Embattled company to close a second Utah treatment center for troubled teens

A company that runs treatment centers for troubled teens is closing a second Utah facility following intense scrutiny into the staff’s treatment of young people.


Sequel Youth and Family Services will shutter Mount Pleasant Academy within the next month. The decision comes just days after the company announced it will close Red Rock Canyon School, a St. George treatment center that has come under fire following a riot and recent revelations about the number of staffers accused of assaulting students.


Sequel said that its decision to close Mount Pleasant Academy is not connected to Red Rock or staffing issues, and instead was based on low enrollment. Mount Pleasant Academy is advertised as a 16-bed residential treatment center for teen boys who are struggling with sexual issues. Salt Lake Tribune

Richfield’s Kmart store to close in April

After almost 35 years of service, the Richfield Kmart store is set to close its doors in April. The closure will result in 53 people losing their jobs — most of them part time. Associates that are eligible will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at area Sears or Kmart stores. The closing is tentatively set for mid-April, with a storewide liquidation beginning Sunday, Jan. 24. Richfield Reaper

Barney Trucking layoffs

One of the largest employers in the central Utah region was forced to lay off approximately 50 employees earlier this month due to less demand for coal transportation. “We are doing what we can and looking into other fields to get them back to work,” said Dennis Johnson, operations manager for Barney Trucking. He said while the company hopes the layoffs are temporary, it is difficult to predict when or if drivers will return to work. Richfield Reaper

Central Area Nonfarm Jobs data now available

I always preach that the year-to-year change in nonfarm jobs is the best way to track the state of your local economy. So, since I've now got preliminary data for the second quarter of 2011 in my hot little hands, I thought I'd share. . .

The Central Region continues to show a mixed bag of county-level employment performances. Two counties continued to grow jobs, two counties continued to lose jobs, and one county slipped from job growth to job loss. Here's a brief county-by-county description of the most current data--June 2011.

Millard County--Between June 2010 and June 2011, Millard County added roughly 120 net new jobs for an expansion rate of 3.0 percent. That's actually a decrease in the growth rate from late 2010 when a major construction project inflated job growth. Most industries created new jobs and in the employment-losing industries, the declines proved mostly negligible. Construction still added the most new jobs. However, mining, professional/business services, private education/health/social services and retail trade each contributed a notable number of new positions. Click here for Millard County's second quarter data.

Piute County--Piute County remained mired in its recent job-losing scenario. Since June of last year, the county's nonfarm employment is down more than 30 jobs. In sparsely-populated Piute County that amounts to a 11.2-percent decline. Job losses in government and lesiure/hospitality services accounted for all most all of the current employment contraction. Click here for Piute County's second quarter data.

Sanpete County-- Finally, Sanpete County has joined the ranks of Utah's job-creating counties! After a two-year-plus stint of job loss, the county experienced a year-to-year net gain of 60 positions in June 2011 (up 0.9 percent). Construction, retail trade, and transportation continued to experience job losses. However, strong employment gains in professional/business services, private education/health/social services, and leisure/hospitality services proved more than sufficient to offset the aforementioned losses. Even manufacturing showed a slight uptick. Click here for Sanpete County's second quarter data.

Sevier County--Sevier came to the job-creation club early in the recovery. However, in the second quarter of 2011, its employment figures took a turn for the worse. Between June 2010 and June 2011, the county showed a net loss of 40 positions. This minor 0.5 percent decline came primarily at the hands of construction, manufacturing, and retail trade. Fortunately, most industries continued to add jobs--although not quite enough to offset the losses. Mining, wholesale trade, information, private education/health/social service, leisure/hospitality services, and government all generated net job gains. Click here for Sevier County's second quarter data.

Wayne County-- Wayne County's economy was dealt a major blow when its largest employer--Aspen Education Group--announced plans to shutdown its programs. The current nonfarm job figures reflect the beginning of that shutdown. Overall, between June 2010 and June 2011, Wayne County showed a net loss of 40 jobs (down 5.7 percent). Most of the job loss appeared in the industry that does indeed include Aspen Education Group--private education/health/social services. However, retail trade and construction also contributed to the over all job decline. Fortunately, gains in leisure/hospitality services and other services partially offset the declines or the overall employment picture would appear much worse. Click here for Wayne County's second quarter data.

ALSO, you'll find our current economic snapshots have been updated with new unemployment jobs, construction, sales and claims data. Click here to access the links to the snapshots.

Utah wilderness, youth therapy programs closing

A wave of closures and consolidations in wilderness therapy and youth treatment programs in Utah will take nearly 200 jobs from Wayne County alone. Three programs for troubled young people, owned by Aspen Education Group, constitute the biggest employer in the county.

CRC Health Group, Aspen’s California-based parent company, will close two programs in Utah: An equine and behavioral therapy boarding school in Wayne County, and a substance abuse treatment facility for teens in St. George. Another Wayne County drug rehab program will move to Idaho. The state’s longest-running wilderness therapy program, Aspen Achievement Academy, will move from Wayne County to Lehi and merge with another program, Outback Expeditions. A live-in treatment center for teens in Draper will merge with a similar facility in Syracuse. Salt Lake Tribune

Changes at Deseret News Announced

The Deseret news announced today work force reductions and unveiled a plan to refocus the quality and reach of its product. "Changes in the industry have forced some newspapers to fade or even close," said Clark Gilbert, Deseret News CEO and president. "At the Deseret News, we choose to lead and innovate. Today we have announced the reduction in our print work force by 57 full-time and 28 part-time employees, which reflects just over 43 percent of our work force," Gilbert said. Change is necessary because innovation and technology have fundamentally changed the newspaper industry. Deseret News unveiled a five-part plan " to become a leader in the industry and a model for change," said Gilbert.
Deseret News.com Tuesday, August 31, 2010

iWorks in Ephraim lays off bulk of workforce

iWorks, a major employer in Ephraim, has laid off most of its workforce. About 100 employees lost their jobs on Friday, March 12. Three weeks ago, about 50 employees also lost their jobs. That leaves about 30 of the original 180 workers employed. iWorks, which is based in St. George, has had an operation in Ephraim for about six years. According to owner Jeremy Johnson, the company offers Internet programs for helping consumers get government loans and also handles customer service communications for outside clients. He blamed the layoffs on a slow business climate and the loss of a major account four months ago. Sanpete Messenger