Despite increasing COVID-19 testing over the last week, new cases throughout the state have continued to decline.

The Utah Department of Health announced 1,585 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, which is almost 700 less cases than the state saw at the same time last week.

The state reported an increase of 7,199 new tests administered. 

Summit County reported 34 new cases. In comparison, last Sunday Summit County saw 55 cases.

Wasatch County reported 22 new cases. Last Sunday, the county saw 38.  

The body of a Wasatch man — who was missing for almost a month — was found Saturday.

53-year-old Chad West was reported missing Dec. 17. He was last seen about a week before driving away from his Wasatch County home in his black pick-up truck.

Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call Saturday morning reporting that someone had potentially found West’s truck on private property in an area known as “The Hogs Back,” on the north side of Daniels Canyon.  

Utah Governor Spencer Cox has declared a state of emergency ahead of expected protests at the state Capitol Building in Salt Lake with the transfer of power happening in the nation’s capitol. Here locally, law enforcement officials are hoping for a peaceful transition, but preparing for the worst.

After allowing a contract extension expire on December 31st, the ski patrollers of Park City Mountain Resort have been working without a contract in place with PCMR. The patrol union held a small rally at the base of PCMR Saturday to raise awareness for their cause.

The Utah Department of Health reported just over 2,000 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as statewide metrics, including those in Summit and Wasatch County, continue to decline after a holiday surge.

With 2,150 COVID-19 cases reported on Saturday, the statewide rolling seven-day average of positive tests dropped to 2,315, according to the Utah Department of Health.

Last July, Oakley City implemented a development moratorium in order to update their Land Management Code.

The six months for the freeze will be up next week, and results will be unveiled for citizens.

Utah law allows Temporary Zoning Moratoriums for six months.     Oakley’s halt on all subdivision applications and building permit approvals went into effect on July 23rd.

City planner Stephanie Woolstenhulme said the city thought it was time to review and update their General Plan and their Land Use Code.

The Park City Planning Commission forwarded long-awaited recommendations to city council at their meeting this week.

The discussions around dark sky regulations and nightly rentals in Park City have gone on for months. On Wednesday night, the planning commission finally cast votes on the issues, forwarding positive recommendations to city council for both measures.

Summit County Council Member Malena Stevens is in an unusual position.   She voted on the Dakota Pacific proposal at Kimball Junction this fall, as a member of the Snyderville Planning Commission.

Now, as a newly-installed Council Member, she will vote as part of   a final decision on the proposal.    Stevens and other Council Members are taking under advisement the comments they heard at Wednesday’s public hearing.

The Utah Department of Health confirmed the state’s first case of the highly-contagious strain of COVID-19, frequently referred to as the ‘UK variant,’ Friday.

The Health Department says the case was discovered through ongoing genetic sequencing of positive COVID-19 samples by the Utah Public Health Laboratory.