Utah State News Service

By Rylee Marron  Sky View High School’s juniors have until Christmas to make a momentous choice — completing their studies as Bobcats or being part of the first graduating class from Green Canyon High School. Green Canyon principal Dave Swenson is hoping to persuade 250 Sky View juniors to make the switch to the new school in North Logan. “Come and be a part of a new tradition,” Swenson has been telling would-be Wolves. “You’ll be the first graduating class. We can help set some of the traditions that’ll last forever.” Swenson is planning to hold a November presentation about the opportunities being offered at Green Canyon. He said he understands some people want to be with their friends — but he hopes that means they’ll come together. “I hope we get every one of them,” Swenson said. Swenson said he’ll present Green Canyon as a school with a lot to offer. The school will have all new classrooms and sports facilities, new technology and, unlike Sky View, air...

By Zac Lyon A proposal to add apartment complexes to the Elk Mountain residential area was approved by the Hyrum Planning Commission on Thursday evening over the objections of several residents who complained the development would change the town’s character. "I'm afraid to see the negative impact of adding apartments to Hyrum," said Jared Scott, one of the first residents to voice an opinion about the proposal from Logan-based Kartchner Homes. “I appreciate the developer's efforts, but I fear that we'd lose that small-town feeling that Hyrum is known for if we had apartment buildings." Others expressed personal distaste for apartments, fears of an HOA-controlled community and worries about a negative atmosphere that could be created by the development.  "I feel like having a high-density apartment complex is too much for Hyrum," city resident Scott Jensen said. "I'm all for development, but I'm afraid that apartments would bri...

By Jessica Dryden Plans are being made to re-open a historic — and possibly haunted — property in Logan Canyon. Volunteers met at the property known as The Nunnery on Nov. 22 to begin discussing renovation projects that will take place in the spring. Although no plans are set in place yet, new owner Matt Nielsen is hoping to begin offering tours of the property once the buildings are restored. Sarah Argyle, The Nunnery’s Facebook page administrator, said Nielsen is “hoping that people will be able to enjoy it once again.” The property has not been open to the public since 1978, when it was still in the possession of the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese. Since then a succession of property owners have come and gone, often abandoning dreams of re-opening the property after incidents involving trespassers and vandalism. The public’s intrigue was particularly stoked by  a 1997 incident  in which a group of trespassing teens were ambushed, shot at, and handcuffed by men who cl...

By Jensie Bahr With a junior-less season underway for the Utah State University women’s basketball team, the Aggies have been relying on sophomores to lead the team.  And s o far, so good. The Aggies have had a 6-2 start despite the lack of older players. This is the first time in at least a decade the team has been this young overall. Head coach Jerry Finkbeiner said younger players have risen to the challenge — specifically players like sophomore guards Rachel Brewster and Katie Toole. “They both have this natural ability to lead, but in different ways – Rachel by word and Katie by deed,” Finkbeiner said. “While they are both sophomores, they already know what it takes to be great leaders and I anticipate them being outstanding players in future seasons.” There are only two seniors on the team this season, Angelica de Paulo and Antoina Robinson. De Paulo has yet to play in a game due to an injury. That’s left Robinson to share leadership roles with younger players...

By Hannah McDonald It’s a five-minute bus ride from the center of campus to Utah State University’s office for Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information. On foot, it might take 15 minutes. But for victims of sexual assault — who are often torn over what to do — those minutes can be the difference between reporting a crime and staying silent. That’s one of the main reasons why the office, known as SAAVI, is planning to relocate to the center of Utah State’s campus next semester. In January, SAAVI will take over a third-floor office in the Taggart Student Center currently occupied by the student newspaper, which is moving to a first-floor space vacated by Zion’s Bank. The move will put SAAVI right next to the department for Counseling and Psychological Services and the Center for Women and Gender. Felicia Gallegos, a student intern in Utah State University’s office for Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information, or SAAVI, said she hopes the move will help students feel mo...

By Tristan Paradise Former Utah State University hockey player Brian Gibbons has notched eight goals since joining Germany’s EC Hannover Indians. But his most exciting contribution to his new team might have come last month — an 18 th  minute assist that put his side up 2-0 against the Hannover Scorpions in the iciest rivalry in Lower Saxony, the Hannover Derby. The assist, and the game in which it was played, is a memory Gibbons will always remember. "The rivalry is pure hatred for the other team," Gibbons said of the game, which was played in front of 4,608 fans on Nov 12. "It was an unbelievable experience." It’s also an experience Gibbons had at one time doubted he’d ever have. When he transferred to Utah State from Div. III Utica College in New York, Gibbons said, he figured his professional dreams were done. University club programs don’t generally produce many pros. "I thought since it was club hockey, my professional dream was over," h...

