Category: News

2018 Utah County election results: Romney headed to U.S. Senate

Though final election results won’t be available for weeks, a few election races wrapped up following Election Day. Most notably, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney secured the U.S. senate seat which will be available in January after Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch retires. With more than 40 years of service in the Senate, Hatch is […]

BYU increasing tuition by 3 percent for 2019-20 academic year

PROVO, UTAH — Brigham Young University, the private university for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is raising its tuition by 3 percent for the 2019–20 academic year, according to an announcement on its site. The 3 percent increase — which applies to both undergraduate and graduate students — will help cover costs for […]

2018 UV50 Winners: Mind Your Business

By Briana Stewart + Jeanette Bennett Prepare to have your mind blown, because we think the world of these 50 Utah Valley companies. They’re speedy. They’re strong. They’re self-starters. But the best part? Great minds don’t all think alike. These genius companies have all achieved success by thinking outside their own dang box. Ready to […]

New Provo Target announces opening date, hiring now

Target won’t hold a grand opening for the Provo Brigham Young University small-format store until Nov. 10, 2018, but the store is beginning to hire 50 new team members now. The store is holding an hiring event on Saturday, Sept. 8, that will be held at the Orem Target store, 175 W. Center Street in Orem. “We […]

Two Utah County cities named to SafeWise’s 50 Safest College Towns in America

Two Utah County cities made SafeWise’s list for “50 safest College Towns in America.” Orem ranked No. 15 while neighboring city, Provo, came in at No. 33. Home to Utah Valley University, Orem frequently makes lists for best places to live. Orem, which has a population of 95, 640 people, has 0.68 violent crimes per […]

42 Utah Valley companies make 2018 Inc. 5000 list

Inc. 5000 released its annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America on Wednesday, which included 42 companies from Utah Valley. While the the No. 1 spot went to Wisconsin-based SwanLeap — which has had a 75,661 percent growth over the past three years — Utah’s top ranking company on the list was Podium, […]

Intermountain Healthcare breaks ground pioneer style on Spanish Fork hospital

In a nod to Spanish Fork’s past, Intermountain Healthcare broke ground on the Spanish Fork hospital on Monday afternoon using a team of mules and plows. The unique groundbreaking ceremony paid homage to Spanish Fork’s pioneer and agricultural background. At the same time, the groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the transition to technology with the new hospital. […]

All of Utah Lake under warning because of ‘potentially harmful algal bloom’

Health officials placed Utah Lake at “warning” level on Wednesday afternoon because of a “potentially harmful algal bloom.” Instead of being concentrated in one specific area, the warning in for Utah Lake as a whole. Recent water sample results revealed that the lake has cell concentrations significantly over the recommended warning threshold level. The recreational […]

Provo council votes to keep city hall downtown

In November, Provo voters will decide whether they want to spend $68.9 million to build a new public safety and city center building in downtown as well as a new fire station. The city council chose the option over two others on Tuesday. The other choices included moving into the old Sears building at Provo […]

UTA won’t be done with UVX construction until fall

By mid-August, Utah Valley Express buses will be rolling through Provo and Orem. They’ll arrive at stops every six minutes during peak times. And stop every 10 minutes in off-peak hours. But they won’t be using most of the platforms or driving down the center lanes. That’s because construction on University Parkway and University Avenue […]

A first look at Trader Joe’s in Orem

OREM, Utah – It’s been a long wait for Cookie Butter enthusiasts, but the wait is over. Trader Joe’s will officially open its doors for business at its new Orem location on Friday at 8 a.m. The Trader Joe’s location in Orem was originally announced in May 2017. Both Orem and Provo residents started their […]

Provo council OKs agreement to sell part of East Bay Golf Course

In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, Provo’s city council OK’d a real estate purchase agreement with Wasatch Educational for the so-called north wedge of East Bay Golf Course. Councilmen Kay Van Buren and Dave Knecht voted against the agreement. Wasatch Educational plans to build the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine on the 21 acres. It […]

Provo won’t give mall $350k to hold old Sears building, for now

Moving the Provo Police Department and city hall to the mall is still on the table. But the Provo City Council decided Tuesday night not to pay the mall owners $350,000 — yet — to take the old Sears property off the market for six months. The council voted unanimously to move the decision to […]

Provo opts to increase police pay instead of adding officers

Instead of hiring four new police officers and a police budget analyst this year, Provo’s going to increase pay for existing and future officers. The city council voted Tuesday night to use the money it would have spent on the new positions to instead increase pay to attract and retain officers. The city also moved […]

Provo, medical school still working on golf course sale

Six months ago, the Provo City Council cleared the way for the mayor to start negotiating the sale of part of East Bay Golf Course. But there still are some sticking points in the deal to sell the 21 acres known as the north wedge. On Tuesday, the council discussed the real estate purchase contract […]

