Orem seeking manhole grease dumper

For the last few months, every Thursday someone is dumping huge amounts of grease and fat down a manhole in Orem. The gunk ends up at the city’s water reclamation plant, where it damages equipment. “About once a week, a huge wave of oil and gunk and goo, essentially stuff that shouldn’t be in the […]

Provo Promise aims to help every Provo kid go to college

A child of immigrants who’s worked hard in school but her family can’t afford to pay for college. A girl whose single mother struggles with MS. A child whose mother was deported when he was 5. A boy who needs a mentor and financial help to get him where he wants to be. These are […]

University Place plans free week of events for The Orchards opening

Indoor and outdoor play areas for kids, green space, choreographed water fountains, pavilions, seating — these are all part of the large new park, called The Orchard, opening Oct. 3 at University Place. The park borders the exterior of the H&M store on the north side of the mall building. The park opens on Oct. […]

Free Swap: Give away, find, connect with community

Have things sitting around your house that you don’t need? But you haven’t had time to haul them to the thrift store? Or does listing them in online classifieds seem overwhelming? Maybe you’d rather give them away for free, and at the same time pick up some things you need. Or do you have garden […]

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival changing location, dates

This year’s Timpanogos Storytelling Festival will be the last at Orem’s Mt. Timpanogos Park. After 27 years in the city, organizers announced this week that the festival will move to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. The festival, founded by Karen Ashton, started as a fundraiser for a children’s wing at the Orem Library. For years it was […]

Construction starts Sunday for Orem’s all-abilities playground; volunteers still needed

Starting Sunday, Orem’s all-abilities playground will be coming together with the help of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations. For more than a year, Orem’s been planning and fundraising for the All-Together Playground at City Center Park, near the library. It will have features and equipment that give children of […]

Superintendent: New Provo High construction moving quickly

  Construction crews are moving dirt around and pouring footings and foundations, making sure the new Provo High construction project is completed on schedule. “They know they have two years to get this done and they are moving,” said Provo district superintendent Keith Rittel, during a joint meeting with the Provo council on Thursday. Rittel, […]

Cleaning, hiking or camping: How to avoid exposure to the deadly hantavirus

  Seal up, trap up, clean up — the three steps everyone should take when dealing with rodents to avoid exposure to hantavirus, health officials say. And know what the symptoms are, in case you’ve been exposed to the virus. With the death of a Utah County woman from hantavirus this month, health officials want […]

Provo: New regulations may not help Utah Lake, stop algae

Provo’s city council is worried that proposed changes to wastewater treatment requirements won’t prevent algal blooms on Utah Lake, will cost Provo residents about $20 million more than they’re already spending to meet current regulations and could have unintended consequences. The state Department of Environmental Quality is working on new regulations, called an integrated report, […]

Fire season: Utah County’s been average, so far

So far, the 2016 fire season in Utah County has been about average. But that could all change with a tiny spark hitting dry grass on a hot day. “You’ve got to be careful, the grasses are so dry right now,” said Utah County Fire Capt. Andrew Watson. He said there have been some wildfires […]

Archers and traps likely will take out deer in Provo

Provo might have archers killing deer in approved areas of the city. Or there might be traps set up to take and move deer to other parts of the state. But most likely there will be both. After a long discussion on Tuesday night, the Provo council unanimously decided to let the mayor’s office spend […]

Orem may have a site for its first dog park

  Orem’s got a location for a dog park, and it shouldn’t pose issues for neighbors or cause problems with water quality. The city council and mayor have both given the go-ahead for the location — at Mt. Timpanogos Park, aka the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival park. The city will hold an open house at the […]

New Skyridge High in Lehi almost ready for fall

The mascot has a name (Flash), teachers are hired, sports teams and cheerleaders are in place and by the end of this week, staff of the new Skyridge High School in Lehi will start moving in. “Our contractors and our district staff are doing a great job, and we are super excited about the finished […]

Provo retail: Shops at Riverwoods looking to expand

There were no big announcements — sorry, no Trader Joe’s — but on Tuesday night Provo residents learned about what’s happening on the city’s retail scene. Provo Mayor John Curtis hosted a Retail Town Hall (he held a similar event last year) so that Provoans could hear from city representatives and people involved in the big […]

