$1.50 February 17, 2023 | Vol. 2 Iss. 07
See Inside... Covering Your Community
Morgan Cheer Team makes Morgan history The team advances into the finals at the UCA National competition in Florida.
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MORGAN COUNTY NEWS Since 1929
Family places easement on the largest conservation land area in the state By Alisha Copfer
NEWS BREAK Doctors advised to treat childhood obesity earlier The American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations advising doctors to treat obesity earlier and more aggressively in children. But eating disorder specialists are sounding the alarm, saying that focusing on weight and BMI instead of health will “perpetuate deep-rooted, damaging stigmas.”
MORGAN—Land conservation just became one family’s legacy. John Schlichte, his wife, Barbara, and their five sons made a tremendous financial decision at the end of 2022. They took a parcel of their land totaling just over 5,000 acres and signed an easement prohibiting further development, ever. “It’s forever, and it’s a different thought process when you sign something like this that can never be overturned,” said Schlichte. He currently owns a nonprofit ranch called Warrior Rizen that runs off this land in the Morgan area. Schlichte said that no matter what the family does with this land from here on out, nothing can be developed there. “The landowner was incredibly generous and donated the easement,” said Cheryl Fox, executive director of the Park City-based Summit Land Conservancy. The Schlichtes didn’t seek any financial reimbursement as part of their conservation arrangement. The Summit Land Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2002. Their website says they are the only nonprofit dedicated to saving the open spaces of Park City and the Wasatch Back. Sum-
High-paying trade jobs sit empty Graduate high school. Go to college. Get a degree. Get a job. This life trajectory is drilled into young students as the only way to guarantee success in life. Yet, thousands of high-paying trade jobs that require less education sit empty, because many parents remain wary of programs that don't lead to a four-year degree.
Scientists looking at unknown infections in humans to predict next pandemic For years, scientists have looked for new viruses in wild animals before they can spill over and infect humans, in hopes of preventing the next pandemic. But it's a daunting task, and some researchers wonder if predicting the next pandemic this way is even feasible. That's why they're taking a different approach, and cataloging unknown infections in humans first.
RANCH on page 5 THE SCHLICHTE FAMILY recently donated over 5,000 acres in Morgan County for land conservation efforts. Photo by Erica Schlichte
County purchases dome for future events center By Linda Petersen
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MORGAN COUNTY HAS purchased a dome similar to the one pictured to use for an events center at East Canyon State Park.
Courtesy image by Luna Glamping
organ County is buying itself a 60-foot dome — or at least has authorized distribution of the funds to do so. The dome, which costs $72,000, will be installed at East Canyon State Park as the roof for an events center to be constructed there. Morgan County is entering into a partnership with Utah State Parks on the project, which is expected to anchor a future “village” of smaller domed buildings where tourists can stay to take advantage of the park’s Dark Sky designation. In 2021 Morgan County received a $100,000 state rural opportunity grant for what they are calling the Geodome Project. According to the application for that grant, the project would “make optimal use of environmental resources, establishing a crucial element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.” The county had actually applied for $300,000 but being approved for
DOME on page 5
Could a future without meetings be possible? Shopify takes “this meeting could have been an email” very seriously. The e-commerce platform has deleted 322,000 hours of meetings in the past month, giving employees time back to be more productive and leaving the world wondering if a future without meetings is possible after all.
Inflation continues, despite relief in some areas
Overall inflation continued apace in January, despite a decrease in housing prices and the prices of some commodities. Gas prices have seen a small uptick over the last several weeks, and average grocery prices have not gone down from the 11% over last year that has held steady during the beginning of the year. Eggs remain a particular sore spot, with a 70% increase over last year in price. Despite the improved job numbers, analysts don’t expect any massive reductions in inflation in the near term.