English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in St. George, UT

The “American Ninja Warrior” announcers never tire of saying it: Kai Beckstrand, a teenager from St. George, Utah, is one of the most formidable competitors on the show.

Beckstrand is fast — really fast.

Every single year he has competed on “ANW” — Seasons 13, 15 and 16 — he has completed the qualifying obstacle course that puts balance and upper body strength to the test with the fastest time of all the ninjas competing in his episode.

Going into Season 17, his fastest time for the qualifying round was a little over 54 seconds.

But if Beckstrand wanted to keep up his fastest ninja streak, he was going to need to be even faster this time around due to a super tough competitor: his younger brother.

Luke Beckstrand made his “ANW” debut last year, and returned this season 3 inches taller and with 20 pounds of muscle.

During the most recent episode of “ANW,” which aired Monday night, the 17-year-old cruised through the course in 54.92 seconds, putting some pressure on his older brother.

“His brother Kai is one of the top competitors, but Luke may be just as good,” the “ANW” announcers said.

But Kai Beckstrand, for his part, insisted that he is “definitely stronger and faster than last season.”

“I believe that I can win this whole thing,” the 19-year-old “ANW” veteran said.

The brothers insist there is no rivalry, though.

Kai Beckstrand was cheering for his younger brother from the sidelines and appeared to be in disbelief at Luke Beckstrand’s fast time, which even accounted for missing a first attempt to run up the 14.5-foot wall to hit the buzzer at the end.

But Kai Beckstrand didn’t have too much time to marvel at his brother’s accomplishment.

It was soon his turn to see if he could turn in an even faster performance.

Before Kai Beckstrand took off on the course, “ANW” sideline reporter Zuri Hall noted that the teen is “considered one of the fastest ninjas on the planet.”

And he lived up to that Monday night.

Beckstrand completed the Season 17 qualifying course in a staggering 52.90 seconds — the fastest time of the night (for the fourth time in a row) and his personal record for that course.

Completing the course in under a minute gave Kai Beckstrand the chance to attempt a run up the 18.5-foot Mega Wall for $10,000 — a feat that only two competitors (so far) had achieved this season.

Beckstrand raced up the wall to hit the buzzer and claim the 10 grand — his third time conquering the Mega Wall.

Kai and Luke Beckstrand ended the night with the two fastest times (it’s worth noting that if Luke Beckstrand hadn’t missed his first attempt at running up the wall, he likely would’ve had the fastest time of the night).

The brothers join their younger sister Baylee Beckstrand, who competed earlier in the season, in the semifinals.

“ANW” veteran Mady Howard, who is a nurse from St. George and frequently trains for the show with the Beckstrands at the family’s ninja-themed gym The Grip, competed for her sixth time Monday night.

She became just the second mom in the show’s history to complete a course and hit the buzzer, the announcers said.

Howard, who was a gymnast at Southern Utah University, previously competed on the show when she was six months postpartum. Now, her son Beckham is 3 and enthusiastically cheering from the sidelines with his dad.

“I think that ‘Ninja Warrior’ is a great outlet for me,” Howard previously told the Deseret News. “It’s my fun outlet where I can play like a little kid on a playground, where I can go and be competitive and kind of chase my own dreams. It challenges me to be a better person and a better mom. I seriously just love it.”

Several other Utah ninjas competed during Monday’s episode but didn’t advance to the semifinals, including:

Earlier in the season, six teens from Utah advanced to the Season 17 semifinals, which will begin airing later this summer.

Per the Deseret News, that includes:

The “American Ninja Warrior” semifinals premiere Monday, July 14, on NBC.

St. George • State officials and St. George residents gathered at Dixie Middle School Wednesday to preview a $195 million project aimed at widening Interstate 15 and bridging the gap dividing the city.

St. George, as city leaders often note, has significant barriers to efficient transportation. It is surrounded by ridges on three sides — on the north, east and west — and the interstate cuts through the center of town and separates residents living on either side of the highway.

While St. George’s geographical barriers cover too much ground and would cost too much to change, according to highway planners, the I-15 widening project will improve traffic flows and connect neighborhoods now separated by the freeway.

As currently designed, the project would widen north and southbound I-15 from two to three lanes along the 2.5 mile stretch from Bluff Street to St. George Boulevard.

It would also replace highway overpasses at 100 South and 700 South with two taller bridges that are wide enough for three lanes in each direction. Noticeably absent is a 700 South interchange that was included in an earlier plan but has been delayed due to a lack of funds.

The new plan proposes raising the highway’s height to accommodate two new underpasses that will connect neighborhoods now separated by the interstate, one on 400 East (Flood Street) and another at 900 South. Currently, the only roads that cross I-15 are located at St. George Boulevard, 100 South, 700 South and Bluff Street, which are often clogged during peak travel hours.

“The two underpasses will greatly improve commutes for many residents in St. George,” city spokesperson David Cordero said. “The impact is especially significant for those walking or riding a bike, reducing some travel times by half. This provides better access to downtown, several schools, parks and other community amenities.”

