facebook-pixel
The Southern Utah Tribune

What’s coming to southern Utah: New businesses and construction projects happening now

By Macrae Heppler | Special to The Southern Utah Tribune | October 3, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Brooke Larsen | The Salt Lake Tribune) The St. George City Council and mayor discuss the emergency services sales tax at a city council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

After contentious debate — and a failed vote — St. George approved a sales tax hike. Here’s why the vote flipped.

By Brooke Larsen | October 2, 2026, 12:55 p.m.

The Trump admin blocked nearly $2M for projects at Utah’s national parks. Here’s what won’t get done.

Utah is paying farmers to conserve Colorado River water. Is it working?

Latest Stories

(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Aaron Metler competes in the St. George Marathon in 2010. Metler won the marathon with a time of 2:22:08.

The St. George Marathon turns 50. See how the iconic Utah race has changed over the years.

As it celebrates its 50th year, the race’s size and clout have changed, but little else.

By Julie Jag | September 28, 2026, 4:15 p.m.

(Utah Fire Info via Facebook) The Deer Creek Fire burns south east of Moab, Thursday, July 10, 2025.

After a year of ‘pure hell,’ charges against a prominent journalist accused of starting a Utah wildfire have been dropped

Scott Carrier denied starting the blaze, but he faced potential jail time based on a state investigation one expert said was deeply flawed.

By Robert Gehrke | September 26, 2026, 2:06 p.m.

(Church History Library) Apostle George A. Smith, for whom St. George was named.

Who is St. George’s namesake? A larger-than-life LDS apostle who never lived there and remains an enigma.

Unpacking the frontier folklore and darker deeds of southern Utah colonizer George A. Smith.

By Mark Eddington | September 22, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Brooke Larsen | The Salt Lake Tribune) A resident raises concerns and questions about the proposed Red Butte energy campus and data center in Iron County during an open house in Cedar City on Thursday, May 14, 2026.

A Utah county wants tighter limits on data centers. Here’s what it’s proposing.

Iron County is developing a new ordinance for data centers and other large developments such as natural gas plants, solar projects and battery energy storage systems.

By Brooke Larsen | September 17, 2026, 4:56 p.m.

(Roger Kisby | The New York Times) Rachel Schoenecker plays as Cosette in Tuacahn Amphitheatre's production of "Les Misérables" in Ivins.

Calendar of events for southern Utah, Sept. 16-Oct. 7

Events in art, music, film, sports, recreation and more.

By Compiled by Tony Solis | September 16, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Brooke Larsen | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brooks Behling walks across one of his dry alfalfa fields in Ferron on August 10, 2026.

‘We’re out of water’: Utah communities live with steep water cuts amid brutal Colorado River drought

Utah and other Upper Basin states shared water woes and plans for future drought actions during a meeting of the Upper Colorado River Commission.

By Brooke Larsen | September 15, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hundreds gather in front of the Governor's Mansion to protest the shrinking of two national monuments, in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 20, 2026.

Most Utahns want Trump’s cuts to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase reversed, survey finds

A new survey of Utah voters found most respondents support national monuments and believe Native American tribes should have a strong role in public land management.

By Brooke Larsen | September 9, 2026, 6:26 p.m.

(Miken Larson) Ron Larsen paints a horse on the carousel at Town Square Park in St. George in 2016.

This acclaimed Utah artist paints the American West. Every year, he returns to these carousel horses.

For Ron Larson, brushing up horses is a passion rather than a pastime

By Mark Eddington | September 7, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Alvaro Barrientos | AP) A pilgrim walks during a stage of "Camino de Santiago" or St. James Way near to Santo Domingo de La Calzada, northern Spain, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Over centuries, villages with magnificent artwork were built along the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage route crossing Spain. Today, Camino travelers are saving those towns from disappearing, rescuing the economy and vitality of hamlets that were steadily losing jobs and population. “The Camino is life,” say villagers along the route.

This Tribune journalist is taking a hike — 525 miles across Spain, to be exact

Reporter Mark Eddington is leaving deadlines behind for a few weeks to walk the Camino de Santiago.

