Life in San Juan

Bishop dedicates Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Dedication of the new St Joseph Catholic Church and Parish Hall took place on September 27 in Monticello under the direction of the Most Reverend Oscar A. Solis, Bishop of Salt Lake City. More than 150 people crowded the new church to participate in the dedication. In addition to local...

Water year was slightly dry, reservoirs in good shape

The recently completed water year was slightly dryer than normal. Despite the end result, the timing of storms and cool, wet weather in the monsoon season results in good conditions in San Juan County. In Monticello, total moisture for the water year is 14.02 inches, which is 93...

Midway Swiss Bell Ringers in Monticello

The melodic and charming Midway Swiss Bell Ringers will open Blue Mountain Entertainment’s 2017-2018 season on Monday, October 2 at 7 p.m. in the Monticello High School auditorium. The group is based in the small town of Midway, UT, its members coming from many walks of life. The...

DeLorme inducted in Utah Tourism Hall of Fame

Charlie DeLorme was inducted in the Utah Tourism Hall of Fame Thursday September 14 at the state’s annual Tourism Conference in Vernal, Utah. Charlie worked for more than a decade as the director of tourism and eceonimic development for SAn Juan County. DeLorme joins other San Juan...

Utah Symphony performs at spectacular site near Bluff

The Utah Symphony performed near Bluff on August 31 to a crowd estimated at exceeding 1,500 people. The performance of the full symphony orchestra was presented from a temporary stage set up at Camp Sticki-Ta-Tudy, about two miles west of Bluff. The spectacular setting was matched by a...

Thousands gather to honor soldier killed in Afghanistan

More than 1,000 people crowded the Monticello LDS Stake Center on August 26 to honor the life of Staff Sgt Aaron Butler. Butler, a special forces Green Beret, was killed in action while fighting in Afghanistan on August 16, 2017. The funeral and interment services culminated ten days of...

New priest for San Juan Catholics

A new priest has arrived to shepherd the Catholic community in southeast Utah. Father Rowland will oversee services at St Joseph Catholic Church in Monticello, Sacred Heart Catholic Mission in La Sal, and St Pius X Church in Moab. Originally from Nigeria, Father Rowland has been in the...

Family sits down to discuss fallen soldier Aaron Butler

“I don't know if he understood fear like the rest of us,” are the words Randy Butler used to describe his son, Aaron. Aaron Butler will be laid to rest on Saturday, August 26. The special forces Green Beret was killed in action in Afghanistan in August on August 16. On August 23, the...

Solar eclipse marked in varied ways in San Juan

San Juan County residents marked the August 21 solar eclipse, in which the moon covered 82 percent of the sun’s light, in different ways. A number of local residents made the long trip to Idaho or Wyoming to see the eclipse in totality. Many local residents took the time to watch the...

Local soldier killed in Afghanistan

*Originally posted August 17, 2017. Updated August 22, 2017* Aaron Butler, a Special Forces soldier from Monticello, was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 16, 2017. Butler, age 27, was killed when he entered a booby-trapped building that exploded while his group was fighting...