$1.50 February 16, 2024 | Vol. 3 Iss. 06
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Youth Super State Five Morgan wrestlers place at tournament.
MORGAN COUNTY NEWS
page 3
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County says no, at least temporarily, to private donations for fairgrounds study
Foreign aid bill passes U.S. Senate
Please use this link to submit comment on the Fairgrounds Concept Plan
In the two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has offered nearly unwavering financial support. This week, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would grant the country $60 billion further in aid. A more controversial portion of the bill includes $14.1 billion to Israel which is still pursuing a relentless campaign in Gaza, causing international consternation about the humanitarian crisis the campaign is causing. The bill, which also includes more aid to other causes abroad, still faces a battle in the U.S. House of Representatives. Many in the house have already expressed opposition to the bill, which could mean if it does pass, a significant delay in those funds being distributed.
THIS FAIRGROUNDS CONCEPT plan has been posted on Morgan County’s website for more than 18 months.
Chiefs take historic Super Bowl
Linda Petersen
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t their Feb. 6 meeting the Morgan County Commission declined to approve a request by County Recreation Director Lydia Hebdon to allow her department to accept private donations to help fund a NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] study on the county fairgrounds. Last year Hebdon applied for two federal grants to help redevelop the fairgrounds, but the county did not have the funds to pay for a required study, she said. “So ultimately we weren't awarded these grants and lost the opportunity of about $1.5 million in funding for the fairgrounds project. Since that time, I've been able to find people in the community that agree that an environmental assessment should be done before we move forward with this project and are willing to privately fund it themselves.” Hebdon did not indicate who the people willing to fund the study were. A NEPA Environmental Assessment would identify the environmental impacts of redeveloping the fairgrounds. This could include looking at biodiversity, environmental justice, wetlands, air and water pollution, traffic, geotechni-
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Courtesy image/Morgan County
cal risks, public safety issues, and hazardous substance issues. Such a study, which would address the first phase of the fairgrounds project, would cost about $30,000, Hebdon said. The county is under a time crunch because applications for the grants are due by the end of the month, she said. “Having that testing done would then
make us eligible for federal or state funding should we choose to pursue grants again.” However, some commissioners seemed to think the action would be premature and might interfere with other
FAIRGROUNDS on page 7
The Kansas City Chiefs eeked out another Super Bowl win in 2024 in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers, but the game, and score itself were not what made history. According to CBS, the big game had 123.4 million viewers. Put in perspective, CNN reported the numbers drew close to the broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landings in 1969, with nothing else drawing close since. Experts attribute much of the increase to none other than Taylor Swift, who has been dominating the news cycle. The star performer’s relationship with Kansas City’s Travis Kelce has caused no small stir amongst both her fans and detractors.
Nor’easter storm pounds east coast
AFTER RETURNING TO Morgan High School, NHS members pose with their bears.
While the weather in the west has been more temperate in recent weeks, the east coast, including the tri-state area, has been socked in with heavy snow. New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are all reporting accidents, outages, and, in some cases, record snowfall. According to CNN, New York had its snowiest day in the past two years, and in Pennsylvania, some areas have reported the most snow in three years. The storm also disrupted air travel in the region, and though the window in which snow fell was relatively short, the intensity in which it fell, (over a foot in some areas), caused significant problems across the region. Courtesy photo
National Honor Society builds bears for good cause By Ethan Hoffmann
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ast month the Morgan High School chapter of the National Honor Society participated in a fundraiser. On Jan. 29, students met at the high school, boarded buses requested by an advisor, and left Morgan at around 4:15. Then, the drivers transported the NHS members to Station Park, Farmington where they visited Build-A-Bear. NHS presidents decided on the service opportunity earlier this year and scheduled a date. One of the presidents called the location ahead of time to coordinate with them so that they could host the activity. According to Jessica Wiscombe, a math teacher and NHS advisor at MHS,
visiting Build-A-Bear “is something the chapter has done for years, and members really enjoy participating.” After arrival, the students were divided into two groups. Half of the students went to Build-A-Bear to make bears while the other half roamed around the local businesses and ate dinner. Then the groups switched. Previously, members paid a twenty-dollar fee in order to attend the activity and provide funding. NHS presidents worked with the financial secretaries at the school to collect the money and prepare for the expenses required. “National Honor Society members always enjoy the opportunity to create bears to give to kids in need,” commented Heidi Valdez, the second NHS advisor for the Morgan
chapter. “This is an annual event for our members. It is fun to see the members' personalities shine through the bears they design and the joy the members get by serving other kids in need.” At Build-A-Bear, members separated into pairs and were allowed to pick a bear and as many accessories as they wanted as long as the total cost was within the price range. 37 bears were made in total and all of them were donated to the Primary Children's Hospital. “I was so impressed with how the members handled themselves throughout the night,” said Wiscombe. “Build-A-Bear employees commented on how smooth the evening went, and how fun it was to see so many youths come together for a good cause.” l
Trump appeals immunity decision to Supreme Court
The appeal follows a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals that presidents are not “above the law” during their presidencies, nor immune from prosecution after serving. The central claim of the appeal is that it is unfair to voters to prevent Trump from getting his re-election message out due to the amount of time and effort being spent on his defense against charges of involvement in attempting to hinder the election process on January 6, 2021, as well as the other federal indictments currently filed against him. The next steps taken by the Supreme Court will likely determine whether the insurrection case goes to trial before the 2024 election or not.