$1.50 Oct. 20, 2023 | Vol. 2 Iss. 40
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Hope squad supports classmates
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
Peer-to Peer suicide prevention group gives hope to others.
page 9
Covering Your Community Since 1929
Golfers bring home 3A State Championship Loughton, McCleary go 1-2 as individual medalist and runner up
Israel and Hamas continue war; U.S. urges Israel not to occupy Gaza
By Liisa London Mecham
A
fter losing the state championship to Richfield in 2022 after four consecutive state championships (2018,2019, 2020, 2021), the Trojans have reclaimed their title. Behind the brilliant play of junior Lance Loughton and senior Zaylin McCleary and bolstered by impressive second-round improvements by freshman Caleb Rees and junior Daxon Loertscher, Morgan won the title in grand fashion by 15 strokes over Union 591 to 606. Richfield, the 2022 champions, was third at 608. Loughton finished the tournament 6-under par while McCleary shot one under at 143 to tie for runner-up. The Trojans fought wind, rain, and cold for two days to come out on top Thursday, Oct. 12 at Meadow Brook Golf Course to bring home the school’s sixth title. Head coach Dennis Peterson has led the team to all five titles since 2018. Neil Carrigan coached the 1994 team who won the only other championship for the Trojans. The weather may have been horrible, but Morgan was prepared. Loughton shared, “When the team saw the forecast on the days of the state championship, we were not discouraged. Instead, we felt like it was an advantage to us because we all had the correct gear. We also believed that if we came into the tournament embracing the bad weather, we would definitely have an advantage” “Multiple players on the team have had experience in the rain so they shared tips and good ideas that would help us on the course. Our coach, who has been coaching for a long time, also knew ways to help the team. I believe that our success in the poor weather was all in our mental and physical preparation.” McCleary added, “Being prepared as we were was essential to playing in the elements and played a crucial part in
MORGAN’S PLAYERS AND COACHES CELEBRATE with the state championship trophy. This championship is the sixth boys’ golf title in school history.
Photos courtesy of Angie Loughton
our win.” After Day 1 of the tournament, the Trojans held a four-stroke lead, 295, over Richfield at 299. Union and Carbon were both tied at 304. Loughton shot a 67 (5-under par), and McCleary also finished under par at 70. On Day 2, Loughton and McCleary scored 71 and 73 respectively to earn their individual accolades. Loughton completed the tournament at 138 while McCleary tied Ogden’s Jess Jones at 143. Morgan’s number three and four scoring golfers freshman Caleb Rees and junior Daxon Loertscher made significant improvements in their Day 2 rounds to bolster the team’s efforts and expand their lead. Rees improved his Day 2 score by three strokes from a 77 to a 74, and Loertscher went from an 86 on Day 1 to a 78 on Day 2! McCleary shared, “While I can’t really point out any specific things that we did better than the other teams other than hitting 15 fewer balls, I can name some of our strengths we have.” “Our team is a group full of buddies just going out and doing what they love. There isn’t one kid on this team that
LANCE LOUGHTON AND ZAYLIN MCCLEARY finished first and second as the individual medalist and runner-up.
anyone could look down on. All of the boys are truly awesome, friendly, down to earth, respectable, and just overall fun
GOLF on page 5
Dome village project makes it to planning stage By Linda Petersen
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Morgan County/Utah DNR project to improve East Canyon State Park is finally moving forward. In 2021 Morgan County received a $100, 000 state rural opportunity grant to help fund the Dome Event Center and Village Project at the park which is located 12 miles south of the town of Morgan along SR 66. In the first phase of the project, a dome-covered structure will be built to serve as an events center for 200 to 400 people. This building will anchor a future “village” of smaller domed buildings where tourists can stay to take advantage of the park’s Dark Sky designation. In Feb. the county commission approved the disbursement of $72,000 to purchase a 60-foot dome but it wasn’t until recently that the county had any response to its request for a construction/ engineering plan and landscape design for the project, Commissioner Blaine Fackrell told his fellow commissioners Oct. 3. County officials had hoped to get
NEWS BREAK
going on the project sooner but the construction industry has been so busy that there had been no response to the county’s RFP until recently, Fackrell said. That evening the commissioners approved a $21,000 bid from Wasatch Civil Consulting Engineering for a landscape design and construction/engineering plan for the project. That plan will include a topographical survey and base mapping ($6,000), a conceptual masterplan layout ($5,000), and a grading plan and site plan for an 18-meter dome ($10,000). The bid from Wasatch Civil Consulting Engineering indicates that the plan could be completed in about six weeks. The masterplan will include a conceptual layout for the proposed 18-meter dome and future additional 5-meter to 10-meter domes, along with future walking paths, a restroom facility, and future parking. Along with a grading and site plan Wasatch Civil Consulting Engineering will help the county find a contractor to construct the dome. If required, geotechnical investigations, studies, or traffic plans will need
to be done by other contractors and are not covered by this contract. Structural engineering, including the design of the structure, footings, and anchors, will be provided by the dome manufacturer. The purpose of the project is “to create an attractive, functional, and sustainable landscape that complements the natural surroundings and enhances the overall visitor experience, including the aspect of dark sky viewing,” the request for proposals said. Utah State Parks is providing 50 percent of the cost for the project in an in-kind donation in the form of land, infrastructure, and the use of its reservation system. The value of the contribution is estimated to be $120,000. If a contractor can be found, Fackrell hopes this first phase of the dome village can be completed next summer. The dome event center is expected to have a radiant heat system installed which will allow it to be used year-round, he said. Once this first phase is completed, Morgan County will apply for additional state grants to fund later phases, Fackrell said. l
As the second week of the Israel-Gaza war continues, casualties have mounted in Israel as well as Palestine. A “humanitarian corridor” is in the process of being established, though conditions have made such a move difficult. To date, a reported 50,000 plus people have been displaced by the fighting and are seeking refuge outside of the conflict zone. Tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon have heightened the possibility of the war spreading into a broader regional conflict, which would be disastrous for millions of people living in the middle east. The U.S. has announced full support for Israel, but cautions against a wider spread of the conflict.
Joran van der Sloot to plead guilty in extortion case Joran Van der Sloot has been in a Peruvian prison since 2012 following a conviction for murdering Stephany Flores in his Lima hotel room. Van der Sloot is widely suspected of having been involved in the murder of American teenager Natalee Holloway in 2005 when she disappeared while on vacation in Aruba. Van der Sloot and two other men were investigated for several years by Aruban authorities, who eventually declined to prosecute the case. In 2010, Van der Sloot contacted Holloway’s mother, claiming he would provide information about the location of her body for $25,000. The claims turned out to be untrue, and Van der Sloot has been charged with extortion and wire fraud as a result. He will be flown from Peru for a U.S. court date.
Ford Theatre tickets bring in a quarter million Tickets which have been verified to belong to attendees of Ford’s Theatre on April 15, 1865 brought in over $262,000 at auction. The tickets have a clear seat assignment (which experts claim would have given the owners a perfect view of Lincoln’s box seats), and appear to have been marked for admission. Such documents are hard to both authenticate and appraise, given their uniqueness and fragility. The tickets had been authenticated by the owner, the Forbes Collection of American Historical Documents.
Suzanne Somers dies at 76 Actress Suzanne Somers, died at the age of 76 over the weekend, after a 23 year battle with breast cancer. Somers was an outspoken advocate of organic and “chemical-free” treatment for cancer over the last decades. She rose to prominence as one of the stars of the sitcom “Three’s Company” and later as the television spokesperson for the “ThighMaster” exercise product.