All 29 Utah Counties are now included on the disaster declaration list from the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to ongoing drought across the West.

In a letter to Gov. Gary Herbert earlier this week, U.S. Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack informed state officials that Uintah and Duchesne counties were added to the list. They were the only two counties not included before the change.

Sushi eaters may be used to the tingling sensation eating puffer fish produces. But now, the toxin that causes the buzz has been found on land by a USU Grad.

Amber Stokes graduated in 2013, but her dissertation was just published. After a colleague and somewhat worm-expert Peter Ducey noticed a strange behavior between his laboratory flatworms, Stokes dove into research to find out what was going on.

Sometime next year, a federal judge will decide whether Native Americans are still being shut out of political power in San Juan County, where now more than 52 percent of residents are Navajo or Ute tribal members. At issue will be the Navajo Nation’s claim that voting districts in the county have been gerrymandered to assure a permanent white majority in local elections. 

In an encore presentation from a year ago, we take a captivating look at the sinister side of the natural world on today’s Zesty Garden. Author Amy Stewart uncovers more than one hundred of our worst insect enemies in her book Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army and Other Diabolical Insects. It’s a mixture of history, science, murder, and intrigue that begins-but doesn’t end-in our own backyards. The Green Room showcases the pothos houseplant as a low-light alternative, and in Petals and Prose it's the language of bees.

The number of rescues performed in Logan Canyon have doubled this season from previous summers.
Officials say inexperienced and unprepared hikers hitting the trails with a little too much confidence could be behind the spike.

Lt.  Doyle Peck from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office says the search and rescue team, made of volunteers, has been called weekly. He said while they’re not entirely sure why there has been a dramatic surge in rescues, they want to raise safety awareness, particularly on social media.

A former Utah State University employee pled guilty Monday to theft and forgery, both felony charges.

44-year-old Noell Hansen was accused of stealing over $38,000 from USU from 2011 to 2013 after working for the university for over 20 years.

  Media reports Hansen was able to embezzle the funds by keeping deposits until she had accrued multiple checks. After, she would take cash in the amount of a particular check to cover the missing money, then would submit the check instead of cash for that day’s deposit.

On Wednesday, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision from a Utah judge striking down the state’s gay marriage ban. 

Six months after the state appealed Judge Shelby’s ruling, which found Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, a three-judge panel from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court's decision in a 2-1 ruling. However, with the ruling, the court put an immediate stay on the decision.

Primary elections were held across Utah on Tuesday. To view the full results, click here.

Cache County results are below.

County Executive / Surveyor:
Boyd R. Pugmire:     2132
Craig W. Buttars:     3025*

County Recorder
Bradley P. White:     2080
Michael L. Gleed:     2985*

County Tresurer:
Craig McAllister:     2653*
Denise Lindsay    2529
  

*Winner of the election.