Home Care In Pleasant Grove, UT

PLEASANT GROVE — A truck crashed into an apartment complex in Pleasant Grove, injuring the driver and pinning a person inside under debris. The crash occurred near 1116 West, 100 South Monday morning.

The Pleasant Grove Fire Department told KSL TV that when they arrived they found a truck still running and spinning its tires as it remained stuck in the building. Black plumes of smoke poured out of the crash scene, likely from the diesel.

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Jake Larsen, Pleasant Grove Fire Battalion Chief said they were able to get into the building, turn the truck off, and help the driver out.

“[We] came around the corner and saw the smoke and the truck still running and people were all over the place running from the building,” Larsen said.

Pleasant Grove Fire:

– Truck crashed into apartment building. On arrival, Fire says the truck was still running and spinning its tires.

– Someone was inside that truck.

– Another person on first floor pinned by that truck. That person was taken to hospital. @KSL5TV

— Karah Brackin (@kbontv) November 27, 2023

Larsen said a man living in an adjacent apartment was able to get out on his own and told first responders his friend was still inside the building.

Responders were able to locate the friend, who was pinned by the crash on the first floor of the apartment building. That person was rescued and flown to a hospital for their injuries.

Larsen did not say what injuries the driver had sustained in the crash or their current condition.

The truck hit two parked cars before crashing into the apartment. Those trucks were towed from the scene.

At this point, Larsen said they’re not sure what caused the truck to hit other cars and veer into the building. The crash is under investigation.

On Monday night, a neighbor talked to KSL TV about what he experienced.

“About 9 a.m., I got woken up by my house shaking,” said Porter Smith. “We came downstairs and there’s this big truck just in the wall. The tires were spinning, kicking up debris.”

Smith said he couldn’t believe what he saw.

“To come down and see that there were three units that were bashed, was just crazy,” he said.

Smith says his heart goes out to the victim.

“It was very surreal to be thinking about the guy that got hit by the car,” he said. “He’s just chilling in his house one second and then the next there is a car in his room. It was just really surreal and freaky to think about.”

Debbie Worthen contributed to this report.

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Get to know some of the brightest stars at East Texas powerhouse Texarkana Pleasant Grove, including Texas Longhorns commit DE Lance Jackson, rising 2027 OL Jaden Withered and more.

Names to Know

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2025 DE/TE Lance Jackson (6'5, 245): The four-star is the No. 10 prospect in the 2025 DCTF Rising Hot 100. The younger brother of Arkansas DE Landon Jackson verbally committed to the Texas Longhorns over offers from the Razorbacks, Alabama, Texas A&M, and more. Jackson, a two-way star in high school, is being recruited by UT at defensive end, where his hot motor and length can be harnessed to make game-changing plays. He has been selected to play in the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game.

2025 DT BJ Rochelle (5'11, 260): Rochelle is a hyper-explosive defensive tackle who led the team in sacks in 2023 and boasts a 550-pound squat. He has started generating more recruiting interest daily. He's up to four scholarship offers, including securing his first D1 offer from Missouri State recently. He also made an unofficial visit to Louisiana Tech this past weekend, and the Bulldogs are an FBS-level team to watch during his recruitment.

2026 CB Jamarion Richardson (5'10, 155): Pleasant Grove Head Coach Josh Gibson has praised Richardson as the "fastest player I've ever coached." He backed up that statement with a district championship in the 100-meter dash (10.78). The rising junior should start to emerge on more college radars throughout the 2024 season because he was forced to miss his sophomore year after suffering a season-ending injury in the second scrimmage of 2023.

2026 WR/DB Jaidun Scales (5'11, 180): Started as a freshman on the varsity squad in 2022, has emerged as a team leader, and has been selected as a captain. He is a talented two-way player who will find a fit somewhere on the next level because of his high football IQ and versatility.

2026 RB/OLB Nick Bells (5'8, 170): The offense will be rebuilding as some of the top statistical stars, like Ahkhari Johnson and Jaylen Boardley, have moved on to college. Enter Bells, who was named the District Newcomer of the Year after rushing for 708 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. He boasts a 10.90 100-meter dash, so his speed should land him on college radars.

2027 OT Jaden Withered (6'4, 290): Keep an eye on the rise of this current freshman, who has drawn praise as the next national recruit in the PG program. Withered is penciled in to move into the starting lineup next season, and we project him to have a big year and earn his first varsity start. He's a massive OL with a significant upside, so he's already been listed as one of DCTF's Names to Know in the 2027 cycle.

2027 DE Dekori Cranford (6'3, 220): He's an athletic edge defender who has already earned an offer from UTSA after posting a 4.91 40-yard dash at the Roadrunners camp last summer. He got some work in with the varsity squad late in the season and is credited with 12 tackles.

2028 DE/TE Kedrid Smith (6'3, 195): This up-and-comer has already earned his first scholarship offer from UTEP, and the coaches at PG think he has the chance to become the next four or five-star prospect in the program. His sister, Sa'Myah Smith, is a current member of LSU's women's basketball squad.

