thePyramid
thePyramid We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m
An Edition of the
| www.heraldextra.com
We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m Thursday, January 25, 2018 • Vol. 126, No. 4 • 75 cents
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox to co-chair suicide task force
BRADY MCCOMBS
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A new task force that includes a high-ranking leader of the LDS Church, the Utah Jazz owner and the leader of an LGBT rights group was created recently by Gov. Gary Herbert to address a troubling rise in teen suicides in Utah. The new coalition is the latest attempt by state officials to find out why so many teens are killing themselves and to come up with ways to prevent the suicides. State and federal health care experts have closely examined the rise but haven’t been able to identify a single cause. There were 44 suicides among youth ages 10-17 in 2017 — matching the record previously set in 2015, shows new data unveiled recently by Utah state health officials. The average yearly total over the last five years is more than double the yearly average from the previous decade. Herbert called it an emergency situation and ordered the coalition to immediately work with existing suicide prevention groups to compile a list of proposed solutions for a report due by Feb. 15. He said he’s open to devoting more state funds. “I’m smart enough to know that no one single issue, one single solution will in fact prevent all suicides, but I do believe that a more concentrated, coordinated approach by all of us working together can in fact reduce incidents of teen suicides,” said Herbert, a Republican. The group includes Ronald A. Rasband, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ top governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He said the religion is updating its suicide webpage to focus more on preven-
ERIK OSTLING
Utah State Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, Fairview, will co-chair a new task force with State Representative Steve Eliason in an effort to find out why so many teens are killing themselves and to come up with ways to prevent the suicides. tion and said the faith is “as anxious as anybody to get to the bottom of it, stop it and provide resources.” Rasband said the coalition’s findings could lead to a change in how the religion deals with the issue. “We’re not the only owner of good ideas,” said Rasband, who was the CEO of Huntsman Chemical Corp. before being selected to join church leadership full-time in 2015. Jazz owner Gail Miller, who also sponsors an anti-bullying coalition, and Equality Utah executive director Troy Williams are also members of the task force that is rounded out with state lawmakers, health care professionals and suicide prevent experts. Williams said his inclusion on the panel indicates that state officials
recognize the data that shows LGBT youth are four times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts. In Utah, where as many of twothirds of the state’s 3 million residents are members of the LDS Church that opposes same-sex relationships, LGBT youth have struggled to find acceptance. That has led LGBT advocacy groups to assert that the rise in suicides could be linked to these teens’ struggles. A report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studying the spike in teen suicides in Utah backed up a finding by state officials that a small fraction of suicide victims were definitely gay or lesbian. But state and federal investigators agree that more needs to be done to assess whether sexual orientation was a factor with the victims. Federal investigators were only able to determine the sexual orientation of fewer than one-third of the victims over a five-year span. Among those 40, researchers concluded six of them were gay, lesbian or bisexual. The state has hired an epidemiologist who is helping the state medical examiner with death investigations and hopes to be able to find out more details about the victims and possible contributing factors, including sexual orientation. The coalition will be co-chaired by Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox and state Rep. Steve Eliason, both Republicans. Eliason implored parents to keep their guns locked up, noting that firearms were used in the majority of youth suicides last year. He also called on parents to “stay close to your teens throughout their teen years” and “love your children no matter what.” Cox said he experienced dark
times and had dark thoughts when he was young after his parents divorced and he was bullied. He urged everyone to help make sure other youth feeling like he did don’t feel alone. He said people need to be particularly aware of LGBT youth. “Everyone needs to know that they are loved for who they are,” Cox said. Sanpete information Sanpete Behavioral Health Community Network is a program for individuals who cannot afford treatment and/or medications for their mental health condition. For local help in connecting to counseling and medical management for behavioral health issues contact Linda D. Phillips, Behavioral Health Patient Liaison, Sanpete Valley Hospital, via email to: linda.phillips@imail.org or call (435) 851-5206. No one need go untreated. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has programs in Sanpete that address the needs of individuals seeking recovery and support, as well as a program for family and friends of individuals who are struggling with mental health issues. These include classes as well as confidential support groups. NAMI Connections Support Group holds meetings on the first and third Monday of each month at Mt. Pleasant Residential, 125 South State Street, Room 2, at 5:30 to 7 p.m. NAMI Sanpete County is offering a free family support group. Monthly meetings will be held on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the South Sanpete School District, 39 South Main St., Manti. For questions about NAMI Sanpete County, call (435) 851-0220.
