St. George News | STGnews.com

Economic impact of water stability discussed at water district CIRPAC meeting

2013-05-25T03:24:34Z

ST. GEORGE – Future water stability and its economic impact on Washington County was the chief topic of discussion during the monthly CIRPAC meeting of the Washington County Water Conservancy District.

CIRPAC, or the Community Integrated Resource Planning Advisory Committee, is a group that represents county, municipal, business, environmental and citizen interests to help guide the future of water resource planning in the county.

In-progress projects involving current water resources | Image courtesy of the Washington County Water Conservancy District

The committee meets the fourth Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. at the WCWCD building. This month’s meeting featured Jeremy Aguero of Applied Analysis out of Nevada, whose company had been hired by the water district to determine the economic impact of water resources on the county moving forward.

Before Aguero addressed CIRPAC members and the public gathered at the meeting, WCWCD General Manager Ron Thompson gave short remarks concerning present and future projects the water district is undertaking. These projects are needed in conjunction with continued water conservation practices, he said.

“Conservation and water development are crucial to meet the future needs of the county,” Thompson said.

It is also projected that Washington County will have developed all of its water resources by 2020 without the inclusion of the Lake Powell Pipeline.

Water supply and population

“Washington County has a finite amount of water resources currently available,” Aguero said, speaking of the Virgin River.

Aguero said Utah is currently ranked fifth highest in the nation for population growth. Within Utah, Washington County is ranked third in growth. People are moving to Utah, and more particularly Washington County, for jobs and retirement – the two primary reasons people choose to move in the first place, he said.

“I’m an analyst, not an advocate,” Aguero said at the start of his presentation. According to his company’s analysis, Washington County currently has 74,600 acre feet of water available. This sustains a population of 154,000 people who use an estimated 45,683 acre feet of water. If current demands on the water supply remain stable for the coming years, Aguero said the county’s water supply will reach capacity by 2031.

“2031 is not that far away,” he said.

When the water could reach capacity | Image courtesy of the Washington County Water Conservancy District

However, if population growth shoots up – and Aguero believes it will as time passes – the water will run out faster. He gave an example of a 3 percent increase in demand on resources based on a 6.5 percent growth rate – at that rate, the county would reach capacity in only nine years. While Aguero acknowledged the number was an extreme, the numbers he finds more realistic hit the county’s water capacity between 12 and 14 years from now.

And what of conservation efforts? Even in an extreme case, such as restricting water use by 50 percent, it only preserves water resources for 31 years, according to Aguero’s data.

Water instability: Is the answer the Lake Powell Pipeline?

As water resources are projected to reach capacity in the future, a new means of securing the area’s water stability needs to be devised. Aguero began to remark on the Lake Powell Pipeline, a subject that has its fair share of supporters and detractors.

The pipeline is estimated to take at least eight years to build and has a $1 billion price tag.

Once completed, the pipeline will pump an estimated 86,000 acre feet of water to the county. Aguero called it a possible “86,000 acre feet insurance policy.”

The thing about water, Augero said, is that if there is a perception that Washington County can’t sustain itself, growth will lessen, and with it, future economic benefit.

“From an investor’s point of view, potential water resource instability and actual water resource instability are essentially the same thing,” he said.

Reciting the words from a slide of his presentation to CIRPAC, Aguero said the bottom line is: “Washington County is facing long-term water resource stability issues. Within the next decade, those issues are likely to become acute. Without a clear plan of action to address potential shortfalls (water risk) the region is likely to bear economic and fiscal consequences.”

Sources of capital and operating funds for the pipeline are likely to come from impact fees.

Economic benefits of the pipeline?

Projected economic impact on Washginton County if the Lake Powell Pipeline is built | Image courtesy of the Washington County Water Conservancy District

So what does a $1 billion bill of capital investment do for Southern Utah?

Aguero said preliminary impacts include the creation of an estimated 10,000 jobs per year revolving around the pipeline’s construction, wages to those workers amounting to around $425 million, and an output, or return into the local economy, of $1.5 billion.

With the pipeline and conservation efforts, it is projected that Washington County will be able to support a population of up to 350,000 people.

The pipeline may be “vital to the protection of the (local) economy,” Aguero said. It would provide water resource stability, something those considering relocating to the community like to see, as well as diversify that resource beyond the Virgin River.

Not all are convinced

Not everyone is thrilled with the idea of the Lake Powell Pipeline due to the price tag attached, as well as the belief that the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Powell, is an endangered resource.

“The Virgin River is finite – so is the Colorado River,” CIRPAC member Christi Wedig said. Wedig represents Citizens for Dixie’s Future, a conservation and environmental awareness group. CDF maintains the Colorado River is already over-allocated and shrinking. They have also said in the past that the actual cost of the pipeline will be closer to $2 billion.

“(The pipeline is) a dangerous proposition,” she said.

During a Q-and-A session following the presentation, concerns over the pipeline’s potentially negative effect on impact fees were also submitted to Aguero. Impact fees on future construction is one of the primary ways proposed to help pay for the pipeline. With such a high price, worries were expressed that future homes would become too expensive to build, thus killing new growth. A worry that property taxes utilized by the water district would also be hiked in order to help pay for the pipeline was also expressed.

