$1.50 December 23, 2022 | Vol. 1 Iss. 13
See Inside... Covering Your Community
MHS Grapplers compete
Team traveled to Reno, Nevada and Farmington, Utah.
page 5
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS Since 1929
SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CHOIR CONCERTS
NEWS BREAK The U.S. will send a Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. How will it help?
The transfer of the sophisticated missile system comes amid a Russian barrage on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The announcement came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington.
Hazardous winter weather could threaten holiday travel across the U.S.
Just as travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, an arctic front in the Midwest and record-breaking cold temperatures along the Gulf Coast and in the Eastern U.S. could bring dangerous conditions.
M
iddle Schools’ Orchestras performed Monday Dec 12 under the direction of Abbie Beattie and Lydia Hebdon. MGMS Band and Choir performed Tuesday Dec. 13 under the direction of Kennon Thompson.
Morgan Middle School and Morgan High School Choirs performed Dec 14 under the direction of Kathrine Greenfield the night of the concert with Rudy Cordeiro filling in for Greenfield working hard getting the students ready for the concert during
class time. Morgan Middle School and Morgan High School Bands performed Dec.15 under the direction of Chad McLean. See more pictures inside on page 6.
Running Santa bring smiles to faces young and old as he runs through town By Verlene Johnson
“L
ook, it’s Santa running!” If you have been driving through Morgan the past few weeks, you have probably heard someone in your car say this. The question was asked on social media, “Who is the running Santa?” So, the Morgan County News decided to find out. After running in the Ogden Santa Run in 2019, dressed in a Santa Coat and hat, Steve Cory of Morgan, proclaimed, “I had a blast! It was fun seeing the response from the children along the route. With Cory having a beard and not requiring a fake one helped him complete the look of Santa. Then, when life was turned upside down in 2020 with the Covid pandemic, Cory received word that the Ogden Santa Run would not be happening that year, but when his social media timeline showed the memory of the previous Santa Run, he thought, why not. So, donning his red and white suit along with his beard, Cory planned to run just one day through town dressed as Santa; however, the response from the community was so positive, with people smiling and waving at him that he decided he would continue daily runs until Christmas Eve. Two years later, Cory still tries to run daily Dec 1 thru Dec. 24. “The reactions vary from weird looks, horn honking, smiles from ear to ear, and screams of ‘SANTA’,” commented Cory. “These reactions are part of why I continued to run beyond that first day. I felt people needed something to smile about and whether they think I'm crazy, it is okay by me.” Nicknaming his running, “miles for smiles,” Cory says, some days the smiles per mile are higher than others, but he says if he gets one smile then job complete! “I love to run so; I am doing what I enjoy and I get the bonus of smiles.” Not only does Cory run in his Santa Suit, he also runs in other holiday attire such as Valentines Day, Easter, St. Patrick's Day. He also has dressed as a Dinosaur, Frankenstein, and a chicken in support of Morgan's 4H annual 5K. “We need more reasons to smile so if I can help just a little bit, I will keep doing it. Some of the comments that have come from social media are “He is my FAVORITE! We love watching him dress up for all the holidays and run through town.” “He is awesome. So
China limits how it defines COVID deaths in official count
China only counts deaths from pneumonia or respiratory failure in its official COVID-19 death toll, a Chinese health official said, in a narrow definition that limits the number of deaths reported.
Homeward Bound! Dog, found 1,600 miles away, will be home for Christmas
The German shepherd mix went missing in October 2021. Now, the friendly pooch is on a cross-country road trip from Kansas to California, back to the family who adopted him as an abandoned puppy.
Travel is back but hotel staff are not
Travelers have returned from the pandemic, but hotel workers have not, creating unprecedented staffing challenges for the hospitality industry. According to the Labor Department, there are 350,000 fewer people working in hotels today than there were in February 2020, before the pandemic.
California Earthquake kills at least 2 At least 2 people have been killed, and 11 injured following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck northern California late Monday. Power remains off for over 70,000 customers in Humbolt county. Scientists are warning that potentially strong aftershocks are likely to follow over the next week as the area attempts to gauge the damage.
Jan. 6 Committee ends work; refers criminal charges
fun to see him and wave and watch the kid’s excitement when they see him running. Way to bring joy and fun!” “My kids were so excited when we saw him yesterday. They said he’s getting in shape to fit down our chimney” “He sure makes my kids day when we see him running.” Santa Cory has also been heard singing as he runs. Besides his normal job on the Air Force Base, Cory is also a substitute teacher at Morgan Elementary and a lot of the kids recognize him as ‘the running Santa.’ l
Argentina wins World Cup 2022 In what was roundly described as the “greatest World Cup match ever” Argentina outlasted defending Champions France in the final shootout to take the coveted prize. Argentina had held the lead until about the 80th minute, when France scored a breakaway goal and a second chance. This was followed by a penalty kick with time running out to tie the game at 2-2. Both sides scored once more, including a hat trick by French star Mbappe, leading to a final shootout.