November 9, 1936 — April 23, 2020

Douglas Kent Hannig passed away on April 23, 2020, at age 83. He was born on Nov. 9, 1936, in Pioche, Nevada to Rhea Thayne and Hyrum Smith Hannig. Doug loved his parents and three sisters and was very proud of his heritage.

When Doug was a boy, his family moved to Washington, Utah to be near his grandparents. He attended school in St. George where he made many lifelong friends and was affectionately known as “one of the Washington boys.” 

After high school, Doug moved to Las Vegas where he and his wife Nancy raised their family. Doug spent his career as a truck driver in Las Vegas for over 30 years. When he retired, Doug moved back to Washington and became reacquainted with Dawne Staheli (Ivie). They were married in 1994. Doug and Dawne spent many happy years together until they were separated by illness in 2019. 

Doug loved cars and owned many nice vehicles over the years. He liked to collect classic model cars and go to car shows. In his later years, he enjoyed working in his yard, putting together model trains, and driving his Chevy pickup, often to meet his friends for breakfast. Doug was easy to like and will be remembered by many for his kind, gentle and nonjudgmental manner.

Doug is survived by his son Douglas (Jennifer) of Henderson, Nevada, his daughter Shannon Price of Richmond, Texas, and his sister Vickie Peterson (Marc) of Reno, Nevada. He was preceded in death by his wife Dawne, his first wife Nancy, his daughter Kristy, his sisters Carolyn Johnson and Brenda Madsen, and his beloved dog Kelly.  

A private graveside service will be held prior to interment at the Washington City Cemetery.

Arrangements under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.spilsburymortuary.com

July 26, 1924 — April 22, 2020

There’s a quote that reads: “In life we loved you dearly, in death we love you still. In our hearts you hold a place, no one else will ever fill”. Never has a truer statement been said.

Barbara June Novaria Werner, born July 26, 1924, reunited with her sweet husband and eternal companion, as well as family, on April 22, 2020. Oh, what a sweet reunion.

While we are sad to see her go, we take comfort in knowing that because of our Savior and Redeemer our families can be eternal, living together forever.

Bobbie was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alongside her husband, she served many full-time missions. She truly was a Christ-centered woman who loved to serve those around her.

Her love was strong, pure and always unconditional. In life, she had many talents, but few came close to her love of playing the piano and organ, tending to her beautiful roses and somehow always getting the upper hand in rummy.

Bobbie is preceded in death by her loving husband, Ernest; son, Randy; son-in-law, Grady; son-in-law, Greg; and daughter-in-law, Susan. She leaves behind five amazing children: Donald (Michelle) Werner, Larry (Carma) Werner, Thomas (Elaine) Werner, Linda (Greg-deceased) Sharp and Wendee (Grady-deceased) Barnhardt.

She was blessed in life to have been able to love, guide and nurture 30 favorite grandchildren, 50 favorite great-grandchildren, and one favorite great-great-grandchild.

The family would like to give special thanks to her St. George 7th Ward family, her caring doctors and the amazing staff at Ridgeview Gardens Assisted Living Center, who loved and cared for her in the best way possible.

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, a private family gathering will take place at Tonaquint Cemetery. Those who would like to may participate via live stream through ZOOM starting at approximately 11 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2020.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Metcalf Mortuary.

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.

September 1, 1930 — April 25, 2020

Our Mom, Barbara L. Barnum, passed away at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah on April 25, 2020, at the age of 89.

Mom married Dad, John R. Barnum, on Sept. 23, 1948, in Las Vegas, Nevada and were sealed in the St. George Temple in 1955. Mom and Dad were married for 61 years before Dad passed away in 2009.

She is preceded in death by her husband, John; her parents; two children: John Michael Barnum and Valerie Morris; a grandson, Eric Bjelland; her sister, Eloise Reber; a much-loved brother-in-law, Thomas M. Winslow; and many other beloved family members and friends.

Mom is lovingly remembered by us. She is survived by her children: oldest daughter, Celia Bjelland; her son, Clifford (Lynne) Barnum; and younger daughters: Sylvia Seschille and Jeanette Allen. She is also survived by her brothers: Robert, Joseph and Claude Petty; her beloved sister-in-law, Annette Winslow; 27 grandchildren; 62 great-grandchildren; and 14 great-great-grandchildren.

Mom was born in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sep. 1, 1930. She attended Moapa Valley High School. She spent much of her youth beside the railroad tracks in Byron, Nevada when her father worked on the railroad. Mom’s family moved to Logandale when she was a teenager so the children could attend high school. When she married Dad, they lived in Mesquite before moving to Southern California where they spent most of their married life. Dad and Mom retired to St. George, Utah. When Dad passed away, Mom moved to a cozy little home behind her son Clifford, where she spent the remainder of her years among so many people who loved and cared for her.

Mom was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she faithfully served and gave comfort until the very end.

Private family services were held at the Mesquite City Cemetery, Mesquite, Nevada.

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 — Venus, the evening star, will be nestled just above the moon Monday and is set to shine brighter than any other time of the year — or any other time for the next eight years, to be exact.

Venus is always the third-brightest object in the sky behind the sun and the moon, even brighter than the most brilliant stars. But on Monday night, the planet will be at its brightest and will continue to glow at its most brilliant into the early morning hours Tuesday — an event that will not take place again until 2028.

The planet has been building toward this moment for more than a month, with a slight increase in brightness every day. Once the sun sets on Monday, “the evening planet Venus will achieve its greatest illuminated extent,” according to space.com.

In Southern Utah, skywatchers can view the “planet of love” by gazing westward, where a prominent circle of light, similar to a faraway spotlight, will appear to be beaming back to Earth. It can be seen just above the moon and will reach its brightest just before midnight and will still be visible after sunrise Tuesday, according to Time and Date.

Why Venus outshines them all

Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky and always outshine’s even the brightest stars because of its highly reflective atmosphere, which is also incredibly thick due to runaway greenhouse gases emitted from extreme volcanic activity that has continued across the planet for billions of years.

Moreover, the atmosphere is made up almost entirely of carbon dioxide that is chokingly thick with atmospheric pressure at the surface that is 90 times greater than that of Earth. That’s the equivalent pressure of a mile beneath the ocean.

As a result, Venus’s atmosphere reflects about 70% of the sunlight back out to space as it bounces through the clouds containing sulfuric acid and acidic crystals that linger high in the atmosphere.

The moon, by comparison, reflects only 10% of the light that hits it, and it’s only because of its close proximity to Earth that it appears brighter as opposed to the distance of Venus, which is about 38 million miles from Earth, or 152 times farther away.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A local man was arrested by Hurricane Police Sunday, one day after an alleged assault reported at a gas station in Washington City triggered a pursuit in which the suspect initially evaded capture.

