Utah News

Cache County’s own water war continues to cause heated debate in the valley over two years after the original complaint was filed by a group of Utah citizens.

The most recent dispute that has gained attention was sparked by the filing of a countersuit by Cache County itself, against citizen plaintiffs including members of the Utah Foundation for Land and Open Water, also known as Utah FLOW.

After six months of intensive work, the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation now has top-to-bottom access within the Bingham Canyon Mine after the largest landslide in mining history.

A newly-completed road marks a significant milestone for the corporation and provides access to deep within the mine.

The road was only feasible after extensive cleanup efforts of the 165-million-ton slide that happened in April. More than 14 million tons of fallen material has been moved since the slide and refuse is still being cleared to stabilize the area.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has never taken a stance when it comes to the environment, until now. Earlier this week, the LDS Church launched a webpage on its Newsroom website called “Environmental Stewardship and Conservation.”

Researchers announced the discovery of a new dinosaur species at the Natural History Museum of Utah on Wednesday.

The specimen was found in southern Utah in November 2009, and it is a rare ancestor to the well-known Tyrannosaurus rex.

Four years ago, paleoentological technician Scott Richardson went on a walk in the desert. Then he saw something sticking out of the ground that caught his eye: a leg bone.

Premature births are one of the leading causes of infant death in the U.S. Utah is working to combat that statistic by educating women about the risk factors associated with pre-term births.

Utah met and surpassed the goal set by the Healthy Babies President’s Challenge to reduce its pre-term birth rate by 8 percent. Julie Drake, Utah’s March of Dimes Program Director, said Utah received high marks for its work in educating the public about premature birth.  

Cache County voted Tuesday on a $129 million bond to open two new high schools within the school district. These new high schools would eliminate severe overcrowding within schools in the county. Residents voted in favor of the bond by a slight margin of 184 votes.

Many residents said they are worried the bond will affect property tax significantly.

Craig Petersen was elected Logan City Mayor on Tuesday, beating incumbent Randy Watts 2,504 to 2,100 votes. In his new position, Petersen said he plans to begin reviewing city policies and procedures.

"I went from conducting a campaign to being mayor-elect overnight," said Peterson. "It's kind of an abrupt transition to realize it really happened."

Petersen’s campaign platform focused on plans to improve the quality of life of those living in Logan.  Reducing traffic congestion, revising city policies to make them more business friendly, and addressing sidewalk and rental issues are matters Petersen said he will address now that he has been elected.

Utah residents gathered at polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a variety of races. Here are the results, divided by Northern and Southern Utah.

NORTHERN UTAH ELECTION RESULTS

Logan City - final results

Mayor

Craig Petersen: 2,504 votes
Randy Watts: 2,100 votes
Richard West (Write-in): 88 votes

Municipal Council
Holly Daines: 3,408 votes
Eugene Needham, Sr.: 2,540 votes
Jess Bradfield: 2,361 votes
Steven Stokes (write-in): 178 votes

Rumors that the drug krokodil has made its way to the U.S. have been circulating for weeks. Unconfirmed cases have popped up in the Southwest, including in one hospital in Murray.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Albert Villasuso said no reports have been confirmed in Utah yet, but the administration is working hard to identify the dangerous drug.

"Unless we have conformation from one, the user and two, the actual substance that they injected, there’s really no way for us to confirm it,” Villasuso said.

Even as thousands of Utah deer hunters have braved the outback only to come home empty-handed, a women recently driving through Garfield County bagged her buck without even knowing it. Chris Holmes explains.

A woman called the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and reported that she had hit something while traveling on U.S. Hwy.  89.  When conservation officer Micah Evans arrived on the scene he observed a large hole through the front of the travel trailer she was pulling.