Southern Utah
St. George, Cedar City and the red-rock country.
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Latest
Flash floods hit Zion National Park as Escalante and Paria rivers rise
The National Weather Service said parts of the Escalante River basin saw up to 3.5 inches of rain in 36 hours.
Hurricane declares local emergency after flooding damages homes and RVs
Bridges, culverts, roads and electrical power boxes were damaged, and mud and debris cover city roads, the city said.
- Politics · Feature
Three local tax questions on Utah's Nov. 3 ballot, explained
Snyderville Basin voters decide up to $71 million in recreation bonds, San Juan County votes on a 1% ambulance sales tax, and Washington City votes on a fire and emergency services sales tax. Here is what each measure does, what it would cost and what is not on the ballot.
Flash flooding in Hurricane forces evacuations and closes roads in southern Utah
Evacuation orders and road closures followed overnight storms in Washington County, with more rain expected Thursday.
- Crime & safety
Debris closed Southern Parkway in Hurricane for about an hour Wednesday night
The Utah Department of Transportation said SR-7 was closed in both directions until about 10:30 p.m.
- Crime & safety
Man paralyzed in May SR-59 crash near Hurricane seeks witnesses
The Utah Highway Patrol says an unidentified black sedan made an improper pass and left, and no leads have emerged in six months.
- Politics
San Juan County voters will decide on a 1% sales tax for ambulance and EMS service
Proposition 7 would raise just over $1 million a year, with groceries, fuel and prescription medicine exempt, and county leaders expect tourists to pay much of it.
- Community
St. George parking garage slides draw about 2,400 rides a day
The city says the peak day, Sept. 19, had roughly 4,700 riders and that no injuries have been reported.
- Outdoors & skiing
St. George plans 2.5-acre expansion at Thunder Junction
The all-abilities park's next phase adds Ice Age-themed attractions and railroad track, with completion targeted for summer 2027, according to KSL.
- Outdoors & skiing
Flood watches issued for central and southern Utah ahead of Wednesday storms
Watches begin October 21; southeastern Utah’s watch extends into Friday, October 23.
- Growth & housing
Washington County seeks architect for Dixie Center expansion
The proposed project would add about 117,145 square feet to the St. George convention center.
- Sports
Utah Valley men's basketball loses 92-80 at Utah Tech in exhibition
Dominick Nelson scored 15 points for the Wolverines, and Christian Gibson had 23 for Utah Tech in St. George.
- Sports
Southern Utah beats No. 14 UC Davis 38-17 behind Floyd Chalk's 212 yards
The Thunderbirds trailed 17-9 at halftime and scored the last 29 points in Cedar City.
- Business
Bonrue Bakery opens Provo location and plans more in Utah
The bakery, founded in St. George in 2021, has announced its next shops for Orem and Spanish Fork.
- Crime & safety
St. George man gets probation for faking a plot to have himself killed
Robert Quentin Sprague admitted sending emails that made it look like a woman he had been married to was asking her uncles to help kill him.
- Outdoors & skiing · Feature
Utah's search and rescue teams: what the records say about workload and money
Washington County's rescue team reported more incidents and many more people rescued in 2025. State records show a reimbursement formula under review and a new grant for rural counties, but no statewide measure of whether teams can keep up.
- Sports
Cedar and Canyon View football learn 3A playoff matchups after regular season wins
Cedar is the No. 9 seed and will play at No. 8 North Sanpete, while Canyon View hosts Manti again.
- Growth & housing
St. George's new City Hall Plaza draws more than 4,000 visitors on weekend days
The downtown space off Main Street includes fire pits, a zen garden, public art and two metal slides off a parking structure.
- Business
Utah adds 25,200 jobs over the year as unemployment holds at 3.5%
Nonfarm payroll employment rose 1.4% in the 12 months through September, led by education and health services, the state's monthly report shows.
- Sports
Copper Hills, Box Elder, Ridgeline and Mountain Crest win in Week 10 football
Copper Hills beat Riverton 40-17 and Box Elder beat West Field 28-7 in Region games on Friday, Oct. 16.
- Community
St. George man raises money for his new charity with free Halloween display
James Mays says his eighth annual display now supports Pancakes & Love, a nonprofit he started this year.
- Outdoors & skiing
Kane County sheriff says search and rescue calls nearly doubled this year
Kane and Iron county officials say rescues in remote areas have become expensive as visitation grows.
- Sports
Utah Valley and Utah Tech meet in Saturday exhibition in St. George
Tipoff for the Old Hammer Rivalry game at Burns Arena is set for 7 p.m. MT.
- Crime & safety
Three injured when pickup rear-ends semi on I-15 north of Cedar City
A 13-year-old passenger was flown to St. George Regional Hospital with injuries the Utah Highway Patrol described as severe.