The incident that prompted the arrest began on Saturday when officers were called to a disturbance at a gas station after an alleged assault took place between two individuals, Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News.

When officers arrived, however, the suspect who allegedly assaulted the other man had already fled the scene in the blue Volkswagen passenger car with temporary tags, according to information provided to police from witnesses at the scene.

While police were scouring the area in search of the suspect’s vehicle, the Volkswagen was spotted heading east on Telegraph Street by an officer traveling in the opposite direction on the same road.

The officer made a U-turn, and when he got behind the vehicle, the report states, the suspect turned left onto 100 West heading north, which is when the officer engaged his lights to stop the car. The driver failed to stop, however, and instead continued north behind a slower-moving car. Once the lead vehicle pulled over, the suspect sped away from the officer, according to charging documents filed with the court.

The officer pursued the car with his sirens activated as the suspect turned onto 200 North, accelerated and began driving erratically, crossing over into oncoming traffic lanes and blowing through yield signs without waiting for traffic. As the suspect continued fleeing from police at more than 90 mph, a broadcast was sent out to officers in the area to be on the lookout for the car.

Once the suspect blew through a stop sign turning right onto Telegraph, the officer dropped off since two other Washington City Officers were pursuing the car at that point. Minutes later, the pursuit was called off near Green Springs Drive due to public safety concerns.

Meanwhile, a vehicle matching the suspect’s car was found abandoned by police in St. George, with a driver who was no longer at the scene — information that was relayed to officers in Washington City.

Officers were able to confirm it was the suspect’s car using a dashcam video captured during the pursuit that was downloaded and collected as evidence.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Hurricane Police Officers responded to Walmart on 3400 West on a report that a suspect was in the parking lot that matched the description of the driver who evaded police in Washington City the previous day.

Officers arrived and spoke to the suspect, later identified as Laithon Dallas Webb, 26, of Hurricane, who “refused to speak about the incident,” the officer noted in the arrest report.

When officers reviewed the Walmart surveillance footage, the individual who got in the driver’s seat of the vehicle allegedly matched the description of the suspect that was involved in the pursuit in Washington City.

The suspect was arrested by officers in Hurricane for driving on a suspended license and was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked on the driving offense. Shortly thereafter, additional charges, including third-degree felony evading and misdemeanor reckless driving and driving on a revoked license, were added. The suspect is also placed on a 72-hour probation hold.

This is the second pursuit that began in Washington City. Early Friday morning, a vehicle crash set in motion a series of pursuits that continued through two jurisdictions as officers continue searching for the suspect allegedly responsible for stealing as many as four vehicles. That suspect remains at large.

Webb is scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court Wednesday and is being held on $6,020 bail once the probation hold expires.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Stress can be brought on by everyday hassles, let alone when there are larger issues like the ongoing public health concern of a pandemic. While no one’s life is completely stress-free, regular negative stress can keep us from feeling and performing our best; therefore, it is important that we learn how to manage it.

While it may seem like the coronavirus news is everywhere, one research-based technique shown to reduce stress, both short-and long-term, is simply to take a break. Taking in information about the pandemic repeatedly can be unsettling.

When you choose to step away, it gives you an opportunity to gain a new perspective or practice techniques to help you feel less stressed. Even just 20 minutes can be beneficial. Consider one of the following activities to help you de-stress.

Play or listen to music

Music can have an amazing effect on the body and mind. Faster music can make you feel more alert; upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic; slower music can quiet your mind.

Go outside

Spending time outside in nature has been shown to relieve stress. If you can safely practice social distancing and are healthy, head outdoors.

Exercise

Whether it’s outdoors or indoors, along with the physical benefits, research continues to show exercise can have an immediate stress-relieving effect that can last for hours.

Art

Before you say, “But I’m not an artist,” a recent study shows that engaging in a creative activity for 45 minutes significantly relieves stress in the body, regardless of experience or talent.

Socialize responsibly

Whether you’re social distancing, self-isolated or quarantined, there are many ways to stay connected with friends and family. Check-in with others over video chat, email, text or the old-fashioned ways: by talking on the phone or even writing and mailing a letter.

Laughter

Many of us tend to hold stress in our face. Since our emotions and facial expressions are interconnected, laughing or smiling can relieve tension. While you can’t force laughter, you can watch your favorite funny movie, sitcom or stand-up routine.

Yoga and meditation

If you are new to yoga, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the many free online classes and reap the benefits of this stress-relieving activity at home which also provides the benefits of physical exercise.

Yoga can also be a very meditative practice. Combined with  mindfulness, these practices can help the mind and body relax, gain a new perspective and develop self-compassion. If you’re new to meditation or mindfulness, consider starting with just taking deep breaths – preferably someplace quiet if you can find it. Even just focusing on one deep breath can relieve tension.

Written by EMMA PARKHURST, Utah State University Extension professional practice assistant professor.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A woman was arrested Saturday in St. George for multiple alleged felony offenses following a traffic stop where officers suspected the suspect was driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to charging documents filed with the court, shortly before 8:30 p.m. Saturday, an officer pulled behind a vehicle traveling north on Dixie Drive to conduct a traffic stop after observing the driver unable to maintain their lane.

The driver was “swerving in and out of her lane by over half a car length, nearly missing vehicles driving next to her,” the officer recounted in the report.

The officer also noted that he saw the woman make furtive movements toward the passenger’s side of the vehicle, appearing as though she was attempting to conceal something.

When the officer turned on his emergency lights, he said the driver “looked at me through her driver side mirror and continue to drive” for nearly 2 miles before she pulled to the side of the road and stopped.

The driver told police she was weaving across the roadway and then didn’t pull over because she was “messing with her phone” and failed to see the officer’s lights.

The officer noted in his report that the driver’s eyes appeared to be bloodshot and watery and that her speech was slurred as she continued “struggling to formulate her sentences.” The woman also told the officers she had her 5-month-old daughter with her.

The officer returned to his patrol vehicle to run the woman’s driver’s license through dispatch and discovered multiple prior drug involvements with police and prior DUI arrests, along with active warrants out of Washington County for her arrest.

Once backup arrived, the officer told the driver, identified as Teanna Kathleen Hinkle, 37, of St. George, that he was “concerned with what he was seeing,” which is when he asked her to step out of the car for a field sobriety test, which she reportedly failed.

Hinkle was taken into custody on the warrants and the DUI initially. She also allegedly admitted to police there were open containers of alcohol in the vehicle, and officers subsequently found six open containers during a search of the car.

Also during the search, the report stated, officers found a measurable amount of a white crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine, multiple controlled substance prescriptions of varying types, as well as marijuana and paraphernalia.

