News

News

LAMOILLE - It might be the Lamoille Country Fair, but last weekend the small town didn't seem quite so country. Packed with people, it could be easy to forget the location, except for the view. First-year vendor Ed Anderson, marionettes dangling near his head, said he came to the Lamoille Country Fair because "I've heard so many good things about it." The view didn't hurt, either, he said. Anderson said the turnout was about what he expected. The Salt Lake City vendor offered a number of marionettes. Monkeys and dinosaurs sold best. In the grove, people milled around booths offering corn sauce and Russian mustard, no-sew quilts and hand-stitched items, and metal works for the home and garden. More than 90 vendors came; some reported sales doubled from last year, said Lamoille Woman's Club member Darby Harmening. Turnout was "excellent, really excellent. It was a beautiful day," Harmening said adding at least 1,000 attended. "The vendors were really pleased." The winner of the quilt raffle was Edie Musgrove of Elko. In its 34th year, the Lamoille Country Fair is the Lamoille Woman's Club's biggest fundraiser. The club uses money raised for community programs. The fair has become an annual tradition for many families, like Robin Webb of Spring Creek, who sat in the shade while her son, Hunter Tervort, rode the train. She comes every year with her mother, Carol Webb, and Cynthia Archuleta, who is like family. "They get new ideas for craft projects," Robin Webb said. And Indian tacos, her mother added. And lemonade, Archuleta said.******************

ELKO- District court filing fees will increase statewide Wednesday and Elko County commissioners have the option of imposing an additional fee of up to $20 for new civil actions. The fee increases were approved by the Nevada Legislature June 3 as part of Assembly Bill 65. Elko County Clerk Win Smith said the additional funds can be used for local judiciary needs. "The money doesn't go anywhere," Smith said. "It stays here." The state Legislature has not raised fees for 18 years. Some fees will increase by more than 50 percent compared to the current fees. It will cost $274 to file for divorce compared to $175. The filing fee for a civil action is increasing from $156 to $255. The cost for a marriage license will remain at $75. At the Elko County Commission meeting last week, judges from the county's district courts estimated the new fees will generate $350,000 annually. The funds must be kept in a separate county account and may be used for "court staffing, capital costs, debt service, renovation, furniture, equipment, technology, and in counties whose population is less than 100,000 (currently counties other than Clark and Washoe Counties), for court special advocate programs," according to the bill. In addition, commissioners have discretion to impose a fee for new civil actions, which could generate an additional $75,000 per year. The county could use the revenue to improve courthouse security or hire an additional district judge. Commission Vice-Chairman Charlie Myers said in a later interview there is not a set schedule for when commissioners will make the decision. "I am sure that we will enact the additional fees," Myers said. He said the commission is waiting for additional information from the courts or county manager before moving forward. If approved, a line item will be added to the county budget. Myers estimated it could take up to 45 days before the fees would go into effect. Myers said the funds would most likely be used to put a metal detector in the front entrance of the courthouse and install cameras in the courtroom.***********

RENO (AP) - Mormon crickets are once again on the move across northern Nevada, but an expert with the state Department of Agriculture predicts the bug problem should be far less than years past. A wet, cool spring slowed development of the large insects, and ongoing control programs are helping curtail them, state entomologist Jeff Knight said Thursday. "The biggest concentration is north of Elko, Independence Valley, up toward Owyhee, Mountain City, Jarbidge," Knight said, "where things were pretty much last year." He said a crew of six will be stationed in Elko County in early July to monitor and combat problem areas as they arise. "The state has been baiting Mormon crickets in the county for a while now," said Elko County Commission Chairwoman Sheri Eklund-Brown. She said the population of crickets is particularly heavy in Jarbidge and Mountain City. The county has been partnering with Knight and receives a weekly report on Mormon crickets. The infestation began in Nevada about eight years ago and peaked in 2005, when roughly 12 million acres of the state were overtaken by the large, cannibalistic bugs. Since then, their numbers have eased off. The scope of the infestation was down to about 1 million acres last year, and Knight expects this year to be about the same. "Eight years ago, when this outbreak first started, we had no equipment," he said. "It took us a year or two to get ramped up. "Now, we're trying to stay ahead of the curve." The agency has purchased a tractor to spread bait in accessible areas, and to help haul and load pesticides in remote areas. It also has a stockpile of chemicals used to battle the crickets. The agency uses two kinds of control options, depending on the location - a growth inhibitor that is sprayed from a plane and an insecticide that is applied on the ground. Last year, efforts cost about $280,000 and he expects 2009 to cost around the same or a little less. In the worst years, Knight said the efforts cost about $1.2 million. Large bands in those years have invaded rural neighborhoods, crawling over homes and leaving sidewalks and roads covered in a gooey slime. The insect was made infamous by nearly destroying the crops of Utah's Mormon settlers in 1848. Growing up to 2 inches long as adults, the crickets swarm in groups thousands strong, devouring lawns, gardens, livestock forage and crops. Knight said experts don't know what conditions cause infestations to be better or worse than others. "The onslaught in the state and a number of outbreaks through history have been related to droughts," he said. "But what makes them continue or what makes them drop off, nobody really knows.***************************