New decade begins, Sanpete County’s 2019 in review
Joseph Loftin
Raul Vidrio
Wesley Nay
David Blackham
Shane Ward
Marilyn Bagnall
Mack Wilkey
Terry Rigby
Susan Jacobson
Rebecca Rowley
Scott Sunderland
Claudia and Eric Fossum
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox
MT. PLEASANT–With the start of the New Year 2020, take a walk down memory lane and consider how we all got here during the past year.
Crime
In January, the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office announced that a large crime ring had been uncovered north of Ephraim and included storage units in the Gunnison area. Several arrests were made in the case. Victims in the case spanned numerous jurisdictions including Sevier County, Richfield, Salina, Gunnison, Ephraim, Mt. Pleasant and Sanpete County.
On Jan. 18, Raul Vidrio, who was charged with aggravated murder in the death of 22-year-old Wesley Nay after investigators found his body buried in a grassy meadow near Indianola in October 2016, pleaded not guilty to reportedly killing Nay and burning his remains.
Then in May, Vidrio filed guilty pleas in Fourth District Court to murder, a first-degree felony; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; and abuse of a dead body, a third-degree felony.
On May 23, during Vidrio’s sentencing, Judge James Taylor ordered the 22-year-old to serve at least 15 years to life for murder, a first-degree felony. “This particular case is an unusually heinous killing,” Taylor said. “It was calculated, it was planned and it involved him (the victim, Nay) digging his own grave. It involved murdering him in a heinous and callous way.”
Vidrio will also serve one-to-15 years for a second-degree felony of obstruction of justice and zero-to-five years for a third-degree felony of desecration of a body. Taylor ordered each sentence to run consecutively.
In mid-May, two juvenile boys who ran away from the Pine Ridge Behavioral Health youth home located in Fairview allegedly stole a silver 2008 Chrysler Sebring sedan during the night from the home of Jesse Roberts, Fairview.
As a warning to county residents, Sanpete County Detective Derick Taysom pointed out that, “It is not uncommon for the juveniles to steal a vehicle when they run away. If we (Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office) have had a runaway report and a vehicle is missing the next day, the juveniles are always our #1 suspect.”
On Aug. 8, in ongoing litigation with Mt. Pleasant City, former Mt. Pleasant Mayor David Blackham through his attorney filed a civil complaint in Sixth District Court against the city of Mt. Pleasant, and against each city council member, individually, in order to obtain redress for their alleged wrongful actions.
The Notice of Claim in the case stated that David Blackham is pursuing claims against the city of Mt. Pleasant, and against Dan Anderson, Justin Atkinson, Kevin Stallings, Heidi Kelso, and Keith Collier in their individual capacities based on causes of action for defamation, invasion of privacy/false light, invasion of privacy/publicization of private information, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. This case is still ongoing.
More recently, on Nov. 23, it was reported that a 10-year-old boy in a vehicle was hit by a bullet while traveling on U.S. 89 north of Mt. Pleasant. Since that initial report it has been revealed that it was a nine-year-old boy that was wounded.
On Dec. 6, Sanpete County Attorney Kevin Daniels said that Camryn Summerhays had been charged with felony discharge of a firearm and misdemeanor reckless endangerment. Daniels also said that Summerhays didn’t intend to hit anyone but was negligent while shooting toward a highway in an area without a barrier to stop fired shots.
Awards
Mt. Pleasant City Power received two awards. In January, Mayor Dan Anderson and Power Superintendent Shane Ward accepted the UAMPS System Improvement Award presented for undertaking system upgrades, capital improvements and preventive maintenance measures to modernize facilities, improve system reliability, reduce losses, reduce outage times and improving power quality.
Later in April, Ward accepted the award for Mt. Pleasant Power when it was designated as a Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3).
Last January, the Utah Board of Regents unanimously selected Bradley J. Cook to be the 17th president of Snow College. Cook was officially presented during inaugural ceremonies held Nov. 7.
The Mt. Pleasant Historical Pioneer Association recognized Mack Wilkey, 89, and Marilyn Bagnall, 87, as the oldest male and female in attendance at the annual luncheon held March 16.
Intermountain Sanpete Valley Hospital recognized Moroni Ambulance last January as the recipients of the hospital’s Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Extraordinary Save award.
Then last April the hospital was named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.
The Sanpete Cattlemen’s Association selected Terry C. Rigby, Milburn, as the 2019 King Cowboy during their annual banquet March 21.