The officer also noted that once he was inside of the vehicle, he detected a strong odor of marijuana. “The baby was inside of the vehicle and was exposed to it,” he noted in the report.

Moreover, the drugs and paraphernalia were reportedly found in places easily accessible to the child, thus violating Utah’s child endangerment code.

Later, when the officer was attempting to lift the infant from the car seat to remove her from the vehicle, he discovered it was not secured to the rear seat of the car.

Hinkle was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked on multiple charges, including  five third-degree felony offenses: three counts of possession of a controlled substance, cause or permit child to be exposed to a controlled substance and failure to respond to an officer’s command. She also faces driving under the influence with a minor in the vehicle, open container of alcohol in the vehicle and paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, each a misdemeanor.

The suspect remains in custody on $10,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

IRON COUNTY — During the Iron County Commission meeting on Monday, the commission created the Iron County Economic Development Advisory Board to help the county qualify for grant funding. There was also discussion of the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In regards to the advisory board, Cedar City Economic Development Director Danny Stewart told the County Commission that the state Legislature created the Utah Rural Counties Grant Program when Senate Bill 95 was passed in March. The program allows rural counties in the state to apply for grants for economic development – either an annual grant in the amount of $200,000 or a competitive grant in the amount of $800,000.

Stewart said that in order to apply for the grant, the county must have an economic development advisory board.

He said the Cedar City Economic Development Department is set up as a partnership between the city and Iron County and suggested that Cedar City’s current economic development advisory committee be appropriated into the county’s advisory board.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to have two different committees working against each other, and our existing committee covers the requirements for most of the seats for the county board,” Stewart said. “I’m proposing a resolution today that would transform our existing economic development committee into the Iron County Economic Development Advisory Board.”

The proposed resolution would retain current members of the committee and add any others required by the state to qualify for the grant funding.

Stewart said current members of the committee include the Cedar City mayor, a Cedar City Council member, a county commissioner, an Iron County School Board member, a member of the water conservancy district board and the executive director of the Small Business Development Center.

“The ones that we need to add to this is someone who represents workforce development, a private sector representative and a member of the public who lives in Iron County,” he said.

Stewart added that he feels it’s important for the northern area of the county, such as Parowan and Paragonah, as well as the western portion of the county be represented within the board.

“Hopefully we have a good well-rounded representation of public, private and elected officials to move forward and look at the types of economic development projects that will really move the needle here in Iron County,” he said.

Commissioner Mike Bleak said currently committee members are appointed by the Cedar City mayor, but the creation of the county board would make the Iron County Commission responsible for those appointments going forward.

“It just makes sense to really take the committee that we already have in place,” Bleak said. “It would basically just move into another one of our county boards that we as commissioners would be responsible for appointing those positions.”

The resolution passed with unanimous vote.

Update on COVID-19 

Commissioner Paul Cozzens provided a brief update on items related to the coronavirus and stated during department reports that he is hoping for restaurants to be able to re-open on Friday.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions with state leadership and our local chamber of commerce,” he said. “We’re hoping for the governor to move from red to orange May 1, so our restaurants can reopen.”

The color designation was announced April 17 by Gov. Gary Herbert as part of his “Utah Leads Together 2.0” plan and established various levels by which parts of the state may loosen coronavirus-related restrictions.

According to a report the commission received, there have been 87 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Beaver, Iron, Kane, Garfield and Washington counties. Of those, 58 have recovered and none are currently being hospitalized. There have been two deaths in the five counties and 41 deaths in the state. There have also been 4,238 tests for the virus performed.

Cozzens said as he has interacted with business owners and said it is “shocking how interconnected our economy is.”

He said restaurant closures have impacted several other businesses as well, and he added that he hopes the county’s economy is able to return to normalcy soon.

Along these lines, following an analysis from the Iron County Auditor at the April 13 County Commission meeting detailing potential financial impacts to the county as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from the Iron County Auditor, the County Commission drafted a statement requesting Iron County be excluded beyond May 1 from future extensions of public health orders issued by the Utah Department of Health.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — On March 26, REAL Trends released its 2020 REAL Trends Top 500 Report, an independently verified compilation of the nation’s leading residential real estate companies. Once again, St. George-based iPro Realty Network earned its way into this prestigious group.

According to a press release announcing the accomplishment, iPro Realty Network celebrated a record year in 2019 with $688,470,164 in total sales volume and 2,270 completed transactions. Their success earned them multiple spots on the Real Trends 500 ranking report, including No. 424 in the nation by transaction sides, No. 115 among all independent brokerages nationwide and No. 449 in the U.S. by total sales volume.

There are nearly 200,000 real estate brokerages in America, according to Real Trends. Only 1,700 firms qualified for this year’s Real Trends 500 report, representing less than 0.5% of all brokerage firms. The complete 500 Top Real Estate Professionals list can be found on Real Trends’ website.

“Being named to the REAL Trends 500 for another year is a huge honor for our company. In 2019, iPro Realty Network continued to achieve solid growth,” Bill Telford, IPro principal broker and owner, said in the press release.

“Our repeated recognition by Real Trends 500 and along with other Industry Recognitions is a result of hard work and the dedication of our sales associates, brokers, and support staff. We are grateful for the thousands of Home Buyers and Home Sellers who allowed us to provide them with outstanding service and results.”

The 2020 REAL Trends 500 is an independently verified compilation of the nation’s leading residential real estate companies. REAL Trends, the trusted source for news and research about the real estate brokerage industry, has been ranking brokerages for more than 32 years and is the most trusted brokerage ranking report in the industry.

“Our success is driven by our agents and our amazing employees,” Telford said. “Our mission is to provide our agents with the best brokerage support, services, and technologies in the industry while always maintaining complete integrity. We believe this focus is why we continue, year after year, to be included in this elite list of real estate brokerages.”

iPro Realty network is a Utah-based real estate brokerage with offices in St. George, Cedar City, Orem, Salt Lake City, Clearfield and Midway.

• S P O N S O R E D   C O N T E N T •

Resources

• iPro Realty Network – St. George | Address: 1060 S. Main, Suite 202, St. George | Telephone: 435-767-9660 | Website.
• For other locations, visit

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

CEDAR CITY — One person is dead after a collision Tuesday morning at the intersection of state Route 56 and Iron Springs Road.

Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Ryan Bauer told Cedar City News that just before 7 a.m., the driver of a black Mitsubishi convertible was attempting to make a left turn onto SR-56 eastbound from Iron Springs Road and turned in front of oncoming westbound traffic.

Bauer said a high-profile vehicle traveling west on SR-56 was making a right turn onto Iron Springs Road at the time of the incident, and a white Ford F-350 pickup pulling a trailer was also traveling west in another lane.

