Angela Rose George, a special education teacher at Midway Elementary School who was accused of hitting a first grader in the face two years ago, pleaded no contest on Wednesday to abusing a child with a disability.

The first grader, who was 7 at the time, reported to a teacher’s aide that George hit him in the face above the eyebrow on March 28, 2024, according to the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office police affidavit. The aide took the first grader to the nurse’s office. The school nurse photographed the injury, which the child described as a scratch, according to the nurse. Principal Jennie Mecham was also notified and reported the incident to the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.

In a following interview with the Wasatch County Children’s Justice Center, the first grader said he was studying sight words and “wasn’t being good enough” for George when she “smacked” him twice and put him in “time out,” according to the police affidavit. 

The incident took place during indoor recess when George was alone in the classroom with the first grader and three other students while the rest of the class and aides were taking recess outside.

The first two aides who returned to the classroom said in interviews with police that George was upset with the first grader when they arrived. 

Later in the day, one of the aides noticed a “red welt” above the first grader’s eyebrow. The first grader said George hit him. 

The aide and the first grader left the room, and the child repeated that George had hit him. George then said she had “only (come) down on him like a hammer,” according to the police affidavit. Another aide witnessed the exchange.

Three of the five aides in the classroom said that between the end of recess and the first grader’s leaving the classroom, they saw another student hit the child on top of his head. Two agreed this was not the cause of the first grader’s injury above his eyebrow, as the other student did not hit the child near his face.

The third aide only said she witnessed the incident in her interview with police. She also disclosed that she had met with Principal Mecham the day before the incident regarding her concerns about George, whom the aide described as “a bully” in an interview with Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Baeza. 

Another aide also reported to law enforcement that she met with the elementary school principal to express worries about George. According to court documents, she said she saw George “push kids, yank kids and kick the ball from underneath them.” Other aides also described George as aggressive. 

George has been on paid administrative leave since the incident. Data from Transparent Utah shows she was paid a salary of nearly $87,000, plus over $51,000 in benefits, in 2025. She was charged with abuse or neglect of a child with a disability, a third-degree felony, in April 2024.

George first pleaded not guilty to the charge on Oct. 30, 2024. The hearing in Fourth District Court on Wednesday was to determine whether the case would be heard by a jury next week.

George’s no contest plea acknowledges there may have been sufficient evidence to find her guilty in a jury trial, but Judge Jennifer Mabey said it does not constitute an admission of guilt. 

As part of George’s plea deal with Wasatch County prosecutors, the third-degree felony was lowered to a misdemeanor. 

George has undergone court-ordered Level I Anger Management and Thinking Errors courses through Capstone Counseling Centers, which she completed earlier this month.

Other than the counseling courses, George had to maintain a clean criminal record for 12 months as part of her plea deal. However, the timeline began when she was first charged in 2024, and George retroactively met this requirement.

Ryan Bartlett, the director of strategic communications for the Utah State Board of Education, confirmed the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission is actively investigating George. He said the commission will review the case and issue a disciplinary recommendation to the state Board of Education following the resolved court proceedings. 

A disciplinary recommendation could range from a letter of warning to a teaching license suspension or revocation, though Bartlett explained it will be the state Board of Education that makes the final decision.

The Wasatch County School District declined to comment on the case.

“While we understand there is public interest, we are committed to respecting employee privacy and following appropriate HR procedures and legal requirements,” the school district’s statement read.

Mabey acknowledged the resolution of the two-year-long case “might not feel satisfying, quite frankly, for anyone.”

“One of the difficulties this job has taught me is that sometimes situations occur that, no matter the outcome, it won’t necessarily feel as if justice has been done,” she said.

Nonetheless, Mabey accepted the resolution of the case because it had been “very carefully negotiated.” Mabey expressed hope that the Capstone Counseling Centers courses George had taken would assist her in the future.

