Southern Utah emergency managers prepare for flash flooding
With storms slowly building across the region, Jason Bradley with Washington County Emergency Management Operations says many of southern Utah's most popular outdoor destinations could quickly become dangerous.
'Any of our low lying slot canyons and dry wash areas can be problematic for us,' Bradley said.
The danger isn't always going to be obvious — floodwaters can surge into canyons from storms miles away, even when skies overhead are clear. And even the most experienced hikers and researchers aren't immune to the risks.
Stage 1 fire restrictions issued for multiple southwest Utah counties
'We've had a death in the last year or two from somebody that was actually studying hydrology, and they were killed by a flash flood, they didn't heed the warnings,' Bradley added.
Washington County emergency teams say they're ready to respond if need, but they would much rather have visitors make safe choices and stay out of danger. And when it comes to floodwaters, the outcome can be tragic.
'A lot of time when it comes to flood waters and flash floods, it's not a rescue, it's a recovery,' Bradley said. 'So it's really important that you pay attention ahead of time and not be there and avoid flood waters.'
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The Hill
18-07-2025
- The Hill
Utah governor warns wildfires are worse than last year — and most are human-caused
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) warned this week that his state is enduring one of the most active fire seasons in recent memory — and that humans have been responsible for most of the blazes. 'We're seeing exactly the kind of extreme fire behavior we hoped that we would not but warned was very likely,' Cox said during his monthly news conference, aired Thursday on PBS Utah. The governor expressed distress at the fact that 72 percent of the multiple wildfires raging across Utah this season have been caused by humans. The fires, fueled by strong winds and hot, dry weather, have scorched thousands of acres statewide, he noted. For example, Cox described a 'firenado' that was 'strong enough to flip heavy equipment, rip roofs off and spread flames unpredictably' stemming from the 15,000-acre Deer Creek Fire south of Moab. He also detailed similarly catastrophic blazes in Sevier County in Central Utah, near St. George in the southwestern corner of the state and an almost 35,000-acre incident near Bryce Canyon National Park. While acknowledging that the total number of wildfires this year is similar to those last year — 571 versus 576 — Cox stressed that 'conditions on the ground are worse, and fires are behaving very differently.' Last year, he explained, the soil contained much more moisture, creating a buffer that helped moderate fire activity. Two consecutive winters of robust snowpack also amplified the growth of grasses and brush that are now fueling the fires, the governor added. 'The tinder-dry landscape means every spark has a greater chance of becoming a large and fast-moving wildfire,' he said. Cox appealed to fellow Utahns to use common sense and avoid activities like abandoning campfires or going target shooting in dry brush. He also emphasized the importance of cutting back brush around forest cabins, to create a defensible space. The governor recognized a history of both mismanagement and lack of management on some forest lands, while noting that 'bad decisions' over the past few decades are not solely responsible for the crises that have occurred. 'Climate change is part of that, for sure,' Cox said. 'But whether you believe the climate is changing because it's human caused or not, it is changing, and we've got to adapt to that.' One of the major ways Utah and other states across the U.S. West are adapting, he explained is by treating forests with prescribed burns — a process that has led to a noticeable reduction in fuels a decrease in damage done. 'The good news is that we are doing more, and I want to give credit to both the Trump administration and the Biden administration, who realized years ago that that we needed to do more,' Cox said. Yet as wildfires continue to wreak havoc across the state, the governor noted 'an uptick in water use' and that reservoir levels plunged 10 percent during June — five times more than average for this time of year. Although reservoirs are at 77 percent capacity, slightly above normal at this point, these storage sites 'are being depleted at an above average rate,' he warned. 'It's OK to have yellow lawns this year,' Cox said. 'We give you permission not to keep them up and keep them green.' Recognizing a June declaration he had made for a statewide day of prayer and fasting for rain, the governor — a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — emphasized that prayer alone would not be enough. 'While we need faith and prayers, we also need people to cut back on their usage,' Cox added.
Boston Globe
18-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Brian Harman (65) makes move in second round of British Open
Not that anyone was complaining. Temperatures were warm, at least by Irish standards. The breeze was noticeable without being overly punishing. 'They're very different golf courses, but the golf is similar,' Harman said. 'You've got to be able to flight your golf ball. You've got to know how far everything's going. Then you can't get frustrated. You're going to end up in funny spots where it doesn't seem fair, and you just have to kind of outlast that stuff.' Among those who finished, Harman at 8-under 134 was three shots clear of a group that included Harris English (70), Harman's former teammate at Georgia; Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark (68); Tyrrell Hatton of England (69); and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland (66). Advertisement Rory McIlroy broke par for the second straight round and lost ground. Thousands of spectators followed him along hills ands knobs. There were cheers, but not many roars as McIlroy went around in 69. He wasn't at his best in the opening round and was pleased to be only three behind. He was at least five shots back going into the weekend. But at least he's still playing, after a terrific rally to miss the cut by one shot at Royal Portrush in 2019. Advertisement 'I didn't have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I'm very excited for that,' McIlroy said. 'I feel like my game's definitely good enough to make a run.' Scottie Scheffler played in the afternoon. He hit his shot down the middle of the fairway, his next one to 6 feet, his third one in the hole for a birdie. And then out came the umbrellas and some of the heaviest rain of the week. It lasted only a few holes. Harman had a five-shot lead after 36 holes at Hoylake when he won in 2023, and he wound up winning by six with a game so steady that no one made a serious run at him. He is likely to have a little more company this time around. But his game looked to be as superb as ever. He was putting for birdie on just about every hole. He was never out of position. Harman opened with an approach to 3 feet on the first hole and drilled his second shot on the par-5 second to 18 feet for a tap-in birdie. He finished with another dandy, an approach to 8 feet on the 18th hole. 'I'm not trying to be heroic or do anything crazy. I know that I've got the game to do it, and it's just a matter of executing and staying in my own head,' Harman said. Advertisement Among those chasing is Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, making yet another case that he could be the first American playing captain the Ryder Cup since 1963. Bradley is coming off a win at the Travelers Championship. Now he appears to be finally figuring out links golf. Bradley has missed the cut the last five times and his best finish in 11 appearances is a tie for 15th in 2013 at Muirfield. He shot 67, a round that began with a 5-wood to 18 feet for eagle on the second hole that Bradley said was among the best shots he has hit this year. 'It was nice because I really wanted to play the weekend for the first time in, like, years,' Bradley said. 'But I also wanted to play well enough to get myself in position, so that was a great start to the round.'
