The Times-Independent

Up to 400 Moabites took the streets on Friday to stand in solidarity with Minnesota after the Trump administration deployed 2,000 federal agents to the state earlier this month, which resulted in the killings of two U.S. citizens. Protesters chant “The people united will never be divided,” as a car honks in support. Live reporting by Lizzie Ramirez

Basak Arikan, a Moab resident, was pulled over by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office on March 19 on her way to work — before Immigration and Customs Enforcement took her into custody. Within two months, Arikan was transferred from detention centers in Provo and West Valley City, to Wyoming and now California, according to Moab Indivisible, a volunteer-led group that is part of the national Indivisible movement. Full story in bio. (✍️: Lizzie Ramirez)

Timed-entry reservations at Arches National Park likely reduced visitation to the park, even as the local tourism economy continued growing overall, according to a long-awaited study commissioned by Grand County. The report from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute arrives after years of debate in Moab and across Grand County over whether timed entry discouraged tourism and hurt the local economy or successfully reduced congestion and improved visitor experiences without significantly harming tourism-related businesses. Full story in bio. (✍️: Andrew Christiansen)

Kent Udell, a Grand County resident and a lifelong Utahn who has spent his career dedicated to rural and urban communities, was picked by delegates at the Utah Democratic Convention last month to run in the 3rd District race in November. He’ll be considered a long shot against whichever Republican wins the June 23 primary — incumbent, Rep. Celeste Maloy, or former state legislator Phil Lyman. Udell said he hopes to connect with every Utahn in the 3rd District, noting he doesn’t care “who you voted for in the last election.” He called the heightened political polarization in the country “manufactured.” “It’s manufactured because [we’re] fighting left [and] right, when the fight is really up [and] down,” Udell said. “We’re being manipulated from all of that, whether that’s the media, social media, the stuff coming out of press releases, the White House, all of those things.” He added that politicians play a game where they “[get] rich to rile you up” and that the constituents “are not really [done] any favors.” Full story in bio. (✍️: Lizzie Ramirez)

Moab wrapped up its role in the nationwide No Kings rally, drawing nearly 350 protesters that consisted of not only locals, but also tourists. Rally attendees marched on Center and Main streets, which were especially busy with vehicles as Saturday marks the first day of Easter Jeep Safari, an event that is expected to attract up to 20,000 visitors to the Moab area through Easter Sunday. Rally organizers said they were “a little worried” about turnout because of the high volume of traffic, and locals often leave town due to visitor overcrowding, but organizers said they were still “pleasantly surprised” with the turnout and that locals weren’t the only ones who participated. “We saw a lot of folks who came up to us today, who were there on vacation this weekend, and they knew they weren’t going to be in their hometown for the ‘No Kings’ event, and so they wanted to come to Moab’s,” organizer Laura Borichevsky said. Reporting by Lizzie Ramirez and Doug McMurdo

After implementation of the timed-entry reservation system at Arches National Park for four years, the system is on hiatus for 2026 — and it’s a move that worries public land advocates. The system was implemented in 2022 with the hope to reduce traffic congestion, protect park resources and mitigate visitor overcrowding. The initial announcement from the National Park Service in 2021 cited data analysis, comments from staff, stakeholders and the public as a reason to launch the pilot program. Four out of the five announcements for timed-entry point to data and feedback from community members as a reason to continue the program — but the most recent statement from NPS does not cite any data as a source for the halt. Full story in bio. (✍️: Lizzie Ramirez)

Residents continued to raise questions to Grand County commissioners on Feb. 17 about transparency and communication surrounding the county’s $60,000 economic study of Arches National Park’s timed-entry reservation system. Several speakers asked what information had been shared during project update meetings and whether all seven commissioners had equal access to that information. A Feb. 11 update from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, which is conducting the study, states that during a Dec. 17 project update meeting, the institute shared “some partial preliminary analysis” covering portions of the literature review, methodology and statistical analysis of economic jobs data. While Winfield has served as the contractual point of contact, emails obtained through public records requests show that Commissioner Brian Martinez also participated in several update meetings and provided data to researchers. However, emails related to contract scope, scheduling and the deadline extension primarily involve Winfield. Full story in bio. (✍️: Andrew Christiansen)

The Moab Tourism Advisory Board discussed the state of tourism at its Feb. 10 meeting — and while some claimed visitation remains down — others disagree. Board member Howard Trenholme said he read a quote from Moab Mayor Joette Langianese that made him “upset” in regards to timed entry at Arches National Park and how it seems to impact the city’s economy. Timed entry was canceled for 2026 on Feb. 18. Trenholme, who ran for the Moab City Council last year, alleged sales tax for the city “dropped by 30%” in the last calendar year. City Manager Michael Black disagrees with Trenholme. The city also operates in a fiscal year rather than a calendar year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. Langianese has been an avid supporter of timed entry at Arches National Park and has said the pilot program hasn’t impacted the economy in regards to tourism. The Moab City Council has officially endorsed the reservation system on a number of occasions in recent years. “It really upset me that our mayor is telling us that we’re doing fine when the sales tax dropped year over year by 30%, that is depression level drops,” Trenholme said at the meeting. “And everybody’s like, ‘Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine.’ It is not fine … We need to get our acts together, because we’re losing our relevance as a destination.” Full story in bio. (✍️: Lizzie Ramirez)

Arches National Park will not require timed-entry reservations in 2026, allowing visitors to enter the park at any time during operating hours without a reservation, the National Park Service announced Feb. 18. As peak tourism season starts, it’s recommended visitors plan ahead for potential entrance lines and limited parking at the more popular trails, the statement reads. Full story in bio.

As a mother of four who works full time, Moabite Leah Stamp is chasing her dreams to professionally participate in powerlifting competitions — with her first event set for March 7. Stamp, who was invited to the World Professional Power League, began her powerlift journey eight years ago. The league is invite only and Stamp received her invitation in August. “It’s a pretty big event … if anyone knows what FitCon is, it’s like FitCon on steroids,” Stamp said. “It’s just a big event full of people who are into big fitness, in the fitness world.” Full story in bio. (✍️: Lizzie Ramirez)

Two advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit Tuesday, Feb. 10 in Utah’s 7th Judicial District Court seeking to overturn the state’s new “preliminary municipality” law and invalidate the certification of the proposed Echo Canyon development southwest of Moab, formerly known as the Kane Creek development. Plaintiffs argue the law unconstitutionally shifts zoning and land-use authority from elected county officials to a governing board largely appointed by private landowners, creating what they describe as a form of municipal power that lacks voter accountability and grants special legal privileges to developers. Full story in bio. (✍️: Andrew Christiansen)

Protesters gathered in front of the Moab City Hall on Jan. 30 to denounce ICE and the Trump Administration. It comes after the killings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis. Live reporting by Lizzie Ramirez