Due to the historic drought enveloping the Southwest, the Colorado city of Grand Junction drew drinking water from the Colorado River for the first time in decades.
Thursday, July 29, 2021
A luxury train travel company is moving ahead with a new route between Denver and Moab, despite an ongoing legal dispute with Grand County over required documentation for operating the business in Grand County. The company has filed a complaint which is currently at the Central Division of U…
Lines stretch double their typical length, wait times have increased and short staffing seems to have become the norm at a number of local businesses and even government entities in Moab. Jobs have been offered only to be declined due to Moab’s critical shortage of affordable housing for emp…
The City of Moab’s Walnut Lane affordable housing project has hit a major snag that could send the project back to square one.
Senators Mike Lee, R-Utah and Mitt Romney, R-Utah have opposed President Biden’s nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management due to her association with tree spiking in the late 1980s. The BLM manages 245 million acres of federal land; Utah’s 22.8 million acres of…
The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board recently awarded the Moab Museum a grant to continue digitization of the Fran and Terby Barnes Photograph Archives. The project, which began in 2020 in partnership with the Special Collections Library at Southern Utah University, scanned over …
After extensive flooding from a storm on Wednesday night, the City of Moab is offering help to residents, as more heavy rains are predicted for later today.
Monday, July 26, 2021
Onlookers stood shoulder to shoulder on the bridge over Pack Creek on Mill Creek Drive on Sunday evening, watching ash-blackened flash flood waters rush below. The creek swelled its banks and quickly picked up speed, bringing an earthy smell of ash and silt and dragging logs and other debris…
Thursday, July 22, 2021
While business in Moab is by no means slow this July, hotels, restaurants and store owners have noticed a dip in their sales and occupancy — a summer slump that occurs annually.
A California teen could face up to a year in jail for crumpling a “Back the Blue” sign in front of a Garfield County Sheriff’s deputy, after prosecutors added hate crime enhancements to the charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Under Utah state statute, law enforcement officer…
On July 15, a group of activists, business leaders, farmers and elected officials gathered at the Hoover Dam on the Arizona/Nevada border to hold a demonstration and urge water managers to impose a moratorium on new dam and diversion projects on the Colorado River.
KZMU Radio’s 2021 radio play “Choreomania,” which was live broadcast over the airwaves this past spring, was selected as a Platinum Award winner by the Hear Now Festival. The annual radio drama shares the honor with eight other audio and podcast features selected by the audio fiction and art…
“Without vision, the people perish” said new Grand County Planning and Zoning Director John Guenther at a July 20 Grand County Commission Workshop. Guenther led the commission in an exercise to brainstorm ideas for the county’s long-range strategic plan, a document to guide more specific pla…
In 2018, a company called Insite Development approached the Old Spanish Trail Arena with a proposal to lease a 2500 square-foot parcel on the arena property to erect a 130-foot tower that would be used to improve cell phone coverage in the south part of the valley. The lease was approved in …
Thursday, July 15, 2021
“Homelessness is a very real situation in Moab, even though we don’t always see it,” said Liz Donkersloot.
On July 6, the Grand County Commission approved an agreement for a grant from the Utah Indigent Defense Commission for $83,782 to be spent over the next 12 months. The grant will support the county’s public defender office, which provides legal services to people charged with crimes who cann…
The Moab Chamber of Commerce hosted a Community Action Chamber Chat about Moab City’s property tax proposal on Tuesday, where city staff took questions from residents. Elected officials, including the mayor and city councilmembers, stressed that a property tax will be necessary to fund the c…
The number of human-started wildfires in the past two weeks is lower than it was in 2019 and 2020.
At a special meeting on June 30, the Moab City Council passed an ordinance allowing outdoor dining structures seasonally. The resolution passed 4-0, with Councilmember Tawny Knuteson-Boyd recused.
Public comment is open now through July 21 on a new housing regulation being proposed by the Southeast Utah Health Department. According to SEUHD Environmental Health Director Orion Rogers, the new regulation isn’t a major change from the previous regulation.
The Pack Creek Fire has subsided to minimal interior burning, but continuing high temperatures and smokey conditions attest that wildfire season continues in the West. Where has all the smoke this week been coming from?
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is asking the public to report any river otter sightings to the agency, it announced in a July 12 press release. There is no current population estimate for otters in the state, and the DWR hopes to gather information to support better management of th…
Data collected since March by Sand Flats Recreation Area staff show that on busy weekends over 300 UTVs drive past the entry booth daily, either as part of a guided tour, in a rental vehicle or in a privately owned vehicle.
Thursday, July 08, 2021
The Pack Creek Fire was 100% contained on Friday, July 2, and on July 5, the fire was downgraded from a “Type 3” incident to the less complex “Type 4” classification. Though crews have successfully built a secure fire containment line around the entire outer perimeter of the fire, there are …
At its July 6 meeting, the Grand County Commission held a public hearing on a mid-year budget amendment. Due to increased revenues from transient room, sales, and use taxes, and federal grants from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, the 2021 budget has increased by $12,141,609.
After a term marked by controversy, San Juan County Clerk/Auditor John David Nielson submitted his resignation to the San Juan County Commission on June 23. Neilson has served in the position since 2015; July 14 will be his final day.
At their July 6 meeting, Grand County Commission voted to make two changes to code regarding the use of public lands. One makes it easier for the Grand County Sheriff’s Department to cite people for attaching slacklines to manmade infrastructure.
