thePyramid We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m
We A r e S a n p e t e . c o m MP power outage caused by blown $500k transformer An Edition of the
| www.heraldextra.com
Thursday, August 27, 2020 • Vol. 129, No. 34 • 75 cents
BY GLORIA ALBRECHT
It was a dark night in parts of Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday, August 18. At about 6:30 p.m. many citizens got a surprise when air conditioners went off, lights went out and fans stopped working. This happens from time to time in our rural valley, but the event is usually associated with a storm accompanied by high winds or lightening, and never lasts long. But this time it was different. Time ticked by but the power did not come back on. As the sun set many residents were engulfed by complete and utter darkness with no lights and, in a twist of fate, a sky darkened by the new moon. Record-breaking heat across the Southwest has lasted for days in mid-August, generating an abnormal power demand across many states. In Mt. Pleasant the unprecedented power demand caused one of the two main transformers at the substation, located at 550 West Main to fail. The remaining transformer is able to power only a portion of the city, particularly with the high demand due to the record breaking temperatures. The failed 46,000-volt transformer is one of 4 transformers in the city. When it failed much of the town went
PHOTO COURTESY SHANE WARD
Crews work to set the replacement transformer borrowed from Fairview City in place Wednesday, Aug. 18. Crews worked through the night to restore power to Mt. Pleasant. Recent high heat has lead to increased power consumption, which officials feel played a roll in the power outage. off-the-grid. Now, some people think that being “off the grid” is the way to go, but the citizens of Mt Pleasant didn’t have that in mind on that sweltering Wednesday night when temperatures hit a record high.
The crew at Mt. Pleasant City Power spent the long, dark night working to get the problem fixed. When morning came and the power was restored Power Superintendent Shane Ward said that all the pieces came together
to get a replacement transformer installed in just one night. “It could have been several days to restore power for the affected residents” he claims, if not for a series of lucky breaks. A replacement transformer was located in Fairview where they just happened to have a spare; and they were able to loan it to Mt. Pleasant. If not for that replacement it would have been 3-5 days to get another transformer, and the Mt. Pleasant Power Company would have been forced to do rolling blackouts in the city much as they do in California. Installation of the several-ton, $500,000 unit borrowed from Fairview was not exactly easy. Crews from Spring City, Fairview, Rocky Mountain Power and even Springville showed up to help. The transformer from Fairview was hauled to Mt. Pleasant with the help of Todd Beesley from MKJ Construction. Beesley along with Mountain Crane Service from Spanish Fork helped with the installation. After almost 12 hours of work the borrowed transformer was in place and running. Power was restored bit by bit to the affected residents and by 7:30 AM the Please see OUTAGE, Page A6
Hawks clobber Emery Spartans BY MARCY CURTIS
MT. PLEASANT — North Sanpete remains undefeated with a decisive 38 to 6 win over the Emery Spartans at the Hawks’ first home game of the season last Friday night. The last time the two teams met was in the first playoff game last season that also ended in favor of the Hawks. “We didn’t get the shutout tonight,” said Trevin Morley, “but we took care of business and it was a good teamwin.” The points racked up early for the North Sanpete with the team scoring 38 in the first half. The first touchdown happened in the first 58 seconds. On second down from the Spartan 47-yard line quarterback Landon Bowles connected on a pass to wide-open Brady Jacobsen in the end zone. Hawks special teams have made dominating plays this season, and this game was no exception. Rance Christensen punted the ball away to end North Sanpete’s second possession of the game. On his run Emery’s Jace
Curtis was hit hard by Xander Shelley of North Sanpete, knocking the ball out of Curtis’ arms. The fumble was picked up by the Hawks’ Kasey Curtis for the turnover. The Hawks defense was tough and only allowed one touchdown, late in the fourth quarter. Bowles had a great night, throwing for two more touchdowns to Cole Mickel. Laramie Roberts and Trevin Morley had rushing touchdowns during the game. “We came out with a lot of energy and that’s a shout out to all our guys that dressed. They were into the game the whole night and we executed at a high level,” Coach Rhett Bird said. “For two weeks we have taken care of the ball and that helps our defense out by not giving the other team a short field. Special teams on the other hand have come up big with turnovers which is a big momentum play for us. I am proud of all our players and the improvements we saw.” Despite COVID regulations the North Sanpete stadium was filled with masked fans ready for a little Friday
PHOTO BY MARCY CURTIS
North Sanpete’s Andy Mower (45) gets around Emery’s Luke Stilson (21) and Kove Johansen (65) to return a short punt and give the Hawks great field position. night lights and to support their stuThe football team will hit the road dent athletes. Both the drill team, and next Friday to take on the South Sevier cheer leaders were able to take part in Rams who were shut out by Enterprise the game. this week 43-0.
