Daily News Round Up

July 7, 2021

COVID-19 Cases Continuing To Rise Throughout Utah

(St. George, UT)  --  COVID-19 cases keep rising throughout Utah. Since Saturday, the state added more than one-thousand new cases to the total, pushing it over 417-thousand.  Seven new deaths related to the virus were added to the death toll, which is at 23-hundred-85.

Excessive Heat Warning Issued For Parts Of Southern Utah

(St. George, UT)  --  An excessive heat warning is being issued for parts of southern Utah today. Officials say it goes into effect today at 9 a.m. and will last until Sunday evening for Washington County, Zion National Park and Glen Canyon Recreational Area. Temperatures in these areas, including cities like St. George, Springdale and Hurricane, are expected to reach highs between 108 and 112-degrees each day. Heat advisories are also going into effect today at the same time for the cities of Beaver, Cedar City and Milford as temperatures might reach up to 102-degrees. However, the advisory will only last until tomorrow at 9 p.m.

Governor Says State Reached Vaccine Goal, Despite Conflicting Data

(Salt Lake City, UT)  --  Governor Spencer Cox says Utah met its vaccine goal despite conflicting data from the Department of Health. The governor aimed to have 70-percent of Utahns get at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 4th. Cox tweeted yesterday that data from DOH showed that a little over 65-percent of Utah adults received at least one dose, but their numbers don't include doses administered by federal agencies. He added that if you combine their numbers with the state's, then about 70-point-two-percent of Utah adults have received at least one dose. However, he emphasized that the pandemic isn't over as COVID cases and hospitalizations are rising.

Despite Flood Damage, Springdale, Zion National Park Doing Well

(Washington County, UT)  --  Despite taking hits from last week's flash floods, Springdale and Zion National Park are doing well when it comes to business. Last week's flash floods resulted in damage to several businesses, roads and sidewalks were cracked or filled with debris, trails in Zion National Park were damaged and even state Route Nine had to be closed. Springdale Mayor Stan Smith says people still came and hiked the trails over the holiday weekend despite all the mess. However, things might be different this week as an excessive heat warning is being issued for the area which will be in place for several days.

UHP: 126 Crashes, One Death Over Holiday Weekend

(Salt Lake City, UT)  --  The Utah Highway Patrol is again reminding drivers that they need to buckle up and slow down this summer.  From July 2nd through July 5th, the UHP made just over 39-hundred traffic stops.  Over two-thousand of the stops were for speeding, with 78 drivers cited for going over 100 miles an hour.  Seventy-one people were arrested for DUI, while 161 were cited for failing to wear their seatbelts.  The UHP says troopers investigated 163 crashes and one traffic death over the July 4th weekend.