The year 2025 is rapidly on its way out, but that presents us with the opportunity to look at the year that was in major events.

Northern Utah saw its fair share, from the loss of a longtime leader to the revitalization of an important piece of local infrastructure and even a vision of the region’s energy future.

Passing of President Russell M. Nelson

On Sept. 27, 2025, Russell M. Nelson, who had served as the 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 2018, died at the age of 101.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

Nelson had forged a life of service, serving in the Korean War as a member of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and he notably performed the first open-heart surgery in the state of Utah’s history in 1955.

In addition to his work in the medical field, Nelson served within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, becoming set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ in 1984. He was the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 2015-2018.

Dallin H. Oaks, then speaking as the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke briefly of Nelson’s impact during the fall general conference

“I love Russell M. Nelson and have learned more about the Gospel and gospel leadership from my long friendship and association with him than from any other leader I have personally known,” Oaks said. ” He is our model as a servant and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Oaks succeeded Nelson as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Photo supplied, Box Elder County Sheriff's Office

A year of protest

The reelection of Donald Trump as president in 2024 and the policies he rolled out have not been a source of celebration for all.

With many in the Ogden area working for the federal government, the actions of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, colloquially called DOGE, which was spearheaded by South Africa-born billionaire Elon Musk, was tasked with seeking out what it identifies as “wasteful” spending and directing job cuts throughout the government.

This prompted multiple protests involving federal workers in Ogden, including February’s “Save Our Services Rally,” organized by the National Treasury Employees Union Local Chapter 67 in front of the James V. Hansen Federal Building.

“We aren’t the demons that they make us out to be,” President of NTEU Local Chapter 67 Robert Lawrence said at the rally. “We love our country, we are patriots and we love doing the work for our fellow Americans.”

Photo supplied, Intellectual Reserve

Additionally, Ogden played host to “No Kings” rallies in June and October meant to demonstrate against to policies of the Trump Administration.

Flying high

Ogden-Hinckley Airport was the center of attention for all of the right reasons in 2025.

In January, ground was broken on a $4.4 million project to expand the airport’s terminal to include extra lanes for pick-up and drop-off, an indoor baggage claim and additional office space.

“What we’re here to talk about is the building of a structure — the building of a building,” Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “But that’s only one part of it. What we’ve been doing, and why there’s so many partners, friends and employees here today, is we’ve been building more than just buildings — we’re building a culture, we’re building a vision and we’re building a future in the work that we do here.”

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

These additions were largely completed by November with a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the expansion.

In addition to the terminal add-ons, the city has begun an overview and overhaul of airport policies that began in 2025 and will continue through 2026.

“Title 8 and Title 11 refer to sections of Ogden City’s municipal code,” Ogden Communications Director Mike McBride said in May. “Title 8 contains the ordinances that govern airport operations at a high level, such as public interest matters, regulatory requirements and enforcement provisions, which remain under the oversight of the City Council. Title 11, by contrast, covers administrative policies managed by the executive branch.

“The current proposal clarifies and separates those responsibilities by keeping the legislative authority and ordinance structure under Title 8, while relocating operational policies such as leasing procedures, minimum standards, and rules and regulations, under Title 11. This structure ensures continued public oversight by elected officials while providing airport staff and administration with the flexibility to respond to industry trends, tenant needs and FAA guidance more efficiently.”

Northrop Grumman explosion

In April, Northrop Grumman’s Promontory facility was rocked by an explosion that totally destroyed a building.

“There was an incident in one building at our Promontory, Utah facility this morning and we are working to determine the cause,” an initial statement to the Standard-Examiner read. “Employees working in or near the building today are accounted for and there are no significant injuries reported.”

Days later, it would be announced that the building helped in the production of rocket propellant, but the incident would not severely impact operations at the facility.

“The Promontory site is one of several across the country that support the company’s solid rocket motor production and testing,” the company said at the time. “Promontory itself is a large property with over 800 buildings and nearly 20,000 acres of land. The company continues to add additional solid rocket motor capacity for future customer needs and remains committed to delivering the most capable, reliable and valuable products to our customers.”

A cause has not been publicly released as of late December.

A nuclear ecosystem

The future is coming to Northern Utah in a big way.

In November, industry and state officials gathered in Brigham City to announce the establishment of a “nuclear energy ecosystem.” 

During the event, officials discussed building up a training program for operators and manufacturers, a plan to build small modular reactors, or SMRs, in the area and potentially even set up SMRs in Box Elder County for power generation.

“There’s 96 active nuclear reactors in the United States,” Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources Joel Ferry told the Standard-Examiner at the announcement. “Those are what are known as light-water reactors. That’s the old technology. They need a ton of water. The safety on them is still really solid, but the advancements that we’ve made in eliminating some of the risks make SMRs extremely stable. Essentially zero risk of any meltdown, zero risk of any sort of seismic activity interfering with the way they function. And ultimately, the way that they’re deployed … can be done without huge footprints or having huge environmental impacts.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said it would be a huge step for the state.

“This project’s manufacturing effort will unlock economies of scale that lower cost and make civil nuclear energy more affordable for communities across Utah and wherever this model is going to be adopted,” he said. “Utah’s commitment to taking bold action and building things locally is why we are quickly becoming a hub for next-generation nuclear work generating jobs, creating and strengthening the grid and positioning ourselves for leadership.”