By Mark Eddington | September 5, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Bears Ears buttes inside Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.

Trump’s move to slash Utah national monuments sparks lawsuits from Patagonia and environmental groups

Patagonia, environmental and tribal groups filed lawsuits challenging the slashing of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

By Brooke Larsen | September 4, 2026, 4:34 p.m.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Kate Karman-Gates hikes the White Pine Trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026.

The Trump admin is one step closer to repealing the Roadless Rule. Here’s what it means for Utah.

Nearly half of Utah’s national forest lands are protected from logging and road building under the Roadless Rule.

By Brooke Larsen | September 2, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane on Thursday, June 25, 2026.

ICE arrests in southwest Utah are up sixfold under Trump. Here’s a look at the latest numbers.

More than 100 immigration arrests were made in May alone, according to a new data set.

By Andy Larsen | Brooke Larsen | September 4, 2026, 4:44 p.m.

(Brett Walton | Circle of Blue) Morning sun strikes the powerhouse on the Nevada side of Hoover Dam.

Utah House speaker criticizes Nevada’s Colorado River lawsuit for making a ‘difficult situation more difficult’

Unlike Nevada, Utah doesn’t face any federally required cuts under a new plan for Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

By Brooke Larsen | August 25, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A Lake Powell rental pontoon boat motors down the main channel of the reservoir on Saturday, April 25, 2026, as bathtub rings are indicative of how far the waters levels have fallen since being at full capacity in the early 1980s.

The Trump admin finalized a short-term Colorado River plan. Here’s what it means for Lake Powell.

The federal government released its two-year operating plan for the Colorado River, including Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

By Brooke Larsen | August 21, 2026, 9:31 p.m.

(Jud Burkett | Special to The Tribune) Bartender Alec Kener shakes cocktails behind the bar at Spiritual Speakeasy in St. George, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026.

Tarot cards, secret doors and craft cocktails: Inside the speakeasy hidden in St. George

‘Spiritual’ cocktail bar is reborn after losing its religion.

By Mark Eddington | August 21, 2026, 7:57 p.m.

(National Park Service) Charles Hall Ferry.

Lake Powell’s falling water levels could sink Utah’s ferry service for good

Utah lawmakers no longer want to keep this unique way of exploring the state’s redrock country afloat.

By Leia Larsen | August 20, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Photo illustration by Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)

ICE arrests have quadrupled in southwest Utah under Trump. Most arrestees have no criminal convictions.

Immigration arrests have increased in southwest Utah, but most people arrested have no criminal records.

By Brooke Larsen | Andy Larsen | August 17, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(The Dyrt camper Chuck T.) The collection of dispersed camping sites along the Valley of the Gods Road in southern Utah was named the best campsite in the U.S. in 2026 by campsite locator The Dyrt. Sites were chosen according to camper reviews.

This Utah campsite has no water, power or shade. It was just named the best in the U.S.

Dispersed camping sites accounted for half of those listed among The Dyrt’s top 10.

By Julie Jag | August 15, 2026, 12:00 p.m.

(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) People gather for the opening of Switchpoint Red Hills, St. George's first permanent housing development for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.

Can permanent housing help tackle homelessness in this Utah city? A new project is betting on it.

Red Hills will provide seniors, veterans and homeless with apartments and on-site support

By Mark Eddington | August 14, 2026, 1:15 p.m.

(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) A storefront in the St. George Place shopping center, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026.

REI planned to open in St. George in 2025. Here’s where things stand.

The outdoor retailer has confirmed a new opening timeline for its first southern Utah location.

By Mark Eddington | August 12, 2026, 4:41 p.m.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A boat makes its way to Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell as high water marks indicate how much the reservoir has receded on Friday, April 24, 2026.

‘Pain and suffering’: What the feds’ Lake Powell proposal means for Utah and other Colorado River states

The Bureau of Reclamation released a massive document outlining possibilities for managing Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

By Brooke Larsen | August 12, 2026, 7:30 p.m.