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Students put together lunches with decorated bags, kind notes, gloves and hats to be given to people who are experiencing homelessness as part of Choose Kindness Month in Pleasant Grove.

It’s time to choose kindness again.

Well, that’s always a good idea at any time of the year, but during the month of February, residents of Pleasant Grove focus on kindness as part of the city’s annual Choose Kindness Month.

Every February since 2018, the month has been designated for kindness, with people encouraged to go out of their way to brighten the days of others. However, we don’t have to live in Pleasant Grove to participate and get some great ideas for acts of kindness.

“February has been proclaimed Choose Kindness Month by Mayor (Guy) Fugal and the city council,” states a post on the Pleasant Grove Community Connection Facebook page. “Join us in spreading a ripple of kindness through our schools, businesses, community and families, one act of kindness at a time.”

On Feb. 1, the special month kicked off with service projects carried out by students involved in Kindness Clubs at Pleasant Grove schools. The students put together lunches in decorated bags and included hats, gloves and kind notes. These will be given to people who are experiencing homelessness.

Courtesy photo

Brooklin Allen Burns, who originally came up with the idea of Choose Kindness Month when she was Miss Pleasant Grove, teaches children how to make fleece blankets to be donated.

Throughout the month, everyone is encouraged to choose kindness through different actions daily. These ideas for acts of kindness are printed on a calendar that is posted on social media. Some of the ideas are:

On Feb. 4, people were encouraged to thank a teacher and tell about a teacher who had a positive impact on their lives. On Feb. 5, student volunteers made kindness kits for teen girls in a local treatment center that will be delivered on Valentine’s Day.

On Feb. 24, all are invited to participate in a community service project at the city’s recreation center, 547 S. Locust Ave. “All month long, in all of the schools in Pleasant Grove, we are collecting items to go into Kindness Comfort Kits to be delivered to local hospitals,” said Choose Kindness board member Sara Allen.

The kits will contain items such as coloring books, crayons, colored pencils and fleece blankets. “On the 24th, everyone is invited to come together to tie the blankets and put the items into bags. The junior high students are writing letters to the children to be put into the bags,” Allen said. The bags will be taken to local hospitals to bring comfort to young patients. Last year, a similar project was done and 300 bags were donated.

If you would like to donate items for the comfort bags, including crayons, colored pencils and fleece fabric, the items can be dropped off at City Hall, 70 S. 100 East. On the Feb. 24, volunteers can bring items to donate or just come and lend a helping hand. The community service project will take place from 10-11:30 a.m.

Jeremy Hall

Laura Giles

For more information and to view the Choose Kindness Month calendar, check out the Choose Kindness PG Facebook page or view it on Instagram @choosekindnesspg.

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There’s a new and improved letter on the mountain near Pleasant Grove and residents are excited. The beloved “G” on “G Mountain” began being restored last year with a project that involved volunteers, donors, city employees, Pleasant Grove High School and residents.

The project included restoring the G monument and surrounding landscape, located in the foothills above Pleasant Grove, on the western slope south of Grove Creek Canyon and north of Battle Creek Canyon. The restoration was a collaborative effort.

The original G was created on the mountain in 1920 by students of Pleasant Grove High School.

Students from the school gathered rocks from the Battle Creek and Grove Creek sides of Little Mountain to form the block G. In the years following, students would have “G Day” each year to whitewash the G and help to maintain it.

Since that time, students and community members have periodically worked to preserve and repair the G on the mountain. In recent years, the G has become badly damaged. Because of this, the collaboration between the school, city and community members began.

The surface was changed from chicken wire with white aluminum slats to a gunite material, which is similar to concrete, according to City Administrator Scott Darrington. The stairs were redone and the front of the G now includes a walk path. It has LED lights that will be able to be lit remotely.

“The two biggest improvements are the ability to light it remotely and the surfacing is more solid than it was previously,” Darrington said. “There is also some concrete that was put in for some standing area.”

Darrington said the budget for the project is around $700,00, but it looks like it will end up costing less. The cost includes both demolition and rebuilding. Pleasant Grove City has paid $200,000 and over $400,000 has been raised through donations, with more donations still coming in, he said.

On the Pleasant Grove Community Connection Facebook page, a post about the new G on the mountain was followed by excited comments from citizens, some saying “It doesn’t get better than this,” “I loved being a part of this” and “Makes me proud of our G and Viking heritage.”

Also included with the post, which was dated Nov. 1, were some interesting numbers about the project gathered by former resident Deny Farnworth:

To learn more about the project and the “G,” a documentary titled “G Mountain Documentary” can be viewed on YouTube on the PGSN (Pleasant Grove Sports Network) channel.

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Actors, construction workers and appreciators of the theater celebrated a milestone of construction during a beam-raising ceremony for the Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater in Pleasant Grove on Thursday. (Cassidy Wixom, KSL.com)

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PLEASANT GROVE — Dozens of actors and theatergoers celebrated a milestone of construction at a beam-raising ceremony for the new Hale Theater being built in Pleasant Grove.