“The high-profile vehicle makes a right-hand turn, the black vehicle starts to pull out as the truck’s making the right-hand turn and pulls right in front of the other truck,” Bauer said.

The driver of the Mitsubishi, Tyrell Robinson, 24, died as a result of the collision.  The driver of the Ford F-350 was a 58-year-old male and suffered no injuries.

Officials speculate that Robinson could not see the Ford truck due to the large vehicle that was making the right turn.

Travel lanes on SR-56 were temporarily closed and traffic was redirected as officials investigated the collision throughout the morning, but the road is now reopened.

This story has been updated to include the name of the driver of the Mitsubishi.

Cedar City News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this story.

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

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Scene of a fatal two-vehicle collision at the intersection of SR-56 and Iron Springs Road near Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — As the nation continues to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, Dixie State University and several companies linked to the institution’s Atwood Innovation Plaza are helping Utah communities respond to the pandemic.

According to a press release from DSU, the St. George-based startup company Steribin, which launched from Atwood Innovation Plaza and continues to lease space from Southern Utah’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurism, is partnering with the city of St. George to disinfect the personal protective equipment used by many of the city’s employees and first responders.

The company’s patent-pending device was originally developed to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses in airports by sanitizing security bins in seconds; however, with the spread of COVID-19, the company is using its high-intensity pulse-lighting device to set up a mobile workstation in St. George.

“Our device can play an integral part in reducing the spread of viruses and bacteria at airports worldwide, and we’re grateful to be able to use it to help our local community during this time of need,” Jon Cole, CEO of Steribin, said in the DSU press release.

Another Atwood Innovation Plaza company, Soft Cell Biological Research, a public-private partnership based in the plaza, is collecting COVID-19 samples at their testing facility located at 4616 Beehive Drive in St. George.

Soft Cell, which offers saliva or nasal swab testing with 24-hour turnaround and reporting for $75, can process 2,500 tests per day and expects to be able to process 15,000 tests per day by June. Additionally, the company offers remote testing for at least 10 individuals for $100 a test and they do accept insurance.

“Antibody testing alone for COVID-19 is a coin flip at best, according to the most recent studies,” Brent Hunt, CEO and founder of Soft Cell, said. “Genetically based testing is the only true method currently available that can determine if the virus is still active within one’s body – and this is what we do.”

Dixie State’s academic departments are also contributing to the relief efforts. Engineering department Chair David Christensen and his student-interns are 3D printing ventilator splitters so health care facilities can use one ventilator on multiple patients at a time, if necessary. Additionally, the team is creating face shields that can be attached to HEPA filters for health care facilities around the state.

The effort is taking advantage of the department’s 24 3D printers that engineering students start using on their first day of coursework. The Dixie State engineering department, which offers bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer engineering, includes active learning courses that provide design experiences every year of the program and reinforce student learning with lab courses every semester.

Additionally, Dixie State’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology has teamed up with the university’s American Medical Women’s Association and Dixie Pre-Medical Alliance to offer elementary students the opportunity to participate in STEM learning from home.

As part of this effort, Dixie State premedical students created science videos on topics ranging from hand washing to DNA and microscopy and posted them online. The students are assembling materials necessary to participate in the activities demonstrated in the videos and giving them to elementary students at Title I schools in Washington County in coordination with meal distributions.

“Thanks to Dixie State University, the amazing professors and staff, and also to my fellow premedical students, we have been able to continue bringing fun science projects to kids who want to do them,” Jessikah Johnson, a premedical student at Dixie State, said. “Even a global pandemic can’t stop us from spreading our love of science to the world.”

HURRICANE — Following a busy weekend, and in order to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, Sand Hollow State Park closed the beach to primitive camping effective Monday.

Sand Hollow State Park manager Jonathan Hunt told St. George News that the designated campground will remain open, but unorganized, primitive camping along the beach will be closed until further notice.

“Historically, we’ve allowed people to pick their own location on the beach and stay overnight, and really the only restriction we had was that 14-day camping limit,” Hunt said. “Some people come, stay a week there, and it’s fantastic. It’s right on the shoreline of the lake.”

But after the busy weekend, when the demand was higher than the available space, they had to make a change.

“When we just had those crowds show up last weekend, we realized that allowing people to pick their own spot was not working,” he said.

Camping at Sand Hollow will continue with the normal reserved campground reservations, and people will be allowed to come during the day. But at nighttime, by 10 p.m., anyone without a reservation will need to leave the park.

A primary factor in deciding to close primitive camping came after Sunday, when, unlike Saturday, the park did not have to close.

“Campers didn’t stay over Sunday night, and so we were able to accommodate a lot more people. When the campers leave that opens up more access to the beach — we have almost five miles of beach — so without the campers, it gives us more parking, more room to spread out our daily crowd and, in all honesty, accommodate more customers.”

Hunt said they don’t want to limit people’s access to the park. They want to organize it to conform with the governor’s directive to limit group gatherings and practice social distancing.

In preparing for the weekend, people should know that the highway on the south shoreline of the lake has been closed for construction, and parking on the shoulder of the road is not allowed.

“Once the park is closed, there is no place to park to access the lake. You will see highway patrol. You will see city police departments as well as our park rangers there to limit the illegal parking,” he said. “Either you’re already in the park or you’re not. We don’t want people parking illegally.”

In the future, Hunt said they are considering the initiation of a reservation system for primitive camping.

“Our desire is to reopen it on more of a reserved system, so we know who’s coming so people who drive down will know whether they have a spot or not,” he said. “It’s kind of unfair to turn people away at the gate. So by making a reservation system, people can plan their vacations. They know they have a spot. It won’t just be crossing your fingers and driving four hours to hope you have a spot.”

For now, Hunt said they don’t plan on implementing a reservation system until social distancing restrictions are lifted.

“So is that a month? Is that three or four months? It all depends on how things happen,” he said. “We would love to get back to normal, but for now I do not think it’s a couple weeks. I would say more like a couple of months.”

In the meantime, there are plenty of other options, such as staying at a hotel or time-share rental and coming to recreate at the park during the day.

The park will continue to close in the case of large crowds.

“This is clearly more in line with what we’ve been directed to do for the next few weeks at least,” Hunt said.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — When Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she offered to be a control group for the reopening of the country in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, some cities in Clark County were surprised, including Mesquite Mayor Allan Litman.

The cities of Boulder City, Henderson and North Las Vegas were also surprised by the announcement. Litman talked about the plan for reopening casinos in Mesquite, saying they play a big role in the local economy.

