Enjoy a handful of some of my favorite stories below
Or visit my blog for a whole lot more.
NOTES FROM
AN ANGELS LANDING ROOKIE
The Angels Landing Trail in Zion National Park is the roller coaster of outdoor hikes.
The 2.5 mile trail to Angels Landing takes hikers on a very aggres- sive, but mostly paved trail 1,488 feet above the Virgin River, which quietly winds its way through Utah's first national park.
There are two numbers there that are important: 1,488 feet and 2.5 miles. Any fifth- grader putting that on a graph will understand that that's a steep hike, really steep. Imagine going on a two-mile walk then taking the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building (1,250 feet) or the The Willis Tower in Chicago (1,451 feet), and back again.
At least 300,000 people will visit Zion National Park this month, according to the National Park Service. Many of them will make the trek to Angels Landing, one of the most popular hikes in the park.
I had a chance to make the hike with two of my sons recently and now have a good under- standing of why this is one of the most famous hikes in the world.
According to Zion National Park officials - and the signs at the trailhead - six people have fallen to their deaths from this precarious trail that quite literally carves its way up the sandstone cliffs to rise up from the valley floor.
As we made our way up the cliff, I kept thinking about things I wish I had done before leaving the parking lot, far, far below.
Here is my list for Angels Landing rookies:
Leave enough time to get back
We left the trailhead at 4 p.m. thinking it would be a nice cool evening stroll up the mountain. We barely made it back to the trailhead in time to catch the last shuttle out at 8:30 p.m. Passenger vehicles are not allowed on the valley floor, so you're going to need to plan some commute time into your hike.
The best idea is to park just outside the entrance in Springdale and ride the shuttle to the trailhead. That will add about 45 minutes to your trip.
Take more water than you think you need
We had four quarts between the three of us, we should have brought at least two quarts each. Although some of the trail is shaded and cool, the spring and summer months bring hot desert tem- peratures to Zion.
Don't bring the kids
We saw a few parents carrying kids in backpacks. This was disturbing. Even more disturbing is watching young children bouncing up the trail as if they were on their way home from school.
I love children. I have taken my kids on almost every adventure I've been on, but this is not a trail for young children.
For your sake, for their safety and for the peace of mind of everyone else, pick a more kid-friendly trail. Gravity is no respecter of age.
Lace up the boots
Oh yeah, and wear boots. Yes, most of the trail follows a paved path. But you abso- lutely need to be sure-footed if you plan to go beyond
Scout Lookout. Scout Look- out is a large landing area about 2 miles past the trail- head where many people turn around. That last half mile follows a narrow knife-edge ridge with 1,000-plus foot dropoffs on either side. There are heavy chains to hold onto, but the trail requires some scrambling over rocks and through some tight crevices. Be patient
If you are in a hurry, you will not have fun. Did I men- tion 300,000 people are expected to visit the park in April? The last half mile of the Angels Landing trail has long sections of one- way traffic. Unless you have wings you will have to wait for hikers at several points on the trail.
Enjoy the journey
Sure the goal is to reach to the top, but take time to turn around and look back over your shoulder once in a while. Wonder at the construction of the trail.
Notice how even today erosion from winter snow and spring rains are shap- ing the trail and cliff walls. Listen to the screech of the spotted towhee, or the siren of the canyon wren. Watch the ravens as they glide along updrafts pushing against the sheer water-stained walls. Smell the juniper and pon- derosa pines.
When you return to your car safe and sound back on the canyon floor, it may take you a minute to realize what you have just done. It will be a week or so after you have posted all your pictures on Facebook and told your friends and coworkers about your trip that you will begin planning your next trip to Zion National Park, possi- bly to hike the Narrows Trail next time.
▸ Daily Herald executive editor David Kennard can be reached at 801-344- 2530 or dkennard@herald@extra.com or on Twitter @davidbkennard.
Flour and fortitude
Granddaughter of Buckeye Bakery’s Tommy Lara sets record straight on hard childhood, legacy
Kim Ozment, looks up information about her grandfather, Tommy Lara, while visiting his grave recently at the Buckeye Cemetery. David Kennard | InBuckeye
Tommy Lara works at his Buckeye Bakery on Monroe in downtown Buckeye. Lara died in 1970 leaving behind a storied past. [Contributed photo]
Kim Ozment doesn’t remember anything about her grandfather, but she’s heard stories about the beloved Buckeye legend who was abandoned as a child, sleeping on flour sacks in the back of a Phoenix bakery before opening the Buckeye Bakery.
Still, Ozment said she wants to set the record straight.
“I’m here to honor my grandfather,” she said.
Ozment was in town with other family members on Jan. 24 to celebrate Buckeye Days, to watch the annual cattle drive through the center of town, but mostly to find a connection to her grandfather, Tommy Lara.
Lara died in 1970, not long after Buckeye Mayor Robert T. Bonnes declared Dec. 19, 1969, Thomas Lara Day.
“Tommy Lara came up the hard way... the real hard way,” reads a story in the Dec. 18, 1969, Buckeye Valley News. “He was born June 13, 1910, in Ft. Worth, Texas. He was left an orphan as a tiny tot. He attended grammar school in Phoenix and fended for himself much of the time while he was in school.”
No orphanage
Ozment said there is no truth to a popular story that her grandfather ran away from a Phoenix orphanage.
“There was no orphanage,” Ozment said. “I’ve done the research. It doesn’t exist.”
She says her grandfather left Texas when his father came to Phoenix with him and his brother, Henry.
Ozment said the two boys were later abandoned by their father, forcing them to care for themselves any way they could.
Seven-year-old Tommy sold newspapers on Phoenix street corners and worked as a handyman until age 11, taking shelter at night near the warm bread ovens of Log Cabin Bakery, then located at Taylor Street and Grand Avenue, according to a 1962 feature story in The Arizona Republic.
