It’s been a month since the murder of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner. The tragedy has rocked the Moab community—the couple, found murdered at their campsite in the La Sal Mountains on Aug. 18, were an integral part of their friend groups, workplaces, and their family.
In the early hours of Monday, Sept. 13, Moab City Police Officers responded to a report of a suicidal individual at Rotary Park. Officers arrived on scene, but were unable to prevent the person from injuring himself. Officers rendered aid until Grand County Emergency Medical Services arrived…
Redistricting takes place once every ten years following the U.S. Census, and the new boundaries re-define voting districts for congressional candidates, state legislative representatives, county commissioners and school boards.
At their regular meeting on Sept. 14, the Moab City Council heard updates from the Grand County School District, updated the number of road miles on record within the City, and made a decision on the bidding process for the Walnut Lane affordable housing project [See our coverage on page 1 o…
The Walnut Lane affordable housing project has been plagued by legal, financial, and repair issues since the plot was first purchased in October 2018 for $1.8 million. Most recently, the city had to end its contract with the construction company indieDwell.
The Moab Free Health Clinic is expected to serve 10% of Grand County’s population by the end of 2021, or around 900 patients. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health clinic’s services are expanding as demand increases.
At an Aug. 25 press briefing addressing the murders of Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte, representatives from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said the agency had investigated three suspicious unattended deaths over the last year and that none were classified as homicides after investigatio…
In public comments at the Moab City Council meeting on Sept. 14, council members expressed alarm at how the circumstance of recent resignations of city staff had been communicated both to the council and to the public.
Introducing the 2021 Grand County High School Homecoming Court! Pictured, from left to right, are junior attendant Maggie Groene, freshman attendant Aracely Medina, Homecoming Queen Hallie Packard, Homecoming King Tanner Crane, senior attendant Tenney Cook and sophomore attendant Jacelyn Shu…
It never rains, but sure does pour — at least during Moab’s monsoon season. This week, we speak with Megan Stackhouse, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Colorado. We discuss monsoons, rain variability, and how to predict the potential for a flash flood.
The coronavirus has made remote work the norm, and a surge in popularity of outdoor recreation has brought record visitation to the nation’s public lands.
This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001. To honor those who lost their lives on that day, and to honor the first responders who played a crucial role in saving what lives they could, the Grand County Faith Based Coali…
Moab City Manager Joel Linares resigned his position at the City of Moab effective at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7. He had held the position since May 2019, and before that, served as the assistant city manager from October 2018 to May 2019.
When Kylen Schulte came to Moab to live in 2016, her father said that “she really blossomed.”
Classes and activities at Grand County Public High School are canceled from Sept. 7-10 after 10 staff members and 8 students tested positive for COVID-19.
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking information about who may be responsible for recent vandalism of petroglyphs in Mill Creek Canyon. Photos of the damage show "Petroglyphs Taylor Trey Wes Travis Aug. 3, 2021" scratched into rock faces over ancient petroglyphs.
Alice Fern (Cleaveland) Starbuck, aged 89, passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on August 26, 2021, at 12:30 a.m. with her daughter, Linda, by her side.
Each day is different at Annie McVay’s new job as Moab’s Parks, Recreation and Trails director, which she started on June 14, 2021. Her role oversees the management and development of all city parks, as well as supervising the recreation department, the Moab Arts and Recreation Center, the M…
Following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, citizens across the country joined demonstrations demanding reforms to police departments. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office held a community discussion to review its policies and statistics; Moab City Police Chief Bret Edge, along with Moab…
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook page that an anonymous business contractor has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person or people involved in what the department is calling the South Mesa Double Homicide.
Long lines to enter Arches National Park have made local, and sometimes national, headlines for years. Traffic inside and surrounding the park, crowding at popular areas, and frequent closures can conflict with the park’s mission of preserving the natural landscapes and ecosystems for the en…
The two largest reservoirs in the country, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have dropped to historic lows this summer. Boat ramps are dry and huge “bathtub rings” circle the canyons of the reservoirs. Managers fear the water in Lake Mead could drop low enough to force the shut-down of the hydroele…
The Manti-La Sal National Forest announced that work began on a series of projects along the Geyser Pass Road on Aug. 30. The road has been closed for much of the summer due to the Pack Creek Fire; sections of the road will again be closed between late August and late October. The improvemen…
The Arroyo Crossing subdivision on Spanish Valley Drive has new streets with new street signs, utilities stubbed out to lots, and attractive landscaping. What it doesn't yet have are any of the nearly 300 housing units slated to populate the development, which is owned and managed by the non…
You can call her Dr. Kristina Young, after the founder of local nonprofit Science Moab completed her graduate program and defended her thesis last month.
The Moab City Council has been seriously discussing introducing a property tax since May of this year. Ultimately, councilmembers agreed that while a property tax will likely be necessary sometime in Moab’s future, the time to introduce it is not now.