Aguero said it wouldn’t be smart policy to have impact fees and property taxes skyrocket. High property taxes would be a “direct extraction out of the economy,” he said, and that it wasn’t a good idea. Impact fees and property taxes need to have a balanced approach, he said.

The presentation given at the CIRPAC meeting was only the first part of an overall analysis of the economic impacts of water stability on Washington County. Though a solid date has not yet been set, it was anticipated that Aguero will address the committee again with an analysis that will go more in depth on the impact fees issues and other matters related to the water district and county.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Larry Aguero of Applied Analysis discusses the economic impact of water supply with CIRPAC members, St. George, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

The post Economic impact of water stability discussed at water district CIRPAC meeting appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

Chiropractic in the 21st century, lasers included

2013-05-24T20:10:12Z

FEATURE - I wanted to learn more about advanced technologies being used in everyday health care. I recently had the chance to meet Dr. Ward Wagner of Dixie Chiropractic and learned a lot about the different technologies they use to treat various conditions. I’m currently being treated by him and was amazed by all the different “toys” he had in his office and was interested in how they help his patients. Two really caught my attention: Laser therapy and the decompression machine.

Because of a car accident 20 years ago, I have a bulging disk that flares up from time to time. After Wagner performed an in-depth assessment of my injuries, instead of cracking and popping everything, he put me on his nifty decompression table. This high-tech machine allows you to comfortably lay down while the machine gently pulls on your back creating space and alignment within your vertebrae. It’s gentle, it’s relaxing and it does the trick.

Another treatment he performed was the laser therapy with the Class IV K-Laser machine which looks sort of like an iPad with a microphone attached. I didn’t really feel much during the treatment; more of a comfortable, warming sensation. However, I felt immediate pain relief after treatment.

“Laser therapy delivers physiological benefits that no other modality can deliver,” Wagner said. “By stimulating adenosine triphosphate production and enhancing cell membrane permeability a Class IV Laser actually helps injuries heal, rather than just masking the pain.”

I wondered if the lasers harmed me in any way; Wagner replied, “Treatments are extremely safe when applied by a properly trained K-laser certified professional. The treatment is even safe to deliver directly over metal implants, over broken skin and on acute injuries.”

Wagner also said that more than 2,500 published studies exist worldwide involving laser therapy and over 100 double-blind (more thorough) studies published. There are several effects that have been observed with therapeutic lasers. For example, laser therapy mainly impacts oxidation and energy transfer in your cells which leads to increased healing. The adjustable power allows for a wide range of treatment protocols. K-Laser therapy delivers a therapeutic dosage to a large volume of tissue in a shorter period of time, which means you get better faster.

Some people think that laser therapy is only heat. K-Laser therapy is not a thermal treatment; it is bio-stimulatory due to photochemical reactions in cellular tissue. In fact, K-Laser set the standard for laser therapy with their four-wavelength technology because different tissues respond to different wavelengths.

I enjoyed feeling immediate improvement from the first visit and getting to know some of the healthcare technology available to St. George residents. Meeting Wagner and his staff was fun and informative and has ended up helping me get on the path to being pain free.

For more information about Dixie Chiropractic, call 435-673-1443 or visit their website.

Jennifer Morton

Written by Jennifer Morton for St. George Health and Wellness magazine and St. George News.

Wellness coach Jennifer Morton is the founder of Life Ethic, Inc., who was motivated to help others create balance in their personal and professional lives through life coaching and consulting. Prior to starting her own company, Jennifer spent twelve years consulting for companies focusing on Customer Relationship Management, Leadership Development, and Process Improvements. In conjunction with her coaching and consulting, Jennifer is also a key member of the Wellness Team at The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge. Through her lecture series and private consultations, Jennifer helps members create personal action plans to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyle goals.

St. George Health and Wellness

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Chiropractic laser therapy | Photo courtesy of St. George Health and Wellness

The post Chiropractic in the 21st century, lasers included appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

Public invited to Kayenta Center for the Arts groundbreaking

2013-05-24T19:17:02Z

IVINS - The Kayenta Arts Foundation is proud to announce the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Kayenta Center for the Arts on May 31.

The ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the center’s construction site, located in the Coyote Gulch Art Village in the Kayenta community. The public is invited to join Ivins Mayor Chris Hart, members of the Ivins City Council, city officials, members of the local business community, the developer of Kayenta, Kayenta residents and patrons of the Kayenta Arts Foundation for remarks, refreshments and the official project groundbreaking.

The 9,400-square-foot Kayenta Center for the Arts will house a 3,200-square-foot black box theater designed to accommodate a variety of events and suitable for both proscenium and theatre-in-the-round productions. The building design also includes dressing rooms for talent, ladies’ and men’s lounges, rehearsal space, lobby, concessions, backstage areas for props, costumes and sets, a shop, offices, box office and garden courtyard. It is scheduled to be complete May 1, 2014, and will be the only independently-owned arts center of its kind in Southern Utah.

