Local News

As Utah continues with its vaccine rollout, the state is preparing for more shipments of doses.

If all goes according to plan, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said - during his weekly COVID-19 briefing - all residents could be vaccinated within the next few months. 

The Park City Summit County Arts Council is launching the Winter Arts Showcase starting Friday.

40 artist will be featured in the virtual winter showcase. And because it’s being done virtually, Jocelyn Scudder the Executive Director of the Arts Council says it’s the biggest collection of artists in a winter showcase.

The Park City Planning Commission forwarded a positive recommendation for affordable housing incentives to city council at their meeting Wednesday night. The amendments now await final approval later this month.

Wednesday’s positive recommendation to city council by the Park City Planning Commission marks the penultimate step in a three-year process to amend the city’s land management code for affordable housing developments.

The Utah Department of Health announced 1,242 new COVID-19 cases Thursday. 

Summit County reported 24 new cases, In comparison, last Thursday, Summit saw 27. 

Wasatch County reported 7 new cases. Last Thursday, the county saw 10.  

In a COVID-19 briefing Thursday, State Epidemiologist Angela Dunn said the CDC has released new suggestions on which masks are the most effective. 

With snowfall in the forecast through the weekend and a persistent weak layer present in Utah’s snowpack, avalanche danger is significant heading into the holiday weekend.

The Utah Avalanche Center issued an ‘avalanche watch’ on Thursday ahead of expected snowfall this weekend. Forecaster Trent Meisenheimer told KPCW the watch could very well become a warning as weekend snowfall approaches.

Today on the Local News Hour:

(02:40) - Trent Meisenheimer has today’s Utah Avalanche Forecast Center Report

(11:30) - Summit County Council Member Doug Clyde recaps Wednesday's meeting.

(23:34) - Utah Education Association (UEA) President Heidi Matthews has a midseason update on issues being considered by the state legislature.

(40:15) - Youth Sports Alliance Executive Director Emily Fisher gives an overview on the organization's youth winter programming.

Summit County Health Director Rich Bullough is happy about the recent good news he’s been able to report.

He says the county’s Covid incidence rate has plummeted.    The county has received some large vaccine shipments.    And they’re making progress in vaccinating their over-70 population.   

But he said precautions are still necessary. 

Among recent incidents in the Summit County Sheriff’s report, deputies responded to two fights, in different circumstances.

In one, a martial-arts instructor faced off with a rowdy student.

The other case was another conflict over mask regulations.

Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright said officers responded to a ju-jitsu studio in Pinebrook on the night of January 20th.

They were told that a new student in the class, who appeared intoxicated, had been disruptive, loud and was aggressive toward the instructor.

An affordable housing proposal will be brought before the Summit County Planning Commission later this month. The developers are hoping to construct over 400 units at the I-80 and US 40 interchange.

The Highland Flats project, if developed, would construct 410 rental units on a 40-acre parcel just south of the Interstate 80-US 40 interchange.

Adam Breen is one of the developers of the project and says the units will be heavily focused on addressing affordable workforce housing needs in Summit County.

Park City’s other annual film festival, Slamdance, is taking place this year from Feb. 12 through 25. And, like the 2021 Sundance Film Festival before it, it’s taking place online.

The festival features 25 narrative and non-fiction features, including “A Tiny Ripple of Hope,” an entry in the festival’s documentary competition.

The documentary focuses on Jahmal Cole, a Chicago community organizer who is trying to promote empathy to overcome decades of segregation and institutional racism.

After the backcountry gates at Park City Mountain Resort were closed earlier this month following the second deadly avalanche in the area of 2021, PCMR, the US Forest Service, and the Utah Avalanche Center met virtually on Tuesday to discuss the future of backcountry access from the resort.

Although Park City Mountain Resort does not patrol the backcountry and is not responsible for skiers and riders who access the backcountry by using their chairlifts, the gates on the Park City ridgeline do lie on property owned by the resort. 

  Wasatch County saw another COVID-19 death Wednesday, there have now been 18 Wasatch residents who have died from the disease.

The Wasatch County woman who died of COVID-19 was over than 85 years-old. She was a long-term care facility resident. 

Along with the Wasatch County death, the state department of health announced 16 new deaths. To date, 1,765 Utahns have died due to COVID-19.

The Apres-Ski Concert Series in Park City is back - but it’ll be a bit pared down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The weekly concert series at the Corner Store Pub & Grill started up again last Thursday. 

Max Doilney is the owner of the Corner Store. He said they’re taking all the necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

Summit County Health Department's Monthly Update with Health Deptartment Director Rich Bullough includes information on the continued roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine.