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Wednesday, May 19, 2021 • Vol. 130, No. 20 • Free
Inside Today: 2021 Sanpete County Recreation Guide Local Festivals - Events - Recreation
Cox issues 2nd order as drought continues BY CONNOR RICHARDS
The Pyramid
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a second executive order this week declaring a state of emergency as Utah continues to face severe drought conditions. Cox issued the first executive order on March 17 at the recommendation of the Drought Review and Reporting Committee. The declaration allowed “drought-affected communities, agricultural producers and others to officially begin the process
Burn scars from the Orchard Fire remain around crops belonging to South Shore Farms on the northern area of West Mountain on June 17. ISAAC HALE, THE PYRAMID FILE PHOTO
that may provide access to state or federal emergency resources,” according to the governor’s office. “We’ve been monitoring drought conditions carefully and had hoped to see significant improvement from winter storms,” Cox said in March. “Unfortunately, we have not received enough snow to offset the dry conditions. I ask Utahns to evaluate their water use and find ways to save not only because of current drought conditions but also because we live in
Gov eases mask rules in schools BY RYNE WILLIAMS
The Pyramid
During his weekly COVID-19 briefing on Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox announced that the statewide mask mandate in K-12 schools would be dropped for the final week of school in the Beehive State. “This has been an ongoing conversation and I said that every week that we would continue to review what is happening around masks in school, making sure that we are making the best decision, impacting the most people,” Cox said. “Our No. 1 goal all along has been the desire and the need to keep kids in school. We have done that as well, if not better than any other state. We have been able to keep our kids in school, and I’m grateful again to teachers, parents, especially students who have done everything necessary and everything possible to stay healthy and to stay in school.” With cases dropping in many school districts, Cox added that many districts have not seen a positive case in weeks. Along with that, teachers who wanted the vaccine are vaccinated and now the Pfizer vaccine will be available to anyone age 12 and up. He said that the request has been made by superintendents around the state to drop the statewide mask mandate in K-12 schools, and with case rates being low, he ended that mandate for only the final week of school. Cox added that masks are still encouraged, but that he believes ending the
LAURA SEITZ, DESERET NEWS
Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at a briefing on COVID-19 at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday. mandate is the right and prudent thing to do. Along with that, families and students will still be able to decide for themselves whether or not to wear a mask. “School districts will have the option, if they feel spread is happening in their school and they want to have mask requirements, schools will have that option,” Cox said. “Individual school districts will have the option to impose a mask mandate for that last week of school, but there will be no statewide mask mandate starting the last Monday of the last week of school.” When asked about the decision to lift the mandate only for the last week of school, and not the foreseeable future, Cox pointed to students being able to see
their friends’ and teachers’ faces for the final week as well as the encouraging case numbers. According to Cox, he tried to be balanced in the approach, being thoughtful about what decisions are made and taking input from all sides. “Understanding the health side of this and the impact on kids, we also have vaccinations now happening for older kids which is where we saw the biggest spread and where there were some health problems and hospitalizations,” Cox said. “I understand that every one of these decisions is unpopular but at some point, we have to move out of this and we’ve done that. We got rid of the broader masks mandate on April 10, we had
other restrictions go away in the first week of May, and it’s the natural next step with all of this as we move our way out of this trying to do it in the right way, not too fast, not too slow. Some will disagree but I think the majority would agree that we are hitting that at about the right spot.” Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson also added that the state has the resources for people to be able to protect themselves if they so choose. At other times during the COVID-19 pandemic, people had to take it upon themselves to protect others, according to Henderson, and they still want that to occur but vaccines and resources are available. She added that the burden needs to be shifted onto the weight of the individuals.
As for Utah County schools, the Alpine School District confirmed to the Herald shortly after the announcement that it is aware of Cox’s decision and the board will be reviewing it to make a determination on how the district will proceed. The Provo City School District board began discussing options with regard to the announcement as soon as it was made by Cox, and it decided to fall in line with the governor’s guidance. District spokesperson Caleb Price confirmed that the Provo City School District will have masks be optional during the last week of the school year, which starts on May 24.
one of the driest states in the nation.” The governor’s second executive order, issued on Thursday, continues the state’s Emergency Operations Plan and Drought Response Plan, which were activated through the first order. According to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 100% of the state of Utah was classified as experiencing “moderate” drought as of Tuesday, while about 90% of the state Please see DROUGHT, Page A2
Weber State honors Sanpete students OGDEN — Weber State University awarded 3,453 students with the honor of Academic Excellence or High Academic Excellence for the spring 2021 semester. “Through all the challenges of the past year, these Weber State students persisted and achieved academic success,” said President Brad Mortensen. “They demonstrated grit and determination to reach their academic goals. Congratulations, and I am honored to serve with all of the great faculty and staff who are so dedicated to student success.” More than 4,300 students, representing 28% of Weber State undergraduates, received the honor of Academic Excellence in the spring, signifying they maintained a GPA of at least 3.5. Of those 4,300, approximately 1,300 students earned the distinction of High Academic Excellence for maintaining a 4.0 GPA, representing 8% of the student body. The achievement of earning Academic Excellence is difficult under normal circumstances but was made especially challenging with the added pressure of handling the mental and emotional impact of a global pandemic, political unrest and an unusual learning environment. Less face-to-face instruction and interaction, as well as limited engagement with peers, meant students had to demonstrate their grit and determination to maintain their high academic standards.
Please see MASKS, Page A2 Please see WEBER STATE, Page A2
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