$1.50 June 14, 2024 | Vol. 3 Iss. 20
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Ragnar Wasatch Back relay
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
Popular race comes through Morgan Valley page 4
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NEWS BREAK Pharoah’s lost sarcophagus found In a story that sounds more like something from “Indiana Jones” or “Tomb Raider”, CNN reported that a sarcophagus of Ramesses II, long thought to be lost has been discovered, and it was hiding in plain sight the whole time. The sarcophagus, found in 2009, bore two names of occupants, the first, however, was a bit of a mystery until now. Frédéric Payraudeau associate professor in Egyptology at the Sorbonne discovered a cartouche bearing the undeniable name of Usermaatra, the “throne name” for Ramesses II. The mummified remains of Ramesses II himself currently reside in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo and were discovered in 1881.
RICK STEED AND VAL CHRISTENSEN participate in the Morgala Rodeo in 1982.
Saddle up for the return of Morgala Days Rodeo By Verlene Johnson
I
n 1949, when the Morgan High School Band was in need of uniforms, the Lions Club of Morgan decided to sponsor a rodeo to help the band. At the time, club president, Willard Nielson with the help of his rodeo committee; Golden Porter, Royal Thackeray, and Jack Kippen procured the services of East Side Rodeo Co. of Promontory, Utah to produce a two-night event at the cost of $800. The baseball field was transformed into a makeshift arena for the rodeo, with corrals and chutes set up on the west side of the field. In 1954, a contest was
held and the name Morgala Days Rodeo, submitted by the Late Beaulah Buttars, was voted as the official name for the event that continued to be sponsored by the Lions Club. That same year the first Rodeo Queen Contest was held. The contest was opened to anyone and visitor Mavis Ann Ford was chosen as the first queen. In 1956, the corrals and chutes were moved to what is now the Morgan County Fair Ground in preparation for a rodeo to help raise funds for the Stake Center Renovation. Dutch Porter and Spike Me-
MORGALA on page 3
Hunter Biden found guilty The son of President Joe Biden, Hunter, has been the focus of an intense legal battle, and on Tuesday, June 11, was found guilty on three felony charges surrounding the illegal purchase and possession of a firearm while addicted to crack cocaine. This marks the second case in as many months in which a high-profile case connected to the presidency of the United States ended in a conviction. Like with the case of former president Donald Trump, sentencing will not take place immediately, but will likely happen sometime in mid-October.
UN security council backs proposal for Israeli ceasefire
JESSIE FRANICH, 1957 Morgala Days Rodeo Queen, she is also the oldest living Queen winner.
Courtesy photos
County commission pauses on East Canyon Dome Project By Linda Petersen
W
hile Morgan County officials are still trying to find ways to pay for the first phase of the East Canyon Dome Project at the state park and not have to pay the state back a $100,000 grant, they seem to be taking a step back. They have asked County Manager Kate Becker to employ a consultant or work with the State Office of Tourism to in broad strokes determine the economic viability of the project. Morgan County has already spent more than the $100,000 state rural opportunity grant on the project: close to $80,000 on a 60-foot dome and an additional $25,000 for engineering. The domed building, the first phase of the project, is expected to serve as an events center for 200 to 400 people and anchor a future “village” of smaller domed buildings where tourists can stay to take advantage of the park’s Dark Sky desig-
nation. Commissioners were stunned earlier this year when bids to complete the building and install the dome came back at $350,000 – hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they anticipated. Since then, they have been scrambling to figure out how to cover the costs. The original terms of the grant required Morgan County to have completed the project by this February, but the state granted an extension. Still, the project must be completed and a report on it filed with the state by Sept. 30. Looking for approval to send out a new request for proposals on the project, on June 4 Becker told commissioners consultant Wasatch Civil has come back with a revised figure of $286,000 for the project now that county officials have changed the proposed location of the anchor dome or conference center. Commissioner Blaine Fackrell, who has been a driving force behind the proj-
ect, had some further cost-saving ideas that he presented to his fellow commissioners. Fackrell’s ideas included using the county public works department to do some of the work, acting as the general contractor on the project or even utilizing Army National Guard engineers. Funding needed to cover any shortfall could come from economic development funds and tourism dollars generated by Transit Room Taxes, he said. Commissioner Jared Andersen, a licensed civil engineer, expressed concern over some of Fackrell’s proposals and the county’s liability in those situations. “I would want to make sure that however, the county's involvement is in that I I'm concerned with liability on a project like this of how that would work,” he said. They were midway through this discussion when Commission Chair Mike
PROJECT on page 6
In a landmark decision, the United Nations Security Council has backed a US-drafted resolution for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Gaza conflict which has been raging since the attack by Hamas last October. US officials have stated that Israel is amenable to the conditions of the proposed ceasefire, and now, the UN is waiting on a response from Hamas. The conflict, which has been one of the deadliest in the region in recent years, is one of several ongoing in which the United States is indirectly involved.
Sandy Hook survivors graduate Wednesday, June 12, survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting of 2012 graduated while also hearing the names of the 20 classmates who were killed as part of the tragedy. In interviews with CNN, many of the survivors expressed mixed emotions, talking about excitement for the next chapter in their lives mingled with the grief of not having their fellow classmates lost 12 years ago with them. The graduates wore green and white ribbons in honor of the 20, bearing the text, “Forever in our hearts” and “SHS.” In addition to the 20 children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, six teachers were also killed, making it the deadliest K-12 school shooting in U.S. History.