About 300 residents filled the Kanab Center on Janu­ary7, for a public hearing on the proposed preliminary incorporation of Willow, a large development east of Kanab. Speakers raised objections to the state-required feasibility study and broader concerns about growth, infrastructure and local control. Residents line up to speak during a public hearing on the proposed Willow incorporation at the Kanab Center on January 7. About 300 people attended the state-required hearing. P

On December 23, 2025, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an overdue hiker. Kane County Sheriff Search and Rescue (SAR) responded to a missing woman in the Sheep Creek area. The woman was supposed to meet her family there after they hiked from one canyon to another. During the hike, a family member sustained an injury and returned to the trailhead. Unable to contact their mother, the remaining family members were stranded until one of them hitched a ride to

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

Visitors to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park will soon have a new way to stay overnight, with construction underway on a small rental cabin designed to bridge the gap between traditional camping and more developed lodging. The new cabin, described as a primitive, tiny-home– style structure, will accom­modate up to six people and is intended for year-round use, according to Assis­tant Park Manager Jaylin Broadbent. Park officials hope to have construction completed and reserva

The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (TLA) is seeking the public’s as­sistance in identifying the individual or individuals responsible for removing a human skull from a pro­tected ancient burial site in southern Utah. Kanab, UT In January 2025, inves­tigators from the Attorney General’s Office assigned to the Trust Lands Admin­istration became aware of the incident after viewing social media, prompting a search of a site near Kanab. During the extensi

Utah is moving forward with plans to develop nucle­ar power under a statewide initiative backed by Gover­nor Spencer Cox. State of­ficials recently announced that the Brigham City area in northern Utah has been identified as the preferred location for what they are calling a nuclear energy ecosystem. The proposal includes manufacturing facilities for reactor com­ponents, a technical train­ing center, and eventually the construction of small modular reactors, known as SMRs. Th

A wave of new data cen­ter proposals is reshaping parts of rural Utah, and Millard County remains at the center of it. Back in August, we reported on a plan for a 20 million square foot campus outside Delta that developers said could deliver up to 40 billion dol­lars in economic impact. Since then, even larger projects have stepped forward, raising hopes for new revenue along with concerns about long term costs for residents. Stock image, Southern Utah News. Two more massive