“We will have a season of theatrical productions that will be subscription-based for our local Southern Utah audiences, but we will also be bringing in performance events from outside the area, as well, for audiences to enjoy. The subscription-based season will include both musical and non-musical theatrical productions,” Garry Morris, co-artistic director of the Kayenta Arts Foundation, said. “The outside events that will be brought in will include musical concerts, dance troupes, traveling musical and nonmusical productions and much more. Wedding reception rentals, lectures, seminars, and other event rentals, not specifically performance-based, will be scheduled in between the theatrical events. The plan is to make the Arts Center available to the community-at-large as a multi-purpose events center.”

The Kayenta Arts Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization incorporated in Utah in February 2011. The center will be consistent with the foundation’s mission “to develop and create an environment that fosters diverse artistic endeavors for educational and enrichment purposes” and its vision “to be the premier venue in the greater Southern Utah area for awareness, appreciation, education and enjoyment of diverse artistic endeavors.”

(story continues below)

Video courtesy of Kayenta Arts Foundation

The foundation will develop and expand a core educational outreach program through the Student Matinée Series (student post-show discussions with the artists), the Saturday Scene (productions specifically designed for children and their parents to enjoy together), Kayenta Center for the Arts Tours (interactive, hands-on tours of the backstage areas of the theatre), various classes and seminars (acting, dance, stagecraft, lighting design, music appreciation and other arts-related classes offered to the community-at-large) and the Connection Program (bringing arts directly to those who might otherwise not be able to experience the arts firsthand, with performances at veteran, nursing and assisted-living homes and adult and juvenile correction facilities.) A principal goal of all these programs is to make live theatre, concert, and dance events accessible to residents of all economic levels and diverse cultural backgrounds.

Since 2011, the Kayenta Arts Foundation has produced a number of events, including two highly successful street painting festivals, two evenings of performance poetry, classical, country and rock music concerts, dance performances, variety shows, an original play reading, and coming in October 2013, the 14th annual Art in Kayenta Festival. The festival was originally a private endeavor, but starting in 2013 it will be a charitable event sponsored by the Kayenta Arts Foundation.

The Kayenta Arts Foundation will continue to produce its own events at the center, but the Kayenta Center for the Arts will be available for rental to other public and private groups as well. Outside production companies, organizations or private parties will be able to rent the space for their own arts productions, as well as events like wedding receptions, lectures and seminars, corporate retreats, city functions, meetings, special exhibits, etc.

“The more we know and understand the experiences, similarities, and differences that comprise the human condition, the more capable we are of accepting and appreciating others. The arts give us a path to such knowledge and understanding; they are a major component of our cultural heritage, a statement of our present condition, and a vision for the future,” Kayenta Arts Foundation Chair Judith Kapuscinski said. “All of us involved with Kayenta Arts Foundation invite our audiences to join us and ‘Be a Part of the Art!’”

Event details and contact information

Date: May 31

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Location: Kayenta Center for the Arts construction site, Coyote Gulch Art Village, Kayenta

Admission: Free

Contact: Garry Morris, Kayenta Arts Foundation – 818- 809-6676

Tour of unique Southern Utah art; Kayenta Gallery Walk and Artisan Street Market

Three days of Art in Kayenta, on the Parade of Homes route

Kayenta Arts brings ‘Poetry Under the Stars 2′

Bullets & Belles, We Are Mirrors perform two dates in Kayenta

Submitted by: Kayenta Arts Foundation

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Digital rendering of the Kayenta Center for the Arts | Image courtesy of Kayenta Arts Foundation

The post Public invited to Kayenta Center for the Arts groundbreaking appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

OP-ED: Because they are unforgettable; in memory of Dennis and others like him

2013-05-24T17:24:49Z

OPINION EDITORIAL – I was thinking about the Military and how much they do. I remember when I was a little guy we always went as a family to the graveyards where our relatives were buried. Mom and Dad would tell us about our ancestors who were under the sod in those places. Dad’s stories were great. But his best stories were about his two cousins.

Memorial Day Tribute May 2013 | Drawing by Stephen Bowers, St. George News

One cousin was in on the Normandy Invasion. He lived, but his younger brother was killed by a sniper in Belgium somewhere. His name was Dennis and I think he was Dad’s favorite. He was a good lookin’ farm boy with basketball prowess, blonde hair and blue eyes. I wonder what went through that sniper’s mind when he had Dennis in his cross hairs. Maybe something like “That guy could be my cousin.” All I ever knew about Dennis (besides Dad’s stories) was the Purple Heart that hung on the wall above his daddy’s favorite easy chair.

That old brick farmhouse where Dennis had grown up had been built by my great, great grandfather. I think. It’s too late to ask now. It was torn down. Someone saved some of the bricks for us kids. My brother just salvaged a couple hand-hewn logs out of the only remaining wall of the original log house on the first Bowers homestead in Jennings County where we’re from. That house and farm were given to our ancestor for his service in the War of 1812. My brother is sending us one of those logs. My wife wonders what I’ll do with it. It’s about 16 by 14 inches square. Looks good as new. Probably a species that resists rot, a good quality in anything.

