San Juan County

SJ School Board gets construction update, hears school reports

The San Juan School Board met on September 11 at Whitehorse High School in Montezuma Creek. Business Administrator Kyle Hosler provided a brief update of the progress on construction projects for Bluff Elementary School and the Montezuma Creek Elementary School gymnasium. Both projects are...

San Juan County agrees to $2.6 million settlement for attorney fees for seven-year voting rights/redistricting case

San Juan County will pay $2.6 million in legal fees to make a settlement in the massive voting rights lawsuit between the county and the Navajo Nation. The settlement was approved at a special meeting of the San Juan County Commission on September 24. The $2.6 million is for the Navajo Nation...

San Juan County is not broke: Legal fee settlement may be painful, but it is not likely to bankrupt county

DUST IN THE WIND While it is not as bad as many people think, it also isn’t as good as we may be accustomed. I am referring to the financial status of San Juan County. In September, county officials – including Commissioner Bruce Adams, Attorney Kendall Laws, and Interim Administrator David...

San Juan Record adapts to changes, expands to meet reader needs

The San Juan Record is in the process of developing a “2020 Vision” as the information industry continues to grow and transform. This vision will result in a few changes in coming weeks. “Our readership has never been larger,” said San Juan Record Publisher Bill Boyle. “The challenge is making...

Judge rejects SUWA motion in public lands case

With a scathing rebuke, a federal judge rejected a motion by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) to become a full-party participant in a landmark public lands case. Judge Clark Waddoups ruled on September 5 that SUWA could participate in a massive case regarding RS-2477 road rights-of-way...

Blanding City Council calls for county civility

The Blanding City Council called for civility and cooperation among San Juan County residents in an August 27 meeting. The council discussed a letter and press release condemning the comments former San Juan County Commissioner Mark Maryboy made in a Mexican Water town hall meeting held August 22...

Fugitives are still at large after overpowering guards

San Juan County was apparently the setting in the past week when two prisoners escaped from custody while being transported from Henrietta, NY to Tucson, AZ. The two overpowered a two-person transport team on August 26, soon after leaving from the San Juan County jail in Monticello. Initial...

Commission opposes oil, gas lease sale

The San Juan County Commission voted to oppose an upcoming oil and gas lease sale on land maintained by the Bureau of Land Management near Hovenweep National Monument. The vote came at the September 3 Commission meeting. The resolution calls on the BLM to “defer the sale to prevent the degradation...

Separate town hall meetings address simmering controversies in San Juan

Tension continues to rise over the political situation in San Juan County, and it spilled over at two town hall meetings in the past week. Separate and independent town hall meetings were held in Monticello and Mexican Water. Both meetings had a similar agenda: a discussion of issues of local...

Town hall meetings expose deep undercurrents

DUST IN THE WIND Several years of increasingly bitter feelings – many of them expressed at length over the years on social media – boiled over at the recent town hall meetings. In addition to familiar expressions of frustration and concern, there were also expressions that exhibit a variety of...