Home Care In Monroe, UT

Monroe Beard III has been a tackling machine since joining Tennessee State football for the 2023 season.

The middle linebacker from Chattanooga, who transferred from Arkansas Pine-Bluff, started the season stopping running backs from Notre Dame and hasn't stopped since. He made seven tackles against the Fighting Irish, 11 against his former school Arkansas Pine-Bluff and 12 against Gardner-Webb before setting the TSU single-game record with 19 against UT Martin last week.

And yes, Beard understands the significance of setting defensive records at TSU with its rich football history which includes legendary defensive players such as Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Richard Dent, Claude Humphrey and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, all who went on to have successful NFL careers.

The only thing that would have made Beard, who was named the conference's co-defensive player of the week, happier about setting the record would have been if the Tigers (2-2, 1-1 Big South/OVC) had won instead of falling to UT Martin 20-10.

"I'm from Chattanooga, I know all about TSU's history, and I transferred here to do things like that," Beard said. "Put on for my state and put on for this university. But we didn't come out with the outcome we wanted. I didn't find out until later that I had set that record. I was pretty happy about it but didn't celebrate too much because the biggest thing is to come out and win."

Beard, who also had a pass breakup against UT Martin, broke the record set by Kalvin Baker of 18 tackles, which was also set against UT Martin in 2007.

Beard leads the Big South/OVC in total tackles with 48 and in average tackles per game with 12.3. He is fifth in the FCS in tackles per game.

The 6-foot-1, 220 pound junior, who played at Notre Dame High School, was a starter in 2022 at Arkansas Pine-Bluff where he recorded 37 tackles, 4.5 for losses and two sacks. He also recovered a team-high three fumbles.

"Monroe has been wonderful; comes into work, plays with a lot of passion, everyday he brings that same energy," TSU coach Eddie George said. "With how he works on the practice field it's no surprise that he's having the year that he's having. He's been a tremendous blessing for us."

George saw early in season that Beard was a special player. The Tigers, who only trailed Notre Dame 7-3 at one point in the second quarter, had fallen behind 56-3 when Beard barely made it off the field to the sideline.

"The biggest thing for me was that we were clearly out of the game and it's the fourth quarter and (Beard) came off the field exhausted and he had to go back out there for punt," George said. "He was like, 'I'm tired, I'm exhausted.' But he went back out there anyway and made the tackle. That told me he's willing to sacrifice whatever it is, no matter how much we're down, how tired he is, the situation in the game, and he's still going to go out there and give it his all."

George said that kind of tenacity is contagious for other players and why Beard, in the short time he has been at TSU, is already looked up to as a team leader.

"You see the hunger that he has and he brings to the locker room," George said. "He brings a tone to our defense that is relentless and there is no quit in it."

Beard said TSU's defense is designed for him to make a lot of tackles from his position. But he still must carry out his assignment.

"I just really have to trust the game plan," Beard said. "Everytime I have to just do my assignment and when the ball goes away from me I have to make sure that I'm giving 100 percent running to it. It's pretty simple."

Draylen Ellis will start again at QB again

Draylen Ellis started at quarterback for the first time this season against UT Martin and will start again this week, George said.

Ellis replaced fellow senior Deveon Bryant, who had suffered an ankle injury against Gardner-Webb but was able to practice full speed last week.

Ellis completed 16-of-33 passes for 180 yards and rushed for 55 yards on six carries. He scored TSU's only touchdown on a 28-yard run which gave the Tigers a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

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Ellis, who transferred from Austin Peay in 2022, now has 6,081 career passing yards.

"Draylen did a great job of commanding the offense; he's doing a good job of taking what the defense is giving him," George said. "He's not forcing plays. He had the big touchdown run and I think he's definitely growing in that capacity."

Ellis is ranked 13th in active FCS quarterbacks in career passing yards.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X, formerly the Twitter platform @MikeOrganWriter.

At least 49 people received treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning after attending Sunday worship services at the Monroe East meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in central Utah.

“The church is taking this matter seriously and is investigating the cause of the malfunction with the heating system at a chapel in Monroe, Utah,” church spokesman Sam Penrod said in a statement provided to the Deseret News.

The statement said 54 people reported symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and 49 were treated. Officials said 22 people had to be transported by ambulance to receive specialized treatment.

“The meetinghouse will remain closed until we can ensure the safety of the building,” Penrod said. “The church is working to support medical and other expenses for those affected. We are concerned for the well-being of everyone impacted and are praying for their recovery.”

Sevier County Emergency Medical Services responded Sunday to two medical calls at the chapel in Monroe, according to a news release issued by the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office. Monroe is a small city of about 2,250 people about 130 miles south of Provo.

The first call reported a 4-year-old girl with breathing problems. She had been sick earlier in the week, so her symptoms were attributed to the illness. An hour later, a second call was made from the meetinghouse about an adult male who felt sick. He thought he was experiencing low blood sugar and went home to treat himself.

When all the members of a family reported having headaches after they returned home from church, the Monroe City Fire Department checked the building and found high levels of carbon monoxide and evacuated the building.

More people reported illness and sought treatment Sunday evening at Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield.

