Utah
Wildfire threatens Utah family’s 40-year mule ride business at Grand Canyon
TROPIC, Utah — For over 40 years, Canyon Trail Rides, a family-run business based in southern Utah, has been a beloved fixture at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
“I started this business in 1983, and it’s been a really good business,” said company founder Paul Mangum.
Paul began offering mule rides in Zion and Bryce Canyon in 1973, expanding to the North Rim a decade later.
However, on July 4, everything changed when lightning sparked the Dragon Bravo Fire.
National News
PHOTOS: Historic Grand Canyon lodge, other structures destroyed in wildfire
“The smoke was so thick you could hardly breathe,” said Paul’s son, Tawn Mangum.
On July 11, the Mangums evacuated their mules and staff and shut down operations at the North Rim.
“We take 70 to 80 people a day from May to October, and we’re shut down,” Tawn said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
The fire has burned over 5,700 acres and destroyed dozens of structures — including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, the only hotel on the North Rim, along with the visitor center and employee housing.
WATCH: Massive ‘Firenado’ awes, frightens over Deer Creek Fire in southeastern Utah
Massive ‘Firenado’ awes, frightens over Deer Creek Fire in southeastern Utah
It’s the second time the lodge has burned since it was built in 1927; the first fire was a kitchen fire that damaged it in 1932.
Even though the North Rim sees only 10 percent of the park’s visitors, it’s home for the Mangums.
“I met my wife there, raised our three kids there. It’s our second home,” Tawn said.
With the fire still burning, the future of Canyon Trail Rides at the Grand Canyon’s north rim is uncertain.
“It’s real sad,” Paul said. “What I feel most bad about is my employees, because they’re out of a job now.”
Utah
Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Utah
Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
Utah
Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.
Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.
“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”
When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.
An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.
In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.
Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.
Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.
In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
-
Missouri3 minutes agoLawsuit seeks to block Missouri ban on intoxicating hemp products
-
Montana9 minutes agoMontana Primed for Flat Income Tax Push in 2027 – Flathead Beacon
-
Nebraska15 minutes agoNebraska DHHS evaluating USDA guidelines that could limit food access for undocumented immigrants
-
Nevada21 minutes agoNevada secures $30 million from generic drugmaker in nationwide antitrust case
-
New Hampshire27 minutes agoAntique And Vintage Market | Yard Sales | Farmers Markets | Music | More: The Portsmouth Patch Weekender
-
New Jersey33 minutes agoMeteorite that crashed into New Jersey home contains building blocks of life, astronomers say
-
New Mexico39 minutes agoCrews battling tank battery fire in Lea County
-
North Carolina45 minutes agoSBI IT volunteers pack 5,200 meals, 1,300 food bags for North Carolina families