At its regular August 24 meeting, the Moab City Council heard updates from Police Chief Bret Edge about police department staffing, discussed participating in a low income housing water assistance program and decided not to implement a property tax to the 2021-2022 budget. [see full coverage…
People in Grand County are grieving the deaths of two local women, who authorities said died of gunshot wounds. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office has opened a homicide investigation into the murders. A spokesperson said the department is following up on leads but has not currently identified…
Moab community members will come together for support at a candlelight vigil after the murder of two local women. The vigil will be held on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 8:15 p.m. outside of Moonflower Community Cooperative, where one of the victims worked.
Grand County Sheriff's Office staff confirmed that the deaths of Moab couple Kylen Carrol Schulte and Crystal Michelle Turner are the subject of a homicide investigation. The Medical Examiner's office ruled gunshot wounds as the cause of death for both women.
The Bureau of Land Management Moab Field Office has announced it is considering new rules to deal with increased impact in the Klondike Bluffs area north of Moab.
The Utah Department of Transportation is asking for help from the public in putting together a plan to provide “better access to trails and paths on state routes,” the department said in a press release. A comment process is underway to allow the public to sound off on an active transportati…
Karen “Cris” Coffey passed away peacefully on August 16 around 11:20 p.m. We lost a bright light, but her light will live on in the lives of those she touched.
Luxury rail tour company Rocky Mountaineer began service on its new route from Denver to Moab this week. After a test run several weeks ago, the company welcomed its first passengers on board in Denver on Aug. 15. After an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, the train continued on to Moab on…
Just days before Grand County School District schools are scheduled to open, the district announced a 30-day indoor mask mandate for students and staff in K-6 schools.
Over the past decade, Grand County had the fastest growing population of the southeast Utah region, recently released Census Bureau data shows. Its population also has the largest share of adults in the region, and is one of the most diverse.
Andrea and Randy French were on vacation when they started getting texts from their neighbors about flooding in their subdivision. The couple came home to find tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage from 43 inches of water that had backed up against a wall abuting their back yard.
Officials from the Grand County Sheriff's Office reported that two women were found dead in the South Mesa area of the La Sal Loop Road on August 18. While authorities did not release names, family members of the deceased women confirmed they were Moab residents Kylen Schulte and Crystal Tur…
Three Moab governance positions are up for election in 2021: the position of mayor and two positions on the Moab City Council. Mayor Emily Niehaus current council members Mike Duncan and Karen Guzman-Newton are not running for re-election this year.
The Moab Police Department announced the promotion of Sergeant Braydon Palmer to the role of assistant police chief. Palmer replaces Mike Thurston, who resigned from the department in April of this year.
Jessie G. Ekker, Dec. 24, 1941 - Aug. 16, 2021
At their regular meeting on Aug. 10, the Moab City Council heard updates on employee housing projects and the Canyonlands Regional Airport; and discussed and voted on the approval of a project with the Utah Department of Transportation to design and construct a new roundabout in the city. Th…
The City of Moab announced that mask-wearing would be required in all city facilities for both staff and members of the public, effective Aug. 9, to address the continued spread of COVID-19. Grand County administrators made a similar announcement last week.
When Cheryl Zwahlen came to Seekhaven’s shelter in 1993 to escape her abusive marriage, the organization was much smaller in resources, staff and scope. “The group therapy and individual counseling I was given helped me get away from my abusive husband back then,” said Zwahlen. “But Seekhave…
Grand County School District is preparing to start the 2021-2022 school year on Aug. 19, and has been working closely with health department officials to craft an opening plan with mitigations for COVID-19—a difficult task amid virus variants with unknown properties and shifting guidance fro…
At their regular meeting on August 10, the Moab City Council further discussed a property tax. The motion to implement a tax was tabled, but not before council members expressed their opinions and potential votes on the tax. The Moab City Council has been seriously discussing a property tax …
Motorcycles swiveled around an obstacle in the Grand County High School parking lot on the sunny afternoon of July 29. Some of the drivers carried passengers in sidecars, and the “obstacle” was Jared Thomas, a tall man with a bushy brown beard wearing jeans, motorcycle boots, and a red tee-s…
A 110-foot, 62-year-old bridge on Highway 95 in San Juan County has been compromised by the collapse of sandstone that was holding up the footing of one of the bridge abutments.
Moab Sun News reader Joanne Savoie made an unusual sighting on the morning of August 4: a badger prowling the City Market parking lot.
A proposed school district tax increase would impact residents in a $300,000 home by just $66 per year, according to a public notice announcing the proposal, but the details of the change are nuanced.
At their Aug. 3 meeting, the Grand County Commission discussed several items related to tourism promotion and events and Moab’s brand.