The first grader’s parents wanted to avoid a trial to avoid the possibility of traumatizing their son through testifying. The child’s mother, who asked to remain anonymous to maintain her son’s privacy, later said she would have preferred a trial over George’s felony charge being lowered to a misdemeanor. However, the child’s parents do not plan on appealing the decision at this time.

In a victim impact statement, the child’s mother described watching her son’s interview with the Children’s Justice Center as something she would never forget.

“No child should ever believe they deserve to be hurt because they were not ‘good enough,’” she said.

She said her son had developed stress-related body rashes in the days following the interview. Later, when he spotted George unexpectedly in a grocery store parking lot, he “immediately dove down in the car because he was afraid she would see him.”

When the first grader’s mother asked him whether he had anything he wanted her to say to George in court, he said, “You hurt my heart.”

“The mark above his eye faded long ago, but the emotional impact for him did not,” the child’s mother said.

George also read a two-sentence statement. She acknowledged the difficulties the case had brought to her own family, friends and students.

“Hopefully, today brings closure so all of us can move forward,” she said.

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Representatives from the Utah Department of Transportation informed the Heber City Council on Tuesday that they are considering redesigning the controversial Heber Valley bypass in line with some suggestions given by Wasatch County’s elected officials. 

The new highway will divert through traffic from Heber City Main Street. UDOT’s preferred route, Alternative B, cuts through the North Fields — a freshwater wetland area that has been used as farmland for generations — between Potters Lane and 900 North instead of keeping traffic on U.S. 40 between the two roads as Alternative A does. 

UDOT’s announcement of its preferred route in January sparked division among residents that sprouted into protests during the 60-day public comment period, which ended in March. 

During that period, the Wasatch County Council wrote a letter asking that the bypass be shifted east, as close to U.S. 40 as possible, to protect the North Fields.

The letter said the realignment would prevent bisecting existing farmlands and better align with the county’s goals of preserving open space and establishing conservation easements in the North Fields. 

It also argued that the realignment would better protect groundwater. The entire project area for both route alternatives is in the contributing area to the Heber Valley Aquifer, which is part of the most protected aquifer class in Utah for its pristine water quality. 

UDOT has maintained that significant groundwater contamination will not occur because mitigation measures will be included in the design and approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The County Council, meanwhile, believed realigning Alternative B closer to U.S. 40 would pose the least risk to the aquifer because U.S. 40 already has mitigation measures in place. 

The County Council’s letter was also signed by the Midway City Council, Charleston Mayor Doug Clements, Sen. Ronald Winterton, Rep. Mike Kohler and all members of the Heber City Council except Mike Johnston and Sid Ostergaard.

UDOT is considering “potentially shifting the North Field alignment a little bit further to the east,” said project manager Craig Hancock. They haven’t yet determined exactly how much further east that would be.

UDOT Senior Environmental Program Manager Naomi Kisen said if the bypass was “shifted all the way to close where (U.S.) 40 is,” it would perform “rather similarly” to Alternative A, which has slower travel times than Alternative B on U.S. 189, U.S. 40 and Main Street.

“Every change we make does affect our travel time. It also affects the traffic volumes that we’re pulling. It’s about trying to find that happy place, where you’re not losing too much of the performance, but you’re also kind of avoiding the impacts that you’re trying to avoid,” Kisen added. 

UDOT is implementing another design change in response to a letter sent by the City Council during the public comment period. That letter focused on local impacts, traffic and safety concerns identified by city engineer Russ Funk.

The proposed bypass design would require pedestrians and cyclists traveling on trails to take a half-mile detour to cross the Midway Lane interchange. Funk was concerned that those unwilling to take the detour would jaywalk, increasing the potential for traffic accidents.

“We’ve added in a sidewalk through that interchange, with ped(estrian) crossings across the ramps that’ll be coming in,” Hancock said. “We’ve also added in a bike lane in the shoulder of the road as well, so anybody who wants to just ride a bike through, they can do that.”

Additionally, UDOT will address the foremost of the City Council’s concerns identified in its letter. 

