By McKenzie Romero | Editor
Stretching between the towns that line Interstate 84 and the northern shores of the Great Salt Lake, the Hansel Valley is tucked away in a quiet corner of Box Elder County.
Now, with a headline-making data center project proposed for the area, a lot of people are hearing about the valley for the first time. But what’s it like there? We sent a photojournalist to capture the valley as it as now.
In today’s Dispatch we share photojournalist Spenser Heaps’ report on his visit to Hansel Valley, your remaining options for getting a primary ballot in Utah, and the warning being shared statewide about fraud targeting seniors.
“Anyone can go and register or affiliate at an early voting site or vote in person on (primary) election day, and each county is required to have a minimum of at least four days of early voting.” — Shelly Jackson, Utah deputy elections director, on voters’ options leading up to the June 23 primary.
The sun rises over a part of Hansel Valley, in Box Elder County, near the proposed Stratos Project, a massive data center proposal, on Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
NEWS ANALYSIS
By Spenser Heaps
Hansel Valley flows down gently sloping terrain to the south, a checkerboard of emerald green farmland giving way to the deeper sage green and brown of pasture before finally spilling into the chalk white shores of the Great Salt Lake.
We drive south, hugging the western boundary of the proposed Stratos Project, a “hyperscale” data center originally planned for 40,000 acres of land. A fence post is painted neon orange where the boundary of the project makes a 90-degree turn east, a bit of orange over-spray caught in the leaves of the sagebrush behind it.
Katherine Ostler votes while her 8-year-old son Henry looks on at the Main Library in Salt Lake City on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
By Alixel Cabrera
It’s too late to register to receive a ballot in the mail. But there are still plenty of opportunities to cast a vote ahead of the June 23 primary election, especially for those who would like to vote on Democratic contests.
Political parties in the state run their primaries. Some of them, including Utah’s Republican Party, choose to hold closed primaries, where only voters registered with their party are allowed to participate. But the state’s Democratic Party has open primaries, which means registered voters — like those living within the highly watched 1st Congressional District — are allowed to participate regardless of their party.
Mark Hirata, an assistant U.S. attorney for Utah, gives out stress balls at the Midvale Senior Center on June 16, 2026. (Annie Knox/Utah News Dispatch)
By Annie Knox
U.S. Attorney for Utah Melissa Holyoak took the stage inside a senior center to warn that artificial intelligence is helping scammers target older adults in increasingly sophisticated ways, impersonating their banks, the IRS and even their grandchildren.
She’s already made the same pitch in 13 other Utah counties and plans to have hit all 29 come July, focusing on prevention to help turn the tide on skyrocketing financial losses. The total reported by victims in the age group nationwide climbed from $600 million in 2020 to more than $3 billion in 2025.
RECENT DISPATCHES
MORE UTAH NEWS
Thanks for reading Your Daily Dispatch. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.