- Crime & safety
Man sentenced to 41 months for carrying 104,000 fentanyl pills in Utah
Hector Luis Castillo-Reyes pleaded guilty to a federal count of possession with intent to distribute.
- Business
Utah bookstores open and host events as reading rates fall
Booksellers told Utah Business that gifts, memberships and community events help them stay profitable.
- Politics
Washington City voters to decide sales tax for emergency services
City leaders say the 0.67% tax would exclude fuel, medication and groceries and come with a cut to the city's share of property taxes.
- Crime & safety
Two California residents face dozens of charges after I-15 stop in Beaver County
Court records say a Utah Highway Patrol stop led to allegations of forged checks, fake IDs, drugs and gold coins.
- Sports
Southern Utah women's soccer draws Northern Arizona 1-1
Ashlyn O'Malley's fourth goal of the season put the Thunderbirds ahead before Northern Arizona tied it on a penalty kick.
- Outdoors & skiing
Birders report first verified storm petrel sightings in Utah after Tropical Storm Rachel
The ocean birds, carried inland by the storm, were seen at water bodies from St. George to Cache County.
- Sports
Utah Valley picked fifth in Big West preseason men's basketball poll
The Wolverines, in their first Big West season, drew 85 points in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches.
- Outdoors & skiing
Southern Utah light pollution could disorient migrating birds, advocates say
Phil Ertel of the Red Cliffs Audubon Society said skies remain dark but lighting is increasing with development.
- Sports
Southern Utah, off a bye, hosts No. 14 UC Davis in Big Sky game
The Thunderbirds (2-4) face the Aggies (4-2) Saturday at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City.
- Business
Wheeler Machinery agrees to acquire SITECH Intermountain
The transaction is expected to close Dec. 31, and terms were not disclosed.
- Crime & safety
Driver cited after car turns in front of UHP vehicle in Cedar City
Neither trooper was injured, and the Subaru driver was taken to a hospital as a precaution, police said.
- Sports
Hurricane, Crimson Cliffs and Snow Canyon share Region 9 football title
All three won on the last night of the regular season, and the 4A bracket is due Saturday morning.
- Business
Cedar City's Cross Hollow Events Center approves bids for new covered arena
The arena manager said a recent addition has kept the facility busy and that a 150-by-225-foot covered outdoor arena is planned.
- Business
State promises tax credit for Baxter Aerospace expansion in Washington City
The company has agreed to add 90 jobs and invest $19.55 million in Utah over five years to qualify.
- Education
Washington County school board President Stirland faces Zaleski in District 5
Both candidates told St. George News that shrinking student populations amid area growth are a coming challenge for the district.
- Outdoors & skiing
Grand Canyon North Rim begins fall closures as two scenic roads shut for repairs
Cape Royal and Point Imperial roads are expected to reopen Nov. 3, and the North Rim entrance closes for the season by Nov. 30.
- Outdoors & skiing
Prescribed burns planned across thousands of acres of Dixie National Forest
Broadcast and pile burns near Duck Creek, Pine Valley, Escalante and along state Route 12 could send smoke over southern Utah highways this fall and winter.
- Outdoors & skiing
Cedar Breaks visitor center and museum to close for winter by Oct. 17
Snow already closed the high-elevation monument's visitor center for a day this week, and the park service says water may be shut off early.
- Business
Baxter Aerospace wins Utah incentive for planned Washington City expansion
The company plans $19.55 million in investment and 90 jobs over five years; the tax benefit depends on meeting performance requirements.
- Growth & housing
Box Elder, Iron counties race to write data center rules as moratoriums wind down
Iron County's draft would cap water use at 50,000 gallons a day for big projects, and Box Elder officials say their rules will land on the restrictive end.
- Politics
Federal disaster aid approved for Beaver, Piute counties after fire and floods
A joint assessment found at least $47 million in possibly eligible damage from the Cottonwood Fire and the flooding and mudslides that followed.
- Deep Dive · Feature
Geneva Steel: a $110 million rescue, then another shutdown
A $110 million federally guaranteed loan helped Geneva Steel emerge from bankruptcy in 2001. Within a year the Utah mill was idle and back in bankruptcy; the government paid $92.1 million on its guarantee, and the equipment was sold to a Chinese steelmaker for $40 million.
- Money & banking · Feature
SunFirst Bank: how online-poker payments reached a small Utah lender
SunFirst’s search for capital drew it into illegal online-poker processing. Its closure, a banker’s guilty plea and the receivership’s later termination show how payment access, bank solvency and customer protection intersected.
- Money & banking
Utah’s August tracker lists five pending industrial-bank applications
Utah’s Department of Financial Institutions lists five industrial-bank applications as pending in a tracker last updated August 21. Four other industrial-bank proposals show state approval but remain opening pending.