Box Elder News Journal's Podcast

Brigham City officials used two budget work sessions to weigh aging infrastructure, new staffing requests and a proposed 12.93% property tax increase as they continued work on Mayor DJ Bott’s 2026- 27 budget proposal. The proposed increase is expected to generate an estimated 5,000 in additional revenue and would fund three personnel initiatives: replacing the city’s contracted attorney with a ful...

U.S. House District 2Kariann Lisonbee Box Elder County Commission-Seat ABoyd BinghamVance Smith Box Elder County Commission-Seat BNathan Tueller Box Elder County School Board-Dist. 3Krisha Petersen Decoursey Box Elder County School Board-Dist. 4Michelle Mund Article Link

A physician who practiced in Brigham City has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he obtained and sold misbranded peptide drugs to patients, with a jury trial scheduled for next year. Justin Bradley Watkins, 39, of Pleasant View, entered the plea April 22 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jared C. Bennett, waiving a formal reading of the indictment. A jury trial is scheduled to begin June 1,...

State officials last week pivoted from their previous stances regarding a proposed 40,000-acre data center in Box Elder County, with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issuing an executive order changing how large data center projects are evaluated and developed in Utah, and Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, a board member of the Military Installation Development Authority, calling for a 75% reduction in the...

An independent investigation has found insufficient evidence to support allegations that Box Elder County Sheriff Kevin Potter drove under the influence of alcohol during a Jan. 19 encounter with citizens in the northern part of the county. The investigation did find that Potter violated county and sheriff’s office policies, resulting in a formal letter of censure from the Box Elder County Commiss...

Voters eligible to participate in the Republican Primary Election will receive their ballots this week after being mailed on Tuesday. See next week’s edition of the Box Elder News Journal for a voter guide on the candidates. Article Link

The suicide rate across the Bear River Health District, which includes Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties, fell nearly 22% in 2025 while the number of people receiving mental-health services nearly tripled, according to the Bear River Health Department’s annual report presented to the Box Elder County Commission. Bear River Health Department Executive Director Jordan Mathis and Public Information...

Less than a month after the Box Elder County Commission approved resolutions related to the proposed Stratos data center project, a series of developments have reshaped the debate surrounding the project, including a rejected referendum effort, a statewide executive order, calls for major changes from Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams and discussion of a possible county moratorium on future da...

The Perry City Council approved an ordinance establishing rules, regulations and enforcement provisions for city trails, including the Historic Orchard Pathway and the Kiwanis Gravity Bike Park. The ordinance prohibits Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes, motor vehicles and powersport vehicles on city trails, establishes a 20-mph speed limit where no other limit is posted, and creates criminal and civil p...

What began as a review of residential beehives following two swarming incidents in a Perry neighborhood ultimately led city officials to conclude that state law, not local ordinance, largely governs how beehives are regulated. The Perry City Council unanimously approved a code amendment May 28 after city officials determined state law governs residential beekeeping in communities such as Perry. In...

The body of a 27-year-old man who went missing after falling from a WaveRunner at Willard Bay Reservoir was recovered Monday evening. Capt. Chase Pili, public information officer for the Utah Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, said rescuers located and recovered the body of Isaac Maiquema Vasquez of Ecuador at approximately 5:50 p.m. Monday. Vasquez had been missing since Su...

The Box Elder County Commission approved a request May 27 to rezone approximately 22 acres in the Corinne/ Bear River area from agricultural 20-acre zoning to 5-acre rural residential zoning. Box Elder County Community Development Director Scott Lyons said the property, located near 5350 West and 4800 North, is surrounded primarily by agricultural land, with some nearby residential development. Ly...

The Box Elder County Commission approved an ,500 grant agreement May 27 to help fund efforts to monitor and control invasive weeds throughout the county. Box Elder County Weed Department Supervisor Wyatt Freeze said the funding comes through the Utah Weed Supervisors Association and has been awarded to the county annually for about a decade. The grant reimburses weed-control activities during the...