Politico
11-07-2025
- Politico
Dentists are struggling to counter RFK Jr. on fluoride
'Fluoride's predominant benefit to teeth comes from topical contact with the outside of the teeth, not from ingestion,' an HHS spokesperson told POLITICO. 'There is no need, therefore, to ingest fluoride.' The impact the retreat from fluoridation has on oral health will show whether dentists are right, that a cavity crisis will follow, or whether Kennedy's view, that Americans can get the fluoride they need in toothpaste and mouthwash, will bear out. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within HHS, has held out fluoridation as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, citing data that it reduces tooth decay by as much as 70 percent in children and tooth loss by as much as 60 percent in adults. But Kennedy nonetheless believes the case to remove fluoride is urgent because of evidence that it can curtail children's brain development. It's a position bolstered by a report from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences during the Biden administration and an Obama-appointed federal judge last year — though the levels of fluoride they examined were higher than what Americans consume. Dentists see it otherwise. 'This is revving up an anti-science narrative,' said Brett Kessler, the president of the American Dental Association, the country's leading dentists' group. 'There are ways to get fluoride in toothpaste, some of the foods we eat, some of the drinks we drink, topical fluoride mouthwashes. … But without fluoridated water you're already behind the eight ball because you've got vulnerable teeth.' Dentists' case Opposition to adding the cavity-fighting mineral to water — based on a mishmash of reasoning around the purity of the drinking supply, concerns about side effects and conspiracy theories — has long been a cause of some on the left. Before Utah and Florida's moves, residents of Hawaii, New Jersey and Oregon were the least likely to have fluoride in their water, according to a review of 2022 data by the United Health Foundation, a philanthropy started by the insurer UnitedHealth Group to promote better public health. (The same study found 79 percent of Floridians and 43 percent of Utahns drank fluoridated water.) Health researchers have mostly found that low levels of fluoride, including the amounts found in drinking water systems across the U.S., are safe and can help fortify teeth against decay and other ailments. Many communities began to fluoridate their water in the mid-1900s at the behest of voters and their local and state governments. In 1962, HHS started providing guidance on fluoride in drinking water, and the Environmental Protection Agency invoked the Safe Drinking Water Act years later to enforce these standards, though fluoridation is still done at states' discretion. But research, much of it in China, has since prompted the Trump administration to question those standards. The findings suggest higher levels of fluoride in groundwater are linked to neurobehavioral issues and reduced IQ in children, but those results are not definitive due to study designs and methodology. Opponents of fluoridation in blue jurisdictions like Portland, Oregon, and Hawaii, historically have made the case that the best water is the least touched by human hands. 'The attitude was, 'don't ruin our pure water,'' said Barry Taylor, the executive director of the Oregon Dental Association. He says the Chinese studies have only made convincing Oregonians otherwise harder because they've added 'a new element of doubt.' Kessler contends the studies are not applicable to the U.S. because of the difference in fluoride levels and confounding variables. 'It could be lower IQ parents. It could be a lack of special foods that could help brain development. And it could just be DNA or genetics,' Kessler said. Dental health advocates also see a flaw in Kennedy's case that mouthwash and toothpaste are all people need. They argue that some Americans don't use the products, either because they can't get to a store, can't afford them or because they choose not to, putting them at risk. 'This is a lot of forces coming together to undermine oral health for particularly people that are lower income or in areas that may not have as many resources to get the oral health care they need,' said Melissa Burroughs, senior director of public policy at CareQuest, an oral health advocacy group aligned with the dentists. The American Dental Association's Kessler says the battle is far from over, pointing to the ADA's success this year in persuading state lawmakers to reject bills that would have banned fluoridation or otherwise impeded fluoridation efforts in 16 states across the political spectrum, including Hawaii. Kennedy's campaign Kennedy traveled to Salt Lake City in April to praise Utah for becoming the first state to ban fluoride in a state's water. The rule took effect in May. 'It makes no sense to have it in our water supply,' Kennedy said at a news conference with state lawmakers. 'I'm very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it, and I hope many more will come.' Kennedy hasn't withdrawn Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance encouraging fluoridation but he's threatening to do so. Earlier this year, he directed the CDC to reconvene the Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts, to study the issue. And his concerns about fluoride are filtering into other agencies' agendas. The Food and Drug Administration has announced it plans to ban ingestible fluoride pills and drops marketed to children. It's convening a public meeting on the issue on July 23. The response has not always followed partisan lines. When Kennedy appeared before a House Appropriations subcommittee in May, Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, a Republican and a dentist, said he'd seen the benefits of fluoride during his 22 years taking care of patients' teeth. 'If you are successful in banning fluoride, we better put a lot more money into dental education because we're going to need a whole lot more dentists,' Simpson said. Kennedy didn't back down. 'We now know that virtually all the benefit is topical, and we can get that through mouthwashes,' he said.
