Matt Jensen

A rare planetary alignment will treat sky watchers to a spectacular sunset later this month. Utah residents with an unobstructed view of the Western horizon will be able to see the formation which NASA is calling the “Sunset Triangle.” A YouTube video about the unique event explains what to watch for.

NASA says the triple conjunction is fairly rare. The last time it happened was May 2011 and it won’t appear again until October 2015.

Authorities in the Uintah Basin are working with federal investigators to determine what caused an explosion of an oil tank Tuesday evening which killed one man and injured another. The blast occurred just after 8:30 Tuesday night next to a crude oil well near Myton – about  20 miles south of Roosevelt. 

A bomb scare forced educators to evacuate and lock down an elementary school in Ogden on Tuesday. Ogden Police Lt. Danielle Croyle says there was no explosion or injuries of any kind after more than 500 students were evacuated from Shadow Valley Elementary at 4911 S. 1500 East at around noon Tuesday.

When we prepare together, we’ll survive together.

That’s the message behind the Great Utah SkakeOut – a statewide earthquake drill scheduled for 10:15 Wednesday morning. Organizers say nearly 900,000 people will participate in the exercise aimed at preparing Utahns for a major earthquake. TV and radio broadcasters will air a minute-long scenario about what to do when the shaking starts.

Two explosions rocked the finish line at the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon. While people panicked, police tried to make sense of what just happened and prevent any other explosions.

According to the Boston Marathon website, more than 350 runners registered for Monday's race were Utahns. One of these runners, Kristen Munson said she was one of the lucky ones.

"I'm grateful that people I know are safe and I'm really kind of devastated," she said.

AP reports indicate three people were killed and more than 100 were injured.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Wednesday he will not sign off on a controversial water deal in the Snake Valley on the Utah-Nevada border.

An agreement more than four years in the making would extract water from an underground aquifer in the region and deliver it to Southern Nevada. In a statement released today, Herbert said a majority of affected Utah residents don’t support the agreement, and he said the Snake Valley debate has been the most complex and emotional issue he’s faced since taking office.

The aerospace giant ATK announced Thursday the layoff of approximately 150 employees at its Box Elder County facility as well as in Mississippi and Ohio.

The company, best known for its solid-rocket boosters that propelled the space shuttle into orbit for many years, has laid off roughly half its workforce since 2009.

ATK spokeswoman Trina Helquist said the majority of layoffs took place at the nearby Promontory facility. About 90 employees agreed to voluntary severance.

A team of educators plans to open a new space education center in Cache Valley, modeled after the Christa McCauliffe Space Center in Utah County. David Sidwell, executive director for the project, said the organization will be a hands-on arts and science lab with a Starship Simulator at its heart.