The raised bypass connection between the western bypass and U.S. 40, leaving the city to the southeast, runs along 1300 South in a developed area surrounded by homes and businesses. The City Council asked that the elevated roadway be shifted south into undeveloped land to minimize impacts to residents.

“We’re just evaluating it right now but just wanted to let you know that we are going to take a look at that,” Hancock said.

Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco called the potential bypass redesigns the “best news (she) could have heard.” City Councilor Yvonne Barney agreed. 

“I know a lot of the citizens are concerned, and I think there were some who felt that it was a lost cause. And they were being told by many sources that, ‘You can’t argue with UDOT. UDOT won’t listen to you, so why even bother?’” Barney told Hancock and Kisen. “I’ve always appreciated the two of you because you’ve always been very respectful and considerate of the fact that we know our citizens here are very … sensitive about the changes that are coming forward.”

UDOT plans to release its final environmental impact statement, including its final route, by the end of the year. That document will also include UDOT’s responses to questions and concerns raised in the over 700 public comments received. 

Then, UDOT will submit a record of decision to the Federal Highway Association and begin determining funding sources for the $760.5 million project — a price tag Kisen has acknowledged could increase by the project’s horizon year of 2050.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not formally weigh in on UDOT’s plan to mitigate groundwater contamination until UDOT applies for a Section 404 permit during the design phase. 

That’s also when UDOT will come up with a plan to protect at least 2 acres of wetlands, canals, ditches and perennial streams for every acre impacted — which is 54 in Alternative B’s current design. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will also approve or deny that plan.

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On 80-year-old Sharon Carlson’s crown of pink dyed hair, she’d donned a similarly pink flapper’s feather headband. It read “Happy New Year!” in silver glitter. 

“I’m always much happier when I’m wearing pink or purple. Today, I wore this color,” she said, gesturing to her beige sweater. “But I was trying to be the Happy-New-Year type.”

When Carlson turned 50, color “happened” to her. She can’t exactly explain her affliction, but she’s certainly felt the symptoms. 

On Carlson’s farm in Wallsburg, where she raises chickens, goats and a basket’s worth of fruits with her son, you’ll find purple fences and an orchard adorned with fairy lights. In Carlson’s room, there’s an explosion of pink. 

Her flowing pink locks are the latest evidence of her obsession. Carlson had her hair dyed in 2025 with Allie Mecham, who she calls the second of “The Three Stooges” in her close-knit friend group. 

Carlson was one of about 120 seniors who crowded into the Wasatch County Senior Citizen Center on Tuesday to ring in the new year over lunch. To mark the occasion, Carlson brought her grandmother’s velvet coin purse, which was adorned with a button from her grandfather’s suit. 

“She gave it to me four years before she died,” Carlson explained. Her grandmother lived to be 104. 

In 2026, Carlson will be expressing her burst of color through oil painting.

Carlson wasn’t the only partygoer planning on picking up new talents through the senior center’s programming.

Last year, Shelly Hokanson resolved to learn something new every day.

In August, she began her learning journey by taking the senior center’s ceramics course. By Christmas, she’d made gifts by hand for each of her 22 grandchildren. Chess sets, piggy banks, dinosaurs, jewelry boxes — she sculpted it all in those feverish four months before the holiday.

In 2026, Hokanson will first set her sights on tai chi.

“I think it’s a martial art, but I don’t really know. That’s why I’m going to go try it out,” she laughed.

Hokanson said the senior center has been the perfect place to make friends. Her husband died in 2020, and her 11 kids have left the nest. 

“Going from 13 to one is really wild,” she said. “I needed to just be around friends. … I’m trying to fill my life with something that keeps me happy.”

Mike Winward, the senior center’s director, said that participation in the 60-plus social club has grown significantly in his past four years of leadership. That can be owed to an increase in programming, which stemmed from Winward’s desire to change the culture of the senior center to “someplace where you could just relax and kick back,” and word of mouth. Winward said lots of people insist, “I’m not old enough for that,” before realizing they’re not being invited to an “old folks’ home.”

In 2026, Winward said the senior center is going to continue to “party like crazy.”