By Hannah McDonald On   July 1 , at the conclusion of his 35th year with the Utah State University police department, Capt. Steve Milne will set down his badge for the last time. Milne has been a fixture in the department since its inception in 1982. He is second in seniority only to Chief Steven Mecham, who will retire in January. “I figure it’s time,” Milne said. “It’s been great, but I’m at the point now where I kind of want to enjoy life. It’s especially hard this time of year when you’ve got the football games and stuff. My wife and kids go to the games, but I’m having to work them. I’m ready to go and enjoy it with them.” Milne joined the department as a university student in 1982. At the time, he was working on a degree in education and sports coaching. That summer, an opening came up for a full time police officer. Milne was accepted for the position, and he has worked in the department ever since. Emergency management coordinator Judy Crockett has worked with Mi...

By Miranda Tilley Flat screen televisions and Bluetooth speakers weren’t the only deals on Black Friday weekend. The Cache Humane Society exempted adoption fees – helping cats and dogs find their fur-ever homes in Logan.  The event, which started on Friday and ended Monday, was called Pawlidayz.  More than 115 shelters, rescue centers and humane organizations across the United States participated in the event. Stacey Frisk, the executive director of the Cache Humane Society, said Pawlidayz would not have been possible without Zappos.com in partnership with the Best Friends Animal Society. The company covered the normal adoption fee of $175 for dogs and $50 for cats.  A total of 47 dogs and 50 cats were adopted from the Cache Humane Society during the weekend special. “A normal day here consists of four to five animals being adopted so these numbers are huge,” Frisk said. “It was a big weekend for us.”  Frisk was especially pleased w...

By Junshi Zhao South Korean students at Utah State University are feeling the effects of political unrest back home as the calls for the resignation of President Geun-Hye Park have intensified in recent days. The instability — resulting from recent revelations that the daughter of a famous cult leader allegedly exerted undue influence within Park’s government — has made USU student Suki Kim question a decision to return home after graduation. Park said on Tuesday she would be willing to leave office if ordered to do so by the Republic of Korea’s parliament. If Park did resign, though, it would defy Kim’s expectations. “I don’t think she would give up this position,” Kim said. “But things will continue to grow and get worse if she staying. It scares me.”   Hyun Jin Cho, who is studying aviation at Utah State, agreed. “I think it will become more serious if she decides to do nothing and keeps lying to citizens,” Cho said. Cho took some comfort from the fact that Park i...

By Rylee Marron The little girl only wanted one thing for Christmas. It wasn’t the prettiest doll or the coolest toy of the year. But to her, it was better than the whole toy section. "She told me 'you know what? We just have plastic forks and spoons to eat with,'"  recalled North Park Police Chief Kim Hawkes, who was the girl’s Shop-With-A-Cop partner last year.  "'I would like to get my mom some real metal knives and forks.'" The annual holiday charity event will move to a new location this year, but Hawkes expects to continue creating memorable experiences like the one he shared with that little girl in 2015. “There are some kids that are focused on toys. But she was so excited that she could hardly contain herself," Hawkes said. "All she could say was how neat her mom was going to think this gift was that she found.” Hawkes said there was some concern, when Kmart closed its North Logan store, that Shop-With-A-Cop could come...

By Nicholas Porath Veteran users of the herbal supplement kratom may be changing their habits in the wake of a Drug Enforcement Administration announcement that it would reclassify the drug as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, according to employees of tobacco and vape stores across the Wasatch Front. But in the wake of the DEA’s decision to halt its ban — which was set to take effect on Oct. 1 — a new group of customers appears to have materialized. “Sales have slowed down from the original customers a bit, but the supposed ban actually advertised it for us,” said Alicia Kirschman, a sales associate at One Stop Smoke Shop in Ogden. “I get so many calls asking if we sell kratom. I get a lot of people asking what it is, and why they were trying to make it Schedule 1. People are trying it just because it was almost illegal. I’m definitely seeing it become more recreational.” Those who have used kratom for years — the substance has been used in traditional cultures to reliev...

By Valentino Warren The International Dark-Sky Association announced on Tuesday that Cedar Breaks National Monument would become the next park in Utah to be dark sky certified. The park will be formally reviewed in late January and receive bronze, silver or gold status by the second week of February, said John Barentine, a program manager from the non-profit association that works to stop light pollution.  Barentine said the one-to-two-year process of selecting and certifying a Dark Sky Park is extremely thorough. The certification recognizes conservative use of artificial light of all kinds and particularly the reduction of blue light emissions, which are a known ecological hazard, Barentine said.  "Our process is fairly rigorous and balanced against the fact we're a very small organization, by typical non-profit standards," Barentine said.  An association-certified Dark Sky Park is a land mass possessing an exceptionally starry sky and nocturnal environm...

By Shanie Howard A workshop aimed at helping students develop resilience could become a credit-generating class at Utah State University by the fall of 2017. Dr. David Bush, a psychologist at the school’s Counseling and Psychological Services center and the director of the workshops, said resilience is “the strongest predictor of academic success — more than GPA or IQ tests.” Bush has received permission from the school to monitor the grades of students who have attended the resilience workshops. If he sees an improvement, Bush will begin expanding the curriculum to fill a semester-long class.  “I would love to see this workshop eventually expanded to a two-credit course,” said Becca Phillips, a student studying instructional leadership who helped research and develop the trainings. “Building resilience is a process, and it doesn’t happen right away.” Phillips began her research in June. Despite spending more than five months studying and building up her own resilience, ...