May 19, 2025
Robeson County Landfill expansion plan delayed after heated opposition
David Kennard | Robesonian
Opponents to a proposed expansion of the Robeson County Landfill near St. Pauls gather outside the county’s administrative building Monday night following the county commissioners meeting. David Kennard | The Robesonian
LUMBERTON — Robeson County Commissioners heard testimony after testimony Monday night centering on a plan to expand the Municipal Solid Waste Landfill near St. Pauls.
After more than an hour of public statements opposing the plan, an effort to halt testimony was swiftly overturned, allowing for emotional accusations of contaminated land and water from residents with homes and property near the landfill.
The item on Monday’s agenda included a proposal to approve a conceptual site plan that would allow the design phase to begin to increase the landfill by about 30 acres. The proposal laid out by representatives from LaBella Waste and Recycling was expected to increase the life of the landfill another three decades.
Commissioners ultimately tabled the decision until Sept. 15 to give county staff a chance to chase down some of the issues raised by public testimony at the meeting.
ncluded in Monday’s testimony were two attorneys with the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) who presented a 26-page letter outlining both problems and solutions to the proposal.
Maia Hutt, SELC senior attorney said that in 2020 alone, 40 truckloads of Chemours PFAS contaminated material was dumped in Robeson County.
June 26, 2026
West-MEC expands business partnerships as campus growth accelerates
Megan Mills from West-MEC, presents a partnership plan to local businesses interested in recruiting high school graduates. David Kennard | InBuckeye.com
As it prepares to open its largest campus and expand career training across the West Valley, West-MEC is strengthening ties with local businesses through a new strategic partnership program designed to create a direct pipeline between employers and students.
West-MEC officials outlined the initiative during a business partnership meeting Thursday, where representatives from banks, chambers of commerce, manufacturers, healthcare providers and other industries learned about procurement opportunities and new ways to engage with students.
The effort comes as West-MEC continues rapid growth fueled by a $240 million bond approved by voters in November. The funding is supporting construction of new facilities and expansion of career and technical education programs across the region.
Megan Mills, assistant superintendent of strategic partnerships and government relations, said demand for West-MEC's more than 30 career training programs continues to outpace available space, with waiting lists already forming for several programs.
“As we know, K-12 or public education is an integral part of the workforce development space,” Mills said. “It's great when we bring … both industry and educators together. Because together, we develop the workforce system.”
Hunley exhibit caught in crossfire of racism claims
Members of the H.L. Hunley Camp No. 143 chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans staff a booth during the 2017 Flowertown Festival in Summerville.
David Kennard, Summerville Journal Scene
Noticeably absent from this year’s Flowertown Festival was the H.L. Hunley display, which drew fire from a local group claiming racism issues, as well as its connection to the local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
The H.L. Hunley Camp No. 143 chapter of the SCV, which featured several large Confederate flags, was set up on private property in front of John Couch Tax Service on Main Street. Members of the chapter were providing information about the organization as well as passing out flags to passing visitors.
Flying the Confederate flag has become more controversial since July 2015, when a flag that had flown over the South Carolina statehouse grounds for 54 years was removed in response to protests claiming it was a symbol of hate and racism.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Moose still loose
David Kennard | the Morning News
BLACKFOOT -- Police ended a six-hour standoff with a moose Tuesday along Airport Road in Blackfoot when the animal vanished into fields east of the Blackfoot Golf Course.
AT RIGHT, Blackfoot COP officer Delbert Brown watches traffic to make sure the female moose wasn’t a hazard. Blackfoot Police and Idaho Fish and Game officials talked about how best to tranquilize the moose so they could transport it back into the wild.
Jason Beck with Fish and Game in Pocatello said officials would continue to watch for the animal in the next few days to
ensure it stays away from residents.
“We want to keep the wild things in the wild,” he said.
He said it is not uncommon for moose to venture into the area from their natural habitat along the Snake River or the hills east of Blackfoot, although he said it was difficult to say where this moose came from.
Police and Fish and Game urged residents to keep away from the moose.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Cannons bring back sounds of Civil War era
David Kennard | Idaho Statesman
The Napoleons
THE NAME: Known as the workhorse of the Civil War, the 12-pound field gun first appeared in the 1850s in France and was named in honor of French Emperor Napoleon III. Generically, its name is the 1857 was gun howitzer.
WEIGHT: The tube weighs about 1,300 pounds. Together with the carriage, the cannon weighed almost one-and-half-tons. It was pulled by a team of six horses.
SEE THEM IN ACTION: The Napoleons will be fired again Oct. 4-5 at Freezeout Hill in Emmett.
The sound of 12-pound Napoleons echoing across the hills and valleys of Virginia, Pennsylvania and the battlefields of the Civil War once signaled the approach of war.
During their use in the 1850s and '60s, the two-and-a-half-ton cannons struck fear among troops ordered to fight within their range.
They could fire a 12-pound cast iron ball or exploding shot about a mile and were accurate up to almost a half a mile.
For close-range fighting, their gunners filled the cannons' bellies with shrapnel and fired them like giant shotguns, cutting down wide swaths of enemy forces.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Rules of fatherhood honed by trial and error
David Kennard | Troy Daily News
The hamster died (note to mother: not the rabbit).
This is not code. The hamster really did die, or is nearly dead as I write this. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to make it through the night. And come morning, we’ll have another addition to the Kennard family pet cemetery located under the
tree house in the back yard.
The running total of four-legged family members who have checked out is four: a cat, two bunnies and hamster No. 1, aka Hamtaro. The fish just get flushed — and I’ve lost track of how many anyway.