Memorial Day Tribute May 2013 | Drawing by Stephen Bowers, St. George News

When we would visit the Hopewell Baptist Church Graveyard, where Dennis’s body lies, there would always be an honor guard who fired a salute over the veterans buried there. Some of those guys in the guard detail were pretty ancient and tottered around a bit. But they held their Springfields just right and swung them up crisply to await the order to fire. Some wore their old service uniforms. Some wore belts whose buckles pointed down instead of straight out. We kids would scramble for the shell casings after the Guard had gone. Dad always stood by Dennis’s grave throughout. Later we had chicken and potato salad, but those old honor guards made an impression. Those fellows were honorable and forever noble because of what they had sacrificed and done with a few years of their lives. They were citizen warriors who had risked their lives to keep us free.

Others had done the same thing before them. Others have done the same since. When you think about the Military of America you should put it in a list of things that are great about America. You could list agriculture, our great universities (some still are), our industry, our inventors, our artists and musicians and writers, other great things that have been made in or by America. But if you leave out our Military you’ve left off the one institution we couldn’t do without. The one institution that made all the other things possible.

Memorial Day Tribute May 2013 | Drawing by Stephen Bowers, St. George News

I never served, but many of my ancestors did. They paid a hard price so I can be free and easy. One ancestor served in a Militia in Virginia in the Revolution and possibly the French and Indian War. He was called up four different times. He brought his own rifle. Guys like him inspired the Second Amendment (which does not refer to muskets … or it would say so) … and notice how our Revolutionary ancestors acquired weapons as powerful and lethal as their British oppressors brought across the Pond. They didn’t take a knife to a gunfight and neither should we. They went to the fight with the most effective weapon they could lay hands on.

When you are fighting oppressors, foreign or domestic, you should be as efficient and lethal as possible. Maybe the oppressors …, like Admiral Yamamoto, will think better of their evil designs and get lost sooner.

And on a similar note, when you hear the whiners on the left talk about how evil America is to be engaged in foreign wars, try to imagine what our Revolutionary ancestors would say if asked whether they would have preferred to fight on somebody else’s real estate than their own. Particularly when the foreign bad guys have made it known they are coming to hang you or cut off your head. Isn’t it better Hitler finally died in his own backyard than in Iowa or Kokomo?

Memorial Day Tribute May 2013 | Drawing by Stephen Bowers, St. George News

And speaking of Hitler, I must confess I never liked the German people because of memories of that Purple Heart on Dennis’s wall. That is, I didn’t like ‘em much until I learned I was descended from some. That’s right, our family, on Mom’s side, bore the same name as Hitler’s favorite composer.

Those Wagners during the Civil War were members of the Indiana 14^th Mounted Infantry. They were dragoons who got places on horseback and then fought on foot. They were a father and son team, although in different companies. The son was a lieutenant who on almost the last day of the war suddenly came face to face with Nathan Bedford Forrest and watched as his Captain charged Forrest and engaged him in probably the last saber duel fought on horseback in America … maybe in modern history. Forrest was a killer. He personally killed 13 men in singlehanded combat. Most of those 13 were during the War, but not all. Most of those he killed in the War were the enemy, but not all. My ancestor took over the Captaincy a few days later. Forrest had vacated that position.

Dad commanded a Stuart tank in the Pacific late in the War and his older brother was a cook’s mate in a warship in the Pacific. Mom’s childhood sweetheart was killed in Sicily. My cousin Jason just died and he spent the last decade of life blind due to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam (maybe they painted the guardhouse walls with it, because, by his own admission, he spent considerable time there).

Friends have told me what it was like in the war they fought. Some of the stories dear pals have told me are horrible, particularly when you remember they experienced them while they were in their teens.

I never served, but I am so proud of those who did. If not for them there would be no architecture, music, literature, agriculture, industry or anything else we call American. And there would be no Freedom.

They aren’t forgotten because they and what they did is unforgettable.

I hope you like my drawings because they are intended to honor those who served.

Memorial Day Tribute May 2013 | Drawing by Stephen Bowers, St. George News

Written, drawn and submitted by: Stephen Bowers

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

The post OP-ED: Because they are unforgettable; in memory of Dennis and others like him appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

What the HAYnes? Plagues, parasites and perils of water play

2013-05-24T16:33:57Z

HUMOR – This week is the Center for Disease Control’s Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week 2013. I have to say that it seems like we just celebrated Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week 2012. Didn’t I just put my decorations away?! And I am getting a little tired of the commercialization of Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week.

This week is also the beginning of Washington County School District’s summer recess. Despite the unusually cool May that we have enjoyed, temperatures will soon jump into the triple digits. Many people will be looking for a way to cool down. Many people will consider taking a dip in a public swimming pool.

Many people should think twice about that.

According to a recent report by the Center for Disease Control, 58 percent of swimming pools sampled in the Atlanta, Ga. area contained E. coli, bacteria found in human feces and fast food hamburger patties. You read correctly. Bacteria found in human you-know-what is floating around in swimming pools and you know it came from somewhere.

