$1.50 March 22, 2024 | Vol. 3 Iss. 10
See Inside...
Sterling Scholars
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
Morgan High School students honored for their achievements
page 6
Covering Your Community Since 1929
Morgan trail runner completes 100-mile race By Verlene Johnson
Situation dire in Haitian capital
O
n March 9, Anthony Nelson found himself in Arizona taking on the biggest physical challenge of his life. Nelson ran cross country and played soccer at Morgan High School in addition he has always enjoyed running. In his adult life, he has competed in several races, half marathons, and five full marathons, his fastest marathon being three hours and seventeen minutes in September of 2023 at the St. George Marathon. Last fall Anthony started trail running and quickly fell in love with it. When he found out there was such a thing as a 100-mile trail race, he instantly set a goal to participate in one. He officially began training for a 100-miler last November. He clocked over 800 miles over a few months on Morgan roads in preparation for the Antelope Canyon 100-miler in Page, Arizona. On the morning of March 9, Nelson began the longest run he would have to date. Starting at 6:00 a.m., Nelson would run all day into the darkness of night finishing the next morning. “I have spent my whole life wandering on the beaches and Slot Canyons of Lake Powell,” Anthony said this place has always been his favorite place in the world. With the help of family and friends, Nelson was able to accomplish a huge goal. Starting out running 32 miles solo through Slot Canyons, along the rim of Horse Shoe Bend and miles of deep sand he was joined at mile 32 by his mom, Karen Nelson, who he said sparked his love for running at a young age. She was able to help pace him through mile 38 as he ran into the city of Page. Mikelle Kap, joined Anthony to help pace him as he ran the first two loops of six around the rim rail of Page. At mile 58, his long-time friend, Tyler Brooks, pushed Anthony to his limit right from the start, running with him until mile 78. At this point, they were running 12-minute miles. Knowing he was coming up on the most difficult stretch as the early morning hours crept in he was grateful when his wife, Becca, joined him at 2:00 am to pace him through the remainder of the
NEWS BREAK
The Caribbean nation of Haiti has reached a boiling point according to various news outlets. Recently, the capital of Port-au-Prince was almost entirely taken over by local gangs, who outnumber the police force in the area. The joint efforts made by criminal organizations in the city led to the resignation of the nation’s Prime Minister, and the shutting down of many essential services across the region. CNN reports that the police in Port-au-Prince have even authorized vigilante justice to help combat what has turned into a literal war in the capital.
ANTHONY WITH FRIENDS and family who came to pace him and cheer him on.
Courtesy photos
race. “The closer the finish line got, the more the pain settled in,” Anthony recalls. “Every mile seemed to stretch longer and longer as morning got closer.” Just before 8:30 am on March 10, Anthony was joined by his son Cove as he ran across the finish line completing the 101 miles in 26 hours and 47 minutes. Of the 80 runners that started the race, only 34 crossed the finish line with Anthony placing first in his age group and finishing tenth overall. His wife Becca said that Anthony is very proud that he was able to finish, let alone place well in the standings in his first attempt. “As his wife, I am unbelievably proud of his hard work and dedication to complete something so difficult! The race was tough, but I watched him wake up before the sun and train in the snow and ice for months and months and that seemed just as tough. His determination is truly inspiring to me and to those who followed his journey. His three boys love watching him finish his races and cheer him on as much as possible.” During the entire race, Anthony continually told himself “There was no pain that I could feel that Brance Brown hasn't felt and he always comes out of
Joann’s chain declares bankruptcy
The popular fabric and craft chain, Joann filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week in order to quell its $11 billion debt. It will come as a relief, however, to both consumers and employees of the chain that they do not intend to close any of their stores. Like many recreational industries, arts and crafts have taken a significant hit due to inflation. Many people affected by inflation across the country are electing to save their money for essentials, rather than recreation or entertainment, and despite a reported boom in the industry by CNN in 2020, that spike has since tapered off, leaving many stores like Joann in the lurch.
‘Pet’ alligator seized from New York home
ANTHONY during his trail run.
top.” He felt his friend, who is battling cancer, with him the whole way. “Whenever my legs, feet, toes, ankles, knees, back, shoulders, hips or calves started hurting, I would tell myself ‘your brain lies to you.’ My brain was trying hard to get me to quit and to give up so it could feel safe again, but I knew I was capable of more.” l
Morgan County Library going to the bears By Linda Petersen
M
organ County Library is getting a new art installation but all it’s going to cost the county is the funds to cover shipping and installation of a concrete pad. Dale Rogers is a metal sculptor from New Hampshire who works primarily with stainless steel and Cor-Ten steel. He designs both large-scale sculptures for private collectors and temporary public exhibits filled with multiple pieces. He has more than 100 public sculpture installations across the US sponsored by local governments, private companies, and various non-profit organizations. In Utah, he has sculptures at Highland Park and in Glenview. “Sharing my art with the world and
LIBRARY on page 5 THESE MOTHER AND BABY BEAR sculptures by artist Dale Rogers will be installed outside the Morgan County Library in the coming months.
Courtesy photo/Morgan County
The rumor of alligators in New York just got a little more credence. According to a report from CNN, Environmental Conservation police officers rescued an 11-foot, 750-pound pet alligator from a home in Hamburg, New York where the animal had been kept as a pet. Albert, as named by his former owner, had been living in a below-ground pool where, allegedly, friends and neighbors could swim with him, unprotected. The alligator, despite multiple health problems, was successfully recovered and transported off the property and is now being cared for by a licensed caretaker until a more permanent home can be found.
Putin wins ‘election,’ extending one-man rule in Russia
President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the stage-managed Russian election held last week. Putin was declared the winner immediately after the polls closed, with nearly 90% of the vote. The autocrat has been in charge of Russia since the turn of the millennium, and will continue in that role until he reaches the age of 77 in 2030, after which he presumably will continue to win as many elections as he would like, since passing a law in 2020 eliminating term limits for the executive. The widely acknowledged charade of the Russian election is a source of humor for many, but it is accompanied by the darker reality of the fact that countless members of the opposition in Russia have died in mysterious circumstances over the last three decades of Putin’s power. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war with Ukraine and recent death of opposition leader Alexy Navalny, protests were more widespread than in the past.