This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, Oct. 27. In this edition:
- Iron County approved new zoning regulations that could allow for large data centers
- A year after Charlie Kirk's death, Utah Valley University hired its first-ever chief safety officer
Iron County ends its data center pause early with new zoning regulations
The Iron County Commission approved new zoning regulations on Monday that could allow for large data centers.
Commissioners also ended the county’s pause on new data center applications nearly a month early.
The decisions came despite opposition from the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, which owns about 2,500 to 3,000 acres in the county.
The tribe’s concerns include the environmental impact of data centers and a lack of communication from the county.
At Monday’s meeting, the tribe’s chairwoman said language had been removed that would give the tribe at least 30 days to provide input.
That language was added back in, but commissioners still voted unanimously to move forward with the new zoning regulations.
Utah Valley University hires its first chief safety officer a year after the Kirk shooting
Over a year after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Utah Valley University hired its first-ever chief safety officer.
Michael Rapich spent decades in law enforcement before his retirement, including serving in the highest-ranking position at the Utah Highway Patrol.
He’ll be tasked with overseeing campus safety operations and preparedness. That includes many recommendations from the university’s external security review after Kirk’s death.
The report found that while there was a solid foundation of policies and procedures, there were gaps in translating those into a high-profile event.