Romney and Curtis clear winners in Republican primary

About 30 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday night, two major races had clear winners: Mitt Romney for U.S. Senate and John Curtis in the 3rd Congressional District. “It looks like our team won the primary, and we understand at this point there were a record number of people who voted in this primary,” Romney […]

Cover design, magazine content and more: Utah Valley publications recognized with SPJ Awards

Bennett Communications received seven awards from Utah’s Society of Professional Journalists in the 2018 contest, which honors work completed by newspapers, magazines, TV/radio stations and online entities during 2017. “As trained journalists, we value recognition from our peers in the industry,” said Jeanette Bennett, editor and co-owner of Bennett Communications. “We are proud of the work […]

It’s time to vote! Do you know what to do with your ballot?

If you’re a registered Republican or live in a district with a school board primary, chances are that you got a primary election ballot in the mail this week. For the first time last year, Utah County did a (mostly) vote-by-mail election. After initially deciding to go back to using voting machines, commissioners voted in […]

Algal bloom returns to Utah Lake in Provo Bay area

A new blue-green algal bloom has been detected in Utah Lake’s Provo Bay, the Utah County Health Department reported Tuesday. Because of the bloom, health officials are warning the public and their pets to stay out of the Provo Bay area of Utah Lake. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Water Quality (DWQ) […]

Intermountain Healthcare reveals rendering of Spanish Fork Hospital

Intermountain Healthcare released a rendering of the Spanish Fork Hospital on Monday morning. The Spanish Fork Hospital, which has an anticipated completion date near the end of 2020, will sit on approximately 45 acres east of I-15 and north of U.S. Highway 6, near the Walmart Supercenter. Estimated at approximately $150 million, the new hospital will focus […]

Provo council: We don’t have enough info about Bulldog project

Provo city officials started a discussion about redesigning Bulldog Boulevard in 2013, did studies in 2014 and 2017 to see how changes would affect traffic flow, and started the design process. Now the design is nearly done and scheduled to be finalized this month. Funding for the $4.5 million project is set and the city’s […]

One year later: How much longer until Trader Joe’s opens in Orem?

Thursday marked the one-year announcement anniversary for Trader Joe’s in Orem, Utah, news that caused a lot of buzz on social media both before and after the announcement. “So far people have been ecstatic that they are opening,” said Ryan Clark, Orem’s economic development division manager. “In fact, everyone has been very impatient about why […]

Utah County Search and Rescue needs boat for rough-water rescues

One stormy night, a family stranded on Utah Lake called for help. Their boat was swamped and broken down, and they couldn’t make it to shore. It was pitch black and raining cats and dogs. Rescuers went out on their jet skis, with 5-foot swells coming over the water crafts. They got the family out, […]

Facebook announces new data center in Eagle Mountain

Facebook is building a data center in Eagle Mountain, announced Eagle Mountain City together with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) Wednesday morning. The 970,000 square foot data center will be built at the Sweetwater Industrial Park in Eagle Mountain. “After a thorough search, we selected Eagle Mountain […]

Woodbury Corporations announces additions to Canyon Creek, including Lowe’s

Woodbury Corporation announced a variety of new businesses being built at Canyon Creek Commercial Center on Monday morning. The largest business joining the Spanish Fork development is Lowe’s, a national home improvement and hardware company. Other new businesses include Great Clips, Rumbi Island Grill, Wing Nutz, Cookie Cutters, Panda Express, Check City and Cascade Family […]

A photographic tour of the Springville’s new Clyde Recreation Center

Lace up those tennis shoes — Springville opened its new Clyde Recreation Center on Thursday, May 24. Springville began it’s journey for its own recreation in November 2015 when residents approved an $11 million bond to pay in part for the project. The total cost for the project is approximately $23 million. Now less than […]

After three years of searching, Elizabeth Salgado’s remains found in Hobble Creek

Police confirmed Thursday they had found the remains of a Provo woman who had been missing for three years. The missing person investigation is now a homicide investigation under suspicious circumstances, according to local police. “It’s not the outcome anybody wanted,” said Provo Police Chief Rich Ferguson. “We’ve all remained extremely hopeful that we would […]

Valley Visioning Summit participants brainstorm solutions to tough Utah County issues

Education, housing and transportation — these three Utah County issues were the main topics of discussion at the first annual Valley Visioning Summit. Multiple chambers of commerce in the valley invited businesses, education, government and nonprofit organizations to meet together, learn more about the top issues and brainstorm ideas on how their varying organizations could […]

Best Bank: Central Bank is centered in the community

Central Bank is centered in the community. While the company didn’t gain the name of Central Bank until 1966, the company began serving Utah County as Springville Banking Company in 1891. With 127 years under its banking belt, Central Bank has kept up with the changing tides of technology while maintaining its personal relationships. “We […]