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‘A beautiful location’: New state cemetery for military veterans coming to Washington Terrace

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‘A beautiful location’: New state cemetery for military veterans coming to Washington Terrace


WASHINGTON TERRACE, Weber County — A new cemetery for military veterans, just the second in Utah, is coming to an undeveloped parcel in Washington Terrace, with work to start as early as next year.

“It’s a beautiful location for a cemetery. There’s some very big bluffs where the main cemetery will be built,” said Jeff Hanson, a deputy commissioner with the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs who focuses on facilities. Expansion areas extend to lower bluffs, he said, “but the view is incredible.”

The first phase of the project along 5800 South west of South 500 East calls for roads, an administration building, a committal shelter, a flag plaza, columbarium walls for cremated remains and the initial crypt field. Design work is to be done by September, he said, and the first phase of the cemetery work will then be put out for bids.

Development could begin in 2027, he estimates, with the first phase work to take perhaps a year. A federal grant will cover the estimated $14 million price tag of the first phase, and the state will handle subsequent maintenance and upkeep.

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The development is significant for veterans in Weber and Davis counties and the rest of northern Utah because it gives them a more feasible option for burial in a veterans cemetery. The only other state facility for veterans is the Utah State Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park north of Camp Williams in Bluffdale while the only federal cemetery with open burial space is the Southern Utah National Cemetery in Cedar City.

“Having a veterans cemetery in northern Utah, veterans can consider that option, and it’s a good option because a veteran can receive a free plot and a free marker,” Hanson said. “Not only that, but it’s just going to be an extremely beautiful cemetery based on its location. … I think there’ll be a lot of interest for veterans to be interred at the facility.”

A new state cemetery for military veterans, just the second in Utah, is coming to Washington Terrace, with work to start as soon as 2027. The image shows the preliminary schematic for the cemetery, subject to change, with the first project phase inside the orange lines. (Photo: Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs)

Beyond that, he said the facility, overlooking the Weber River and I-84 to the south, would be an apt location for Veterans Day and Memorial Day events, with the planned flag plaza expected to be able to accommodate around 200 people. The project area sits at the largely undeveloped southern end of Washington Terrace, across the Weber River from the northern end of Hill Air Force Base in adjacent Davis County.

The project has been in the works for years, and the 102-acre parcel of land for the cemetery was donated from a private landowner. Last week, the Washington Terrace City Council amended the zoning of the project area to allow for cemetery development. The parcel size allows for expansion in the years and decades to come.

“We think it’s a wonderful addition to our community and the region,” said Washington Terrace City Manager Tom Hanson. “We have all the confidence that it’ll be a wonderful neighbor and a benefit to the veterans, particularly in our area.”

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Terry Schow, an advocate for veterans in northern Utah and the former executive director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs, before its name change, said there are around 18,000 military veterans living in Davis County and 17,000 or 18,000 in Weber County. Another 4,500 or so live in Box Elder and Cache counties more to the north.

“From a veteran standpoint, obviously we’re happy to have something up here in northern Utah. You got Hill Air Force Base up here, a lot of military people here,” he said.

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.



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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

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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.



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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

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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.

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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.





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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

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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.”

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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.

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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.



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