Box Elder News Journal's Podcast

The Brigham City Council wants more information about the operating costs of a proposed million to million indoor recreation facility before its next work session on Oct. 29, following an Oct. 8 meeting that drew both supporters and opponents. The council has yet to decide whether to spend 0,000 on architectural and engineering plans for the proposed facility, which would be built adjacent to the...

Two residents challenged Box Elder County’s constitutional authority to regulate private property through zoning during the Oct. 7 County Commission meeting, despite nearly a century of U.S. Supreme Court precedent establishing that such regulations can be constitutional. Deanna Hardy, claiming to speak on behalf of the Box Elder Committee of Liberty, and Janene Beal made their arguments during pu...

Three years after Brigham City discontinued its senior transportation services on Sept. 2, 2023, and directed seniors instead to UTA Paratransit and modified routes, senior citizens and healthcare workers say the change has left many homebound and has stretched safety net funding thin. For years prior, the Brigham City Senior Center had operated a dedicated, door-to-door transportation system usin...

A former Garland Elementary School teacher arrested four years ago on allegations of sexually abusing students, but who was never prosecuted, now faces eight first-degree felony charges, including rape of a child, in two criminal cases filed Oct. 6 in Box Elder County. Patrick Alan Green, 63, of Nibley, Cache County, is charged with rape of a child, sodomy upon a child, two counts of object rape o...

The Perry City Council tabled a proposed animal shelter agreement at its Oct. 8 meeting as the cost of housing unclaimed dogs continues to strain the city’s budget. The agreement would increase the daily boarding rate at Ellie’s Pet Hotel in Willard from to per dog, a 27.3% increase. Perry City Administrator Bob Barnhill said Ellie’s requested the increase because the existing rate no longer cover...

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H.J.R. 10 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Publication Amendments2025 General SessionLONG TITLEGeneral Description:This joint resolution of the Legislature proposes to amend the Utah Constitutionregarding the publication of a proposed constitutional amendment. Highlighted Provisions:This resolution proposes to amend the Utah Constitution to:• require a proposed constitutional amendment to be...

The Willard City Council is considering applying for a federal grant to help pay for a new fire station building, but faces a tight deadline to prepare the plans and cost estimates needed for the application. At the Oct. 8 meeting, Willard City Planner Madison Brown outlined the requirements for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which could help finance a proposed 50 foot by 100 foot ste...

Opposition to Brigham City’s proposed indoor gym facility continued at the Oct. 1 meeting as residents raised new questions about operating costs, existing gym space and maintaining current facilities, and the council scheduled the first of at least two public work sessions for Oct. 8. The council agreed by consensus to hold the work session at 6 p.m. in the council chambers. A second session requ...

With thousands of new homes in various stages of development, Brigham City’s westward growth is now driving plans for a future elementary school. The Brigham City Council voted 3-0 at the Oct. 1 meeting to sell 13.53 acres on the city’s west side to the Box Elder School District for [post_excerpt].5 million, and authorizing Mayor DJ Bott to execute the real estate purchase agreement and related cl...

The fight over Box Elder County’s proposed Stratos data center is playing out both in court and in the community, with a judge scheduling December arguments in the referendum lawsuit as a national organization campaigning for greater local control over data center development brought its cross-country tour to Brigham City. Oral arguments are scheduled Dec. 22 before 1st District Court Judge Spence...

The Brigham City Council approved a zoning rewrite Oct. 1 that removes numerous uses previously permitted or conditionally allowed in at least one of the city’s multiple-use, agricultural or rural residential zones and makes several other uses more restrictive. The changes are part of an ongoing rewrite of Chapter 156 of the city code. Brigham City Community and Economic Development Director Tom K...

Last year, the Box Elder High School girls soccer team ended a more than three-decade drought with the program’s first region title in a three-way tie with Clearfield and West Field. The Bees repeated the feat again this year, securing at least a share of the region championship with a win over Fremont last Tuesday, Sept. 29, and an opportunity to claim the title outright with a win over West Fiel...

