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Falling boulders at popular waterfall in southern Utah prompt safety warning

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Falling boulders at popular waterfall in southern Utah prompt safety warning


GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah — Authorities in southern Utah are warning visitors after a viral video shows a near miss involving falling boulders at a popular attraction in a rugged area.

The terrifying moments were caught on camera when two people were seen playing in the water of the Lower Calf Creek Falls in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and multiple boulders came crashing down around them. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but this video has prompted a warning from a nearby sheriff’s office.

“We deal with those situations a lot — similar,” Administrative Lt. Alan Alldredge said to FOX 13 News on Saturday Saturday, commenting on the video in the popular Calf Creek Recreation area in neighboring Garfield County.

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“We’ve seen a huge uptick in visitation here in Kane County over the last four or five years, especially since COVID,” Lt. Alldredge said, adding that they welcome the visitors but want them to know what they’re getting into — often wild, unpaved and rough and dangerous terrain.

“We’ve been really busy already this summer with the different hiking areas,” he added.

Like the surging popularity at Calf Creek Falls, their most popular attraction in Kanab is what’s called “The Wave,” a very remote destination.

“For us, it’s a four-and-a-half hour drive just to get to where the people are, so it’s a little bit of a challenge,” Alldredge said.

He advises travelers to always check the conditions and prepare for the extreme heat.

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“It may be 100 degrees air temperature, but on that slickrock it’ll be more like 120 or 130 shining right back on your face,” he said.

Bringing more water than you think you may need is advised. Alldredge advises watching local weather reports and staying clear of slot canyons whenever there’s a threat of rain.

“Two or three years ago, we had three or four deaths in one year of people getting caught in these flash floods, and they’re just not survivable,” he said.

Alldredge urges recreators to go online and look at other people’s experiences and plan accordingly to make theirs a better one.

Last summer, a rock slide in Lake Powell was caught on camera. No one was injured in this case, but it’s another reminder of how quickly things can change when recreating in the great outdoors.

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“A lot of people come to the Wave and think they’re going to have a Zion National Park experience with paved trails and rangers walking around to help them, and it’s much more primitive,” Lt. Alldredge said.

He said Garmin watches with SOS capabilities can help search and rescue crews if you ever find yourself in need of help, allowing them to quickly pinpoint your location in those emergency situations.





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Utah

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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