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They run Utah's state prisons and are making history while doing so

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They run Utah's state prisons and are making history while doing so


SALT LAKE CITY — It’s never happened before in Utah, both state prisons have female wardens. Trailblazers and role models, both wardens worked their way up through the ranks of the Utah Department of Corrections and in observation of Women’s History Month FOX 13 News is committed to showcasing their stories.

Ironically, Utah’s first-ever female warden, Kristen Kiesel, wasn’t sure the corrections department would be her career. “But as I got into the field and seen all the opportunities within the department, I found the direction I wanted to go.”

In 2023, Kiesel was named warden of the Utah State Prison in Gunnison.

Utah’s second female warden, Sharon D’amico, began her career in corrections as a challenge to herself after seeing a help-wanted ad. “And I remember seeing the advertisement and going; I wonder if I can do that? Apparently, I guess I can do it because it’s now 29 years later,” D’amico remembered.

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D’amico was named warden of the Utah State Prison in Salt Lake City last year. Now, both women are linked, not only through work but also historically. For the first time, both state prisons have female wardens.

Warden D’amico says her focus is on the job of running Utah’s largest correctional facility. “I honestly never even really thought about it until we both became wardens.
And we work really well together, we collaborate a lot so that our prisons are similar.”

Warden Kiesel agrees, “I like to go out and visit with my staff, be with them, see the challenges that they’re facing, and make those decisions with that in mind.”

Warden D’amico now hopes they can be role models to other young women.

“So I think it’s needed, and I really hope that women, more women come to this career and believe in themselves that they can do it because they can.”

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Both Wardens say they work together to keep their facilities safe, engage their staff, and ensure that the inmates have every opportunity to rehabilitate and successfully reintegrate into society.





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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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