Congestion versus safety

Specifically, city and transportation officials say the two new underpasses will reduce congestion and improve access to Dixie High School and Dixie Middle School, the boundaries for which currently straddle both sides of the interstate. The new crossings would enable students living in the neighborhood just west of the interstate to walk to either school on the opposite side in five minutes instead of having to go as much as a mile out of their way to cross the freeway at Bluff Street or 700 South.

For St. George resident Walt Brooks, who used to walk under a 3-foot culvert to cross the highway en route to school as a boy, the underpasses are long overdue.

“The underpasses will be a major and much-needed improvement,” he predicted.

Nancy Norbeck, who was also at the hearing, vehemently disagrees, saying the underpasses will put more traffic on 900 South, much of which will end up on 400 East and endanger students crossing the road on the way to and from school.

“Unless they put a light or a four-way stop there, no one will be able to safely cross that street,” she said.

Myron Lee, transportation planning director for the Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization, said students, as always, will have to look both ways before crossing the street. That said, he contends the two underpasses will help the community stitch itself back together.

“It will also help reduce the congestion we now have on 700 South because the traffic will no longer be channeled to that one underpass,” he said.

Funds for the underpasses are coming from an $87.6 million grant the city and state received in 2024 from the federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhood program, which was established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed during the Biden administration. The remainder of the I-15 widening project will be paid for with transportation investment funds, according to Brett Anderson, project manager with the Utah Department of Transportation.

Since the underpasses were not part of the original plan and added after the environmental assessment for the project was completed, UDOT officials had to “re-evaluate” the assessment to incorporate the additional improvements. Anderson and other officials were on hand to discuss the noise issues and several other environmental impacts detailed in the draft reanalysis.

Over the next two months, UDOT will send ballots to people living closest to I-15 to let them vote on whether or not they want sound walls to protect them from additional traffic noise. Federal regulations require 75% of those ballots to be filled out and returned, and 75% of respondents must vote in favor before sound walls can be built.

According to Lee, roughly 60,000 vehicles per day travel I-15 between the Bluff Street and St. George Boulevard exits, which the transportation director said is projected to increase to 94,500 vehicles by 2050. Construction on the I-15 widening project is expected to begin by mid-2026 and wrap up in late 2028.

UDOT officials are accepting public comment on the widening plan and draft re-evaluation until July 7. Click here for more information about providing feedback.

Help The Tribune report the stories others can’t—or won’t.

For over 150 years, The Salt Lake Tribune has been Utah’s independent news source. Our reporters work tirelessly to uncover the stories that matter most to Utahns, from unraveling the complexities of court rulings to allowing tax payers to see where and how their hard earned dollars are being spent. This critical work wouldn’t be possible without people like you—individuals who understand the importance of local, independent journalism. As a nonprofit newsroom, every subscription and every donation fuels our mission, supporting the in-depth reporting that shines a light on the is sues shaping Utah today.

You can help power this work.

RELATED STORIES

Almost every year, a wildfire is started somewhere in Utah because of fireworks. Just this week, the Draper Fire Department said a small fire was started in the foothills above the city, likely from someone shooting fireworks from the window of a passing car.

Crews were able to extinguish the fire by early Thursday morning, but it serves as a reminder of how quickly Fourth of July celebrations can spiral out of control.

When are fireworks allowed in Utah?

The Fourth of July is one of four holidays where setting off fireworks is allowed in Utah for a period of time. The other three are Pioneer Day on July 24, New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Typically there’s a two-day buffer around the holiday itself. For instance, this month fireworks are permitted between July 2-5, and July 22-25, according to the State Fire Marshal.

Where can you set off fireworks?

Even with that window, fireworks are still prohibited in much of the state. Utah is currently under State 1 fire restrictions, which bans fireworks on all state and federally managed land, and all unincorporated land (land that is not within a city’s jurisdiction).

That means no fireworks are allowed in state parks, national parks, Bureau of Land Management land, national forest or other public land.

Most of the state’s main population centers also have some kind of restriction in place. But that doesn’t mean you can’t set off fireworks, and Utah code actually prevents cities from enacting a citywide ban of state-approved explosives in most cases.

Instead, cites can only restrict fireworks “in certain areas with hazardous environmental conditions,” which includes mountainous areas covered in brush, forest or dry grass, areas near a river, ravine or wash, undeveloped wildland or agricultural land and more.

That’s still a pretty broad definition, so most municipalities are able to ban fireworks in the majority of land within their borders.

Salt Lake City, for instance, bans fireworks everywhere except for two stretches between Glendale Park and Interstate 80, and between 900 West and 900 East, south of South Temple.

Draper bans fireworks everywhere except for a small section between State Street and 1300 East. And St. George bans fireworks in most of the city, except for the more densely populated neighborhoods away from open space and major roadways.

State law requires municipalities make their firework restrictions easily accessible, and provide residents with an interactive map.

