KDXU Sunrise Stories for March 13, 2024: Controversial Diamond Ranch Academy Could Return Under New Name

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 170 

Statewide News – 03/13/24 

Utah Medicaid Outage Finally Resolved 

Utah Medicaid patients should now be able to complete their prescription needs after weeks of outages. 

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services reported on March 12 that Change Healthcare’s prescription system has been restored. 

Even though everything should be working again, Utah officials said they will still extend some flexibility to patients affected by the outage until the system is proved to be functional. 

Utah Is One of the Cheapest Places for Electricity in U.S. 

A new study from Texas Electricity Ratings places Utah as one of the cheapest places for electricity in the United States this year. 

Utah residents allegedly paid a little over $1,000 a year for power. The exact average in Utah for 2023 was 11.03 cents per kilowatt hour. The study reported this is 150% lower than the national average for power. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 03/13/24 

Controversial Hurricane Youth Facility Could Return Under New Name 

Diamond Ranch Academy may be returning under a new name despite the facility shutting down in September 2023 with Utah officials revoking the youth care facility’s medical license.  

The new facility is filed under the name RAFA Academy but would be stationed at the abandoned Diamon Ranch Academy campus with many of the same head staff. 

Mike Anderson, a reporter from KSL, found some of the information from the RAFA Academy website was copied directly from the old Diamond Ranch Academy website. 

The inciting incident that led to Diamond Ranch Academy’s shut down was in December 2022 when Taylor Goodridge, a teen from Washington state who was staying at the facility, was reportedly denied medical care for a stomach infection that unfortunately led to her death. 

The friends and family of Taylor started a campaign to punish Diamond Ranch Academy called Justice for Taylor which had a significant impact on Southern Utah’s social media scene. 

$5 Million in Drugs Seized During Cedar City DUI Arrest 

Authorities in Cedar City arrested a man in a DUI incident over the weekend in Cedar City which led to the seizure of over $5 million in illegal narcotics. 

A deputy from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office saw a driver sit through a traffic light cycle at an intersection without moving, prompting the deputy to inquire further.  

The deputy discovered 50-year-old Julio Partida-Pantoja had five times the legal limit of alcohol in his body, and a search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of $5 million worth of fentanyl and methamphetamines. 

Vehicle Drives Off Cliff in St. George on Bluff Street 

A 41-year-old woman received injuries of unknown severity after her vehicle drove off a cliff near 700 South on Bluff Street near Tech Ridge Drive. 

The St. George Police Department, St. George Fire Department, and other emergency workers responded to the accident to rescue the woman and remove the wreckage from the cliffside. 

While the reason for the accident has not been disclosed, the woman was reportedly coherent when she was transported to St. George Regional Hospital via ambulance. 

Other 

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

Stockton recently found out his brother is for sure moving to New York City in August. While excited, Stockton is going to miss his brother. This brother was the one Stockton spent most of his time with growing up, and they tend to share most of the same hobbies and love for musical theater. I guess Stockton will have to start looking for good deals on plane tickets to New York once the Fall season rolls around. 

Happy Wednesday!