Lifelong Heber City resident Vickie Todd remembers dropping off both her mother and grandmother at the senior center. Now 75, Todd herself participates. She’s seen an increase in activities and has made more friends through the center than she can count.

She’s also observed plenty of change in Heber City. Todd said that when she was growing up, kids rode bikes and horses to school, and there were barely any cars. With U.S. 40 now feeding into Main Street, that fact has certainly changed.

Meanwhile, Merrill Hall sticks to Wallsburg, where she has lived for over 30 years, for its small-town feel. It reminds her of growing up in Slaterville in Weber County.

Other than turning 100 in April, Hall can’t quite remember what she accomplished in 2025. 

“I’m too old,” she cackled.

Hall’s resolution is to stay active in the New Year. Although she has difficulties standing, she refuses to use a cane or walker and continues to climb the stairs at her home. She even stood for the Pledge of Allegiance before lunch.

The centenarian’s advice to Wasatch County residents going into 2026 is simple: “Be good and enjoy life.”

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The combined voter turnout of Wasatch County’s five municipalities was just about 50% this year.

Joey Granger, the Wasatch County clerk and auditor, said she usually anticipates voter turnout around 35%. She sees that as an “average to even high turnout” for a municipal election. 

“Any of the areas like ours that experience the rapid amount of growth and new people coming in, you’re going to see this type of activity happen,” Granger explained. 

In the case of small towns, they’re often “lucky to even get candidates to fill the position,” she said.

That was certainly the case in Interlaken. The town of just a few hundred was established in 2015. Ten years later, it held its first election. 

Bart Smith, town administrator, clerk and recorder, is thrilled. 

“It’s always been a challenge finding candidates. It’s a volunteer position,” he said. “We have typically really low attendance at our council meetings.”

Three candidates stepped up for two open seats this year, and the two incumbents were reelected. 

Smith saw it as a battle between the status quo and new ideas. Longtime residents have an understanding of how the town operates, but Smith said an influx of homeowners is coming in with new ideas.

“If you’re just moving in, you might look at how we spend our money and go, ‘Hey, you could save some money there, or you could spend some money here,’” he said. 

Smith sees the incumbents’ victories as an affirmation that residents like the way the town has been running.

Interlaken received 82 ballots from its 155 registered voters, or 53%.

Charleston, another small town, had the highest turnout in the county at 79%. Of its 327 registered voters, 259 cast ballots this year. 

Charleston’s town clerk and lifelong resident Karen Mair said it’s an election unlike any she’s seen, not just because of the turnout. The town is currently undergoing a recount because the mayoral candidates, one of whom is a write-in, were split by only one vote.

Mair said the town is undergoing changes, such as commercial expansion and annexations, that are changing the dynamic of the town. She added that many residents are senior citizens who would be affected financially by any changes the town makes, which may have been a factor contributing to high civic engagement.

Demographics may have also contributed to high voter turnout in Hideout, at least according to recently elected Mayor Ralph Severini. He described the town as “on the more mature side” age-wise.

“There are a lot of physicians, attorneys, accomplished executives, and they tend to vote,” he added.

But that can’t be the only piece of the puzzle. Hideout’s 69% voter turnout is almost 30% higher than the 41% turnout during the 2023 election. That turnout could be attributed to a number of other factors, including growth, annexations and developments looking to bring commercial businesses to the town.

Severini has lived in Hideout for nine years. He said this election cycle was the first time the town held a debate and the first time Severini saw any campaign signs around town.

Of the municipalities that held elections, the two most populous towns had the lowest turnouts. 

Midway had 1,981 ballots cast out of 4,143 registered voters, or almost 48%. City Recorder Brad Wilson said that turnout is typical for Midway, which tends to land somewhere around the mid-40s percentage-wise.

Heber City Recorder Trina Cooke said the city tends to generate around 30% voter turnout. Turnout this year was 48%, or 4,301 ballots cast out of 8,933 registered voters.