“If you’re talking about Mesquite, at this point we absolutely have no plans because we have to wait, number one for the governor to come up with his plan,” Litman said. “We can’t form our own plan to reopen the casinos; they’re operated and licensed under the state gaming commission to do business. They’re not under the control of the city of Mesquite whatsoever, similar to the strip casinos in Las Vegas, which are not under the control of Las Vegas.”

The reopening of casinos is not a decision that cities get to make. Rather, it is up to the state gaming commission, and Mesquite will follow the plan that is laid out by the governor.

As far as Mesquite’s roll in the move to reopen casinos, Litman said they almost have to be asked to be involved.

“It’s not as simple as a small business. They’re not just going to open their doors and welcome the guests,” Litman said. “I believe that they’re going to expect certain physical limitations within the casinos.”

Litman said limiting how many slot machines are open, the number of gaming tables open and the number of people allowed inside are possibilities, they don’t know for sure at this point. Nothing is for sure in Mesquite right now, but the closure of the casinos and hotels has definitely has had a major impact on the city.

“In Mesquite, it’s a big hit,” Litman said of the casino closures. “The three casinos make up the largest number of employees and workers in Mesquite, and they’re out of work. We’ve probably got, and we don’t know the exact number yet, about 1,500 or so hotel workers out of jobs.”

There are also smaller, local casinos with only slot machines. The mayor guessed that those casinos will end up closing some machines to keep social distance guidelines in practice.

Mesquite’s hotels are in a much different place than the major hotels on the Las Vegas strip, Litman said.

“You’re talking about some of these hotels with 18 to 20 restaurants alone inside of them,” Litman said. “They’re going to have their hands full, and it’s totally separate from what we’re doing here. I look at our three main hotels where they’ve each got a buffet room that normally is not open except on the weekends because the clientele is not there.”

Smaller businesses have been hit hard in Mesquite, as well as their golf courses. the golf courses are a major draw for the city as people from surrounding areas visit to play on their courses. The golf courses were open for a while, but people began to complain about others keeping social distancing and the fact that people were not obeying social distancing guidelines.

Litman said he lives on a golf course and didn’t notice anything wrong. When the governor got word of the reported lack of social distancing, he shut down the golf courses in the state. Now, most of the city drives to Arizona to golf at the Palms golf course.

As for their casinos, Litman said they will be moving forward and opening as soon as they can.

“It’s hurting us because our casinos are part of the lifeblood of our community,” Litman said. “Other then that, it’s a lot of mom and pop businesses if you know Mesquite.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A 66-year-old man was transported to the hospital by ambulance after falling off a 30-foot cliff while hiking with his brother just west of state Route 18 in St. George Monday afternoon.

Both men were out canyoneering in the Cougar Cliffs area to the west of SR-18 near mile marker 6 shortly after 8 p.m. when one of the hikers lost his footing and slipped off the cliff’s edge and fell more than 30 feet before landing on a ledge.

Washington County Search and Rescue Liaison Darrell Cashin told St. George News the hiker’s brother was able to climb down to the ledge to check on him. The hiker then called for help, telling emergency dispatch that his brother had a possible arm fracture.

Police officers in St. George were first to arrive, and shortly thereafter, a search and rescue team was called in, along with a high-angle rope team that was quickly assembled and dispatched to the area.

The St. George Fire Department also sent a crew, along with emergency medical personnel from Gold Cross Ambulance. Once the group was assembled, they began the long trek in the direction of the injured hiker.

Ground rescue crews reached the hiker shortly after sunset. The man was still on the ledge and told the group that he believed he broke his arm during the fall.

Meanwhile, a technical high-angle rope team assembled and made preparations to rescue the hiker from the ledge. Once the ground crew was able to stabilize the arm, Cashin said, the hiker was placed in a harness with a rope rescue member, and together, the pair was raised to the top of the cliff.

Cashin said the rescue technique was safer than placing the man in a Stokes basket and raising him to the top, particularly since it was dark by the time they found him.

After reaching the top, the injured man told rescuers he could make the hike back out of the canyon, which he did “with a little assistance from the team,” Cashin said. After making it out of the canyon, he was loaded into an ambulance and transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center for evaluation and treatment.

“He told us he could walk out — and he did,” Cashin said. “Which just goes to show that you never know what can happen out there.”

Cashin said that with some rescues, a hiker can fall just a few feet and sustain injuries so serious that they are unable to move at all, and yet this hiker fell more than 30 feet and “walked out pretty much on his own.”

He added the Washington County Search and Rescue teams have been called out to nine rescues in less than two weeks, “so we’ve been busy.” Cashin said the increase in rescues could be attributed to a higher number of people spending so much time sheltering in, and are now getting outside to enjoy the outdoors.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE —  According to Gov. Gary Herbert, Utah will move away from the most extreme COVID-19 risk category “red” to a more moderate “orange” footing, allowing certain businesses to reopen beginning Friday.

The governor is expected to announce the specifics of opening up the state Wednesday. Schools and churches will likely remain closed, according to the Associated Press. Playground equipment will also be considered off-limits.

People will also be allowed to gather in groups of up to 20, but strict social-distancing measures will remain in place, including the recommendation of wearing protective masks.

Some businesses such as gyms and salons may reopen, as well as Lake Powell.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, people will still be encouraged to order carryout and delivery from restaurants, but dine-in service may be available if restaurants follow appropriate distance protocols, which include keeping table seating six feet apart and employees wearing masks.

Washington County officials said they will follow the governor’s directives but also have the leeway to set stronger criteria on businesses if required.

“As we take a look at how we balance the needs of getting our economy back up and keeping our citizens and residences safe … we want to give our businesses enough lead time to prepare to open up and get back to work,” Washington County Commissioner Victor Iverson said during a press conference Monday.

“We want to keep our citizens safe and our businesses alive,” he added.

Dr. David Blodgett, director of the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, said that although the COVID-19 outbreak has been mild in this part of the state, vigilance is still appropriate.

As of Tuesday, Southern Utah has reported 91 cases of the coronavirus with 62 in Washington County and 63 reporting patient recovery.

Currently, there are two in the hospital and two deaths reported in Washington and Iron counties respectively.

“The way that we have dealt with this effectively here has been and always will be an individual effort as well as a community effort to deal with the challenges of life,” Blodgett said. “The key to responding to any emergency is to do what we do but in a heightened and ramped up fashion.”

As Southern Utah shifts its strategy from a broad approach in shutting everything down to target continued care of those most a risk while also allowing businesses that have been effected to reopen, “The governor’s plan will help drive that process,” Blodgett said.

“We are unlikely to issue a more restrictive order than what the governor issues,” he added. “It is clear that we’ve reached the next phase as a state. We’ve accumulated data and watched the trends and it’s time to direct our efforts to look to protect our citizens and the financial health of communities.”