The results of this sampling do not surprise me. I do not have strong opinions about many things, but it has been a long-held opinion of mine that choosing to swim in a public pool is essentially choosing to bathe in a sea of the dubious hygiene of humanity. I am one who prefers to bathe alone.

Some people would argue that the pools sampled were in the Atlanta area only and therefore are not an accurate representation of swimming pools across the United States. Those people are kidding themselves. I have visited a number of swimming pools across the country and I can tell you with confidence that swimming diapers are no more effective in Washington State than they are in Georgia.

Bottom line: Please wash your body with soap before entering a public swimming pool.

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “Fine, party pooper. I will just swim on the beach at Sand Hollow Reservoir.”

Cue the “Jaws” theme music.

According to the gal I spoke with when I telephoned Sand Hollow State Park, there have been four cases of Swimmer’s Itch reported so far this season. What is Swimmer’s Itch, you ask? It is an “allergic reaction to a free-swimming microscopic parasite found in shallow water.” That’s right, a parasite.

And this is not one of those cute parasites like a nursing infant or a neighbor kid who eats all of your Otter Pops. This parasite causes itching, burning skin, red bumps, pimples, and sometimes blisters.

Luckily, there are measures you can take to avoid the risk of Swimmer’s Itch. You can towel down or rinse your body off with fresh water. You can avoid swimming in shallow or marshy areas of the reservoir. But the most effective method for reducing the risk of Swimmer’s Itch is to swim at Quail Creek Reservoir instead, or just stay home and hose yourself down.

Besides Swimmer’s Itch and infected pool water, there are many risks to be aware of as you seek to cool off in the water this summer – flesh-eating bacteria, sunburn, drowning, those things that brush against your legs as you wade in lakes and rivers and oceans – things that make you jump 10 feet in the air. Sharks. Jellyfish. Stingrays. You get the idea. Be careful out there.

And Happy Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week, everyone!

Elise Haynes chronicles family life in her blog Haynes Family Yard Sale. Any opinions stated in this column are her own and not necessarily those of St. George News.

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

The post What the HAYnes? Plagues, parasites and perils of water play appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

Don’t let that longboard ride be your last; helmets save lives

2013-05-24T22:03:18Z

ST. GEORGE – Longboard popularity and production is on the rise, with coincidental safety concerns.

Longboarding, St. George, Utah, May 17, 2013 | Photo by Chris Caldwell, St. George News

Unfortunately, it usually takes witnessing or experiencing an accident to convince most riders of the inherent dangers. Like many extreme sports, serious athletes and casual riders alike continue to push the bounds of speed, technicality and, unfortunately, risk as well. And yet, many shirk the easiest safety measure available: The helmet.

Last month, a young rider crashed his longboard on the Highway 18 Trail. Ben Wolverton was transported by Life Flight to University Medical Center in Las Vegas after sustaining serious injuries. The accident, among other longboard-related accidents, spurs discussion and draws attention concerning the safety of these sports, and the use of area trails for these activities.

The posted rules for St. George trails recommend safety equipment and set a speed limit, but they do not require longboard riders to wear helmets – and neither does Utah law. Wearing a helmet drastically reduces the chance of severe head injury, yet a statistically small number of people use them. On the other hand, all city events involving in-line skates, skateboards, and bicycles require helmets – but, all related deaths nationwide in 2011 and in 2012 occurred outside of organized events.

Longboarding, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011 | Photo by Chris Caldwell, St. George News

“It can happen at any moment. You never know when or how you’re going to fall,” Kris Ripplinger, Lip Trix skate shop owner, said. “Riders just need to get in the habit of wearing helmets. Everyone’s going bigger, so they need to be safe.”

Although not all fatalities can be prevented with the use of helmets, the risk is minimized. An awareness of personal skill levels and the use of protective equipment will lead to smarter, safer riding. Abiding by the 20 mph speed limit on trails will also reduce the chance of serious injury – to the rider and to others using the trail.

“Riders just need to be courteous like everyone else,” Officer Brett Huish, with the SGPD mountain bike patrol, said. “We don’t have a real problem with people speeding on the trails, but when we do we work hard to rectify it before it becomes a big issue.”

The cost of a helmet is relatively low, with some as cheap as $40. This is a small price to pay, when the inevitable accidents and injuries can potentially affect people for the rest of their lives.

“Helmets single-handedly make the biggest difference in the results of an accident,” Huish said. “If they’re wearing helmets, they typically walk away from an accident.”

Ed. Note: Ben Wolverton has been steadily recovering from his April 3 longboarding accident. As of May 24, he is currently at Children’s Primary Hospital in Salt Lake City undergoing rehabilitation. Updates on his progress can be found on the Facebook page of David Farland, Ben Wolverton’s father.