MP city announces justice court vacancy MT. PLEASANT — Applications are being accepted for a Justice Court judge position in Mt. Pleasant City. The position will replace Judge Ivo Peterson who retired June 30, 2017. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 5, and should be sent to the attention of Melisse Stiglich, Administrative Office of the Courts, PO Box 140241, Salt Lake City, UT, 84114-0241. For an application or more information, email melisses@ utcourts.gov. To be considered for a Justice Court judgeship in Sanpete County, candidates must be at least 25 years of age, a citizen of the United States, a Utah resident for at least three years, and have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. In addition, candidates must be a resident of the county in which the court is located, or an adjacent county, for at least six months. Information on judicial retention and performance evaluation is posted on the Utah State Court’s website at www.utcourts.gov. An application for judicial office must be completed and is available on the court’s website (www.utcourts.gov/admin/jobs). The annual salary for the position is $11,485 with no benefits. For additional information contact Tami Larson at (435) 462-2456, Ext. 2 or email at jcmtpleasant@utcourts.gov. Utah law requires the Judicial Nominating Commission to submit three to five nominees to the Mayor of Mt. Pleasant Sandra Bigler, within 45 days of its first meeting. Mayor Bigler then has 30 days in which to make a selection. The selection must then be certified by the Utah Judicial Council.
FBLA takes second at competition Petition circulates for medical cannabis BRAD BENTLEY
The Pyramid
RICHFIELD — North Sanpete Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter headed to Richfield on Jan. 8 to take part in the FBLA Southern Region competition. With 26 Hawk students participating in the various events, North Sanpete came back with a second place overall finish. Of those students that were in Richfield representing North Sanpete all of them were placed in two or three categories. These future dynamos of business worked hard for numerous hours under the tutelage of advisors Justin Morley and Rickie Stewart to get ready for this competition and their hard work paid off. Brigham Lewis, a Spring City sophomore, took first place in Sales Presentation and also garnered a second place showing in Parliamentary Pro. While senior Tyler Blackham took second in sales presentation, he teamed up with freshman Mason Bailey for a first place finish in Management Decision Making. Blackham was kept busy all day as he also finished in third place in the Future Business Leader category. Also taking a first place ribbon home was junior Abigail Clawson who showed her chops in Journalism. Abby is the newspaper editor for the high school, and she obvi-
North Sanpete Future Business Leaders of America recently participated in the Southern Region Competition held in Richfield. The 26 students took a second place overall finish. ously knows her stuff. Finishing in fifth place in the category was sophomore Mayzie Grace Talbot. Clawson also went on to take third place in Business Law, and teamed up with Carli Johansen and Cooper Rosenlund to take home second place in Hospitality Management. Sophomore Colby Orton had a nice second place finish in Spreadsheet Applications. Another first place finish went to sophomore Addelyn Brotherson, last year’s Miss Teen Utah, who stumped the competition in Job Interview. Junior Coldir Cox took second place in two categories, showing he knows his math in Accounting II and that he
can also explain it all Public Speaking. Senior Garrett Christensen took third in Networking Concepts with Emily Kerksiek finishing just behind in fourth. Christensen also took fifth in Insurance and Risk Management. Other finishers include Carli Johansen in fifth for Advertising, Scarlett Lusk garnered fourth in Intro to Business Procedures, Mosiah Bunting joined Johansen and Kerksiek for a third place showing in Marketing, Nakiah Taylor took third and Gage Cox fourth in Securities and Investments, while Breana Nesbit, Paula Holm, and Ariel Valko finished in fifth in Sports and Entertainment Management.
EPHRAIM — As the petition campaign to put Medical Cannabis on the ballot in 2018 moves forward, those who have been volunteering to gather signatures have until Tuesday, Jan. 30, to collect signatures and to submit those petitions to the county. Others will be going door-to-door beginning shortly thereafter, however, these persons will be paid by the sponsoring organization. The volunteers are appreciated for their efforts to reach out into the Sanpete communities to gather signatures at their own expense, saving resources for the continued effort to educate and promote the passage of the Utah Patients initiative. Contrary to the beliefs of some, there is wide and enthusiastic interest in this initiative in Sanpete County. If placed on the ballot, it appears likely that the initiative will pass. That would make medical cannabis available to many local residents who suffer from conditions that have been found to be helped with cannabis. As signatures have been being gathered there are many who have shared their personal stories of pain, seizures, Parkinson’s, cancer, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a need to find alternatives to opioids. Many people have read the articles
from professional journals relating research that validates the experiences of those who have had access to this amazing herb. There has been ample research to validate the reported anecdotal experiences. The initiative may be found in its entirety and in summary at the site utahpatients.org. It is an initiative that will allow cannabis strictly for medical use under a doctor’s care and prohibit smoking. If anyone has not yet signed the petitions and would like to, contact Joanne Taylor at (435) 851-9045, 333 Please see PETITION, Page A6
8
08805
93545
5