Editorial: All Utahns Should Support San Juan County’s Request for a Legal Fees Bailout. Seriously.

Last week, San Juan County Commissioner Bruce Adams traveled to Salt Lake City to make a request of the legislature: $1.5 million in appropriations to help pay for the $3 million in legal bills the county has incurred over the last three years. The response from the state lawmakers in the room was one of … Continue reading Editorial: All Utahns Should Support San Juan County’s Request for a Legal Fees Bailout. Seriously.

San Juan County Commissioner Bruce Adams Asks The Utah Legislature To Contribute $1.5 Million Toward The County’s Legal Expenses

In 2016 and 2017, the county’s general fund dropped from $9 million in reserves to $5 million, in large part due to legal bills. In 2018, the county involved itself in several more lawsuits that led to another $1 million in costs. And up to $3.2 million in outstanding legal fees from an ongoing voting rights case have yet to be assessed, which could bring the total to over $6 million.

Over Half a Million Acres of New Wilderness in Utah? Emery County Public Land Legislation Passes the Senate

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed the Emery County Public Land Management Act as part of S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act. The bill is now headed to the House of Representatives. If it passes there in its current form, it would protect 663,000 acres of Utah's San Rafael Swell and Desolation and Labyrinth … Continue reading Over Half a Million Acres of New Wilderness in Utah? Emery County Public Land Legislation Passes the Senate

Lefty’s Soap Box: Spring planting, starting chiles, and other gardening tips (Feb. 1995)

Note: Lefty's Soap Box, a gardening column by former Canyon Echo editor Phil Hall, ran each month throughout the 1990s. If the weather keeps up like this February may become my favorite month. Good moisture, beautiful blue sky days, nights with crystal stars. During the week of the Presidents' birthdays we planted peas. The soil … Continue reading Lefty’s Soap Box: Spring planting, starting chiles, and other gardening tips (Feb. 1995)

Marshall Masayesva’s Mission to Create a Conservation Corps for Hopi Youth

By Zak Podmore While he was growing up on the arid, remote Hopi Nation in northern Arizona, Marshall Masayesva never paddled a kayak or went backpacking. People who lived in his community spent a lot of time outdoors, but the term “recreation” was seldom uttered; Masayesva never thought of himself as an outdoors person. That … Continue reading Marshall Masayesva’s Mission to Create a Conservation Corps for Hopi Youth

The Tiny Town Beauty Pageant and Government Grant Contest

Story by Dessa Hadenfeldt Bluff had been looking forward to this since the moment she heard she was incorporated. Backstage was thrilling, and everywhere she looked there was color. And smells. She could feel them going to her head. Fresh and salt water sprays. Palm and aspen leaves. Cactus and apple fruits. Earth rich with … Continue reading The Tiny Town Beauty Pageant and Government Grant Contest

Could San Juan County Become San Juan Counties?

An amendment that's being called the "Phil Bill" seeks to make it easier for counties to split apart without majority approval A proposed amendment to two dozen words in the Utah code that dictates how counties are formed could have profound consequences in San Juan County. Currently, residents in a Utah county can vote to … Continue reading Could San Juan County Become San Juan Counties?