Part of school hit by quake to open again

WELLS -- A portion of Wells High School will reopen on Monday for the first time since a Feb. 21 earthquake caused major damage to it.

The students have been going to classes in five portables outside the nearby elementary school since the magnitude 6.0 quake.

The temblor also damaged hundreds of homes and the town's historical district. No one was hurt.

The school's west wing, which includes four classrooms and the library, will reopen first.

"It is definitely good news," Principal Leslie Lotspeich told the Elko Daily Free Press. "You are going to hear a huge sigh of relief coming Monday from Wells. It means we are going to be able to live life a little more normal."

Only three modulars near the elementary school will be used after the wing reopens.

Repairs will continue in other parts of the school, but the west wing will be the only section open through the rest of the school year, Lotspeich said.

Some parents have criticized the school district, saying repairs were taking too long and students couldn't learn under such cramped conditions.