Latest news with #KeithLawrence
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reports increased populations in formerly endangered June sucker fish
SALT LAKE CITY () — A formerly endangered Utah native fish, the June sucker has been downlisted to threatened status, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). The June sucker is a fish species native to Utah, inhabiting Utah Lake and using tributaries in the Provo River and Hobble creek among others to spawn. It is an omnivore that can live for 40 years and grows several feet in size. In an interview with Native Aquatics Project Leader at DWR Keith Lawrence said, 'A few decades ago, it was believed that the population [of June suckers] was down to only a few hundred individuals, maybe as many as a thousand.' Now, however, through conservation efforts, the June Sucker population has recovered, to numbers 'estimated today to be in the tens of thousands, probably somewhere between 30 and 50,000 fish,' according to Lawrence. 'It's important to understand that Utah Lake has undergone many changes over the decades since Western settlers arrived. And many of them have not necessarily been good for the June sucker, at least, and other native fishes that lived there previously. The June sucker is one of the few that remain.' Keith Lawrence, Native Aquatics Project Leader at DWS Lawrence explained that the June sucker is not a predator, but as an omnivore it feeds on invertebrates and zooplankton, so it plays a role in the ecosystem as a mid-level omnivore. Cat who survived 400-foot Bryce Canyon fall adopted by rescuing pilot The recovery program for the June sucker has been a large undertaking that began shortly after the species was listed as endangered, Lawrence said. Alongside partners, DWR has taken a myriad of measures to protect the species, including non-native management, water conservation especially in the Provo River, public information and outreach, habitat improvement, and a 'very aggressive' stocking program. As part of the stocking program, conservationists took some of the remaining individuals and propagated them, mostly at the Logan Hatchery in northern Utah, Lawrence said. They are raised in these hatcheries and then they are stocked into the lake. Lawrence told that there have been 'hundreds of thousands' of June suckers stocked into the lake over the years. Lawrence stated that while the recovery has been very successful, there are still threats to the June sucker population, including 'all the non-native potential predators and competitors that we have in the system.' Additionally, water flow continues to be a major threat. The Supreme Court reinstates federal approval in Uinta Basin Railway project 'At one time, the Provo River ran completely dry, you know, during the summer,' Lawrence said. 'Memory of the summers that that did happen, and so obviously that's not good for the fish, and so the program has spent tens of millions of dollars to try to purchase money and provide those flows when the fish need them.' Lawrence stated that they are monitoring the spawning run into the Provo Delta and Oville Creek, using PIT tag antennas, which passively detect tags put into some of the fish. June suckers are most vulnerable after spawning. 'They're very vulnerable, as you might imagine, when they're small,' Lawrence said, and he described getting them from the larval stage to 'age one' fish as a 'bottleneck.' The research to figure out how to get over that bottleneck is key, he said. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reports increased populations in formerly endangered June sucker fish Car crosses median, causing multiple vehicle crash in Kaysville/Farmington One of two water wells in Hildale City back online after repairs Pride flag raising ceremony kicks of 2025 Utah Pride festivities Intermountain Health first in nation to expand stem cell collection for CAR-T Cell Therapy bringing innovative cancer procedure to Southern Utah Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
New safety measures in place for St. Mary Magdalene Homecoming Festival
WILLOWICK, Ohio (WJW) — Church festival season is right around the corner. Making sure those celebrations stay safe is a top priority for organizers and police departments across Northeast Ohio. The annual St. Mary Magdalene Homecoming Festival in Willowick runs May 29 through June 1. Three years ago, juveniles caused havoc, as widespread fighting broke out at the festival and spilled into city streets. This year, a new safety plan is in place. Poisonous plant rapidly spreading across Ohio: what to do if you see it Live music, food, games and rides for kids — that's what the St. Mary Magdalene festival is known for. Organizers are looking forward to another celebration but are also focused on keeping guests safe after a violent incident three years ago. 