Life in San Juan

Wet winter expected to turn into heavy spring runoff

After the third-wettest winter in the past 35 years, San Juan County is anxious to see area reservoirs begin to fill and possibly overflow. “Recapture Reservoir has already gone up 18 feet since October and not a bit of it is off the mountain,” said Ferd Johnson of the San Juan Water Conservancy...

SSG Aaron Butler will be remembered in Idaho 5K/10K run this August

by Rhett Sifford Staff writer It has been 19 months since SSG Aaron Butler was killed while battling Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan. This summer, former teammates will honor the Monticello Special Forces soldier with a trail run bearing his name in Eagle, ID. The Inaugural SSG Aaron Butler...

Snowpack approaching 200 percent of normal

Will the snowpack be 200 percent of normal? Many things are known as the wet and wild winter of 2019 draws to a close. However, one question remains: Will the mountain snowpack be more than double the normal levels? On March 19, the six feet of snow at the Camp Jackson Sno-tel station contained 23...

San Juan High School Prom royalty

The 2019 San Juan High School Junior Prom was held on Saturday, March 2. Royalty includes: King Kade Francom and Queen Tyler Shumway, First Attendants Staten Perkins and Hayley Shumway, Second Attendants Ryan Imlay and Brittany Grover, Third Attendants Randall Flavel and Hope Holliday, and Fourth...

Blue Mtn Entertainment presents Extasis March 19

Extasis Argentinean Tango Trio is sure to thrill the local audience with exotic and gorgeous music on Tuesday, March 19 at the Monticello High School auditorium. This dazzling group is sponsored by Blue Mountain Entertainment (BME) with support from Utah Arts and Museums, The National Endowment for...

San Juan County moves out of severe drought

My son, Samuel, has a neat trick. His hair is curly, and it tightens on his head just before we get some precipitation. Conversely, when it’s going to be dry, his hair is relatively straight. A week ago Sunday, his curls were about as tight as they’d ever been. Sure enough, the next day we received...

Blanding native returns to musical roots

Dr. Kent Lyman will perform Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in the San Juan High School (SJHS) auditorium as part of the Kigalia Fine Arts concert season. He is a Steinway Artist. Dr. Lyman is an outstanding SJHS alumni. He is the son of Denece and Francis Lyman who spearheaded a well-known dance band...

Opening doors through art

In the Montezuma Creek community, Georgiana Simpson is providing learning opportunities in a supportive environment. In her Whitehorse High School art class, she emphasizes reflection on personal strengths as a tool for success. “I encourage my students to use their strengths and skills to help...

Epic snowstorm shuts down schools, businesses, roads, and may have brought an end to a drought

The strongest snowstorm in several winters took aim at San Juan County in the past week, resulting in closed schools and businesses, closed highways, copious amounts of snow, and what may be the end of a drought. Snow began falling on Wednesday evening, didn’t stop until Friday afternoon, and...

BYU Orchestra to perform

Blue Mountain Entertainment presents the BYU Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, February 16 at 7 p.m. in the Monticello High School auditorium. The Chamber Orchestra originates in the School of Music in the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. BYU is one of...