Sunrise Stories: Little Twist Fire in Beaver County Burns 800 Acres With No Containment

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 229 

Statewide News – 06/14/24 

Officials Introduce Legislation to Rename Santaquin Post Office After Fallen Officer 

Utah officials have introduced legislation that would rename a Santaquin post office in honor of fallen police officer Sgt. Bill Hooser. 

Hooser was killed in the line of duty after a semi-truck struck the officer in May, leading to an extensive police chase through Northern Utah. 

Many officials, including all four of Utah’s U.S. representatives and Santaquin Mayor Daniel Olsen, are pushing the measure forward. 

State Average for Gas Slightly Lower than National Average 

For the first time in a few months...the state average for a gallon of unleaded is lower than the national average, even if it’s only by a single cent. 

According to this morning’s AAA gas report, the state average is about $3.45 per gallon while the national average is exactly $3.46 per gallon. 

Washington County’s average is about $3.66 per gallon while Iron County’s average is $3.45 per gallon. Most expensive gas in Utah goes to Wayne County at $3.96 per gallon, and cheapest gas goes to Sevier County at $3.30 per gallon. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 06/14/24 

Man in Cedar City Arrested for Sexual Crimes Against a Minor 

A man in Cedar City is now in custody after he reportedly admitted to having sexual interactions with a 17-year-old girl at a Cedar City hotel in May. 

Vernon Ross, 37, reportedly gave the teenager alcohol and a nicotine vape and exchanged photos with the girl before meeting in person.  

Ross is now being held at the Iron County Jail on multiple charges including five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.  

Little Twist Fire Escalates in Beaver 

A prescribed burn in Beaver County has escalated to a full wildfire after growing out of control. 

The Little Twist Fire has spread outside of the expected boundaries given for the burn, and fire crews are working to contain the fire. 

Officials are asking residents to avoid Kents Lake Road, the Anderson Meadow and Lebaron Campgrounds, and the South Creek area. About 800 acres have been burned by the Little Twist Fire.  

Red Flag Warning Issued to Most of Southern Utah 

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for most of Southern Utah starting June 16 and ending on June 18 at 12 a.m.  

Also known as Fire Weather Watch, the National Weather Service says high winds combined with relative humidity as low as 7% make for critical fire weather, especially since the expected temperatures for the weekend could reach over 100 degrees. 

Please stay aware of any sort of fire starters throughout your weekend routine. That means making sure there aren’t any loose chains around your vehicle, extinguishing campfires completely before leaving the area for any reason, and don’t even think about throwing that lit cigarette out the window. We’re all in this together folks. 

Other 

Fun fact about Stockton Myers, the writer of Sunrise Stories. 

Stockton is finally feeling like his old self again after fighting a bad case of the flu throughout the week. The thing he looks forward to the most when he’s finally better is eating pizza. Don’t ask him why, but that’s his for sure sign that he’s kicked the bug to the curb. With that being said, you can probably guess what Stockton’s having for dinner tonight. 

Happy Weekend!