By Miranda Tilley Logan residents are nearly evenly split on whether the city should take action to reduce the population of deer within city limits, according to the results of a new survey — and the lack of a clear majority opinion on the matter has left city leaders still struggling to decide what to do. On Tuesday the council announced the results of the  optional, mail-in survey, which was conducted by students at Utah State University. The results show 47 percent of people don’t think anything needs to be done to reduce the amount of deer within the city’s limits. Those who do want the city to take further action are divided on what steps to take. The council agreed on   Sept. 20   that the deer population in Logan had grown to a dangerously high level and something needed to be done. As a result, the survey was sent to randomly selected residents within Logan's boundaries on   Sept. 26 , with the purpose of better understanding resid...

By Jaden Johnson The Utah State University volleyball team ended conference play on a high note, sweeping San Jose in three sets today in a match the Aggies owned from start to finish. Utah State as a team had a combined hitting percentage of .371 in the match, led by a career-high hitting percentage of .625 by outside hitter Kaylie Kamalu-Smith. In her last ever Mountain West competition, the senior recorded 17 kills with just two errors. “I think you just kind of find the zone sometimes,” Kamalu-Smith said. “Especially with the season winding down, I just tried to leave it all out there. I don’t want to have any regrets.” The Aggies dominated the first set, never trailing on the way to a 25-12 victory. The Aggie defense was out in full force during the set, using 23 digs to hold the Spartans to a hitting percentage of just .023. San Jose State came to life in second set, starting out with a 10-9 lead, but the Spartans’ first lead of the day didn’t last for long as the Aggi...

By Jessica Dryden Cheers erupted from Providence Elementary on Monday as the Cache Education Foundation delivered $6,200 in combined grant money to the school. The grants will be used to purchase non-consumable items used in the classroom. Terri Lewis, the Cache Education Foundation executive director, delivered 32 small grants to Providence Elementary school alone. “The best part about delivering the grants is to watch the teachers receive their award card and see how excited they get,” Lewis said. She explained that classroom budgets are usually tight, and teachers often use their own funds to supplement their classrooms. “When someone steps up to help them with much-needed resources, they are over the moon,” Lewis said. Lindsey Feux, a sixth grade teacher at Providence Elementary, said she will use the grant money to purchase science equipment for her classroom. Two microscopes, glass slides, and square lens covers are on her list. “I am so excited and thankful for ...

By Valentino Warren The Hildale Branch Library in Washington County will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon to celebrate the grand opening of the first library in a city long-dominated by member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The town, which lies on the Utah-Arizona border, is the former home of now-imprisoned FLDS leader Warren Jeffs. Under the control of Jeffs and other FLDS leaders, many members of the community was denied access to information through the internet and access to a diversity of reading material. Joel Tucker, who is the director of the Washington County Library System, said the goal is to provide the whole community access to information — without regard to race or religion. “The FLDS church does not seem excited to have us but there is a high need for the library,” Tucker said. “Those not of the church need a neutral ground where they can be welcomed and take advantage of the resources available." Doin...

By Nicholas Porath Palates were pleased at Crumb Brothers Artisan Bread Friday night, as the Logan bakery held its first wine and cheese night. Patrons enjoyed a mouth-watering array of food and beverages, including house-made pizza, squares of locally farmed cheese from Richmond and Draper, locally grown fruit, Creminelli tartufo truffle salami, some deserts and a selection of wine and beer. The food was set up buffet-style, and drinks sold by the glass.  Executive chef Barney Northrop was pleased about the turnout, considering this was the bakery’s first event. “It went great,” Northrop said. “The turnout was great; we were pretty full. As far as capacity we can seat about 50 people and I believe 44 was our final count, so that gives us some room for moving around a little bit.” Northrop hopes to host more events like this in the future, and is grateful for the opportunity to host with the ability to serve alcohol, now that the restaurant has a liquor li...

By Jensie Bahr The Utah State University women’s tennis team finished its best season in program history on Sunday at the Cal State Northridge Invite. With a 23-14 run against players from Northridge and other Southern California schools, the Aggies finished the season with a total of 105 wins, shattering the previous record of 74 that was set two years ago.     Head coach Sean McInerney said having a more intense atmosphere at practice helped the players adapt better during matches.     “You play how you practice,” McInerney said. “We made every day competitive, not just the weekends when we’re competing. Every time we step on the court, we’ve been finding more ways to win instead of looking for reasons to lose.” Senior Nini Guensler contributed to the record with nine wins in doubles play and seven wins in singles pay. “Being more focused in practice and specifically working on my stroke has been a huge help to my game,” Guensler said. “It’s been a jou...