A state audit closes a chapter in the tumultuous saga of former San Juan County (Utah) commissioners and Bears Ears activists Willie Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy. The conclusion of the Utah Legislative Auditor General’s performance audit reads: “Based on our combined experience of auditing a wide variety of public entities, the actions by the two county commissioners are unique in their disregard for transparency in the handling of some of their business. “We believe the issues we identified warrant additional measures by the county in the future to demonstrate transparency to the citizens of the county, to restore trust, to protect county officers and to ensure that commission business is open and sufficiently transparent.” The two Democrats lost bids in November to keep their seats on the commission – tenures enabled in large part by a federal judge who in 2017 declared that the districts in San Juan County disenfranchised Native American voters and ordered them r...
It's as if a train were rumbling through spectacular wildlands, destroying everything in its path – a dark vision embraced through time by indigenous spiritual leaders. Aboard the train are rich and influential newcomers who ravage an ancient way of life and the ecosystem every living thing depends on. They not only enjoy the ride, they stoke the engine for profit and tell us it’s a good thing. They call it "progress."