“In all, 22 individuals were needing to be transported to hospitals out of the area for carbon monoxide poisoning treatment. This required 10 ambulance transports to get everyone to a hospital that had a hyperbaric chamber that could treat the patients,” the news release said.

Sevier County did not have enough ambulances or personnel so Piute County EMS and Gunnison Valley Hospital ambulances assisted, the news release said. The ambulance transfers continued until 10 a.m. on Monday. Those who could transported themselves to the hospital.

“The exact cause of the poisoning had not been discovered at this time,” Sevier County’s release said. “Church officials are working to resolve the problem.”

The county also thanked the multiple agencies across two counties and several cities.

“Just another example of how rural Utah works together to overcome critical incidents,” it said.

Carbon monoxide, or “CO,” is a gas that, because it is odorless and colorless, can kill or cause illness without warning when inhaled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unintentional carbon monoxide poisonings, separate from fires, kill 400 Americans each year and annually cause more than 100,000 emergency room visits and 14,000 hospitalizations.

The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, weakness, dizziness, chest pain, nausea, vomiting and confusion, according to the CDC.

Dozens of people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday after the toxic gas was detected in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in central Utah.

MONROE, Utah — Dozens of people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday after the toxic gas was detected in a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in central Utah.

“You don’t want to believe something bad’s happening,” said member Clint Wirick. “Everybody’s just like, ‘All coincidence.’”

According to the Sevier County Sheriff's Office, emergency medical services were called to the "Monroe East" LDS chapel for two separate patients. The first was for a 4-year-old girl who was having breathing problems. She had been sick earlier in the week, so it was believed that she was experiencing lingering symptoms from that illness. Then about an hour later, EMS were called to the church again for a man who was feeling sick. He believed he was just having complications from low blood sugar and "sought treatment on his own," the sheriff's office said.

Later that day, a family reported that they all had headaches when they returned home from church. The Monroe City Fire Department then went to the building, where they detected high levels of carbon monoxide. The building was evacuated.

“There’s just a lot of pieces of the puzzle that all lead toward something’s going on,” said Wirick.

The sudden uptick in attendees’ sickness prompted Wirick to call dispatchers.

“I had a friend who just lost his best friend from carbon monoxide. He, a month ago, was telling me all about it. That was in the back of my head: just make the phone call,” he said.

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Officials said that throughout Sunday evening, multiple people became sick and went to the Sevier Valley Hospital to seek treatment. A church spokesperson said 54 people in total reported symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Of those, 49 were treated, and 22 of them needed to be transferred to other hospitals for further treatment. These patients needed to go to hospitals with hyperbaric chambers, the sheriff's office said.

Neighboring agencies helped Sevier County EMS with the hospital transfers, which required 10 ambulance transports and more personnel than the county had on hand. Several other patients were able to self-transport.

Sheriff Nathan J. Curtis thanked the various agencies and the EMTs who helped take care of the poisoning patients, all while responding other unrelated incidents in the community as well.

“It’s kind of cool living in a small town where everybody’s looking out for each other,” said Wirick.

A statement from the church said the leak was caused by a malfunction in the building's heating system. The exact cause of that malfunction is being investigated, and the building will remain closed until it's determined to be safe.

"The Church is working to support medical and other expenses for those affected. We are concerned for the well-being of everyone impacted and are praying for their recovery," the statement read.

According to the CDC, more than 100,000 people across the U.S. visit the emergency room each year because of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Talk to other people when you don’t feel good, because if there’s a group of you all not feeling good at the same time, look at the evidence,” said Wirick.

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The 34th University of Tennessee System mural will have quite the presence from its downtown Madisonville perch. For the community, the painting is a welcome brush stroke in the bigger picture.

“These murals help small towns like us feel like we’re part of something larger,” said Alexis Watson, owner of the mural’s home at 328 Tellico St. “It’s a small piece to help our own community really feel like it’s important to UT and can share in its excitement.”

The mural’s canvas, a two-story brick building that encounters 1,989 passersby each day, has been owned by Watson’s family since she was just 10 years old. They had always talked of putting a mural on it, according to Watson, but the talks never came to fruition until she and her husband heard of UT’s campaign through a family member.

“The mural is going to be a huge statement piece for the town,” said Watson. “And that will hopefully bring new and exciting things to our community.”

The 20-foot-wide mural completed today isn’t just exciting from a community-wide perspective: it’s also a part of Watson’s personal bigger picture. In January, her lash studio and boutique, Honeycomb, will open shop in the building.

“It just feels natural to have the campaign be a part of the new adventure with the building and my business,” said Watson. “It all went together perfectly.”

To learn more about the UT campaign, each location and to nominate a canvas for use, visit the mural website. UT plans to paint one mural in each of Tennessee’s 95 counties by 2030.

The University of Tennessee is a statewide system of higher education with campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, Martin and Memphis; the UT Institute of Agriculture with a presence in every Tennessee county; and the statewide Institute for Public Service. The UT System manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership; enrolls about 54,000 students statewide; produces about 13,000 new graduates every year; and represents more than 433,000 alumni around the world.

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