After nearly two years of uncertainty and sharply reduced funding, federal support under the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program has been restored for Kane County and other rural Utah communities. In December 2025, Con­gress passed the Secure Rural Schools Reauthori­zation Act of 2025, which the president signed into law, reinstating full SRS payments for fiscal year 2026 and directing retro­active payments for 2024 and 2025. The bipartisan legislation restores a key funding s

The Willow munici­pality, a proposed new town east of Kanab, moved forward with its preliminary feasibil­ity study in late No­vember. Early drafts of the study found the municipality not feasible, citing high municipal service costs and an uncertain de­mographic base. However, the final report reversed that conclu­sion, determining the municipality to be fiscally feasible and allowing the project to continue through Utah’s Preliminary Municipality process. Under state law, a

Utah health officials continue to describe the state’s measles situ­ation as an outbreak, and new information released this week adds a direct cross-border exposure involving Kane County Hospital. Since the Southern Utah News last re­ported on measles ac­tivity in late December, health authorities say additional cases have been confirmed in Utah and neighboring Ari­zona, reinforcing con­cerns about sustained regional spread. Coconino County Health and Human Services announced

On January 1, 2026, a new anti-drinking-and-driving law will begin requiring alcohol sellers to check every single ID before sale, regardless of age ap­pearance, checking for a new red banner that forbids sales to repeat or serious DUI offenders. HB437, passed in the 2025 legislative ses­sion, enacts an array of legal measures de­signed to restrict alco­hol sales to any person labeled “interdicted,” a status assigned to individuals convicted of an extreme DUI. Utah law labels