Keeping the melon alive
Last year, the city of Green River canceled its annual Melon Days Festival for the first time in over 100 years. This year, organizers are hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic will lessen enough…
covid-19 utah
Rent relief: Housing assistance program offsets COVID impact
Families struggling to pay their rent and utility bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic can reach out for help to the Utah Housing Assistance program but need to be quick: the program is…
School sports and extracurriculars canceled due to COVID-19
Due to a new statewide public health order, no school extracurricular activities will be held through Nov. 23, including sports practices and competitions. The Grand County School District issued a statement affirming that…
Governor declares pandemic state of emergency
An emergency alert buzzed many Utahns’ cellular phones on Sunday night (Nov. 8) with a message from Utah Governor Gary Herbert: “Hospitalizations and case growth due to COVID-19 are unsustainable,” it read. “Tune…
Blanding officials object to risk level
After Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and state public health officials debuted a new COVID-19 Transmission Index on Oct. 13, restrictions in various counties throughout the state were changed to reflect a new way…
Utah officials get tough on COVID as case counts rise
Local and state officials are waving a flag of alarm about a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Utah. On Oct. 13, the Utah Department of Health reported 987 more cases in the…
Bringing home the sheep
Growing up in the Navajo Nation, Cynthia Wilson learned the art of rug-weaving from her mother, which she in turn learned from her own mother beneath the towering buttes of Monument Valley —…
Report shows Utah prioritized businesses over public health
A report released on July 21 by investigative journalism nonprofit Propublica revealed how politics, rather than public health policy, steered Utah’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and made special mention of Grand County….
Legislation addresses Navajo water rights
According to the Centers for Disease Control, two of the best things to prevent catching COVID-19 are regular hand washing and staying home. But what if you have to drive miles down a…
Gov rejects public health recommendations
Utah Governor Gary Herbert has rejected the recommendations of the state epidemiologist and others, vowing that he will not reintroduce public health restrictions despite the increased spread of COVID-19 in the state. On…
Utah’s COVID-19 cases “going in the wrong direction”
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the state, Utah’s top epidemiologist warned residents and lawmakers that unless changes are made the state will see “preventable deaths.” Utah Department of Health state epidemiologist…
Virtual health
For years, health care providers have been looking for ways to connect residents in rural areas to medical providers in simpler and less expensive ways. One of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic…
Gov. allows Moab to move to “low-risk” despite local requests
Governor Gary Herbert moved Moab to “low-risk” public health restrictions along with the majority of the state on May 29, rejecting requests from local government and public health officials for modifications and despite…
National Parks see increased visitation
Many eyes were on Zion National Park and other recreational areas during the Memorial Day weekend to see evidence of how limited park operations during the COVID-19 pandemic can address a busy holiday…
Without tourists, Green River workers support each other
“This couldn’t really have come at a worse time for a lot of people,” said Maria Sykes, executive director of the Green River Epicenter, an arts and affordable housing nonprofit in the rural…
U.S. bats threatened by White Nose Syndrome
Add field research to the long list of activities delayed or modified because of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Corinne Diggins of Virginia Tech is gathering data on an important but sometimes overlooked species…