RAM and their generous employees and ownership here, he and other kids are going to receive their wishes. We’re really proud of RAM Company and how their employees so generously united.”

Conner’s fight was the focus of attention at RAM Company’s monthly employee meeting on Wednesday afternoon, where Ganowsky was joined by his parents, Ray and Melzie, and co-owner Brian McCann during a check presentation to Make-A-Wish.

“The reason I am here is to applaud you,” Dudley said to a cheering lunchroom crowd. “We are so grateful for the generosity and the effort you all put in to grant wishes like Conner’s, and because of you, I am here to make a very special announcement. On Dec. 23, Conner and all of his siblings and his parents are going to pack their bags, and they’re heading to Florida. They’re going to Disney World.”

Dudley added that Conner won’t be staying at just any old hotel; he will be staying at a resort that Dudley said is “basically a kid’s fantasy land come to life.” It’s a place where families can stay only through Make-A-Wish.

“Every Wish family has their own villa, and the master bedroom is reserved for Conner,” Dudley said. “He gets to sleep on a king-size bed. His parents are not allowed to go in the master bedroom. Every day he’s going to leave to go to a different theme park, and people are going to go into his bedroom and leave him and his siblings gifts. At night, Disney characters will come knock on his door, and they’ll come into the villa and they’ll tuck Conner into bed.”

Dudley has worked for the charity for over seven years and said he knows how much these donations make a difference in kids’ lives. He said the RAM donation will not only help Conner but also seven other kids in the area for whom the organization is working to make their wishes happen.

While Conner’s parents couldn’t attend the event on Wednesday, they asked Dudley to tell everyone that looking forward to the Disney trip has truly changed their life. Moving to St. George to see so many strangers become friends has really provided an emotional support that has impacted their family more than they thought was ever possible.

“Thank you so much on behalf of all the kids you’re supporting,” Dudley said. “That’s amazing.”

Ganowsky also personally thanked the employees.

“It’s incredible how much you guys supported this,” he said. “It’s just incredible that you guys could give back to the community like that. We really appreciate that.”

For every child that makes a wish, the foundation holds a “Wish Proclamation” where they surprise the child and let them know their wish is actually going to come true. When the ceremony was held for Conner at Fiesta Fun Center, he was joined by several RAM employees, family and friends. His dad described the moment as the best night of Conner’s life.

Employees seemed touched Wednesday as they watched a video of the event showing St. George Mayor Jon Pike presenting him with a key to the city for his braveness. The full video can be seen on the Make-A-Wish Utah Facebook page here.

“If you think that smile is big, just wait until the photos you see of him in Disney World,” Dudley said. “Thanks for helping grant wishes like Conner’s and other kids right here in St. George.”

Written by ANDREW PINCKNEY, St. George News.

• S P O N S O R E D  C O N T E N T •

Email: apinckney@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — In a first of its kind partnership, Southern Utah University and Best Friends Animal Society have banded together to create a six-month animal services leadership program to help foster the society’s goal for no-kill animal shelters across the nation.

It’s been 20 years since San Francisco helped start a revolution, becoming the first U.S. community to guarantee a home to every adoptable dog and cat. Since then, the no-kill movement has been credited with greatly reducing the number of dogs and cats that are euthanized, from some 20 million down to about 3 million annually.

There are an estimated 14,000 shelters and pet rescue groups in the U.S., taking in between 3-8 million animals each year. One of which is the Kanab-based Best Friends Animal Society.

In a first of its kind partnership, Best Friends and Southern Utah University have entered into an agreement for the school to provide a six-month animal services leadership program to foster the society’s goal of having no-kill animal shelters across the nation by 2025.

Animal rights advocates say that preventing the killing of the nation’s pets is tied to professional excellence, compassion, community wellness and social justice.

Tuesday, Best Friends and SSU joined in partnership to announce the Nation’s first higher education endorsed animal services leadership program for working professionals, a concentrated effort to create clarity on what success looks like when dealing with animal welfare.

The six-month blended university program will train top-level animal service leaders and animal welfare professionals with the goal of ending the killing of companion animals in shelters across the nation.

The program will create organizational action, professional development and business plans that are tailored to specific needs. The program will connect the students with innovators, natural experts in animal services and welfare, and provide opportunities to advance in higher education.

Upon completion, the university will award six academic credits as well as credits that can be applied to a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree program.

Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends, is excited about the partnership.

“It is so appropriate that we are coming together,” Castle said. “To be successful is not about money, it is not how you grew up or where you grew up … it’s about grit. We are all about grit. Whatever it takes to get the job done.”

According to dosomething.org, only one out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.

Each year, approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats are killed because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes.

Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, less than 2% of lost cats and only 15 to 20% of dogs are returned to their owners.

It’s impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States. Estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.

