$1.50 May 24, 2024 | Vol. 3 Iss. 17
See Inside...
‘Finding Nemo Kids’
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
Mountain Green Musical Theatre presents movie classic
page 8
Covering Your Community Since 1929
Morgan boys back-to-back state track champions
NEWS BREAK Study sheds new light on dinosaurs
Despite being extinct for millions of years, new information is always being found about dinosaurs, and this time, it’s pretty significant. According to new studies reported on by CNN, dinosaurs may well have had a good mix of warm-blooded, and cold-blooded species. Paleontologists have reached this conclusion due to the finding of fossils in arctic areas, the likelihood of feathers on these species, and their dayto-day activities, which would have been impossible for cold-blooded animals. Of course, some experts disagree, citing findings of other fossils in other regions. The potential, however, of dinosaurs in frozen environments could mean a completely different view of the animals than previously held. MORGAN’S 4X400 TEAM of Tucker Giles, Brogan Garrett, Kenny Whitmer and Maverick Guymon won first place at the state meet.
Photo Courtesy of John Heywood
By Liisa London Mecham
A
fter Morgan finished second at the Region 13 Track Championships to Union on their home turf, some were counting the Morgan boys team, the reigning state champions, out of the state race, but the Trojan Track Family certainly wasn’t. Behind their 2024 theme “Why Not You?”, Morgan's team rallied together to prove their naysayers wrong and to bring home their second consecutive 3A State Boys Track Championship, and fourth of the past five titles. With titles in 1996, 2019, (no championship was held in 2020 due to Covid), 2021, 2023, and 2024, the boys track program is now tied with the girls basketball program with five titles apiece, just behind boys golf with six and football with eight (girls volleyball leads with 20 titles). The remarkable comeback story begins and ends with the track family theme–“Why Not You?” Returning from
the Arcadia National Meet earlier in the spring, seniors Tucker Giles and Brogan Garrett brainstormed with coaches to find a mantra for the year. “Why Not You?” rose to the top, and since it was introduced, members of the track family have embraced the motto, giving their best and answering the question for themselves, “Why Not You? Why won’t you be the one to push harder at practice, to PR when you’re tired, or to win a race no one expected you to win? “Why Not You?” At the State Track Meet, there are countless stories of individuals on the Morgan track team who embodied the theme and performed above expectations. These individuals pulled together to earn the 112.50 points that put the Trojans on top. Juab finished second with 87 points and the Region 13 Champion Cougars earned third with 82. Morgan’s individual and relay state champions celebrated the title along with other placers, non-state qualifiers, and
fans as one. “No one achieves greatness alone,” sophomore sprinter, hurdler and high jumper Kenny Whitmer declared. “It takes a team and a family!” Family is the cornerstone of the Morgan coaching staff’s philosophy. Coach Brennen Fuller uses the hashtag #familyovereverything to describe the relationship his team has amongst themselves. “I am SO proud of my team and how they battle and come together,” he shared on social media. “The boys have been battling setbacks, injuries, and illnesses going into state… but they knew they had a shot at it, and man, did they show up the last few days. As with the region tournament, we had our downs.. but kids that we weren’t expecting stepped up for their family! They were able to cap it off with their Back 2 Back title. Those senior boys
TRACK on page 6
County commissioners tweak fairgrounds plan By Linda Petersen
M
organ’s county commission has taken the next step in the process of reinventing the county fairgrounds. On May 7 Wasatch Civil Engineering presented a broad-strokes concept plan to the commissioners as a starting point in developing a final plan. Wasatch Civil Engineering held a kickoff meeting with the commissioners and the public in May 2022 and since then has solicited public input on the plan on the county website. Both commissioners and the public agree that the first priority should be developing more parking, including horse trailer and RV parking, for the county fair and other events. The site has two major impediments that need to be addressed in the plan, Tyson Knobla, a Wasatch Civil Engineering GIS specialist said. “A major flood plain encompasses a large part of this park which prohibits the construction of major structures but can allow for some surface features including parking and fields,” he said. There are also two major pipeline easements through the property. Despite these constraints Tyson expressed confi-
Adult attention span shrinking
A recent report on CNN cited evidence that the average adult's attention span is shrinking. Over the past 20 years, attention spans have shrunk from two and a half minutes to only 47 seconds. This diminishing has been attributed to several factors, including screen time, social media content like Tik Tok which is catered to shorter offerings, and interruptions at work. Hope is not lost, however. The article cites methods that everyone can use to increase their attention span, everything from avoiding social media or making it more difficult to access to taking a walk in nature and unplugging from the screens that dominate our day-to-day lives.
Chiefs kicker causes commencement speech stir
Just when the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce bolstered female NFL viewership and fanbase, things took an immediate turn when fellow Kansas City Chiefs player and kicker Harrison Butker made some inflammatory comments during a commencement speech just last week. Butker’s speech started out fairly ordinary but soon turned to speaking directly to the female graduates, telling them that they had been lied to and that it was likely that their true ambitions lay with home and family rather than career. The unbalanced nature of the speech caused severe backlash online amongst proponents of Feminism, and female rights activists. At the time of going to press, Butker has not responded to the backlash.
Iranian president dies
THIS CONCEPT PLAN shows what the Morgan County Fairgrounds could look like in the future.
Courtesy image/Morgan County
dence that they could be worked around. This initial plan includes two fullsize multi-use fields that could be used for soccer or other sports, five major parking areas including a gravel parking area, an asphalt paved trail connecting several of these areas, additional pickleball courts near the current courts, improved access to the river and a pro-
posed site for a new events center. “This is really about the only location you could fit an event complex,” Tyson said. “We recognize that that is probably larger in scope and budget than what is currently planned but we wanted to identify an area that could potential-
FAIRGROUNDS on page 8
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several others were killed in a helicopter crash this week. At the time of going to press, it is uncertain what caused the crash, though an attack is deemed unlikely. Rather, experts are leaning toward the age of the aircraft, a model originating in the 1960s, and the weather, which included dense fog and rain. Raisi’s death comes at a tumultuous time in the region, right on the heels of an Iranian drone and rocket attack on Israel, in the midst of that nation’s ongoing war with Palestine/Gaza. Raisi is expected to be replaced fairly quickly as Iran, and its allies mourn the loss of the president.