Mayor Curtis: New Allegiant flight from Provo to San Diego

Starting at the end of September, you can fly from Provo to San Diego. Mayor John Curtis announced the new Allegiant flight this morning on his blog. Allegiant will fly between the two cities twice a week. It already flies from Provo to Oakland, California; Mesa, Arizona; and Los Angeles. The flight to San Diego […]

Primary election 101: Where, when, how to vote

Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, unaffiliated or a member of another party, there’s something on the primary election ballot for you. As of June 21, more than 10 percent of registered voters statewide had cast ballots — that’s about 130,000 of them, according to lieutenant governor’s office. Deadlines In-person early voting started on June 14 […]

Spray or cover up, mosquitoes are already here

Spray your DEET, get rid of standing water and cover up because mosquitoes are out and active in Utah County. “What we’ve seen is mosquitoes earlier this year because we have had a wet spring,” said Aislynn Toman-Hill, spokeswoman for the Utah County Health Department. “It’s definitely mosquito season.” The best advice for avoiding mosquito […]

From video game development to sports: Summer camps in Utah Valley

Your kids could spend their summer vacation playing with friends, being bored, swimming at the local pool — or they could spend four weeks learning to code and developing their own video games. This year World Tech Academy is offering three sessions of a Video Game Summer Camp that’s three days a week for four […]

Memorial Day 2016: Ceremonies for vets, fun with history

Camp Floyd State Park does something a little different for Memorial Day weekend — it’s got a Civil War encampment. “It’s a family-friendly event,” said Chuck Mood, park ranger at Camp Floyd, at 18035 W. 1540 North in Fairfield. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, there will be period games to play, uniforms for […]

Success of Provo’s rec center means it needs more equipment

  With more than 23,000 members and about $500,000 over this year’s projected revenue, Provo’s recreation center is getting its share of business. But all those members, plus the people who just come for the day, plus those using the attached senior center, plus the people who come for community events or competitions are stretching […]

University Place: Office building ready, new road and park coming soon

The new University Place office building has its first tenant and about half of the building is committed, the connector road is being completed and the large performance park will be done later this year — there’s a lot going on at the former University Mall. “We’re just very, very excited,” said Rob Kallas, University […]

Despite rainy April, Utah’s still below average for precipitation

  It may have seemed like a wet winter, but that’s only because it came after four years of below-average winters. “February really hurt us,” said Glen Merrill, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. “We were looking great going into February. It was very warm and very dry and that really […]

Provo and Orem OK leases for BRT

Provo city council members approved lease and interlocal agreements with UTA in a 5-2 vote Tuesday evening, which means there will be some dedicated lanes for bus rapid transit through Provo. The two agreements were on the Provo council’s agenda last week, but council members delayed the vote — hours into a discussion on the […]

BYU buys Provo High for $25 million

BYU has bought the Provo High School 25-acre property for $25 million. The sale will close in June or July, and BYU will lease back the building and fields to the district at no cost for 30 months, when the new high school is constructed. Last fall, the school district announced that it had been […]

Provo delays BRT lease vote

After hours of discussion at a packed meeting Tuesday night, the Provo council decided it wasn’t ready to vote on an agreement to lease property to UTA for stops and dedicated lanes for bus rapid transit. The vote’s now scheduled for Tuesday next week. Council members discussed the lease agreement in a work meeting last […]

Jimmer will shoot for Orem’s All-Together Playground

If Jimmer Fredette were to shoot 100 3-pointers in a row, how many do you think he could make? Orem’s betting that it’s high. Fredette, who played for BYU and then in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks, will be part of a three-point shootout fundraiser […]

Spring cleaning donations help DI place more employees in new jobs

Maybe you’re buying new clothes or furniture with your tax return, or maybe you’ve decided to use the Konmari method to spring clean your house. Either way, Deseret Industries wants your (good, in working-condition) extra stuff. It’s the busy season for DI, said Nephi Carter, manager of the DI store in American Fork. Traffic slows […]

Eagle Mountain looking for its next Woman of the Year

Every year Eagle Mountain honors a woman who shines in the community — someone who’s a business owner, community leader or volunteer, but oftentimes all three. “We have a number of outstanding women in Eagle Mountain, and I’m glad this award continues to be presented in conjunction with the pageant,” said Linda Peterson, city spokeswoman. […]

Provo High construction to start soon; sale still in the works

Provo School District expects to break ground for the new Provo High School within the next month, with a completion date on track for fall 2018. The sale of the existing school is still in the works. Last fall, the school district announced that it had been approached about selling Provo High, which it had […]