With just under two minutes to play in the game, it looked like the Box Elder High School football team would need a miracle to pull off a win as the Bees trailed Fremont, 16-7. But two minutes proved just enough time for the Bees to create a wild ending and score 10 points to keep their undefeated region record intact. As has been the case all season long, the Bees didn’t do a ton of damage throu...

The Box Elder High School girls’ volleyball team learned a tough lesson last week: Every opponent must be taken seriously in region play, especially in a region as tough as Region 5 has historically been. It was Clearfield that brought that lesson home Tuesday, Sept. 29, as the Falcons scrapped their way to a straight set win in Brigham City to notch their first real upset of the season. The Bees...

A new Utah State University statewide survey examines Utah residents’ views on data centers. The results indicate that 75.8% of respondents oppose or strongly oppose building new or additional data centers in Utah. The survey offers insights about what drives this opposition. The findings appear in the first executive summary from a broader research project led by Gina Gilson, Stacia Ryder, and Je...

H.J.R. 10 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Publication Amendments2025 General SessionLONG TITLEGeneral Description:This joint resolution of the Legislature proposes to amend the Utah Constitutionregarding the publication of a proposed constitutional amendment. Highlighted Provisions:This resolution proposes to amend the Utah Constitution to:• require a proposed constitutional amendment to be...

Box Elder County has unveiled a preliminary plan to zone roughly 2.1 million acres of currently unzoned land, with most of the affected property proposed for the county’s Agricultural Heritage Zone. The map, presented by Box Elder County Community Development Director Scott Lyons at a series of informational town hall meetings held in September, represents the most detailed look yet at a countywid...

A proposal to transform part of the dike at Willard Nature Park into a landscaped city landmark will have to account for its existing flood-control function and a leak in the structure. Mark Mackley, a local dentist and property owner, presented conceptual designs to the Willard City Council at its Sept. 24 meeting showing retaining walls, landscaping and a central Willard monument along the north...

The criminal cases against three members of a Garland-area ranching family accused of exploiting a migrant worker for labor are now moving in three different directions, with Justin Roche pleading guilty to a reduced felony charge, his brother Dusty Roche headed toward a March trial and their father, Jeffrey Roche, awaiting a new trial date. Dusty Roche, Justin Roche and Jeffrey Roche were charged...

In the continuing effort to make schools more secure, as required under state law, the Box Elder School District Board of Education approved last week contracting with a provider for wearable panic buttons. Utah’s H.B. 84 established wearable panic-alert requirements for public schools. The Utah State Board of Education administers a state-funded purchasing program through which participating loca...

A story in last week’s edition about the proposal to turn Mantua Reservoir into a state park inadvertently misrepresented the position of former Mantua Public Works Director Harper Johnson. Johnson said he does not support closing the reservoir. He does not support the state taking it over, and would like to see other solutions explored to solve issues. We regret any confusion this may have caused...

Utah entered 2026 with heightened concerns about the wildfire season, given the record-low snowpack. Those concerns materialized as wildfires burned across Utah, affecting nearly every corner of the state. The 2026 wildfire season might be better described as a wildfire year. For example, on Jan. 22, the Beaver Canyon Fire started near Strawberry Reservoir in Wasatch County. At that time of year,...

H.J.R. 10 Proposal to Amend Utah Constitution - Publication Amendments 2025 General Session LONG TITLE General Description: This joint resolution of the Legislature proposes to amend the Utah Constitution regarding the publication of a proposed constitutional amendment. Highlighted Provisions: This resolution proposes to amend the Utah Constitution to: • require a proposed constitutional amendment...

The Box Elder High School football team proved their versatility on offense as the team threw for a season high 208 yards and four touchdowns on their way to crushing Bonneville 43-7 for homecoming on Friday in Brigham City. That versatility was primarily driven by Box Elder senior quarterback Kayden Reyes, who went 6 for 8 passing for 158 yards and three touchdowns, as well as a touchdown each ru...