- President Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders reducing the size of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments on Monday.
- The monuments have shifted in size between administrations, with Trump reducing them in 2017 and President Joe Biden restoring their original boundaries in 2021.
- Environmental groups and Utah officials are divided over the potential reduction, with critics threatening legal challenges and supporters seeking more local control.
Utah
Could making this change help Utah improve sexual assault prosecutions?
SALT LAKE CITY — In the beginning, the criminal justice system worked just the way Taryn Evans anticipated.
She filed a report of rape with Salt Lake City police in 2019, explaining a man she’d met on a dating app forced himself on her the first time they met.
“Against my will, he had sex with me, and I voiced my no’s several times,” Evans told KSL. “I froze, I was terrified.”
Evans went to a hospital for a forensic exam. In the weeks that followed, prosecutors charged Kenneth Joshua Cordova with rape and two other felony crimes.
But those hefty felony charges were later watered down to misdemeanors as part of a plea deal that spared Cordova any prison time and didn’t require him to register as a sex offender.
The reason? Evans said the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office told her it came down to proving a lack of consent.
“The prosecutor said that based on that and the way our statutes written, there’s a substantial likelihood of acquittal,” Evans recalled.
Her experience with Utah’s justice system motivated her to advocate for change. That’s when she learned a bill that could impact cases like hers has repeatedly failed on Utah’s Capitol Hill.
“The gap in the law that our legislators are ignoring is the reason for victims of sexual assault not getting any justice,” Evans said.
Taryn Evans reported to Salt Lake City police that a man she met on a dating app forced himself on her even though she said no. Evans is urging Utah lawmakers to pass a bill she says could help ensure perpetrators of sex crimes face serious consequences. (KSL TV)
The gap she’s talking about: Prosecutors say Utah’s rape statute requires they prove that a suspect knew a victim was not consenting. They say that’s a hard burden to meet, especially if a victim is intoxicated, sleeping, or frozen in fear.
It means in cases like Evans’, charges of rape – a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison – are often getting dropped down to mere misdemeanors.
KSL does not normally identify survivors of sexual crimes, but Evans gave her permission.
In a statement, a defense attorney for Cordova said the case had many nuances that called into question the issue of consent.
“Mr. Cordova plead guilty to Sexual Battery as Class A misdemeanors also understanding the risk of going to trial,” attorney Cara Tangaro wrote.
KSL obtained a recording of Cordova’s interview with Salt Lake City police through a public records request. In the recording, Cordova is heard telling police, “I certainly didn’t do any rape.”
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill stands by his office’s decision to offer the plea bargain. Asked whether his office got the best deal it could, Gill said, “That was the best outcome we could have.”
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill talks about his office’s decision to offer a plea bargain in a rape case. “That was the best outcome we could have,” Gill told KSL. (KSL TV)
Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, has sponsored legislation to fill that gap four times.
“There are individuals who are serial rapists, who know they’re not going to get prosecuted and continue to harm people,” Romero said.
Her affirmative consent bill would create a new third-degree felony offense for cases where a perpetrator fails to get consent from a victim through words or actions.
Gill said he’s long supported Romero’s efforts.
“It gives us also a different place to land at, which I think currently is missing,” Gill said.
Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, has voted against the measure in the past.
KSL asked during this year’s legislative session if he would reconsider.
“Absolutely,” Schultz responded. “We need to look at what we can always do to protect the ladies in the state.”
But the bill didn’t get a public hearing before the end of the 2024 Legislature.
“I don’t think they did anything to protect the ladies,” Evans said. “We’re not going to even talk about it? That sends a message of, ‘it doesn’t matter.’”
Will lawmakers consider bill to boost Utah’s low rate of sex assault prosecutions?
But the politics of consent may be shifting. Romero and Evans say they are building momentum behind the scenes.
“I’ve had conversations with the speaker,” Romero said of Schultz. “He’s like, ‘We need to do something, I go, ‘We do. Y’all need to get my bill a hearing.’”
“When we don’t hear legislation,” Romero continued, “people feel like their lawmakers don’t care about them.”
Evans agreed.
“I’m currently trying to get support so that I can, before the next legislative session, have enough people to come in to force a discussion, so that Utah can do better by victims,” she said.
Romero knows many people would prefer to avoid the politics of consent, regardless of their party affiliation.
“They don’t have to have a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ behind their name,” Romero said. “It just makes people uncomfortable.”
But with the support of Utah survivors like Taryn behind her, Romero said she’ll propose her affirmative consent legislation a fifth time next year and is determined to get it passed.
“I’ll continue to make colleagues uncomfortable,” Romero said, “because we need to have these conversations.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Riverton woman is proving that one moment of compassion can change a life.
On May 21, LaCinda Thackeray was flying home to Utah from Southern California after attending a family funeral when someone outside the window caught her attention.
As she waited to board her plane at John Wayne Airport, she noticed an airport worker struggling to walk across the tarmac.
“I just saw somebody who needed a little bit of support and love and kindness,” Thackeray said. “What really was hard for me was just the conditions he was in, and I didn’t even know his story at that point.”
Before her flight departed, Thackeray recorded a short video of the man and shared it on TikTok, asking if anyone knew who he was.
“Immediately when I sat on the airplane, my thought was, if anybody knew who he was, could we get him retired?” Thackeray said. “I didn’t know it was going to take off. I had no idea.”
Within a few hours, the video had been viewed more than a million times. Thousands of people shared it, and strangers from around the world began asking how they could help.
The internet soon identified the man as 64-year-old James Blair, a Navy veteran who works as a fuel injector and fuel mechanic at the airport.
By all accounts, Blair has lived a life of service. He served in the Navy from 1980 to 1990.