Cooke theorized that higher turnout could have something to do with the national political climate. She said she “wouldn’t be surprised if municipal elections are up everywhere.”

As for city public information officer Ryan Bunnell, he attributed the turnout to a number of factors.

“Last five years in particular, we’ve seen a significant population spike. Our last several elections, I think there’s been a bit of a curiosity as to when the new citizens would activate,” Bunnell said.

He speculated the activation may have happened this year. This election also saw increased spending by candidates, as well as some “fuel” in the mayoral race between Heidi Franco and Scott Phillips, Bunnell explained. 

“I think that there were some campaigning variables that might have been a little more incendiary than years past,” he said. “People were definitely feeling passionate about their candidates, particularly in that mayoral race.”

Bunnell explained that he became civically involved around the early 2010s, and wanted to change a pervasive culture that saw Heber City as a commercialized pit stop on the road to larger municipalities. As Bunnell became more civically engaged, he began to understand the process of his local government, making the powers that be much less of a mystery.

“If I had a wish as a public information officer, it would be that people would … become critical thinkers on their own, instead of just depending on what somebody said on Facebook,” he said. “I love that citizens are getting more involved in their municipal and county governments. It is the true place where your actions can be immediately seen and recognized.”

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Mayoral and city council election results are coming in for the Midway, Hideout, Charleston and Interlaken municipalities in Wasatch County.

Midway City Councilor Craig Simons appears to have won his campaign for mayor as did interim Hideout Mayor Ralph Severini. Meanwhile, Jan Wilson is currently ahead in the Charleston mayoral race by one vote.

Final ballot counts from Tuesday’s general election are still being counted, with Wasatch County voters choosing their preferred candidates in several municipal elections. 

Midway

Simons, who received 1,436 votes, or 76%, appears to have defeated Miller Wright. Wright received 454 votes or 24%.

“I’m very pleased, especially with the support from my neighbors and the citizens of Midway,” Simons said. “I’m ready to get to work.”

The City Council winners will likely be incumbent Jared (JC) Simonsen with 1,123 votes, or 34% and Andy Garland with 1,270 votes, or about 39%.

Voters appear to have eliminated Genene Probst-Miles, who earned 874 votes, or almost 27%. 

Hideout

In Hideout, Severini has formally secured the mayoral seat. He received 254 votes, or 72%. His opponent, Town Councilor Chris Baier, received 98 votes, or 28%, in her favor.

Severini promised he would improve the quality of life in Hideout during his first full term.

The two open Hideout Town Council seats will likely go to Tanya Brady and Brian Cooper. Brady received 232 votes, or about 36%, while Cooper received 203 votes, or 31%.

Incumbent J.D. Cronin and Doug Silver appear to have lost the race with 127 votes, or about 20%, and 89 votes, or about 14%, respectively.

Charleston

One vote separated the Charleston mayoral candidates as of Tuesday evening.

Wilson received 86 votes, or 35.98%. However, write-in candidate Doug Clements garnered 85 votes, or 35.56%.  If the margin remains as thin as it was on Tuesday, a recount could be possible.

Mayoral candidate Shawn Taylor will not take office. Taylor received 67 votes, or about 28%.

Voters also seem to have elected Michael Bauer to the Town Council and reelected incumbent councilor Scott Solum. Bauer received 167 votes, or 40%, and Solum received 155 votes, or about 37%.

Voters did not favor incumbent councilor Marc Mair, who received 98 votes, or 23%.

Interlaken

Incumbent Mayor Gregory Harrigan secured an unopposed win in Interlaken with 70 votes.

Incumbents Erin Merryweather and Susan Onan also seem likely to retain their seats. Merryweather earned 70 votes, or 47%. Onan received 55 votes, or 37%.

Voters did not favor Matt Hermann, who received 23 votes, or about 16%.

Countywide voter turnout was approximately 47%. According to Wasatch County Clerk Joey Granger, that is above average for a municipal election in Wasatch County.

Formal results remain pending certification. There are several tight races anticipated countywide, and results will continue to update this week.

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