By McKenzie Romero | Editor
Just 180 people live in the town of Fairfield, which could soon find itself on the list of Utah communities that will host data center projects as developers pursue a project dubbed “GoldMine” that has space set aside for one.
Fairfield is also a neighbor to much larger Eagle Mountain, home to a Meta data center that is now looking to expand. The data center projects, combined with power plants in the area, have environmental groups alarmed over potential impacts to the valley’s air quality and water supply.
In today’s Dispatch we dig into the proposed GoldMine development, the Utah congressman supporting Sen. John Curtis’ call to investigate the Trump and Biden sons, and what the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey does — and doesn’t — tell us about how teens are doing.
“The developers love it, because they see it as a gold mine. But for everybody else it’s a very, very big problem, and our elected officials need to get a handle on it right now. But also communities need to be aware — early on.” — Deeda Seed, a senior campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, on concerns about a proposal for, and awareness of, a possible new data center in Fairfield.
By Katie McKellar
Fairfield Planning Commission public documents detail GoldMine’s proposed “mixed-use industrial and technology development” has so far been envisioned to include 140 acres for “ranchette” rural homes on one- to three-acre lots, and about 80 acres of commercial lots.
But the lion’s share of the project (933 acres) would be devoted to a “business park” and industrial development — which would include “technological campuses” and “data centers.” Environmental advocates question whether enough people in Fairfield and Eagle Mountain are aware it’s being considered, and if they’ll have the opportunity to weigh in before it’s too late.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, speaks during a forum hosted by the Sutherland Institute at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics in Salt Lake City on Sept. 24, 2026. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)
By Katie McKellar
Utah Rep. Blake Moore said he “absolutely agrees” with Sen. John Curtis’ call to investigate Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish, private-island wedding after-party that was bankrolled by a Russian oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin, as well as Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
“Maybe one of the most tone-deaf things I’ve ever seen,” Moore said at a Salt Lake speaking event in front of students, “to take money from a Russian oligarch for a wedding.” It’s unclear what will come of Curtis’ calls to investigate, if anything.
Students leave William H. Wells Community High School at the end of the school day in Chicago. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
STATELINE
By Amanda Watford
For more than 35 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has surveyed American high school students every two years about their health and behavior. The agency’s latest national report, a full-color publication with photos, graphics and high school success stories, offers a markedly different portrait of adolescent health.
The 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey report focuses on five areas — diet, physical activity, sleep, digital behavior, and mental health and suicide risk — while largely leaving out national findings on substance use, sexual behavior, violence and disparities among student groups that were prominent in previous reports.
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