Curious where fireworks are permitted in your city? See the State Fire Marshal’s list of restrictions.

For Salt Lake County-specific information, see Unified Fire Authority’s interactive map.

Fire danger in Utah

This year’s holiday comes as most of the state is either in severe or moderate drought, which means fire danger is high. That’s the reasoning behind the fire restrictions, and officials from cities, counties and the state are urging Utahns to celebrate responsibly.

Despite some recent monsoonal moisture giving relief to parts of the state, northern Utah is still abnormally dry. Plus, monsoons can sometimes bring dry lightning and high winds, a near-perfect storm for fire danger.

Most fires this year — 336 of 448 — have been human caused, resulting in more than 1,000 acres burned.

The cause of the state’s two largest fires have been natural. The France Canyon Fire is currently burning at about 33,300 acres and is 66% contained, while the Forsyth Fire, which destroyed homes in the Pine Valley community north of St. George, is at 13,500 acres and 43% contained.

On Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared July 2 Wildland Firefighter Day in an effort to recognize the work firefighters do to protect homes and forests in the state.

“Our wildland firefighters are heroes. They face incredible risks to keep us safe and protect the places we love,” Cox said in a statement. “We owe them our gratitude, and that starts with doing our part. This summer, use fireworks wisely, follow local rules, and help prevent the next fire.”

As Utahns get set to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, here's a list of where you can check out professional fireworks shows across the state.

All fireworks displays are scheduled to begin either at dusk or around 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

FRIDAY, JULY 4

ANTIMONY - Otter Creek RV Park and MarinaBEAVER - Tushar Mountain 4 PlexBLANDING - Centennial ParkBRIGHAM CITY - Pioneer ParkCEDAR CITY - Cedar City AirportCLEARFIELD - Fisher ParkDELTA - Millard County FairgroundsDUCHESNE - Roy ParkEAGLE MOUNTAIN - Cory Wride Memorial ParkFARR WEST - Smith Family ParkGARDEN CITY - Heritage ParkGRANTSVILLE - Cherry Street ParkHANKSVILLE - Hanksville Town ParkHEBER CITY/MIDWAY - Memorial HillHENEFER - Town ParkHILDALE - UEP FieldHOLLADAY - Holladay ParkHUNTINGTON - FairgroundsHUNTSVILLE - Town ParkHURRICANE - Sand Hollow State ParkHYRUM - Soccer FieldsKANAB - Jacob Hamblin ParkKAYSVILLE - Barnes ParkLAYTON - Layton Commons ParkLEHI - Electric ParkLEWISTON - FairgroundsMAGNA - Copper ParkMANTI - Manti City Sports ComplexMILFORD - Milford Recreation ComplexMINERSVILLE - Minersville ParkMOAB - Lion's BackMORGAN - FairgroundsMORONI - Center Street ParkMT. PLEASANT - City ParkMURRAY - Murray ParkNEPHI - Juab County FairgroundsPANGUITCH - Triple C ArenaPARK CITY - Canyons Village (after drone show)PAROWAN - Iron County FairgroundsPLAIN CITY - Lee Olsen ParkPLEASANT GROVE - Discovery ParkPRICE - Carbon County Event Center PROVO - LaVell Edwards Stadium (Stadium of Fire event)RICHFIELD - West Hills (9:30 p.m.)RIVERDALE - Riverdale ParkRIVERTON - City ParkROOSEVELT - Constitution ParkSALT LAKE CITY - The GatewaySANDY - City Hall/PromenadeSOUTH JORDAN - Ballpark (after Bees game)ST. GEORGE - Greater Zion StadiumTOOELE - Deseret Peak Indoor Arena (after rodeo)VERNAL - Ashley Valley Community ParkVINEYARD - Grove ParkWEST JORDAN - Veterans Memorial ParkWEST POINT - Loy Blake Park

SATURDAY, JULY 5

CENTERVILLE - Community ParkNORTH OGDEN - Barker ParkPARK CITY - Canyons Village (after drone show)SANDY - America First Field (after RSL game)TOOELE - THS Football Stadium (after concert)

Changes to the regulations of medical cannabis in Utah, which go into effect July 1, are intended to streamline and discount access to treatment for veterans.

United States Air Force veteran Tanner Agren, born and raised in Gunnison, Utah, told St. George News that the changes couldn’t come soon enough.

1 of 8

Tanner Agren after one of the five shoulder surgeries he underwent after sustaining injuries during and after his service in the United States Air Force, location and date not specified.

Tanner Agren served in the United States Air Force before a medical discharge due to shoulder injuries. Location and date of photo not specified.

Desiree Hennessy is the executive director of the Utah Patients Coalition, location and date not specified.

Tanner Agren served in the United States Air Force before a medical discharge due to shoulder injuries. Location and date of photo not specified.

Utah native Tanner Agren served in the United States Air Force before a medical discharge due to shoulder injuries, location and date not specified.

Stock image of medical cannabis production, date and location not specified.