The ceremony late last week marked the completion of the steel structure for the building at 401 S. Pleasant Grove Blvd. on the doTERRA campus. This theater will replace Hale Center Theater Orem, which has been operating since 1990.

The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater — or The Ruth, as it is affectionately called — is named after the founders of the Hale Center Foundation for the Arts and Education.

The Ruth will double the capacity for the main stage, with 670 seats, and allow for an expanded "in-the-round" theater. The building also includes a second performing space for smaller shows and an education wing to house the Ruth Academy for the Performing Arts, which provides arts education for youth and adults.

Cody Swenson, executive director and co-founder of the Hale Center Foundation for the Arts and Education, said it is "mind-blowing" how fast the building is going up. He said looking at the steel forming the bones of the theater, he is excited for it to be made beautiful through the rest of the construction.

"We've got some really good bones, some really good structure, and we are ready to create more beauty," Swenson said. "We will do that right here once we get into this new building; I think the shows we do will be so beautiful."

More than a hundred people gathered to watch as a final steel beam was raised by a crane and secured into place by construction workers.

A small pine tree was secured in the middle of the beam, which Swenson explained is a tradition in the steel industry that dates back to the Vikings. Having a pine tree on the final beam signifies construction "reached the sky" without loss of life or injury and having the tree bodes well for future inhabitants of the building.

Before the beam was raised, attendees got to sign their names in Sharpie on the beam. Swenson said seeing the hundreds of signatures on the beam reminded him of the thousands of people who have contributed to the success of Hale Theater.

"So many have given their time, their talents, their monetary contributions. It's amazing to me the love that people have for theater and the dedication that I see from everybody," Swenson said.

Anne Swenson, Cody Swenson's wife and co-founder of the foundation, said that at Hale shows, the actors all get to place a painted handprint on the wall of the green room or dressing room of the theater and sign their names.

She said the Hales' son, Cody Hale, traced Ruth and Nathan Hale's signatures from the wall at the Orem building and was able to replicate them on the beam so they could be part of the building that is named in honor of them.

"This is theirs — it's been Grandma and Grandpa's vision from the beginning," Anne Swenson said. "We are just lucky we get to be along for the ride."

"In a few years, we will look back and say, 'Wow, what an impact the Hale Center Theater had on our lives, on our families and especially on our community," said Pleasant Grove Mayor Guy Fugal. "We're just happy as can be it's here."

As a season ticket holder for the Hale Center Theater in Sandy, Fugal said is he excited for the Pleasant Grove location to open up.

Fugal said the theater is one of the biggest projects that has been undertaken in the city, and it will have great impacts on the economy, bring people into the community and provide cultural education to community members.

Along with the development of business venture Valley Grove, the Hale theater is helping transform the "sleepy community" of Pleasant Grove, he said.

"It's a win-win," the mayor said. "Not many communities get this opportunity. It's a good time to be mayor of Pleasant Grove."

An intimate theater experience

Anne Swenson said the Orem theater has been looking for a new space for years, but it never worked out. Now, the "stars aligned" and the organization is excited to expand from the small building it has been housed in for almost 34 years.

The new building will allow the theater to "share what we do with so many more people and grow — which we haven't been able to do for so long," she said. "We've been able to grow our productions. We've been able to grow our skill and hone all of that in our current building, but the only thing we have been limited by is the building."

"We love that funny old building, but it's time. It's time to be able to just stretch and take a deep breath," she added.

This year, the theater has been focusing on how to take its organization from its current size and grow it in the correct way to fill the new building, she said. She said patrons are mostly excited about the new theater, but they don't want to lose the intimate feel of the Orem theater.

She said it's hard to put a name to the feeling, but the theater has a goal to replicate that feeling where the audience still feels connected to the show even in a bigger room. The new building's smaller theater will be duplicating the design of the Orem theater with some improvements.

The Orem building will become a costume shop and a support center for the organization to utilize once The Ruth is open.

Long-time actor Mark Pulham has been with Hale Center Theater Orem since the beginning.

Pulham spoke at the beam-raising ceremony and said he's been amazed to see the growth of the theater in Orem and said that even though the building was small and cramped, as soon as the show started, "magic happened."

He was in the theater's first show, "Thank You Papa," which was written by Ruth and Nathan Hale. In the early years of the organization, he got to work with both of the Hales and said they made it feel like family.

"We're family here and everyone is welcomed home here to The Ruth," he said. Pulham said he was honored to get to place his mark on the beam that became part of an "incredible" new theater.

Anne Swenson said she is filled with gratitude and excitement and is so humbled seeing the support of the community at the ceremony.

"I look out there and I see people who have been with us for 25, 30 years and just am filled with love for these people — for the new ones that are just joining the journey and the people that have been there at the beginning," she said.

Construction is anticipated to end this year with The Ruth's first season starting in January 2025.

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Cassidy Wixom

Cassidy Wixom covers Utah County communities and is the evening breaking news reporter for KSL.com.

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