Nowhere to Run

James L. Davis

A young cougar got a little more than it bargained for as it wandered into Castle Dale on Feb. 3 and was rapidly treed as residents alerted authorities of the mountain visitor.

The cougar was spotted in the yard of Dickson Huntington near Emery High School on SR-29 and Katlin Bell of Castle Dale quickly gathered his hunting dogs and responded to the area.

The cougar was treed by Bell’s dogs in the Emery County maintenance yard and Casey Mickelsen, conservation officer with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources responded to the area. A call was made for an officer to bring a tranquilizer gun to sedate the animal and spectators gathered to catch a glimpse of the treed cougar.

The cougar was not content to remain treed until it was sedated and eventually leapt from the tree and attempted unsuccessfully to jump the maintenance fence. The three dogs of Bell’s set on the cougar and were pulled off by Bell and others at the scene.

The cougar was eventually sedated and Mickelson reported that the animal was young, only a little over a 1 year old. He speculated that the female cougar had become separated from its mother. The animal will be relocated and released by the DWR.

According to Mickelson the cougar could have found its way into town because much of the animal’s normal food supply is also coming lower into the valley because of the heavy snowfall. He recommended that anyone coming into contact with a cougar or bear remain clear of the animal and report the animal’s location immediately to the Emery County Sheriff’s Office at 381-2404 or Price dispatch at 637-0893.

Heavy snowfall raises risk of avalanches

Kathy Ockey

With heavy snowfall in the mountains people are being warned to be wary of avalanches, even in Emery County.
“This has been a strange year for avalanches,” said Mike Stewart, supervisor of the Utah Department of Transportation road shop in Huntington. “The wind has been doing strange things and there are situations that do not normally happen.”

Stewart said there have been at least eight avalanches in Huntington Canyon this year and some road closures because of them. He said the most potential for avalanches is from the Genwal Mine turnoff to approximately mile post marker 22 going up Huntington Canyon.

He said UDOT monitors the canyon each day for potential avalanche problems. If there was a significant danger they would close the canyon and take care of the problem.

Avalanches are most likely to occur either during or immediately after a storm where there has been significant snowfall. The 24 hours following a heavy snowstorm are the most critical. Heavily forested areas are much safer than open areas but lone trees or bushes, or large rocks on a mountainside can sometimes weaken the stability of the snow pack. Many avalanches start above the tree line, making high-elevation mountains especially risky and are most likely to occur from 24-36 hours after a storm. The type of snow is also a factor in avalanche danger, whether the snow is light and fluffy or heavy and old. Frozen snow below new snow can also be a dangerous factor in the odds of an avalanche. Signs of a pending avalanche can be seen on steeper slopes where there are big cornices of overhanging snow and places where there are visible, small slides of snow.

Stewart said his employees have rescue beacons and snow probes and have been trained in what to do when an avalanche occurs and also in the prevention of slides. They are aware of the weather conditions and check the avalanche forecast to be prepared for any problems.

He said with the increased snow pack this year the public should be aware of the dangers when traveling through the canyons.

Accident victim recovering

James L. Davis

A mechanic at Nielson Construction in Huntington was seriously injured Jan. 28 after a methane gas explosion.
Jakob Killian, 22, suffered fractures to his skull, face and vertebrate and burns to his face and upper body as he was thrown approximately 40 feet after methane gas trapped inside a water truck ignited as he attempted to thaw out a frozen valve on the water tank with a propane torch.

The Nielson Construction water truck had been used to remove waste water from oil well sites and the waste water had apparently allowed for the build up of methane gas in the water tanker. With the frigid weather the water valves on the truck had become frozen and the truck had been taken to maintenance to be thawed out. Killian, working outside the company’s maintenance shop, used a weed burner to thaw out the metal valve so that it could be opened. Using the weed burner to heat the water valves and thaw them out has been a common practice to keep the trucks operating during the winter months.

Once the valve was thawed the driver, Mark Mortensen, opened the valve and Killian attempted to melt away ice buildup in the valve itself. The torch ignited the methane gas and the explosion threw Killian violently into the parking lot. Mortensen was thrown to the side of the truck. An inspection cover on the back of the truck was ripped away in the explosion and flew approximately 70 feet, where it bounced off another truck in the company parking lot, according to Emery County Sheriff Lamar Guymon, who responded to the scene.

Killian was rushed to Castleview Hospital where he was taken by life flight to the University of Utah Hospital. Mortensen was taken to Emery Medical Center as a precautionary measure and released.

Killian remained in ICU throughout most of the week and remained heavily sedated as doctors tended to his injuries. By the end of the week Killian had regained consciousness and was anxious to go home. His parents, Kurt and Tory Killian of Huntington, family and friends were in high spirits on Feb. 1 as the young mechanic showed signs of improvement.

