Home Care In Salem, UT

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SPRING CITY, Sanpete County — In a remote part of Sanpete County, Hannah Stoddard picked up what looked like some wheat with some darker pieces of grain.

"In the process of working on our property (in Spring City), we found this plant," Stoddard said.

She said she thought maybe it was some wild rice, something they could grow, harvest and eat. Fortunately, they checked first.

Dean Miner, a professor with the Utah State University extension office in Provo, said what Stoddard found was a wheatgrass infected with a fungus called ergot of rye.

"Historically, it's been the cause of thousands of deaths," Miner said. "Consumption of grain that's got ergotism — is what they call it — can cause very erratic behavior in people."

Miner said some historians believe that effect may have led to the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, back in the late 1600s.

"Part of their behavior, acting erratically, doing strange things that very easily could have been interpreted as witch-like behavior because they didn't have any other explanation for it," Miner said.

Luckily, the Stoddard family won't have to worry about that, even though Hannah said she did taste a bit of it before turning it in.

"One grain,” Stoddard said laughing.

But adding to the irony of this story, Stoddard teaches high school history and said she's studied the witch trials closely.

"The puritans actually based their entire civilization, their entire culture on The Bible, on the Old Testament,” she said. "One of the principles in the Old Testament is that you always have a system of witnesses; a trial.”

Did we mention that the Stoddards live in Salem, Utah?

"A little humorous I guess you could say,” Stoddard said.

As far as the grain they found, having an eerie tie to Halloween, Stoddard points out that the puritans refused to celebrate Halloween.

“It was illegal,” she said.

And her family doesn't celebrate it either, but there is one more coincidence in this story.

“Our family ourselves, we actually go back to some of my ancestors were there at the Salem witch trials," Stoddard said.

Though aside from this history lesson, Stoddard said there's one more take away.

“You don't eat everything you find," she said. "Just because something looks good doesn't mean it's safe."

Contributing: Xoel Cardenas

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After a long recruiting process, South Salem senior lineman Ashton Adams has decided on his future, and he’s excited to get there.

Adams, the state’s No. 17 recruit in 2019, according to 247Sports.com, announced last week that he is committed to Utah State.

“The biggest reason for me was just the players, coaches and fans,” Adams said. “I felt like I should’ve been dressed up for the game. That’s how at home I felt.”

It has been a tough season for Adams, who has been out with an injury since Sept. 21. South Salem finished the season 2-7.

Adams has been focused on rehab, and he is pleased with the progress he’s been making.

“I am coming back really well,” Adams said. “I have made early progress.”

Adams is the second football player from Salem to commit to Utah State this fall, joining West Salem quarterback and safety Simon Thompson.

MORE: A deeper look at Alex Hurlburt's first career touchdown for West Salem

Adams is looking forward to becoming teammates with Thompson.

“Me and Simon grew up playing against each other, so it will be cool to see him make plays for our team this time,” Adams said. “And because Utah is so far from home, it’s gonna be nice to have someone from home with me.”

Ashton Adams, South Salem (OL, DL — 2019 class)

Adams has been out with an injury. South Salem’s season is over.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 17

Committed: Utah State

Other Mid-Valley prospects

Erik Barker, McNary (QB, DB — 2020 class)

Barker rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another in McNary’s 40-33 win last week against South Salem. The Celtics next will play against Lakeridge in the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 9

Offers: None

Andre Beall, North Salem (OL, DL — 2019 class)

North Salem lost 44-7 last week to Lebanon. The Vikings’ season is over.

State rank (247Sports.com): Unranked

Offers: None

Diego Fuimaono, South Salem (TE, DL — 2019 class)

South Salem lost 40-33 last week to McNary. The Saxons’ season is over.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 18

Offers: None

Anthony Gould, West Salem (WR, DB — 2019 class)

Gould rushed for 303 yards and three touchdowns in West Salem’s 42-14 win last week against Sprague. The Titans next will face Southridge in the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 7

Committed: Oregon State

Alex Hurlburt, West Salem (OL, LB — 2019 class)

Hurlburt scored on a 26-yard touchdown run in West Salem’s 42-14 win last week against Sprague. He also had 15 tackles, one quarterback hit and one pass deflection on defense. The Titans next will face Southridge in the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 19

Committed: Montana

Levi Nielsen, Silverton (QB — 2019 class)

Nielsen was 16 of 24 for 136 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Silverton’s 17-14 win last week against West Albany. The Foxes next host Parkrose on Friday in the OSAA Class 5A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): Unranked

Offers: Whittier College

Micah Pugh, West Salem (WR, LB — 2019 class)

Pugh had a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in West Salem’s 42-14 win last week against Sprague. Pugh also had one tackle on defense. The Titans next will face Southridge in the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): Unranked

Committed: Air Force

Chris Sharp, Sprague (RB, LB — 2020 class)

Chris Sharp scored a touchdown in a 42-14 loss last week to West Salem. The Olympians’ season is over.

