Southern Utah

A commissioner near Grand Staircase-Escalante supports the Trump administration significantly shrinking two national parks in the state. Conservationists oppose the move.

In other news, an off-ramp to the Salt Lake City International Airport is closing for a month. And, Junction's water supply in Piute County tested positive for E. coli after flooding last week.

In other news, Gov. Spencer Cox has named the new Great Salt Lake Commissioner. And, three counties are under a state of emergency because of flash flooding.

In other news, the Babylon Fire burned 20,000 more acres in one night. And, dozens of specialty license plates got a design upgrade.

Thousands of firefighters are deployed in the Great Basin region, which includes almost all of Utah and parts of surrounding states.

In other news, Cedar City is getting a new fire truck that can fight both structure and wildland fires. And, Box Elder County dairy farms must test for avian flu after it was discovered in the area.

The fire has burned over 70,000 acres in mere days and remains totally uncontained. Firefighters are hosting a community meeting to answer questions on Thursday evening.

There are 924 bird species known to be in the United States. The average county in Utah has approximately 295 species, but Washington County boasts 400 species.

The sale to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources used money from a "rainy day" fund intended for public education. In other news, Apple Valley's aquifer was drained by an agricultural well.

Four of the Utah Supreme Court's now seven justice seats will need to be filled this year. In other news, five Utah fires sparked in one day, including one that required temporary evacuations.