“He wants to go home,” Tory Killian. “He’s never been a good patient.”

Tory reported that Jakob would undergo surgery for his damaged vertebrate on Feb. 4 and if all goes well he could get his wish to go home by week’s end.

The burns Killian suffered were mostly second degree, but Tory said there was an area on his arm that suffered third degree burns. His road to recovery will be long, but how long Tory was not sure of.

What she was sure of is that her son is tough. “We’re kind of proud of him. He’s a real fighter, like his grandpa,” Tory said.

Another thing Tory was sure of is that when word first came of the explosion, she knew her son was involved. Upon hearing word of the explosion at the construction company Tory raced toward the shop and arrived just after emergency response crews.

“I knew it was him,” Tory said.

At the shop she said her son was animated as rescue crews worked to treat him; animated and vocal, according to his mother. “I had to say, Jakob, don’t use those words.”

Tory said the response from the community has been overwhelming as they responded to her son’s injury.
“We couldn’t ask for a better community. We’ve had lots of prayers and lots of calls. Emery County and Carbon County are the best counties in the world,” she said.

Miners to vote on contract proposal

Kathy Ockey

The possibility of a strike by Deer Creek coal miners still looms, but miners remained on the job through the weekend as union and company representatives continued their efforts to negotiate a new contract.

Representatives of United Mine Workers Local 1769 and Energy West-Pacificorp have completed a second contract draft proposal to present to miners.

The first proposal was presented to miners on Jan. 21 and the proposal was rejected by a majority of miners. Deer Creek miners continued to work under the expired contract.

A meeting was held on Feb. 2 to explain the proposal to the miners and the miners voted on the proposal on Feb. 4. Whether the miners had accepted or rejected the newest proposal was unknown as of press time.

Some of the miners had originally planned a meeting for Feb. 2 to voice their concerns to the public and media about what the company was originally offering in their original offer.

That meeting was cancelled “due to unforeseen circumstances” prior to learning news of UMWA’s latest proposal.

Student waits, hopes for life saving transplant

Josie Luke

17-year-old Ryan Thompson’s life has changed dramatically in the past four years. He has gone from an active lifestyle where he had perfect attendance in school, was on the honor roll, excelled in sports, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, to the point where life is a long period of waiting…and hoping.

Today Ryan can no longer attend school or leave his home in Huntington for more than a few hours because he becomes fatigued very easily. Ryan is now faced with needing a liver transplant to save his life.

Ryan’s mother, Yolanda, explains that the doctors have said that “tomorrow wouldn’t be too soon” for Ryan to have the transplant, but they have warned the family that “livers are a precious commodity and don’t come easily.” Ryan’s most recent hospitalization was from Jan. 14-24 when he had a drain put into his liver between his ribs to drain bile which wasn’t able to escape because the liver duct had become completely closed off. “He’s had more pain than anyone should ever experience in a lifetime. He was in pain for days,” Yolanda relates.

During this stay at Primary Children’s Ryan was placed on the liver transplant list. At this time Ryan’s parents received a pager to keep with them at all times for when a liver becomes available. The rest of the families contact information was also recorded.

Ryan’s problems began in 2004 when he was in 8th grade. He began to experience aching joints to the point he was unable to get out of bed in the morning. Over the next year this was followed by stomach pain and lack of energy. Ryan felt that the lack of energy meant he “wasn’t in good enough shape and needed to work out more.” After months of uncertainty as to what was making him sick, in April of 2005 Ryan was initially diagnosed with pneumonia. His mother wasn’t convinced that the correct diagnosis had been made and insisted that he be transferred to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City. During the two weeks of being hospitalized and undergoing tests, doctors discovered that Ryan had some serious medical issues.

What had been originally diagnosed as pneumonia was in fact Pulmonary Nodules, which were causing him to have difficulty breathing, combined with Ulcerative Colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease. More seriously, Ryan was diagnosed with a rare form of liver disease called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis which, according to the National Liver Foundation, is a chronic disease that causes scarring and inflammation in the bile ducts of the liver. The ducts become permanently blocked and bile accumulates in the liver, damaging it and causing cirrohis, which leads to the need for a transplant.

Since the diagnosis, Ryan has had periods where he feels well and periods when he is unable to function. “I would be OK for a couple of months and then I’d get another flare-up. It just puts me on the floor where I can’t move for hours,” he explains. He has slowly had to quit many of the activities he enjoyed. “In 9th grade I made the basketball team, I was on the wrestling team and on the football team, and I was planning on doing baseball in high school. I can’t do any of it anymore.” He has also lost a lot of weight, “I’ve lost 20 pounds in the last few weeks. When I was in junior high I weighed 155 and right now I weigh about 120,” he said.