Resources

U of U Health Care

2011 List of Fatalities

2012 List of Fatalities

Online recovery fund set up for longboard accident victim

Longboarder airlifted after accident on SR-18

Email: ccaldwell@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

The post Don’t let that longboard ride be your last; helmets save lives appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

Two dead, eight injured after RV veers off I-15 and into townhome complex

2013-05-24T19:37:56Z

Updated at 1:10 p.m., May 24, 2013

ST. GEORGE – A recreational vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate-15 Friday morning veered off the highway between the St. George Boulevard and Bluff Street exits, crashing into a garage at Snow Haven Townhomes at 296 East 900 South. Two people, Susan Clark, 53, and Steven Clark, 55, of Provo, were killed in the crash. Eight other occupants of the motor home they were driving received minor injuries.

A motorhome veered off of southbound I-15 and crashed into the back of the Snow Haven Townhomes, killing two and injuring 8 others, St. George, Utah, May 24, 2013 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

“Around approximately 5:30 this morning, we got a call about a motorcoach or some sort of RV that came off of I-15 and went through the garage in the complex here,” St. George Police Department Capt. Michael Giles said. “Initial indicators appear that the vehicle was (traveling) southbound. We’re looking into the reasons why, but it did leave the freeway and traveled through the garage of the townhomes here.”

The Utah Highway Patrol has confirmed that Susan Clark was driving the RV, which was also pulling a jeep, when it went off southbound I-15 around milepost 7.

The UHP is the primary agency in the investigation, with SGPD assisting and providing resources.

The investigation is ongoing, though the UHP believes that the RV’s front right tire blew out, causing it to veer off of the highway.

The RV stopped short of hitting a home across the street from the townhomes before going through the garage.

Residents of the condominium units 21, 22 and 23 were evacuated temporarily and gas and utilities were shut off as a precaution. No residents of the condominium complex were harmed, though some were visibly shaken.

The eight other passengers in the motor home and were either sleeping or resting in the living area of the motor home at the time of the crash. The eight passengers, a 22-year-old male, and females aged 3, 5, 13, 15, 18, 23 and 23, received minor injuries and were transported to the Dixie Regional Medical Center.

The incident remains under investigation.

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

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler

The post Two dead, eight injured after RV veers off I-15 and into townhome complex appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

Southern Utah Veterans Home dedicated with full honors; STGnews Videocast and Photo Gallery

2013-05-24T01:38:59Z

IVINS - In a ceremony filled with honor, pride, gratitude and relief, the new Southern Utah Veterans Home was officially dedicated on Thursday afternoon.

“This is a proud day for Ivins and all of Southern Utah,” Mayor Chris Hart said. “On behalf of Ivins City, I welcome everyone who will work here and the veterans who will reside here.”

Escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders of Southern Utah, a select few dignitaries arrived for a VIP reception before the event opened to the public. Among them were representatives from the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans and veterans advocates including J. Robert DuBois, author of “Powerful Peace: A Navy SEAL’s Lessons on Peace from a Lifetime of War.”

The ceremony commenced at 1 p.m. with the presentation of the colors by the American Legion Post 69 and Boy Scouts of America Special Troop 1685, for which the entire audience of hundreds fell respectfully silent.

The Vista Rising Stars, a youth performing arts group from Vista Charter School in Ivins, performed the National Anthem. Korean War veteran Bill Stay led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a prayer from Pastor Rick Nerud of Calvary Chapel St. George.

Utah Lt. Gov. Greg Bell, former director of the Utah Division of Facilities Management D. Gregg Buxton, former Rep. Dave Clark, Rep. Don Ipson, deputy director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs Dennis McFall, executive director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs Terry Schow and Hart each delivered an impassioned speech on their personal experiences in the vision, planning and ultimate completion of the home.

Clark concluded his remarks fighting tears, offering gratitude to all military servicemen and women, especially those who lost their lives in combat.

“To me, the great honor we can pay to those fallen veterans is through service to the living veterans,” Clark said.

Stay then carried forward four golden shovels and relayed their story. At the start of the groundbreaking of the veterans home, the local Home Depot donated 12 shovels. Stay painted the surviving four gold and kept them as a memento of the monumental project. He gave one shovel each to Schow, to Hart, and to McFall and the last to hang in the halls of the home.

After one last inspiring musical number from the Vista Rising Stars, it was time for the highlight of the afternoon. Led by Schow, wielding a giant pair of wooden scissors, a group of leading figures in the project cut the red ribbon strung across the building’s main entrance, officially dedicating the Southern Utah Veterans Home. The crowd cheered, exchanged congratulations, shed a few tears and marveled at the impressive result of over a decade of dedicated work.

(story continues below)

Videocast by Chris Caldwell, St. George News

The home is a 102,000-square-foot comprehensive care facility with 108 beds in the housing building plus a separate administration and service building. After years of lobbying by Utah legislators and the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs, the grant for the construction was approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2005 and funded in 2012. The total cost of the facility is over $19 million and has created approximately 160 new jobs in the community. The State of Utah provided 35 percent of the construction cost, while the federal VA State Home Program provided the other 65 percent. The City of Ivins donated the 10 acres of land upon which the home was built.

“It’s the third new facility we’ve built in Utah that’s just for veterans, because the legislature was willing to front the money,” Bell said. “This (home) is a tangible expression of Utah’s commitment to our veterans.”

