This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, Aug. 25. In this edition:
- The University of Utah is closing its Sandy campus as part of statewide budget cuts
- Zebra mussel DNA was found in Utah's part of the Colorado River for the first time
- Nearly a dozen hikers were rescued from flash floods in Bryce Canyon National Park
The University of Utah’s Sandy campus is closing after this semester
The University of Utah is permanently closing its Sandy campus at the end of the year.
It’s part of larger budget cuts across higher education in Utah that state lawmakers mandated last year.
More than 600 students are taking classes at the satellite campus this fall. Almost all of those are also registered for online or in-person courses on the main campus in Salt Lake City.
The fall semester will continue as planned, with the campus’ last day on January 1, 2027. The university said it will help students find classes on the main campus in the future.
Another invasive mussel species was found in Utah’s part of the Colorado River
Wildlife officials found fragments of zebra mussel DNA in Utah’s portion of the Colorado River for the first time.
The invasive mussels are a newer threat for the Upper Colorado River Basin, with the first documentation last year in Colorado. They can clog infrastructure, overwhelm ecosystems, and create hazards for recreationists.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said finding the DNA only means there was an animal somewhere upstream, not that there’s an infestation.
All river users in Utah are required to take an annual mussel-aware boater course to help prevent the spread of invasive species.
Flash flooding stranded 11 hikers in Bryce Canyon National Park on Monday
Nearly a dozen hikers were rescued from flash floods in Bryce Canyon National Park on Monday.
Search and rescue, park rangers, and emergency medical services collectively helped the four stranded groups.
After being medically evaluated, two people were taken to the hospital for signs of hypothermia.
The flash floods mainly impacted Fairyland Loop, Navajo Loop, Peek-a-Boo Loop, and Queen’s Garden. State Route 12 was also temporarily closed in the area, but reopened Monday night.