The governor’s plan will be available at the Southwest Utah Public Health Department’s website when released.

“We intend to move to orange level on May 1,” Blodgett said. “The plan relies on each of us to be personally responsible for keeping six feet of distance, wash our hands, wear masks in public places … stay at home if you are sick and be thoughtful of others.”

Guidance for businesses, Blodgett said, is to take all measures possible to keep employees and patrons safe.

“Allow employees who are sick to stay home, please screen employees daily and please be diligent in following the (governor’s) recommendations and his plan,” he said.

Herbert told the Associated Press that the steps already taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Utah have been “effective,” giving time for businesses and local governments to marshal their resources.

“Some people think we’re trying to get to a zero-risk situation. That’s not true,” he said. “Life has risk. We’re trying to manage the risk to tolerable levels that will let us go back and reopen the economy and yet protect people’s health.”

Health care officials continue to urge everyone considered high-risk to “please” stay home.

“Our goal is to have few, if any, infections in high-risk groups,” Blodgett said. “I think the goals are goals that we can get behind as a community. I am heartened by the many kindnesses I have seen. This is also a time of faith.”

COVID-19 information resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization
• Utah Department of Health
• Intermountain Healthcare
• To Donate and Volunteer to Help 

Southern Utah coronavirus count (as of April 28, 2020)

Positive COVID-19 tests: 91, with 63 recoveries.

• Washington County: 63 (4 new)
• Iron County: 21
• Garfield County: 3
• Kane County: 3
• Beaver County: 0

Deaths: 2

• Washington County: 1 (1 new)
• Iron County: 1

Hospitalized: 2

Tested: 5,314

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

May 25, 1935 — April 24, 2020

Richard Marlow Peacock, Jr. passed away on April 24, 2020. Dick was born May 25, 1935, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents were Della Lucille Measom Peacock and Richard Marlow Peacock, Sr. He has one sister, Marlene who died on Dec. 19, 1966.

Dick married Connie Kimball Peacock in Austin Texas on Feb. 7, 1956.

Dick was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and went to school there. He graduated from South High School where he was very active in sports. Dick also went to the University of Utah for one year but left and joined the army. He served in Korea and Texas. His service in Korea was with the Air Force.

He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served in many callings and was active in the church sports teams.

Dick was an avid outdoorsman and sportsman. Dick also loved all kinds of sports, but his real love was golf. He loved hunting, fishing and camping. 

Dick worked for Mountain Bell and retired from there.

Dick is survived by his wife of 64 years, Connie, of St. George, Utah, his children: Kathie (Steve) Terry, Taylorville, Utah, Richard (Debby) Peacock, St. George, Utah, Karen (Marty) Nelson, West Jordan, Utah, Kristie (Tyrrell) Toone, St. George, Utah and Kimberlee Hannig, St. George, Utah. Dick is also survived by 18 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Dick is preceded in death by his parents and sister Marlene.

A viewing for family and close friends will be held Wednesday, April 29, 2020, 5-7 p.m. at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff Street St. George, Utah.

Graveside service will be held on Friday, May 1, 2020, at noon at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3401 S. Highland Dr. Salt Lake City, Utah with a family viewing from 10:30-11:45 a.m. prior to burial.  

Due to federal mandate regarding COVID-19, Spilsbury Mortuary is limiting physical attendance at the services and social distancing is implemented.

April 17, 1926 — April 25, 2020

Our beloved, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Lucille Dean Smith, age 94, successfully completed her earthly mission on April 25, 2020, in St. George, Utah. 

Lucille was born April 17, 1926, in Safford, Arizona, second child to Clifford Arnold Dean Sr. and Debra Matthews Dean. She was sealed in the Mesa, Arizona Temple to George Humphries Smith (later divorced). Together they had six children.

She graduated from high school and attended Gila College in Thatcher, Arizona. She began teaching at 19 years old. Lucille loved being a teacher and prided herself in being able to teach all her Kindergartners to read before going to first grade. She was a champion of phonics, which was the key to this success.  

Lucille was always happy to learn as a child and loved seeing that many of her students enjoyed coming to school and learning from her. She kept their attention by doing fun songs and fingerplays. During her career, she taught mostly Kindergarten but also taught other elementary grades. She taught in the Gifted and Talented program as well.

While she had young children, Lucille taught school to support her husband while he got his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. She taught in Provo, Utah, Mesa, and Queen Creek Arizona, and retired after teaching 17 years in St. George. 

Lucille was very crafty and made all her materials for teaching. She was a great seamstress and loved playing/teaching the piano and singing.

She loved to do family history and temple work. She loved sharing family stories with everyone. Lucille was very proud of her pioneer heritage and enjoyed telling anyone who would sit with her for a minute. Lucille loved her Heavenly Father and was blessed to always have a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ from when she was very young. She has always been a faithful, devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She willingly accepted and served in numerous callings. She loved the Savior and strived to pattern her life after Him. It was important to her that her children and grandchildren knew of her testimony and her love of the gospel. She lived in such a way that we never questioned her dedication. She displayed unwavering faith in her Savior, especially as she faced numerous trials and challenges. She taught everyone around her the benefit of a good attitude even when facing tremendous trials and had the ability to find the good and blessings that come from very difficult situations. 

Lucille was preceded in death by her parents Clifford A. Dean Sr. and Debra Matthews Dean, her sister Wilma Stone, her brother Clifford A. Dean Jr., great-grandson Caeman, and grandchildren Maria-Jose and Paul.

She is survived by her children JoLou Farnham, Shannon Williams, Pamela Divett (Bill), Deanna Bentley, Katrina Prestwich (Blaine), Courtney Smith (Erica). 

Lucille has 29 grandchildren, nine step-grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren, 23 step-great-grandchildren. 

Near the end of her life, one of Lucille’s daughters showed her a picture of Jesus, and asked her, “Mom, who is this?” Lucille touched the picture, got teary and said, “I can’t wait to see Him!”

We miss her with all of our hearts, yet we know that she has been received into the  everlasting arms of our Lord Jesus Christ and is hearing “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

She will be interred in the Washington City Cemetery. A private family graveside service will be held.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Fund.  And please show extra kindness now and always, and have a positive attitude, just as Lucille would have done.

Friends and family are invited to sign Lucille’s online guest book at ww.spilsburymortuary.com.

HURRICANE — Hurricane City has organized a new Youth City Council of nine members in order to help educate the youth about city government, encourage advocacy and foster leadership.

The council has two adult leaders, Julie Ballard and Lana Johnson, and nine council members who have signed up. Every four months, there will be a rotation of positions so that members have the opportunity to learn at least three positions until the end of the council in April 2021.