“We were 20 minutes from launching against Iran when the hostages were in Iran. We had all of our planes loaded with bombs and missiles on our ship and were just waiting for President Reagan to give the go-ahead,” Blair said.
After the Navy, Blair said he worked at LAX airport for 13 years and, after a three-year stint as a truck driver, returned to working on planes at John Wayne Airport.
“I’ve been at John Wayne Airport since April of 2006,” Blair said.
Though Blair turned 64 in March, retirement is not on his horizon.
“My plan was to work until I can’t work, until I physically can’t work,” he said. “I have inquiries out about getting knee operations; I’m working on that right now.”
Despite ongoing knee problems, Blair said his priority is his elderly mother, whom he lives with.
Thackeray said much of Blair’s income goes toward her hospice care.
“She has her good days, and she has her bad days,” Blair said.
Encouraged by people online, Thackeray started a GoFundMe campaign. She said donations quickly poured in.
“At one point, I remember telling my husband, ‘What did I do?’” Thackeray said. “When we needed to get him the money, that is when we were a little panicky, but then it changed really fast.”
The overwhelming support, Thackeray said, presented an exciting opportunity but also some challenges in ensuring that Blair would receive the money.
Until recently, Blair didn’t have a smartphone or social media accounts.
His boss volunteered to drive 1.5 hours to his home to help him set up a GoFundMe account so that he could receive the funds as a beneficiary.
“When his boss went out there, it eased so much anxiety,” Thackeray said.
Recently, Thackeray returned to California to personally deliver a $174,000 check to Blair.
For Blair, the support from complete strangers has restored his faith in humanity.
“Not in a million years,” Blair said when asked if he ever imagined something like this would happen.
“I’m just a person trying to do a job, trying to survive, and the way people give their own money. I have a hard time working to pay bills, so other people probably have the same problems. When they’re giving money they really can’t spare, that amazes me. I’m just blown away.”
Thackeray said the generosity extended far beyond the United States.
“I was speechless because I felt like the world showed up, and I think in these times we need people like that.” She said.
“I’ve been speaking to people all over the world, and they’re just, ‘Tell James hi!’ Give him a hug for us!” she said.
Blair also reflected on how deeply the experience has affected him personally.
“I believed in God, but I didn’t really believe in God. But now, with the angel sitting next to you, it’s amazing,” Blair told Thackeray. “I can’t believe how God works in mysterious ways.”
Although Blair is still going to work, he recently used some of the funds to buy himself a bed. He continues to care for his mother.
“I mean, I don’t know what Salt Lake City living is now, but California is really expensive,” Blair said.
What began as a brief glance through an airplane window has grown into an unlikely friendship — and a powerful reminder that a single act of kindness can inspire thousands of people to make a difference.
“I’m so happy for him and that he gets to experience this,” Thackeray said.
“I told him, I’m just a little part of your story, I’m happy that I could do that, but I hope you can always remember the ones that showed up and donated.”
To date, nearly 6,000 people have donated to the fundraiser. It has raised $180,521.00 for Blair.
Thackeray’s TikTok video of Blair has been viewed more than 9 million times, garnering nearly 800,000 likes and 8,000 comments.
For more information about the fundraiser, visit: https://gofund.me/51f1c9e16
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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.
Not only the Utah that we are today, but the Utah that we can choose to become.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gabriel Meneses makes one of the limited edition flags for the United States 250th anniversary at Colonial Flag in Sandy on Monday, June 1, 2026.
President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday afternoon shrinking the size of two national monuments in Utah, which currently cover a combined 5,094 square miles, the Deseret News confirmed on background with a Utah source.
The two national monuments — Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears — have oscillated in size through the previous several presidential administrations.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was created by President Bill Clinton in September 1996. Bears Ears National Monument was created by President Barack Obama in December 2016. Both designations received a mixed reception among Utahns.
In 2017, Trump reduced Bears Ears by about 85% and Grand Staircase by about 46%.
Then when former President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he restored them to their original sizes.
Trump is expected to sign the executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday at 4:30 EST.
In a statement to the Deseret News on Friday, the White House said, “Any policy announcement will come directly from the President. This reporting about potential executive orders is pure speculation.”
National monument designations place restrictions on what recreational and economic activity residents and visitors can do on the land. The designation also prohibits anyone from pursuing new mining claims, oil and gas leasing, coal exploration or new commercial infrastructure projects.
However, the Bureau of Land Management previously found that Bears Ears and Grand Staircase have little to offer in terms of oil and gas potential, the Deseret News previously reported.
For nearly three decades since Clinton designated the first monument, Utah’s federal delegation has asked for reductions in land size for more local control, recreation and grazing.
Recently, Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy challenged the monument’s resource management plan to return to a plan the first Trump administration outlined in 2020 with help from local Utahns.
However, her bill died after missing a key deadline to make it to the Senate for a vote.
People react to the potential land reduction
Based on an initial report by ABC4, environmental groups are already vocalizing their disapproval over a potential reduction of monument land.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Executive Director Scott Braden described the potential executive order as “unlawful, unwise and unacceptable,” in a press release sent to the Deseret News.
“This action will only bring uncertainty and chaos to places that should instead be protected for their rich biodiversity, unique geology, and remarkable cultural values,” he wrote. Braden said SUWA was preparing to fight the executive order through lawsuits or by lobbying in Congress.
On X, former Utah state Sen. Nate Blouin referenced the land reduction in conjunction with the Babylon Fire, which as of Friday is 25% contained and has covered more than 100,000 acres in southeastern Utah.
“As the largest wildfire in the U.S. burns pristine landscapes in southeastern Utah, Trump is threatening to shrink both Grand Staircase & Bears Ears National Monuments,” Blouin wrote. “This unprecedented move is happening without input from the region’s ancestral inhabitants.
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