Tweet others the way you would want to be tweeted To mark Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 10-16) last month, one of Sanpete’s representatives in Congress, Rep. Chris Stewart, tweeted, “Last week was National Suicide Prevention Week. Let us take the opportunity to ask ourselves what we can do to prevent these tragedies.” That was on…
Believes Messenger ‘got it all wrong’ Late last year the Gunnison and Centerfield police departments combined to create the Gunnison Valley Police Department (GVPD). Citizens were led to believe the savings through shared cooperation and resources would save enough money to add an extra officer to the then existing staff. Less than a year later,…
Districts stress bus safety—the rest is up to us The Utah State Office of Education (USOE) and our local school districts go to exceptional lengths to make sure school buses and school bus drivers are safe. The rest is up to us as drivers and parents. The efforts of the school system start…
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves: Search & Rescue volunteers are ‘phenomenal’ “These guys are just phenomenal!” We wish the Messenger could take credit for that exclamation about the Sanpete Search and Rescue, but that honor goes to Sgt. Jayson Albee, the liaison between the S&R and the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Department. But…
Sanpete’s justice courts should be made of lay, rather than professional, judges Being a lawyer is not the sole or even the most important qualification for being a justice court judge. The Messenger believes character, intellectual competence and community connection are also important requirements. But we don’t only ask panels that will select judge nominees,…
It’s time for all towns to get on board with buffer zone planning For more than a year, the Sanpete County Planning and Zoning Commission has been grappling with what to permit in the buffer zones around many of the 13 municipalities in the county. Buttressed by some unhappy experiences, the planning commission has…
Fairgrounds grandstand represents team effort, creativity, perseverance If we’ve learned anything from experience in Sanpete County, it’s that it takes public officials, community volunteers, creativity and perseverance to get a major community project off the ground. It has taken all of those things and more for Sanpete County and the Sanpete County Fairboard to…
We’ve tried to fish. Now it’s time to cut bait. For years, Ephraim City has tried to work with multiple owners to get the now infamous Travel Inn at 330 N. Main torn down and something decent put in its place. Sometimes the city has struggled to simply locate the owner of the acre-plus property….
The biggest concern, perennially, in Sanpete County is the economy and jobs. But the latest numbers from the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) suggest Sanpete County, with its proximity to the Wasatch Front, and the largest population between U.S. 6 and Cedar City, might be turning a corner. The most important need of…
Friends of Historic Spring City effort on old school has been ‘incredible’ If there’s one volunteer group and one nonprofit effort that merits the praise of everybody in Sanpete County, it’s the Friends of Historic Spring City and their effort, running nearly 40 years, to save the old Spring City School….
Legistlature wrestles with budgets as session nears end; $37 million rural jobs bill still pending Ralph Okerlund Senator District 24 3-9-2017 Week 6, the last full week of the 2017 Legislative Session is in the books. Next Thursday at midnight will mark the end of the 2017 Legislative Session. At this point,…
We support DWR antler hunting ban, habitat work and OHV limitations, as part of protecting treasured wildlife 3-2-2017 The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has a big job. As outlined in various wildlife management plans, that job includes protecting, propagating, conserving and distributing wildlife populations in Utah. Because human activity can have…
Legislature bill on online sales tax going from Senate to House Ralph Okerlund Senator District 24 3-2-2017 With Week 5 of the 2017 Legislative Session over, we are now more than two-thirds of the way done! We have passed a total of 163 bills and they just keep on coming. This week we…
Hot legislative topics include creating a convention of the states Report from the Legislature 2-23-2017 Hot legislative topics include creating a Convention of the States With Week Four of the 2017 Legislative Session over, we are now more than halfway done! We have passed a total of 96 bills, and they just…
Appreciates legislative updates, upset with Owens Thank you and our legislators for the session updates. There is a lot packed into a few weeks. We want to comment on an article a few weeks ago by Rep. Owens. We were disappointed to see him, a member of the House Natural Resources, Agriculture…