Only one facet of the home remains unfinished: A towering 25-foot-tall bronze monument of a bald eagle by world-renowned sculptor Edward Hlavka. When completed and installed, it will rest on the hillside overlooking the housing building as a symbol of the unfailing courage of the heroes who reside there, a fitting final touch.

WWII Army veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Garth Sawyers said, “I think it’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened in the state of Utah. As a veteran, I’m proud to see a place like this.”

Still, the most profound words of the day were found perhaps in the informational leaflet that every participant received:

“With special gratitude and thanks to the many hundreds of individuals, families and companies who have come together to provide this beautiful facility for our veterans. There is no greater tribute than to give back to those who have given and continue to give so much. Today we dedicate the Southern Utah Veterans Home to serve for many years to come those who served each one of us and preserved the freedoms we enjoy today. The community built this house and the community has come together to honor these selfless ‘ordinary’ men and women by providing them a place to call home.”

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

Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department vehicles escort cars to the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans’ Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

Patriot Guard Riders of Southern Utah flagline at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

The Patriot Guard Riders of Southern Utah attend the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

The Patriot Guard Riders of Southern Utah attend the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Members of the American Legion, Post 69, present the colors at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders of Southern Utah recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Vietnam War veteran salutes the flag at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

The dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

The dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

The dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Terry Schow speaks at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

D. Gregg Buxton speaks at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

Rep. Don Ipson speaks at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Mayor Chris Hart speaks at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Korean War veteran Bill Stay speaks at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

The Vista Rising Stars youth performing arts group at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Maj. Adam Ashworth of the Utah National Guard at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Patriotic citizens at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Veterans and citizens at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

The dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Full crowd at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

The dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

Ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Official plaque of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

The dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Alexa Verdugo Morgan, St. George News

Related posts

Email: avmorgan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Dedication of the Southern Utah Veterans’ Home, Ivins, Utah, May 23, 2013 | Photo by Ron Olroyd, St. George News

The post Southern Utah Veterans Home dedicated with full honors; STGnews Videocast and Photo Gallery appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

Hometown friendly, state-of-the-art, Stapley Family Pharmacy

2013-05-24T00:09:10Z

ST. GEORGE – There are many things that set Stapley Pharmacy apart from other pharmacies in Southern Utah. First and foremost is longevity. Established in the 1950s as Bateman Pharmacy, it became Evan Stapley’s own store just three years after he became its employee in 1976.

Evan Stapley came to St. George after graduating University of Utah’s College of Pharmacy where he served as president of its student association. When he accepted an offer to work for Alfred Van Orden Bateman in St. George, Evan Stapley brought with him a philosophy that would both drive and define the business.

“I believe customers should not have to wait,” Stapley said. “A decision I made at the very beginning of my career was to work as hard as I could so customers did not have to wait in long lines.”

His motto, “Out the door in 10 minutes,” is something Stapley Pharmacy is literally built around. After purchasing the store from Bateman in 1979, Evan Stapley began bolstering his staff to increase efficiency and minimize customer waiting.

During the store’s remodel, the suggestion arose to place a bench for customers to wait on; Evan Stapley said, “What for? All they’ll do is dust it off as they move right on through.”

There is no waiting bench at Stapley Pharmacy. Still, after working 37 years as Southern Utah’s hometown family pharmacist, Evan Stapley takes pride in efficiency as well as the fast, friendly, family service that his customers keep returning for.

“When someone says they were in my store and they were treated well, that is the best compliment I can get,” Evan Stapley said. “I want every customer to leave the building saying, ‘They took good care of me!’”

Stapley Pharmacy offers nothing less than the friendliest of environments. From the bell ringing at the opening of the door to the first smile at the gift shop counter and a hello by name at the pharmacy counter, customer service is personable. “We try to never forget a name,” Evan Stapley said.

Evan Stapley, owner, Stapley Family Pharmacy, St. George, Utah, May 2013 | Photo by Melynda Thorpe Burt, St. George News

What could seem like a stark contrast to the store’s warm, country welcome is the vitality of the latest in state of the art pharmacy technology and a team of pharmacists and technicians that works in tandem like a symphony – filling orders and moving customers through with a smile. Behind the counter, Stapley’s pharmaceutical service is known for its unique ability to offer compounding, repackaging (bubble packs), free delivery, immunizations, consultations and a telephone computer system that operates a giant refill robot for customers to watch as they visit the store.

He takes pride in offering bubble packaging to nursing homes and patients who need to take several prescriptions each day, Evan Stapley said. As part of this service, pharmacy technicians sort, package and seal all the medications a customer needs to take according to times of day prescribed – thus eliminating later confusion.

L-R: Trisha Ramos, Owner Evan Stapley, Rosie Cannon, Stapley Family Pharmacy, St. George, Utah, May 2013 | Photo by Melynda Thorpe Burt, St. George News

In 2004, when Evan Stapley’s son Brad graduated pharmacy school and came to work with his father, they built a lab that is visible to customers as they come in and out of the store. A glass bank of windows allows customers to view lab technicians as they create creams and medications.

