Life in San Juan

Shayli Bake, a senior at San Juan High School, has been awarded a $500 scholarship savings account as a regional winner of Zions Bank’s Pays for A’s drawing. Courtesy photo

Scholarship for local student totals $500 from Zions Bank

Dedication to academics has paid off for Shayli Bake, a senior at San Juan High School. Bake has been awarded a $500 scholarship savings account as a regional winner of Zions Bank’s Pays for A’s drawing. Kim Palmer, manager of the Zions Bank Blanding branch, announced Bake’s achievement during a...

Join the Club at the San Juan County Libraries

By Sally Jack Contributing Writer If you want to be a part of the fun and learn something new, join one or more of the new or ongoing clubs at the county libraries in Blanding and Monticello. Reading classes for children and adults begin on April 14 at the Blanding Library. Mrs. Julia Brooks will...

Utah Film Trail includes stops in San Juan

Iconic landscapes in San Juan County and across the state are being recognized by the Utah Film Commission through the Utah Film Trail. Gouldings Lodge, La Sal Junction and Dead Horse State Park, all located in San Juan County are among the locations featured in the new trail. The Utah Film Trail...

Feed Utah food drive culminates this week

by David Boyle News Director The annual Feed Utah food drive is happening March 22nd in San Juan County. The drive is organized in March throughout the state with San Juan County’s event taking place on Saturday March 22nd. The Utah Food Bank asks the public to place bags of non-perishable food...

Local business survival: Whos in control?

Making Sense of Local Business by Kara Laws When discussing local business success, there is often an undercurrent suggesting the survival of small local businesses depends solely on local citizens. It doesn’t. Business owners have an equal hold of the reigns and responsibilities, some would argue...

Kelly Pehrson, new Interim Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Courtesy photo

Kelly Pehrson to lead Utah Ag Department

San Juan County native Kelly Pehrson has been appointed to serve as Interim Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF). Pehrson was appointed after the retirement of Commissioner Craig Buttars. “I am honored for the opportunity to serve as Interim Commissioner as I have...

A rendering of the Veterans Memorial to honor US Veterans in Blanding near the Visitor Center. The goal is to complete the project by Veterans Day. Courtesy photo

Veterans Memorial to be built in Blanding near the Visitor Center

By Janet Wilcox Contributing writer For decades, soldiers from San Juan County dedicated their time and often their lives to the cause of freedom. From World War I to more current conflicts, hundreds of local soldiers have served in order that the freedoms we cherish are preserved. American Legion...

A view of the California Fire near Lake Tahoe in September 2020 as seen from the incident command center where Janiece and Julie Atwood were stationed with their clerical mobile office trailer. Courtesy photo

When Your Job is in the Line of Fire . . . On the Job, On the Go

by Sally Jack Contributing writer When most folks go to work, they drive to the office. But when Janiece Atwood of Monticello goes to work, she does just the opposite: she drives the office to her job. Janiece is an independent contractor in the firefighting and incident management industry. When...

Logan Monson Representative for Utah House District 69. Courtesy photo

Utah State Legislature is in full swing

It’s that time of the year again. The 2025 Utah Legislative session is in full swing. As a resident of rural Utah, I remember past years following the news coming out of Capitol Hill and feeling like I wasn’t being heard. The issues and concerns that are top of mind for Utahns on the Wasatch Front...

Kiglia Fine Arts International Night

Every inhabitable continent was represented on Valentine's Night - Friday the 14th - at Kigalia Fine Arts International Night. Residents of San Juan County shared songs, dances and languages from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Nigeria, Samoa, Romania, Scotland, and Tartarstan. The program...