Since Thanksgiving Ryan hasn’t been well enough to attend school. His mother said that “the school is trying to work with him, but they’re having a hard time finding tutors. He’s gone to school a couple of times but just for a couple hours and has his girlfriend bring his homework back and forth.” He was especially disappointed to have to drop into a lower math class. “I liked math, I was on the math team, but I had to drop out,” he says.

Because Ryan’s father, Timothy, works for Geneva Rock near Salt Lake during the week, Ryan and his mother spend a lot of time together. Although Ryan loves his mother, he reports that his days are “boring”. The first thing he wants to do when he is well again is “get out of the house and go for a run”.

The situation is also taking a toll on his family. “We’ve spent a lot of time at Primary Children’s Medical Center. He’s probably been five times that he’s had to stay, but we’ve been up there a lot for just day trips,” says Yolanda. They have good days and bad days. “A bad day is when he’s in so much pain we’re on our way to Primary’s. A good day is when he does not have to take any pain medication and he’s feeling good,” she explains, “We try to keep each other happy.”

The family is also concerned about the associated costs. On average a liver transplant surgery costs about $392,000. Yolanda explains, “We have insurance, but our insurance has a $250,000 a year cap, and some of that has already been used. “If we have to end up selling our house, that’s what we’ll do, it’s only a house. We can replace everything but Ryan. We just need to have enough money to take care of Ryan to get him better.”

Asked what the perfect outcome would be, Yolanda pauses attempting to hold back tears. She explains, “It’s kind of hard. Somebody’s got to lose their life in order for Ryan to get a liver. There’s going to be a family out there that is going through a loss and we’re pretty much going to be rejoicing. It’s kind of messed up. I hope that people donate. It’s a hard thing. One person donating can save eight lives and make other lives better. I just pray that whoever it is, that they don’t suffer.”

Another fear is being faced with the possibility of having another one of their sons giving part of their liver if a deceased donor does not become available in time. Doctors have told the family that they prefer a full liver transplant, but if Ryan only had a few days left, they would consider a living donor. His mother says, “He has three brothers that have the same blood type. If they do that, they would take two-thirds of the donor’s liver, and the donor would be left with one-third.” Doctors have told them the donors’ liver would be back to a full sized liver in 5 to 8 weeks. Ryan’s liver would be full sized in approximately 3 months.

Ryan and his family are looking forward to a time when he can do all of the things his diseases are keeping him from. “We’ve always been pretty avid outdoors people. I’ll just be excited to see him do about anything. Climbing the rocks when we go to the desert, riding the four wheelers, or building a dam in the river when we’re up the mountain– anything he loves to do” says his mother.

Ryan’s brother has put together a web site to try to raise money for the transplant surgery at www.HELPRYANNOW.com A fund has also been set up to help the family to pay for the transplant at Wells Fargo under the Ryan Thompson Liver Fund.

Organizers get ‘animated’ for Relay for Life kickoff

James L. Davis

The Relay for Life Committee will hold its kickoff event on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Castle Dale Senior Citizens Center and everyone interested in forming a team for Relay for Life is invited to attend. Those registering their team on the night of the kickoff will be able to do so for a $50 registration fee and returning teams that sign up again and bring someone else to sign up a new team will be able to register for only $25. Team registration is normally $100.
The Relay for Life event itself is scheduled for June 20-21 at Emery High School. This year’s theme is Animated for a Cure and teams will be encouraged to come to the relay dressed as their favorite cartoon character.

The relay committee is also planning to once again have the Miss Relay Contest, which proved to be a crowd favorite last year. During the Miss Relay Contest brave male contestants come dressed to compete for the “Miss” Relay crown. Every team was asked to have a Miss Relay contestant last year and roughly half of the teams were able to find a male contestant brave enough to show up at the high school in a dress. Committee organizers hope with enough advance planning, there can be even more contestants this year.

Last year during Relay for Life teams raised more than $34,000 in the fight against cancer, shattering the previous record for the county event by more than $10,000.

During the Relay for Life kickoff event in February organizations will be present to give teams information on possible fund raising activities and those interested in starting a team can learn more about how Relay for Life works.

Relay for Life is a community gathering where everyone can participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of eight to 15 people are asked to raise at least $100 each in the fight against cancer and during the relay team members walk laps at the Emery High track. Later in the evening during a luminary ceremony luminaries are lit around the track in honor of those who have lost their battle with cancer or in celebration of survivors. Teams are also asked and encouraged to sell luminaries to those who have a loved one impacted by cancer.

Relay for Life will start on the evening of June 20 and continue throughout the night, ending on the morning of June 21. Teams set up tent sites on the football field and are encouraged to decorate their sites in their theme of choice. Contests are held throughout the night for fun and to raise donations to go toward the fight against cancer.
Those who are considering having a team are encouraged to start early and plan to attend the meeting on Feb. 7.