State rank (247Sports.com): Unranked

Offers: None

Simon Thompson, West Salem (QB, DB — 2019 class)

Thompson threw for 55 yards and rushed for 16 in West Salem’s 42-14 win against Sprague last week. He also had 11 tackles on defense. The Titans next face Southridge in the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 11

Committed: Utah State

Junior Walling, McNary (RB, LB — 2020 class)

Walling rushed for 215 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 40-33 win against South Salem. He also had eight tackles, two sacks and five quarterback hits on defense. The Celtics next face Lakeridge in the OSAA Class 6A state playoffs.

State rank (247Sports.com): No. 4

Offers: Oregon State

More sports reads:

CNN —

Chris Paul is winning both on and off the court.

Just hours after helping the Phoenix Suns defeat the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night, Paul received his bachelor’s degree in communications from Winston-Salem State University.

Paul, the Suns’ star point guard, made it from Los Angeles to North Carolina to walk at his 2022 fall commencement on Friday morning.

A total of 5,004 students are currently enrolled at Winston-Salem State University, according to the school’s website.

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For Paul, the graduation ceremony was a refreshing reminder of life outside the NBA.

“Being here with y’all made my day,” he said in a video posted to the university’s Instagram. “There’s so many different things that we do on a regular day as far as being an athlete, I’m playing all these games, but sometimes you just wanna be normal. You just wanna do the normal things that everyone else does.”

“It’s a big deal. Everyone has their own experiences, their own journey,” he went on. “I wanted the full experience of what it meant to be a graduate.”

The athlete also posted several photos of himself in Winston-Salem’s bright red graduation cap and gown on his verified Instagram. “Bucket list moment,” he wrote.

And Paul used his degree as an opportunity to give back. At the ceremony, Paul announced that he would give each graduate a banking account at Greenwood – a financial services company focused on people of color – funded with $100 and a one-year waiver of membership dues.

Paul, 37, originally attended Wake Forest University before turning pro in 2005 after his sophomore season. He was traded to the Suns in 2020, which led him to reach the NBA finals for the first time in his career.

During Thursday’s game against the Clippers, Paul scored 15 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. The Suns won 111-95 over the Clippers.

Courtesy: Winston-Salem State University Athletics

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Winston-Salem State University Athletics Hall of Fame Committee has announced the 2023 inductees into the Clarence E. “Big House” Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame. The class of 2023 will include seven individuals to take their place among the WSSU greats. The inductees will be entered into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Friday, September 22, 2023, at the Anderson Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the WSSU versus Bluefield State football game on Saturday, September 23rd at Bowman Gray Stadium.

“The opportunity to represent one’s Institution on the field/court of play, in the community, as a donor, and as an alumnus is both an honor and a privilege and each of these Rams have” said Etienne Thomas, Director of Athletics. “Each of these Rams has served their Alma Mater as Champions. Congratulations to each of the former athletes and supporters of WSSU Athletics on their selection by their fellow Hall of Famers and the University as inductees in this year’s class.”

The Winston-Salem State University Clarence E. “Big House” Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame is the highest individual honor that a former athlete, athletic administrator, or private individual can receive at Winston-Salem State University. The WSSU C.E. “Big House” Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame honors an annual class of new inductees in the fall of every academic year after an exhaustive year-long nomination, review, and induction voting process by a 15-member panel.

The 2023 C.E. “Big House” Gaines Hall of Fame Inductees:

James Johnson – Meritorious ServiceJames Johnson was a member of the football team from 1983-87 and was a part of the 1987 CIAA Championship team. James was the radio DJ for WSNC from 1985-1986 and he received his bachelor’s in mass communications in 1988. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He currently serves on the board of the Lumber company where he provides services to individuals of the homeless population in Mecklenburg, County. From 1992-1995 he was the two-time Social Worker of the Year. He is also a board member of Ram Athletics. He is a large contributor of the WSSU Bill and Carolyn Hayes Endowment, a donor of 1000 HORN$, and a donor to the kidney foundation. In the spring of 2021, he partnered with the WSSU Career Development Service and sponsored 300 students to eat and participate in the fashion show. In the fall semester of 2022, he financially secured the professional consultant to speak with students about the importance of money management, and the sponsorship allowed 50 students to participate and enjoy a great meal.

Kelvin Walton – Meritorious ServiceKelvin Walton was a residence assistant, sophomore class vice president, junior class president, university usher a member of the Phi Beta Lambda Business Fraternity, and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Kelvin has been a consistent donor to the University and the Department of Athletics since graduating in 1986, including the purchase of uniforms for the Cheerleading program for the past 15 years. He was the first African American to serve as Director/Chief Procurement Officer of DeKalb County Government. He currently is the CEO & Managing Director of E. Holland & Associates, LLC A Consulting Services Firm based in Atlanta, Georgia.

