This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, June 30. In this edition:
- Crews made progress on the massive Cottonwood Fire
- A bat in Cache County tested positive for rabies
- The agency backing the Stratos Project hired a new director
Crews made progress on the Cottonwood Fire, but the future remains uncertain
Crews have made some progress with the Cottonwood Fire near Beaver, which is currently the largest wildfire in the nation.
As of Tuesday at 6 p.m., the fire had burned just under 94,000 acres.
Cooler, more moderate weather allowed emergency response unit Great Basin Team 5 to complete about 170 miles of fireline around the fire.
However, that line hasn’t been tested by the fire, so crews don’t know yet if the flames will cross those boundaries.
The future of putting out the fire even when it is contained is also uncertain. Remnants will smolder for months without significant precipitation in the area, and right now there isn’t enough water or resources to put the fire out for good.
On Tuesday, select communities affected by the fire were able to visit their property. They were escorted by the Beaver County Sheriff’s Department to assess damage and grab personal items.
A Cache County bat tested positive for rabies. Here’s how to avoid exposure
A bat in Cache County tested positive for rabies.
It’s the second confirmed animal case in Utah this year after a bat tested positive in Washington County in late April.
While most bats don’t carry rabies, they are the most common source of rabies exposure in Utah, according to the Bear River Health Department.
Rabies affects the brain and nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms develop. However, it is preventable when potential exposures are recognized and treated promptly.
To avoid exposure, never touch a bat with your bare hands, keep children and pets away, and make sure pets are up to date on rabies vaccinations.
If you believe a person or pet may have been exposed to rabies, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The agency backing the controversial Stratos Project hired a new director
The Military Installation Development Authority, which backed the controversial Stratos data center project in Box Elder County, hired a new director.
The quasi-government agency, often called MIDA, is meant to support development near military bases and protect defense-related jobs in Utah. Its role has expanded in recent years to also oversee large economic development projects in certain areas.
The outgoing executive director, Paul Morris, was one of the main proponents of the Stratos project. He began planning to step down about a year ago after nearly two decades in the role.
In his place will be businessman Dan Hemmert, who previously served in the Utah Senate and as the director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.
The board, which includes Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, unanimously approved to hire Hemmert on Friday.
They declined to take any comments about the Stratos Project during Friday’s meeting.