DWR donating meat to those impacted by COVID SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants the public to know about an ongoing program where anyone experiencing economic difficulties can sign up to receive wild game meat throughout Utah. This program has been in effect for several decades as a way to use the meat from wild animals that are euthanized to help reduce conflicts with ranchers and farmers in rural areas. Wildlife, such as elk and deer, can cause property damage and economic hardship to ranchers and farmers by grazing on their hay fields or crops. When these conflicts occur within town limits, on private land or outside of a hunting season, hunters aren’t in a position to legally harvest these animals. So, in some cases, DWR employees respond to these incidents and PHOTO COURTESY UTAH DWR remove the wildlife. Some of Deer feed in a farmer’s alfalfa field in Huntington Canyon. Depredation is an on-going challenge for farmers, ranchers the meat donated through this program also comes from and the Division of Wildlife Resources.
wildlife that is poached and then seized by DWR conservation officers. “We don’t want to see this valuable food resource go to waste, so we donate the meat from these animals to locals who may be in need,” DWR Wildlife Coordinator Chad Wilson said. “Because COVID-19 has impacted so many Utahns economically, we wanted to make sure the public was aware of this program and can use it, if needed. When it is necessary for us to euthanize wildlife, it is important that we don’t let the meat go to waste. We are glad that this valuable resource can benefit Utahns and their families who may be struggling during these difficult times.” DWR employees who remove an animal will first assess its condition and then follow careful field-dressing procedures to help ensure that the meat is properly handled before it is donated
to members of the public. Utahns who are interested in receiving wild game meat from the DWR can sign up on the DWR website. The application can be found by going to https://wildlife.utah.gov, clicking on “Search Wildlife” at the top of the page, then entering “wile meat donations” in the search bar. Recipients should note that the donated animals are only field dressed (only the entrails are removed), and they will need to be prepared to process the meat themselves or have a butcher process it. A typical processing fee is roughly $100 for a deer and $150 for an elk. Processors often have limited availability and some don’t accept wild game, so preparations should be made in advance before signing up to receive any donated meat. Participants in the program should also note that the removal efforts often take place Please see MEAT, Page A6
Collision takes 22-yearold life MANTI — A near-head-on collision took the life of 22-year-old Jared Harper of Manti. The accident took place south of Manti Thursday. Dispatch received report of the accident around 2:37 p.m. August 20 near milepost 253 on Highway 89. UHP reports that Harper was driving north in a 2008 black Nissan Altima. Joseph Cloward, also 22 from Manti, was in the passenger seat of the Nissan. The report states that at the same time a white 2008 Ford F-150 was traveling south-bound in the same area. According to UHP the truck, driven by 71-year-old Robert Conover of Sterling “swerved to the left to avoid traffic that was stopped or slowed in the travel lane. The Nissan … could not avoid the F-150.” The impact caused the vehicles to impact in a “nearly head on” collision. As a result of the collision, Harper was pinned inside the car and had to be extricated by first responders. He was transported to Gunnison Valley Hospital by ambulance and then to a trauma center by helicopter where he was pronounced dead a little past 6 p.m. Conover sustained a broken leg and was transported to Gunnison Valley by ambulance while Cloward received a head injury and was transported to the hospital by private vehicle. According to the report Harper was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident while both Conover and Cloward were.
COVID-19 update MT. PLEASANT—As of press time, the Central Utah Public Health Department had reported 486 cases in the Six County area. Of those cases 27 have been hospitalized with three deaths. The CUPHD reported 92 total cases in Juab, with 77 recovered, one death and two current hospitalizations; Millard, 140 cases, 135 recovered, no deaths and no current hospitalizations; Piute, six cases, with five recovered, no deaths, and one current hospitalization; Sanpete, 156 cases, with 136 recovered, one death and no current hospitalizations; Sevier, 89 cases, with 83 recovered, no current hospitalizations and one death; Wayne has had two cases reported both of which have recovered. There has been one case Please see COVID-19, Page A6
USD 75¢
8
08805
93545
5