NeSheila Washington-(Curry) – CheerleadingNeSheila Washington was Co-Captain of the junior varsity team in 1998 and Captain of the Varsity cheer team in 2001. She was named an All-CIAA Cheerleader in 2001 and was Miss Varsity Cheerleader. She earned her bachelor’s in biology with a minor in chemistry and psychology. In 2021, she was named the Head Cheerleading Coach after previously serving as the Junior varsity coach in 2002. She was the WSSU Cheer Alumni Chapter (CAC) president from 2013-2021 and is the project/program coordinator at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, a position she has held since 2014. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and was a 2017 WSSU Forty under 40 Alumni Award honoree. She led the WSSU Powerhouse Cheerleaders to performances on the REAL talk show, and organized the WSSU Powerhouse Cheerleader’s appearance in the Ciara JUMP music video and on the Today Show.

Lonnie Charles Pulley, Jr. – FootballLonnie Pulley, Jr. was a four-year starter and letterman in football from 1984-87. During his freshman year, he was All-CIAA and again in 1987 and was a part of the 1987 CIAA championship team. He also participated in the 1987 Freedom Bowl All-Star game. His most impressive stat came against Division I-AA Middle Tennessee State where he rushed for 232 yards. Lonnie was a free agent and signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. He graduated with a degree in health and physical education. He currently works for the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School system. He is also in the Lauren District 55 High School Football Hall of Fame and the Lauren County Sports Hall of Fame.

Kameron Smith was the quarterback of the 2012 CIAA Championship football team. He was named CIAA Offensive Player of the Year, was a first-team All-CIAA selection, named BOXTOROW Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American. He also earned accolades being named the Doug Williams Black College Football Offensive Player of the Year and the Mary Gerber WSSU Male Student Athlete of the Year. He earned All-Region selection by Don Hensen’s Division II Football Gazette and was named an Associated Press Division II Second Team All-American. Kameron was also named the Jet magazine Offensive Player of the Year. In both seasons with the Rams, he was named team MVP and WSSU finished 31-4. Currently, Kameron is the Co-Owner of RDU Delivered.

Barry Turner (posthumous) – Football

Barry Turner was a four-year letterman in football, 1985-88. In 1985 and 1986 he was named All- CIAA Center. In 1987, he was a part of the CIAA Championship team and was named an AFCA All-American and participated in the Freedom Bowl. He graduated in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Professionally, he worked as a correctional officer and with high-risk juveniles.

WyKevin Tremont Bazemore – Men’s Basketball

WyKevin Bazemore was a four-year starter on the men’s basketball team and was team captain for three years. He was a two-time MVP winner and team coaches award. He made history as one of four players in the CIAA conference to be named All-Conference all four years. WyKevin was a four-time BOXTOROW All-American and in 2014 was named to the All-Atlantic Region second team. He was a starter on the 2011-12 CIAA Tournament championship team and made three CIAA championship game appearances out of the four years. During his freshman season, he was named National BOXTOROW Black College Freshman of the Year for Divisions I and II. He finished with a total of 1337 career points and 984 rebounds and ranks third all-time in career rebounds. He graduated with a degree in psychology and was a member of the student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) all four years. He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and currently is the assistant men’s basketball coach at Shaw University.

More than four years after being fired from his job as Winston-Salem State University head coach, Kienus Boulware is hoping for a favorable resolution.

The current Alabama A&M defensive coordinator has filed a petition with the North Carolina Supreme Court for a discretionary review of how Winston-Salem State University handled his firing in April 2019, according to documents obtained by The Carolina Journal.

“The underlying subject matter of the appeal has significant public interest in the field of public employment and involves legal principles of major significance to the State, but especially for the 48,000 employees of the University of North Carolina System, who depend on the work of non-judicial committees to find facts regarding to the circumstances that their employer utilized to justify their termination from employment,” the petition reads, in part.

Boulware was fired as WSSU’s head coach following an altercation that went from the football field to a dorm room in which there was suspicion of a gun being involved. Boulware and an assistant coach were said to have de-fused the situation. Boulware, however, was accused by school officials of not notifying authorities of this and subsequently fired.

“Coach Boulware asked whether a weapon was present and all occupants of the room denied the presence of a weapon or that one was involved in the altercation,” the petition continued. “No weapon was visible or located.”

Despite this claim, the university argued that Boulware failed to fulfill his duties as an official Campus Security Authority under the federal Clery Act. He was subsequently fired.

The petition to the Supreme Court claims that Boulware did not violate the Clery Act. This comes after the NC Court of Appeals unanimously ruled in favor of Winston-Salem State University last month.

“Boulware fails to identify any conflicts in the evidence or testimony and does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence as not supporting any specific findings of fact,” Judge John Tyson wrote.

Boulware led Winston-Salem State University to three CIAA championship appearances in his first three seasons as head coach after taking over for Connell Maynor in 2014. WSSU won back-to-back CIAA titles in 2015 and 2016 under his leadership, going 35-18. It has gone just 10-18 since his firing. Boulware joined Maynor’s staff at Alabama A&M in 2021 as defensive line coach and took over as defensive coordinator in 2022.