'Unruly, mostly teenagers, just basically a mob scene — chaos, fighting, violence, vandalism, trespassing — and we had to use crowd control measures to get it under control,' Willowick Police Department Lt. Keith Lawrence said. Lawrence said the St. Mary's festival is a cherished tradition, and the violence in 2022 left a stain on an otherwise spotless record. 'It's an important event for the church, an important event for Lake County and this community. So it hurt the church in more ways than one,' he said. This year, new safety measures will be implemented. There will be perimeter fencing, and guests will need wristbands to enter. Bags are subject to search, and no weapons of any kind will be permitted — including pocketknives and pepper spray. All minors must be accompanied by an adult, and each adult can be responsible for a maximum of five children. 'Control unsupervised teenagers, basically,' Lawrence said. 'Unfortunately, that has been the population that has been the biggest problem for our festival and for other area festivals.' Adoption fees slashed to $28 for Summit County dogs Lawrence said there will be a strong police presence at the festival, and mutual aid from several nearby departments will be available if needed. Police say the violence at the St. Mary's festival a couple of years ago was a fluke, and there have been no issues since. But they emphasize you can never be too prepared when it comes to safety. 'There will be consequences if people want to cause trouble,' Lawrence said. 'I feel confident in our officers and the resources we have in place, so yeah, my message would be: Don't even try it.' Anyone who doesn't follow the protocols will be removed from the festival grounds and could face criminal charges. This year's festival is intended to be a family-friendly event, and both police and church leaders are hopeful to leave the violent incident in the past. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Five years ago, the world turned upside down
It was March 2020. We were looking for an economic boom in Daviess County. New building projects, big conventions, more sports tournaments. And then, we started hearing about a deadly coronavirus that started in China and was sweeping the world. Could it happen here? Then, on March 13, a 63-year-old Henderson woman became the first person diagnosed with coronavirus in the region. And our world changed. Everything was put on hold. The Messenger-Inquirer sent reporters home to work until it was over. A few weeks, we thought. But it was May 2021 before we returned to the office. Those first few weeks, we didn't know what to expect. Would it be like one of those movies about viruses killing people in the streets? Soon, shortages were popping up everywhere. We began hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The pandemic fear had really reached us on March 1, 2020, when masks began flying off local shelves as we began stocking up in case the pandemic that was sweeping the world reached us. The first case reached Kentucky on March 6 — in Lexington. By March 9, sanitizer was in short supply all over the country. Two days later, nursing homes had stopped allowing visitors to come in. On March 11, the governor asked churches to go online and not have in-person services. And schools closed for what they said would be three weeks. We thought we'd have the virus under control by then. But it was months before kids sat in the classroom again. Sports, conventions and festivals were being called off. On March 13, Owensboro Health restricted visitation for fear of spreading the disease. Three days later, restaurants and bars closed. Hotels saw bookings plummet. Child-care centers closed. And the primary election was postponed until June. On March 17, gyms and movie theaters closed. Hundreds lost their jobs. By March 20, we had five cases in Daviess County. Three days later, Owensboro Health saw its first patient with COVID-19. Local distilleries started making hand sanitizer. Funerals were limited to a small number of mourners and drive-through visitation. We reserved the Owensboro Convention Center for an overflow of patients from the hospital. Fortunately, that was never needed. Some said wear masks. Some said don't wear masks. We were afraid to touch anything away from home. And we learned to stay 6 feet apart, bump elbows or just wave. By 2021, we had vaccinations for COVID-19. Some were glad to get them. Some fought against them. That light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be getting closer. And then, we learned about variants. Greek words like Delta and Omicron. Things got worse again and we got booster shots in the fall. And there's a new booster every year now. By June 2023, the state reported that 39,485 Daviess Countians had had the virus. And 472 had died. We've come a long way in the past five years. Here's hoping that's the last pandemic. But it probably won't be. Keith Lawrence, klawrence@