Glinda the good witch, aka Susan Jacobson, retired from teaching last May from Fountain Green Elementary, where she had been a teacher for the past 15 years with a total of 18 years of experience. Jacobson was a remarkable teacher and was named as Fountain Green Elementary School’s 2018-2019 teacher of the year.
The Moroni Veterans Park was dedicated during special ceremonies last Aug. 31. The monument highlights 689 veterans from the area who have served including the Blackhawk War.
Wasatch Academy Head of School Joseph Loftin oversaw the dedication of a new engineering building located at 50 South State, Mt. Pleasant. The new engineering center is designed as a large industrial work space with a modular layout that is open by design. It includes state-of-the-art woodworking shop and maker space. Specific high-tech equipment including a laser cutter, a 3D printer, and a welders available for student use.
In related news at Wasatch Academy, last October, Wasatch Academy announced that Head of School Joseph Loftin plans to retire after 35 years of service and the next Head of School will be James Matthew Culberson.
Beck’s Home Furnishings, of Mt. Pleasant, was named the 2019 BrandSource Dealer of the Year for the Rocky Mountain Region last August and honored for their commitment to excellence in the retail industry at the BrandSource National Convention and Expo at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, TX.
Sports
Last January, North Sanpete High School (NSHS) Hawk swim team traveled to Emery High School for a region swim meet. During the meet, Junior Brigham Lewis was the standout of the group as he broke three school records and qualified for state. He took first place in the 100 Breast Stroke against 40 competitors.
Lewis also set a new school record by beating the 200 Freestyle record by a whopping nine seconds. Again, Lewis, along with Alex Mower, Koby Smith, and Neil Briggs, broke the 200 Medley school record by three seconds.
In February, North Sanpete High School’s (NSHS) Hawk Drill Team took to the floor at Utah Valley University in the 3A State Drill competition and the team took second place.
The first-ever triathlon in Mt. Pleasant was hosted by Mt. Pleasant Aquatic Center last July for those who like to run, bike and swim. This fun and challenging event could be completed in one day or over a two-week period of time.
The strongman competition held during Welsh Days last June in Wales, presented a new competitor, the first-ever female, who challenged all of the male strength and tradition of past events.
Female, Rebecca Rowley, a professional power-lifter and lifting coach at Utah Iron, a powerlifting facility in Spanish Fork, was one of 16 competitors participating in the event. Although she did not win, she did earn more points than some of the men.
Last October 10, North Sanpete Hawks football hosted rival school the Manti Templars for a highly anticipated game on the North Sanpete High School home field. It was the last home game of the season for the Hawks and North Sanpete came out victorious.
The new Rating Percentage Index (RPI) ranking system implemented in 2019 by the Utah High School Athletics Association, had Manti ranked as first in the state of 3A schools, with North Sanpete following close behind in fourth place.
But because the Hawks beat the Manti Templars, the new RPI ranking placed North Sanpete High School as #1 in 3A Football. At that time the Hawk team had won seven games and lost only one game against the Juab Wasps.
The Hawks pressed forward to compete in the regional play-offs then advanced to the Semi-finals on Nov. 9 against the Morgan Trojans. In 2018, the Hawks faced Morgan on the same field in the semi-finals and were able to defeat them and continue on into the state championship.
North Sanpete hoped to repeat this success and take another crack at the state title; however, some controversial referee calls and an inability to score on Trojan defense resulted in a season ending loss for the Hawks. The Hawks finished the 2019 season with an impressive 10-2 record.
Notable items
Last January, 2019, two mystery horse statues that have been on display almost since the day the Mt. Pleasant Carnegie Library was dedicated were finally identified as being created by Gavin H. Jack.
In April 1919, it was announced that the Seeley-Hinckley Auto Co., Mt. Pleasant, would build a new store on what was known as “the old Peel corner,” 100 West Main Street, with a grand opening held Sept. 27, 1919. The celebration festivities included dancing, refreshments and the picture show “Mutt and Jeff Capture the Kaiser.” Thus opened the first Dodge car dealership in Utah 100 years ago, last September.
To see what a 1919 Dodge touring car looked like, the easiest way to see one in action is by watching the 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In the film, George Bailey, played by actor Jimmy Stewart, drives one.
Last April, the Scott Sunderland family, Chester, were featured in a new series, “The American Farm” on the History Channel. The Sunderland family was one-of-five hard-working families from across America filmed for a year for the series.
Last May, in celebration of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad 150 years ago with the driving of the golden spike at Promontory, Utah, the public was encouraged to attend several celebrations held in Utah. In Mt. Pleasant, The Coffee Depot and Track 89 North, at 845 South Highway 89, had treats, souvenir treasures, including Spike 150 pins, mugs, and train whistles for kids. Celebrations were also held in Gunnison.
