Monday morning, March 8, 2021
State
Coronavirus Positivity Rate On The Decline
Utah health officials announced fewer than a thousand COVID-19 cases over the weekend. The state’s positivity rate continues to slowly decline, with 4.4% of tests now returning positive results. There are also fewer than 200 people currently hospitalized for the disease. Starting Monday, Utahns age 50 and up can start signing up to get vaccinated. People age 16 and older with certain underlying conditions are also eligible. So far, nearly 310,000 people have been completely vaccinated. — Ross Terrell
Follow KUER’s coverage of the coronavirus in Utah.
Northern Utah
Hill Air Force Exercises
Starting Tuesday, people living near Hill Air Force base will see — and hear — increased flying until March 18. The base will be conducting a weapons system evaluation, and the airfield will be active from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aircraft from Maryland’s National Guard will be stationed at Hill. Officials said other units are expected to participate too, but will fly in from different stations. — Ross Terrell
USU To Offer Free Menstrual Products
Menstrual hygiene products will be free and more accessible in all women’s restrooms at Utah State University starting this summer. The Logan-based school will be the first higher education institution in Utah to provide free tampons and pads according to the Utah Statesman. Currently, dispensers for feminine hygiene products are available in most women’s restrooms on campus but cost a quarter. James Morales is the vice president for student affairs. He said the initial costs of the project will be around $36,000 and will cost $600 a year after that. — Bob Nelson
Southern Utah
Angel’s Landing Hiking Death
The body of a man believed to have fallen from a popular trail in Zion National Park has been identified. Authorities said 43-year-old Jason Hartwell's body was found Friday at the base of Angels Landing, and there were signs of injuries consistent with a high-level fall. The steep, winding trail to Angel's Landing is the site of numerous fatal accidents, including the death of a 42-year-old Utah man less than a month ago. — Associated Press
Region/Nation
Considering Indigenous Traditional Evidence
Some Indigenous history is preserved in stories, songs and ceremonies that are passed down orally rather than through written records. Leaders of the Jemez Pueblo say oral histories prove its aboriginal ties to Valles Caldera, an area of federally managed land in Northern New Mexico. But in 2019, a district judge dismissed those histories as hearsay and struck down the Pueblo’s land claim. Now nine scholars of Indian law have signed onto a brief supporting the Jemez Pueblo’s appeal of that decision. They state that the case should be retried with traditional Jemez knowledge admitted as evidence. — Savannah Maher, Mountain West News Bureau