Only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. Overpopulation, due to owners letting their pets accidentally or intentionally reproduce, accounts for millions of these “excess” animals killed annually.

According to the Humane Society, there are about 3,500 brick-and-mortar animal shelters in the US and 10,000 rescue groups and animal sanctuaries in North America.

The university’s president, Scott Wyatt, is also excited about the partnership with Best Friends, saying it was a pleasure to become part of the organization’s family and to help achieve their goal to end the killing of animals who are stranded in shelters across the country.

“This is one of the most audacious goals ever thrown down, and you are right on the verge of achieving it,” Wyatt said. “There is a few high-hanging fruits left to achieving that goal by 2025, but we hope the Best Friends Leadership Program will help accomplish the goal.”

Wyatt added that without the tireless efforts of Best Friends, the creation of such a partnership would not be possible.

“We want to be with you on the celebration day of the last shelter, (ending) the killing of … animals,” Wyatt said.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

June 18, 1942 — December 5, 2019

Georgia Mae Taylor, 77, passed away Dec. 5, 2019. She was born June 18, 1942 in Bessemer Michigan to George Honkala and Marion (Margie) Billie. She married Lee Taylor on the 19th of August 1961 in Redlands California at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. 

Georgia was raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the town of Bessemer near Lake Superior. In her freshman year while training as a majorette for the marching band, Georgia had a major knee accident that significantly impacted her teenage life and she underwent several surgeries. She spent a large portion of high school in casts, leg braces, or crutches. In spite of this difficulty, Georgia cherished her many wonderful friends and eventually experienced a rather miraculous recovery and even became homecoming queen. Growing up in the 1950s, her family watched the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl on television which led to her desire to move from the snow belt of Michigan to sunny California.

Ten days after her high school graduation, Georgia stepped off of a bus in Banning California on her 18th birthday in June of 1960. She had arrangements to stay with family friends, the Jankovik’s. As fate would have it, she met her future husband Lee Taylor that same day through Jerry Jankovik. Georgia’s first impression of him and his souped-up hot rod was that he may be a showboat. Even so, Georgia agreed to a first date and was married a year and a half later. Early in marriage, Georgia worked for the golf cart company Electric Marketeer, and as a bank teller. She then went to cosmetology school and began working as a hairstylist. Soon after, Lee was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War and Georgia became pregnant with her first child, Sheri, giving birth in Coon Rapids Minnesota. From there, Lee was deployed to Germany. During this time, she had to be strong and independent caring for herself and Sheri throughout the following year. 

After the war ended, their family was reunited. She supported her husband by working as he completed his education. Once he graduated, they moved to Tucson Arizona, then San Diego, California, where they were introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which they joined. Georgia then began nursing school, inspired by her mother-in-law Mollie Taylor’s nursing career. Desiring more children, they adopted their son Mark in 1975. While studying nursing she became pregnant with their son Adam in 1979. In 1982 Georgia completed her nursing degree at Cypress College and began work as a CNA and after graduation as an RN at St. Jude Hospital. In 1983 she moved from Cypress California to Richfield Utah where Lee had been transferred for work. There, they raised their three children, and Georgia worked as an RN for Intermountain Healthcare. She loved serving and helping people in their greatest times of need in a variety of specialties including ER and labor and delivery. For several years Georgia worked as a home health and hospice care nurse, serving central and southern Utah and was considered, “an angel on foot.” She brought light and hope wherever she went. 

In 1999 they moved to Seattle-Tacoma region of Washington State. Georgia worked as a cardiac nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. In 2004 they moved to the St. George area of Washington Utah where she worked as an RN at IHC. In 2015 Georgia experience one of the greatest sorrows of her life with the death of her daughter Sheri (48). Always involved in her labor of love, nursing, Georgia received calls day and night from friends, family and community members asking her advice with all kinds of health concerns. On several occasions, she was even asked to help care for a sick or injured pet of a neighborhood child, which brought her joy. Georgia always had a twinkle in her eye with her grandchildren and she enjoyed traveling to every birthday, or performance that she possibly could attend. 

Georgia was known to be of service doing good wherever she was, and she holds a special place in the hearts of those that were privileged to know her.

She is survived by her husband Lee Taylor; Son Mark Taylor and Sarah Murphy of Payson Utah, Son Adam Taylor and Maureen Bosley of St. George Utah; Grand Children: Austin 30, Josh 18, Eve 17, Jordan 15, Alanis 14, Mara 12, Maeven 11, and Marek 7; Brother Ladd Honkala and Sue Tomzcak of Ironwood Michigan. She is preceded in death by her Daughter Sheri Taylor Hachamov; Father George Matthew Honkala; Mother Marion Josephine “Margie” Billie. 

Funeral Services will be Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff St., St George, with a viewing from 9-10:30 a.m. and the funeral at 11 a.m. Interment will immediately follow at the Tonaquint Cemetery. 

Live video streaming and 90-day replay is available at webcast.funeralrecording.com. Event #24716 Password: GMT2019 

Friends and family may sign Georgia’s online guestbook a www.spilsburymortuary.com

March 22, 1945 — December 9, 2019

Argene Hall Mills peacefully passed away at home surrounded by her children, David and Deborah, on Dec. 9, 2019. Her son, Darren, had preceded her in death. She was born March 22, 1945 in Orem, Utah to Eva Reiter and Albert Allen Hall. Argene married Ronald Burt Mills (who passed in 2001) on March 17, 1962.

Argene loved animals, people and adventures. She was an avid reader, who passed the gift on to her children and grandchildren. We all had our favorite book that she had read to us. It is now our turn to pass it on to her nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She spread the joy of adventure and learning. She loved history, not for the events but for the people and their stories. Live your life to be a great story like she did.

She would like her friends and family to remember “Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~WOO HOO what a ride!” In her words, “I had the time of my LIFE!”

*Song “Just Make Someone Happy and You Will Be Too” by Jimmy Durante

*Moms Poem

You can only have one mother,
Patient, kind and true;
No other friend in all the world
Will be the same to you.

When other friends forsake you,
To mother you will return;
For all her loving kindness
She asks nothing in return.

As we look upon her picture
Sweet memories we recall
Of a face so full of sunshine
And a smile for one and all.

Sweet Jesus take this message
To our dear mother up above;
Tell her how we miss her
And give her all our love.

In place of flowers, please consider making a donation in Argene’s name to RSQ Dogs Shelter (Argene volunteered her time at this shelter) www.rsqdogsutah.org, email rsqdogsutah@gmail.com or call 800-897-1136. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Hurricane Valley Mortuary, 435-635-9922.  For condolences, full obituary, and funeral listings please visit our website www.metcalfmortuary.com

March 8, 1927 — December 8, 2019

Kenneth Henry Bird passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. He was born March 8, 1927, to Willard Lester and Gladys Marie Ogier Bird. Ken was raised in Burbank, California. Upon graduation from high school in 1944, he joined the Navy and was trained as an Aviation Machinist on the Curtis Dive Bombers.

After serving in the Navy, Ken returned home in 1946 and renewed his romantic interest with Shirley L. Hoglund, whom he met when they both worked at a local market during high school. They were married in Shirley’s parents’ home on March 8, 1947.

Ken and Shirley are the parents of three children, Steve, Karen and Jim. Ken joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1949, and in 1952 they were sealed as an eternal family in the St. George Temple.

Ken spent most of his career in the automobile business in southern California, working as a mechanic and eventually owning his own dealership. All the family grew up working at the dealership in various capacities.

Ken has held many positions in the church including bishop and stake president. His desire to serve a full-time mission was realized in 1982 when he and his eternal companion were called to the Nova Scotia Canada Mission.

Upon their return, they settled in St. George and were called to serve as temple workers in the St. George Temple where they served for 11 years. Ken began his second career teaching himself the art of furniture making. Each of his grandchildren has a custom, made by grandpa, piece of furniture in their home.

Ken is survived by his wife of 72 years, Shirley; sister, Betty Lou Barnes; children: Steve (Suzanne) Bird, Karen (Byon) Tolman and Jim Bird; nine grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Willard Robert Bird; two grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Ken cherished his church membership and the friends and associates he made in the Lord’s service.

We appreciate the tender care provided to our dad during his final days by the staff at The Meadows and Intermountain Hospice.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 at 11 a.m. at Metcalf Mortuary Chapel, 288 W. St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah, where a visitation will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. prior to services. Interment will be in Tonaquint Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Mortuary, (435) 673-4221. Please visit our website at www.metcalfmortuary.com for condolences, complete obituary and funeral listings.

ST. GEORGE — The State of Utah will no longer be honoring off-highway vehicle registrations from any other states beginning on Jan. 1, 2020.

In past years, Utah has had standing agreements with some other states to honor each other’s OHV registration. This meant that visitors to Utah who had OHVs registered in states like Nevada were not required to obtain a non-resident user permit or pay a non-resident fee.

In the 2019 General Session, the Utah Legislature passed H.B. 105, which removed this option from future use. This means that starting on Jan. 1, 2020, visitors wanting to ride in Utah using a machine registered in another state will be required to purchase a non-resident OHV permit. These permits may be purchased in-person from an approved vendor or ordered online.

To obtain a non-resident permit, a person must provide proof of out-of-state residency and that the OHV is not owned by a Utah resident.

The non-resident permit funds directly help support Utah’s famous OHV trails and recreation areas. The permit fees are directed toward trail construction, trail improvements, trail maintenance, OHV education, OHV facility development and enforcement.

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