“It’s quite unique to have a lab of this quality in a local pharmacy,” Evan Stapley said. “We built glass walls around it so customers can watch the compounding and other lab processes that we do right here on site.”

Brad Stapley said he, like his father, believes in staying sympathetic to customer needs and aware of new trends in the industry. The Stapleys travel to national training conferences each year to stay apprised of new technologies and advancements in pharmacy delivery systems.

“Our job is to make sure we are continuing to give our customers the very best service and care that is available,” Brad Stapley said.

For Evan Stapley, retirement years are not too far away: “There will come a day when I turn the store over to Brad,” he said. “That is really why we changed the name a few years ago, to carry on the family name. We’ve worked hard to build what we have here.”

Working 37 years in the same pharmacy, same downtown St. George location, Evan Stapley and his wife, Faith, said they have seen many changes both within and without the store. The neighborhood has both evolved and stayed the same.

“We have always been neighbors to the Dixie Bowl,” Evan Stapley said, “but we’ve seen many other businesses come and go.”

With the hiring of Evan Stapley in 1976, Bateman Pharmacy grew to an employed staff of two pharmacists and two technicians. Today, staffing includes typically 3-4 pharmacists each day with 8-10 technicians, lab workers, clerks and a delivery driver.

“One of the ways we keep waiting time down is to invest in a quality staff,” Evan Stapley said. Currently, Stapley Pharmacy boasts 27 employees including Evan Stapley’s wife Faith Stapley.

Kim Fullmer, compounding technician, Stapley Family Pharmacy, St. George, Utah, May 2013 | Photo by Melynda Thorpe Burt, St. George News

“When we remodeled the store, I gave Faith the gift section she had always dreamed of and she is the best buyer we could have,” he said.

Each of the Stapleys’ five children has also been employed at the pharmacy, and Brad Stapley is not the only pharmacist prodigy in the family. His brothers, Aaron and Devan Stapley, are currently enrolled in pharmacy school at Roseman University of Health Sciences in Nevada; both plan to find work in the pharmacy industry.

Along with generations of Stapley pharmacists, there have been generations of customers, too.

“I have customers now that have grown from kids to parents, and now they’re starting to have grandchildren,” Evan Stapley said. “There’s a great benefit to having a pharmacy that knows you, and our customers seem to really appreciate that.”

In fact, customer appreciation is really the catalyst that drives this company.

“If our customers are happy, we are happy,” Brad Stapley said. And, like father, like son: Keeping customers happy, he said, will continue to be the underlying mantra for a community pharmacy that has always subscribed to the slogan, “We’re your friendly family pharmacy!”

A D V E R T O R I A L

Email: news@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Stapley Family Pharmacy staff, St. George, Utah, May 2013 | Photo by Melynda Thorpe Burt, St. George News

The post Hometown friendly, state-of-the-art, Stapley Family Pharmacy appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.

St. George man arrested for aggravated kidnapping, assault in domestic violence incident

2013-05-23T21:17:49Z

ST. GEORGE – A St. George man was arrested Wednesday on felony counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping related to a domestic violence incident.

St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said the police initially responded to a call concerning a family fight Wednesday morning involving Shinobu Koja, 24, of St. George, and his future ex-wife. The fight ultimately involved several criminal offences and led to Koja’s arrest.

According to the probable cause statement filed today, Koja allegedly called his “future ex-wife” around 2 a.m. Wednesday and told her there was a family emergency at his home that required her attention. Once at the residence, she discovered Koja lied about the emergency. He demanded sex which the victim refused. She then attempted to leave and was physically restrained by Koja. According to the statement, she was able to break free and leave the residence after making enough noise to catch the attention of a witness at the home.

Devin Koja | Photo courtesy of the St. George Police Department

Later that morning Koja went to the parking lot of the residence where the victim currently resides and located her SUV. Having access to the vehicle, he went inside and hid in the rear of the SUV. The victim got into the vehicle and, after she left the residential complex, Koja climbed over the seat and put her in a chokehold. He also produced what the statement refers to as “a large kitchen knife” and put it to her throat while telling her to be quiet. Sometime during the incident he also took her cellular phone so she couldn’t call for help. At some point, though she sustained cuts to fingers on her left hand, she was able to flee the vehicle.

After the victim escaped, Koja took the SUV and the victim’s cellular phone home with him. According to the probable cause statement the phone and keys to the victim’s vehicle were found at Koja’s home.

Koja was arrested and booked into jail on Wednesday and made an initial appearance in Fifth District Court Thursday via video feed.

He is charged by the state with domestic violence-related first-degree felony aggravated robbery; first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping; third-degree felony aggravated assault; and various class B misdemeanors involving interfering with an emergency call, violence in the presence of a child, unlawful detention and simple assault.

Bail has been set at $100,000. Koja’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 28 at 2:30 p.m.

Ed. Note: Persons charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact. As official charges have been brought against the individual in this case, his name and image have been included in this article.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Image by Brett Barrett, St. George News

The post St. George man arrested for aggravated kidnapping, assault in domestic violence incident appeared first on St. George News | STGnews.com.