Councilmember Nanette Billings, who initiated the Youth City Council, told St. George News the focus of the group is to SAVE the youth of today to be leaders for tomorrow.

SAVE is an acronym in which each letter represents a primary focus for the council.

The S is for service. The youth city council will work on some service project every two months, Billings said. The first one has been in helping distribute desks to children being home-schooled.

Some of the service projects they plan to get involved with are the 4th of July parade and park activities, Peach Days, Shop with a Cop, and the city’s Christmas tree festival.

The A is for action and being an advocate for youth.

“We want the youth to know they have a voice, that they can actually stand up, come to the city council meetings, present to adults and to the community leaders and have their voice heard,” Billings said. “And have the community recognize that the youth have valid concerns for other youth.”

The V is for viewing and visiting all departments within the city in order to gain an understanding of how the city government functions.

And finally, the E is for education with the primary focus of gaining an understanding of the U.S. Constitution.

Cailin Campbell, 17, currently acting as the city secretary for the Youth City Council, told St. George News that she got involved with the council as a way to get her voice out there and also show others the power of their voice.

A primary concern in today’s youth she hopes to work on during her time with the council has to do with mental health, such as depression and anxiety, she said. In order to address this, she said it’s important for those struggling to know they are not alone.

“Everybody, one time or another in their life, is going to go through trials and problems,” she said, “but things do get better, even if you don’t think they will.”

She also added that right now, in the midst of school closures, people are understanding more the importance of technology and its value to society, especially in terms of social connection.

“Being out of school, it’s been isolating, like there’s no one to talk to,” she said. “But we have this amazing technology pretty much at our fingertips for everybody, and we’re able to just make contact with people. Without technology, we wouldn’t have been able to.”

For Campbell, becoming a member of the council was stepping outside of her comfort zone, something she hopes will inspire others to get involved.

“Personally, I’m not usually one to go and apply for something like this. So I think the people who know me will probably think, ‘Oh, she can do this?’ I think I can do this, too.” she said. “So I think it means a lot for people like this because they don’t think they can make a difference anywhere, but they actually can.”

Kenna Clark, 16, who is serving as the mayor, told St. George News that she has really been enjoying her role as a leader.

“It’s definitely a different experience than I ever would’ve thought,” she said. “It’s very difficult and challenging with the agenda … because I have to make sure everything runs smoothly. Overall, it’s been a really fun experience, especially in being able to connect with people in the community I never thought I’d be able to connect to.”

The problems Clark has seen with the youth at school that she hopes to address are similar to Campbell’s concerns and seem to have a chain reaction, she said.

“It starts with drugs and then it grows into depression and anxiety and it keeps going on forever and ever,” Clark said. “I hope that we can all just find a way to help these youth and to make sure we’re stopping the issue at the root.”

In many cases, Clark said she thinks kids get involved with drugs because they are looking for an outlet from all the things in the world and mostly just school in general.

“They just assume that’s going to help them, but it just puts them in a worse spot than they’re already at,” she said. “They’ll start getting addicted and then realize this has ruined their whole life. It’s a scary thing.”

Spreading awareness about these issues is one of the ways she hopes to tackle this issue, she said. And she hopes more kids are inspired to get involved.

“Our responsibility as a council is to just stand up for youth here in the city and make sure we all have a say in what we’re trying to accomplish,” she said. “Not everyone can see our side of things, and I feel like we’re able to see that more closely than most adults are. And so it’s a great opportunity to figure out the problems of the youth and hit it head-on and make sure they know that they’re loved and they’re cared for.”

The youth city council meetings are scheduled for every Monday at 5 p.m. and can be accessed virtually. Billings said they are still accepting other youth to participate as citizens in the meetings. These citizens will also have the opportunity to take part in all activities and services.

Youth City Council members:

• Taylor Dalton
• Morgan Turner
• Kaylee Melessa
• Kaylee Long
• Stockton Neibert
• Cooper Anderson (city manager)
• Alyssa LeBaron (recorder)
• Cailin Campbell (city secretary)
• Kenna Clark (mayor)

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

Lana Johnson, adult volunteer leader for the Hurricane City Youth City Council, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Cailin Campbell, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Kenna Clark, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Taylor Dalton, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Morgan Turner, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Kaylee Melessa, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Kaylee Long, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Stockton Neibert, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Cooper Anderson, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Alyssa LeBaron, a Youth City Council member, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Julie Ballard, leader of the Hurricane City Youth Council, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Julie Ballard, the leader of Hurricane's youth city council, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Nanette Billings, St. George News

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican state leaders in Oklahoma and Utah are facing scrutiny for spending millions of dollars combined to purchase malaria drugs promoted by President Donald Trump to treat COVID-19 patients that many other states obtained for free and that doctors warned shouldn’t be used without more testing.

While governments in at least 20 other states obtained more than 30 million doses of the drug through donations from the federal reserve or private companies, Oklahoma and Utah instead bought them from private pharmaceutical companies.

Top officials in both states chalked up the decisions to “the fog of war.”

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday defended the state’s $2 million purchase, saying the drug was showing some promise. His health secretary attributed buying the 1.2 million hydroxychloroquine pills to something that happens in the “fog of war.”

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert at first defended the state’s $800,000 purchase of 20,000 packets of hydroxychloroquine compounded with zinc, but he has since ordered an investigation of a no-bid contract with a local company that had been promoting the drugs. Herbert also canceled an additional plan to spend $8 million more to buy 200,000 additional treatments from the same company.

A left-leaning nonprofit group in Utah filed a price-gouging complaint Tuesday with state regulators, arguing the $40 per pack drug was grossly overpriced.

Oklahoma’s attorney general requested an investigative audit on Tuesday of its Department of Health over spending and warned the agency about retaliating against employees who report wrongful government activities under the state’s Whistleblower Act. A spokesman for Attorney General Mike Hunter declined to comment on whether the request was related to the $2 million spent on the drug.

Doctors can already prescribe the malaria drug to patients with COVID-19, a practice known as off-label prescribing, and many do. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned doctors against prescribing hydroxychloroquine for treating the coronavirus outside of hospitals or research settings because of reports of serious side effects, including irregular heart rhythms and death among patients.

Preliminary results from a recent study done on coronavirus patients at U.S. veterans hospitals showed no benefit, casting more doubt on the drug’s efficacy during the pandemic.

Those were the latest admonitions against the drug that Trump has regularly promoted in public appearances, touting its potential despite his own health advisors telling him it is unproven.

Oklahoma acquired 1.2 million pills, or about 100,000 doses, on April 4 from FFF Enterprises, a California-based medical supply wholesaler, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Oklahoma state Rep. Melissa Provenzano said the state’s purchase shows that Gov. Stitt’s actions don’t follow his claim that he relies on data to drive his decisions.

