This is your daily news rundown for Monday, August 12. In this edition:
- Utah State University researchers will be using drones to assess Utah's summer air pollution problems.
- North Logan Walmart was evacuated early Sunday morning after the location received an online bomb threat.
- Various southern Utah state parks are expected to experience flash flooding this week.
USU researchers use drones to look at Utah air pollution levels
Researchers with Utah State University will spend this week taking a closer look at the state's summer air pollution problems with the help of a drone.
At the south end of Antelope Island on Tuesday, researchers launched a fixed-wing drone to fly rectangles over a portion of Great Salt Lake, with the help of USU's Aggie Air.
Dr. Randal Martin is an associate research professor at USU who studies air pollution at USU. He says they are mostly looking at ozone and are using an airplane with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration looking at higher altitudes and taking readings on the ground, along with a NOAA van and a trailer.
The study as a whole is looking for which compounds create the most pollution, and which ones can be most easily corrected through policy changes.
Logan Walmart evacuated after early morning bomb threat
A North Logan Walmart was evacuated Sunday morning after authorities received an online bomb threat.
North Park Police Chief Kent Goodrich said this investigation began just before 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 11 after the FBI National Threat Operations Center received an online tip that alleged there would be a bomb planted at the Walmart located at 1550 North Main Street in North Logan.
Managers of the Walmart were notified and evacuated all of their employees. The store remained closed for several hours.
Chief Goodrich said North Park Police officers and detectives identified a person of interest who was taken in for questioning.
The store was searched and reopened after authorities determined there was no threat to the public.
Various southern Utah state parks to be hit by flash flooding
A number of southern Utah state parks are expected to experience flash flooding Monday and Tuesday.
The weather risk will mainly affect slot canyons, dry washes, and small streams in the following areas:
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Glen Canyon National Rec Area
- Grand Staircase-Escalante East and West
- Natural Bridges National Monument
- Grand Gulch
- San Rafael Swell
- Zion National Park