On June 11, the Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help pay for fighting the Pack Creek Fire in the La Sal Mountains above Moab. The grant means that FEMA can pay 75% of the state of Utah’s firefighting costs, though that’s only a fraction of…
At the Grand County Commission meeting on July 6, the commission approved a lengthy consent agenda, which included a letter to the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee asking that Congress, in any new infrastructure legislation, include a clause prohibiting funds in the bill fr…
Local students Ellie Burton and Jacelyn Shumway traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America National Conference, which was held from June 27 to July 2. Ellie won Silver in the Interior Design category, accompanied by Grand County High S…
One morning earlier this week, Linda Whitham “unceremoniously” unlocked the metal gate that bars the driveway at the Scott and Norma Matheson Wetlands Preserve, allowing the public to return to the privately-owned 894-acre natural area near Moab that provides habitat for hundreds of species …
Wednesday, July 07, 2021
The City of Moab announced hiring Annie McVay as the city’s new Parks, Recreation and Trails director, effective on June 14. The role oversees the management and development of all city parks, as well as supervising the recreation department, the Moab Arts and Recreation Center, the Moab Aqu…
Each year, Utah State University releases its Utah Wellbeing Survey in collaboration with the Utah League of Cities and Towns. The project aims to paint a more detailed picture of residents’ wellbeing in cities and towns across the state, with hopes that the collected data will ultimately im…
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
While the Pack Creek Fire in the La Sal Mountains — 80% contained as of Wednesday — has threatened the homes and livelihoods of Moab residents and wildlife alike, outdoor recreation has also taken a hit.
Grand County Emergency Services responded to a call on June 24 for two individuals who were struck by lightning in Dead Horse Point State Park. Bystanders called 911 before Park Manager Aaron Farmer and another seasonal employee arrived on the scene.
A Stage 2 fire ban went into effect for Moab and surrounding areas on June 25 after an interagency meeting between the State of Utah, Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service and National Park Service. Moab City also released specific fire restriction details in time for the F…
Minimal precipitation and careless campers led to the destruction of nearly 9,000 acres in the La Sal Mountains this June, and with water sources few and far between, firefighters turned to the right fork of Mill Creek. But the solution came at a cost: the creekbed dried up, killing hundreds…
Moab a “science capital of the world”: Dr. Jayne Belnap accepted to the National Academy of Sciences
When she was 5 years old and visiting an aquarium, world-renowned desert ecologist and Moab local Dr. Jayne Belnap announced she wanted to be a marine biologist. She didn’t just want to be, she would be. Fascinated by the fish and water plants and the trials and tribulations of being 5 years…
Even when there are no wildfires to fight, fire personnel and land managers are working to mitigate future ignitions by rearranging or removing the fuels that feed them—trees and shrubs in both wild and developed areas. Called “fuel treatments,” crews usually undertake these projects in the …
Sunday, June 27, 2021
Amanda McIntosh has worked at the Southeast Utah Health Department since 2018, where she has worked to raise awareness of mental health care and the high suicide risk in the area. She also administers QPR training — the mental health equivalent to CPR, meaning “question, persuade and refer.”…
Thursday, June 24, 2021
With tourists flocking to Moab and surrounding areas for summer vacation, search and rescue groups and recovery teams have, unfortunately, been busy. The Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue oversees the public safety of those who recreate in Grand County, including 2.5 million annual visitors.
At their regular meeting on June 22, the Moab City Council heard updates from city personnel concerning water conservation and the upcoming 4th of July celebration; and discussed and voted on issues concerning the budget and a new townhome plat.
During a special session on June 3, the Navajo Nation Council voted unanimously to reopen tribal parks to the public at full capacity, including popular destinations such as Monument Valley and Four Corners Monument near Moab. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez vetoed the legislation, citi…
The Moab City Council and the Grand County Commission held a joint workshop on June 22 just before the regular City Council meeting to hear a presentation from Kara Dohrenwend on the work of the Mill Creek Community Collaborative, a local group of stakeholders who have been discussing manage…
Rock climbers organize: Climbing advocates survey Indian Creek climbers ahead of management planning
Indian Creek is an internationally renowned rock climbing destination and a go-to crag for many Moab climbers. The area, characterized by towering Wingate sandstone buttes fractured with thousands of “splitter” cracks that climbers love to scale, is also a management unit in the hotly disput…
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic put the survival of many Moab restaurants at risk, temporary parklets—spaces for outdoor seating in parking lots—were allowed last year under an emergency provision. However, the permits are scheduled to expire on June 30, 2021.
Since last week, the Pack Creek Fire in the La Sal Mountains has grown from 8,518 acres to 8,952 acres. Fire officials reported that the fire is now 66% contained as of June 23, meaning that percentage of the perimeter is hemmed in by secure fireline.
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Twenty-five miles south of Moab, Looking Glass Arch overlooks a sprawling desert landscape from a shaded alcove, from which outdoor enthusiasts can see all the way to the Abajo Mountains and beyond. The site is a treasured location for Moab’s climbers, aerialists and hikers, and social media…
Notes from the Grand County Commission's June 15 meeting
Grand County Commissioner Kevin Walker is spearheading the effort to redraw the county’s commission districts, which is supposed to take place every 10 years along with the national census, Walker said, but did not happen in 2000 or 2010.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has recommended the full restoration of the original boundaries of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments, which were reduced by former President Donald Trump in 2017.
