KDXU Sunrise Stories for August 31, 2023: Breast feeding Protest, Phycologists Needed at Utah Schools, and Counterfeit Money

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 44 

Statewide News – 08/31/23 

Algae Kills Family Dog in Provo 

A family in Provo is mourning the loss of their dog Toby after he was exposed to a toxic-algae at Utah Lake last weekend. 

The family was walking along the shore of Utah Lake when Toby fell into the lake, exposing himself to the algae.  

The family transported Toby to the local veterinarian, but the dog passed away just an hour after arriving at the facility. 

Toby’s owner, Brandee Wing, says there should be more warnings for these types of danger. 

Psychologists needed at Utah Schools 

Schools across the state of Utah are dealing with a shortage of psychologists. 

The National Association of School Psychologists said there should be one psychologist for every 500 students. However, Utah schools have only one psychologist for every 2,300 students. 

Gerry Trelease, the Granite School District Psychology Coordinator, said he’s been seeing an increase in anxiety symptoms among students. He also mentions the lack of awareness regarding school psychology is likely to blame for the shortage. 

Earthquake Near Ogden 

Residents of Ogden felt a small earthquake in the evening hours of August 30.  

Seismograph stations at the University of Utah detected a 3.7 magnitude earthquake in Weber County.  

Many residents posted on social media to get confirmation, but other than that, no damage was reported in the area. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 08/31/23 

Counterfeit Money-Scheme Leads to 2 Arrests 

Two women were arrested in Iron County after reportedly passing counterfeit $100 bills at Love’s Travel Stop. 

59-year-old Roberta Eng and 31-year-old Jazmine Ramirez were arrested after reports of the counterfeit bills were reported by a cashier at Love’s Travel Stop. 

Authorities arrested the women on I-15 shortly after the report, and the women are possibly connected to other fraud related crimes in Cedar City. 

Smoke Causes Panic at Veterans Home in Ivins 

Fire crews responded to reports of smoke filling the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins on August 30. 

The smoke came from an electrical outlet connected to a fish tank, causing an evacuation order for the lobby and conference room in the building. 

No residents were evacuated, and fire crews found that no fire was sparked, but smoke did indeed fill the lobby. Nobody was injured in the process. 

Protest for Normalizing Breast Feeding in Washington County 

A protest occurred in front of the Washington County School District on the morning of August 29. 

The topic of the protest was normalizing breastfeeding for nursing mothers in public spaces. The head of the protest was Shannon Anderson, a mother who was told to cover up while nursing her child at Bloomington Elementary on August 16. 

I reached out to Steven Dunham, the director of communications and foundations for the Washington County School District, and he said the school district fully supports nursing mothers, but there needs to be precautions when nursing in front of other resident’s children. 

Dunham said the school district is more than happy to provide accommodations to nursing mothers like coverings or a private room if they need to remain uncovered while nursing their child. 

Other 

Reminder: Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. A special walk is scheduled for today at Utah Tech University from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. titled “a Light to Remember.” The walk is to show support to those who lost a loved one to a drug overdose. 

Fun fact about Stockton Myers, the writer of Sunrise Stories. 

Stockton is an absolute whiz when it comes to Mario Party. He tends to drive his friends mad when he plays because he somehow gets the most ridiculous luck when they play together. Unrelated, Stockton has lost contact with some of his friends recently. He doesn’t know why *wink wink*. 

Happy Friday Eve!