The Perry City Council unanimously appointed Jim Kern as chairman of the city’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The volunteer organization helps Perry prepare for emergencies and disasters by providing trained community members who can assist with response, communications, logistics and other support functions when needed. Mayor Kevin Jeppsen said Kern has been involved with the CERT pro...

The Perry City Council unanimously approved a zoning change request for property at approximately 2210 S. Highway 89, clearing the way for a new home on the rear portion of the parcel. Perry City Administrator Bob Barnhill said the approximately 1.5-acre property is currently zoned neighborhood commercial. The approved change affects the rear portion of the parcel, where owner William Bowden plans...

The Box Elder County Commission approved several agreements and code updates May 27, including adoption of updated fire codes, approval of a wildfire cost-sharing agreement with the state and a contract bringing the Utah Horse Pullers Association back to the county fairgrounds. Box Elder County Fire Marshal Kevin Lloyd said the county is adopting the 2024 International Fire Code after the state ap...

The Box Elder County Commission voted May 27 to table a proposed annexation of a 3.7- acre parcel into Garland City, citing concerns about emergency access, road conditions and the possibility of additional residential development. The parcel, located near 12800 North and 7000 West, is already served by Garland City water. Box Elder County Community Development Director Scott Lyons said the proper...

A proposed ordinance that would prohibit parking along much of 300 North between U.S. 89 and the Willard Canyon trailhead is headed to a public hearing after discussion by the Willard City Council on May 28. The proposal would make it unlawful to park on either side of 300 North from U.S. Highway 89 east to the Willard Canyon trailhead. The draft measure describes the affected area as extending ap...

A Gold Star Family Walk was held at the newly updated Midland Square Park in Tremonton the grass was filled with white crosses and lined with flags for Saturday’s event. The walk was a 2-mile excursion which visited the two area cemeteries and the Borgstrom Brothers monument. In Brigham City the Gold Star Memorial Monument groundbreaking was held at the Box Elder County Courthouse to unveil the ar...

Brigham City police are again asking the public for help identifying the driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run that killed 65-year-old Angela “Angie” Kjar last year. The Brigham City Police Department renewed its appeal this month, saying investigators believe someone in the community may have information about the Sept. 29, 2025, crash near 425 East and 850 South. Police Chief Chad Reyes previou...

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared a statewide drought emergency Thursday as state officials warned runoff conditions in northern Utah are already trailing parts of the severe 2021 drought. The governor’s executive order states all 29 Utah counties are now in severe drought conditions, with 22 counties classified in extreme drought. The order also says statewide snowpack peaked about three weeks early...

Looking ahead to the next fiscal year, Mantua is facing a 3,000 deficit that they hope to balance with cuts and restructuring. The deficit originated from a combination of lost revenue sources, rising operational costs, and long-standing utility imbalances. The main driver of that lost revenue growth comes from the loss of grant funding. Several grants the town had consistently received in previou...

The Brigham City Council approved an ordinance amendment Thursday restricting future self-storage development along portions of the city’s western industrial corridor. The amendment removes self-storage facilities as a conditional use west of 1200 West and Watery Lane and clarifies that storage of shipping containers for wholesale or retail sale is prohibited within city limits. City officials sai...

Perry City will host ribbon cuttings on June 13 for both the new Kiwanis Gravity Bike Park and a newly completed section of the Historic Orchard Pathway trail along 1200 West. According to information provided by Perry City Administrator Robert Barnhill, the Historic Orchard Pathway ribbon cutting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., followed by the Kiwanis Gravity Bike Park grand opening at 10 a.m. The tr...

The Willard City Council approved an interlocal agreement May 7 tied to a proposed five-mile shared-use pedestrian and bicycle trail along the UTA-owned Historic Orchard Pathway corridor. The agreement between Willard City, Box Elder County and the Utah Department of Transportation outlines development and operation of the Historic Orchard Pathway shared use path that would extend south from Willa...