“Two million dollars is a lot of money to waste, especially when we have unemployment claims approved yet going unpaid, health care professionals without proper protective equipment, and diagnosed cases and deaths continuing to rise,” Provenzano said.

Stitt said hydroxychloroquine was showing some promise as a treatment in early March, and he didn’t want Oklahoma to miss out on an opportunity to acquire it.

“Now there’s some evidence the chloroquine may not be as effective, but I was being proactive to try and protect Oklahomans,” Stitt said Tuesday when asked about the purchase. “That’s always going to be my first instinct, to get the equipment and things we need that I’m seeing in the future would help Oklahomans.”

Oklahoma’s Secretary of Health Jerome Loughridge said several physicians, including some in Oklahoma, were previously optimistic about the drug’s promise in treating COVID-19. He added that the drug is also useful for treating lupus and some other auto-immune diseases, so the state’s supply “will not have gone to waste.”

“When we were battling sort of the fog of war at that point, we certainly acquired it on the potential that it would have utility,” Loughridge said.

Jeff Burton, a former adjutant general of the Utah National Guard chosen to lead the state health department’s coronavirus task force, offered a similar explanation for why the state made its purchase. He said the state never received the pills and is trying to get its money back.

“I chalk it up to fog of war,” Burton told the state’s pharmacy board. “There was a lot going on. It’s easy to judge it from (an) easy chair.. . . Since then we’ve decided that was not a wise purchase.”

Doctors in Oklahoma have been using the drug to treat patients with COVID-19, often in conjunction with a second drug, azithromycin, but the results “just are not that promising,” said Dr. Douglas Drevets, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Oklahoma Medicine.

FFF Enterprises said it’s the company’s policy not to comment on transactions with customers.

Utah gave a local company called Meds in Motion the $800,000 contract without taking bids from other companies under emergency procurement rules, said Christopher Hughes, director of Utah’s division of purchasing. State officials haven’t explained why they didn’t seek to get the drugs for free.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Saturday it has sent out 28.6 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine sulfate free of cost to states around the country. Several states including New York, Connecticut and Texas received donations of the medication from a private company based in New Jersey called Amneal Pharmaceutical, according to information compiled by The Associated Press.

Utah taxpayers deserve to know what happened to allow a purchase that seems like a company taking advantage of the early, chaotic days of the pandemic, said Chase Thomas, executive director of the group called Alliance for a Better Utah that submitted the price gouging complaint. The complaint alleges Utah paid at least double the common price for the medication.

“Whether they were buying drugs we didn’t need or paying too much for it when they could have gotten them for free, there just needed to be a lot more thought going into this,” Thomas said.

Meds in Motion didn’t answer an email seeking comment about the allegations.

Herbert declined to provide an update Tuesday about the investigation of the purchase. He said Friday the state’s legal counsel would aim to find out what, how and why it happened. He said he believed state officials acted in good faith as they scrambled to slow the spread of coronavirus, but acknowledged a mistake may have been made.

“I have some questions about how it came about,” Herbert said Friday. “Bottom line is, we’re not purchasing any more of this drug.”

Written by SEAN MURPHY, BRADY McCOMBS and LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press.

McCombs and Whitehurst reported from Salt Lake City.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Question

I may sound a bit cold-hearted with my question, but it’s a hard situation.

My ex-boyfriend and I dated for almost two years. We are both in our 50s and have grown children from previous marriages. Recently, he said he didn’t ever want to marry again. He thought I should know. I told him I appreciated his honesty, and I would need to think about it. 

It didn’t take much thinking to get angry and hurt. I did want to marry again, and I feel he could have told me much earlier. I gave him the best of me, my support, love and generosity. I decided to tell him I didn’t wish to see him again.

Then, before I could tell him, he called to tell me his brother had died in a horrible and violent way. He is reeling in pain and shock. I put aside our problems and tried my best to support him. I have helped him make travel and funeral arrangements and held him as he cried.

The problem is, I really don’t want this relationship anymore. I don’t want to make this situation all about me, but truthfully, I want to close the door and never see him again. Helping someone through loss is the privilege and responsibility of a loving committed relationship, which he told me he didn’t want … from me at least. How do I proceed? My support of him at this point is somewhat disingenuous.

Answer

I’m sorry to hear about all of the loss you’re both experiencing. Life can suddenly be so painful that it’s hard to know how to respond. I see your dilemma of wanting to respond in a compassionate way while at the same time protecting your wounded heart. While the timing of these two unfortunate developments is unfortunate, I do think it’s possible to respond in a way that honors both sides. 

First, it’s not helpful to compare or rank these two losses. They both cause shock, grief and loss. They both change the course of life for other people and bring up challenging questions. You’re both reeling from the pain and need comfort and security.

I simply don’t want you to determine that because one of these losses involved sudden death that you should automatically downplay the trauma of him breaking off your relationship. Yes, you both need support, but if you’re both in trauma and grief, it doesn’t mean you are the only one who can offer him comfort.

Even though we have a natural reflex to care for those who are suffering, we also have to be realistic about our limits and create space for times when we simply don’t have anything to give. Sometimes our hearts long to help out, but we simply don’t have anything to give. This truth is reinforced in the quote from Anne Morrow Lindbergh that says, “My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds.” 

Naturally, your heart is responding to his terrible grief and sadness for losing his brother. Of course, you want to offer him comfort. You care about this man and were ready and willing to be his wife. So it’s only natural that you would feel mixed about being there for him.

While I can’t speak to his mental state, it’s obvious he’s unable to recall that he barely broke up with you. Even though you needed time to process how you would respond to his dissolution of the relationship, remember that he was the one who turned away from building a life with you.

I agree with you that grieving privately with someone is an intimate experience based on trust and security. If he’s stripped you of the security and trust you need to be close to him, it’s okay for you to honor the trauma and loss you’re experiencing by letting him know you’re unavailable to be his primary support during this difficult time.

It’s okay to also expect him to care about the pain you’re experiencing. While he’s allowed to choose who he wants to spend his life with, he’s not allowed to expect you to be there for him after he’s ended your relationship. Even though you didn’t have a chance to tell him what you needed before his brother’s sudden passing, it’s still okay to honor what you need by letting him know you’re not available as a support to him. I hope he’ll be able to appreciate the fact that you don’t want to offer him pity and a disingenuous presence.

You’ve offered him a compassionate first response; however, staying in this relationship to offer him ongoing support while your heart is bleeding out isn’t sustainable. Communicate this to him swiftly and clearly and allow each of you to find the comfort and healing you both need during this difficult time. 

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