Last April, Wasatch Academy celebrated the 144th anniversary of the founding of the academy. Annually, the Founders Day weekend brings together alumni and welcomes the current WA senior class into the alumni association.
The final presentations of the Mormon Miracle Pageant took place last June. For the prior 52 years, Manti always came to life and presented a grand production full of wonder and excitement. But in October 2018, an official statement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said that while local celebrations of culture and history may be appropriate, the Church now discourages larger productions such as pageants.
Attendance to the last season run of the Mormon Miracle Pageant broke all-time records with an estimated 156,000 attendees during the eight nights of the pageant. The most attendees for a one-night presentation was on Friday, June 21, 2019, with a record 27,000 to 30,000 estimated people in attendance.
Because of the many fires that took place in Utah during 2018, over 1 million pounds of seed from the Great Basin Research Center in Ephraim was used to help rehabilitate over 85,000 acres of damaged landscape. Unfortunately, it may take years to recover. The public needs to use care in their outdoor adventures and be aware of dangers to avoid.
Last October, it was announced that the Sanpete Pantry Food Bank was in danger of closing and had been denied funding by the Sanpete County Commission. According to the leadership at that time, the pantry was feeding more than 12,000 people yearly, 285 families a month and provided 450 six- to eight-pound bags of food for elementary school children deemed at risk by their schools of going without food on the weekends.
Then the first part of November, Dave and Lurlynn Potter, of Spring City, stepped in with much enthusiasm and a wealth of experience and knowledge to take over as co-directors of the Pantry. With the support of donors and new partnerships the Sanpete Pantry will continue to operate.
Disease
Last March, Nevada officials are reported multiple cases of an often-fatal neurological form of Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in horses that had recently traveled in regional rodeo circuits, some of which had been in Utah.
“These recently reported cases are with horses that have traveled in junior high, high school, and professional circuits,” Dr. Barry Pittman, Utah state veterinarian at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) said at that time.
In April, two confirmed cases of Mumps had been found in the North Sanpete School District area. Non-vaccinated students and those who marked their registration forms as exempt, parents and employees of the district were informed of the cases.
During 2019, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and Utah State Parks implemented serious boat inspection stations near several water bodies to prevent the spread of invasive species quagga and zebra mussels throughout Utah. Anyone with watercraft are required to stop at the inspection stations.
Accidents, disasters
Three teens were killed last May 3, when the sedan they were passengers in crashed into the back end of a flatbed truck. 18-year-old Ryan Lyman from Ephraim, and 16-year-old Julie Oldroyd from Fountain Green, were killed on impact, Kody Wheeler, 16, was taken to Sanpete Valley Hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Last June 16, eight members of the Adam and Diedre Burningham family of Spring City were on their home’s balcony when it collapsed, a fall of about 20 feet. The cause of the collapse was determined as poor construction, built by an unknown builder using improper methods and materials. There were three 2×6 cross beams for the floor of the balcony and only 12 nails holding the beams in place.
What started as a typical summer thunder storm last July 26 quickly became a cloud-burst that released torrents of running water, swelling normally dry gullies into rivers of mud and rock south of the Highway 89 junction with U.S. 6 in Thistle. Water levels rose, ran over Highway 89 and forced its closure for the entire weekend.
Eric and Claudia Fossum, Fairview, both suffered incapacitating injuries last Oct. 11 when their vehicle was struck by a pickup that was traveling above the posted speed limit about one and-a-half miles south of Mt. Pleasant. The driver of the pickup, Armando Tinoco, Midvale, suffered non-incapacitating injuries and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI).
A juvenile black bear was hit by a vehicle and killed on Highway 89 north of Fairview, west of Milburn, last Oct. 16. A Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) conservation officer received a report about it and responded to the scene to investigate.
Politics
2019 was the year for statewide municipal elections. Along with several city council members elected throughout Sanpete County, new city mayors were selected in Mt. Pleasant, Spring City and Fayette.
In Mt. Pleasant, write-in candidate Michael Olsen received 513 votes and will be the new mayor. In Spring City the two-year office of mayor will be filled by Cynthia A. Degrey, who received 277 votes. In Fayette, Jed Bartholomew was the only candidate running for the office and will be the new mayor.
In other political news, Utah’s Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox, Fairview, announced last May the he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2020. Since then he has visited several cities and received the endorsement of over 125 Utah Mayors.
