St. George, long known as a quiet retirement haven and tourist hotspot in southern Utah, is having a moment.

The big picture: It was the only metro area in the West to make the top 10 fastest-growing regions in the country, according to new census data.

By the numbers: It ranked eighth in the U.S. after adding about 5,200 residents (+2.5%) between 2024-25.

• The Salt Lake City-Murray metro area added slightly more people (6,100), but that only represented a 0.5% increase.

Zoom in: St. George was recognized last year as one of the nation's hottest job markets, as remote workers and entrepreneurs flocked to the desert city for its temperate weather and lower housing costs compared to other Utah metros.

Yes, but: Its population boom is straining infrastructure, with water shortages and rising traffic among the biggest concerns, per KSL.

Zoom out: Growth across all metro areas "declined dramatically" on average, the Census Bureau said, falling from +1.1% between 2023-24 to 0.6% — largely because of a big drop in international migration.

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Confirmation of the Holocaust's horrors reached Utah 81 years ago this week, shortly after Allied forces liberated the concentration camp at Ohrdruf.

• This is Old News, where we reexamine cautionary tales we've heard before.

The big picture: Nazi death camps in occupied Europe had made the news long before April 1945, but the atrocities in Germany itself forced the world to internalize a sinister reality:

• Ordinary people had allowed unthinkable violence and suffering to happen in their backyard.

Allied commanders who arrived in Ohrdruf in early April forced 40 townspeople to tour the concentration camp and "see what S.S. brutality had done in their midst," read the Ogden Standard Examiner's front page story.

What was inside: The dispatches described masses of naked bodies, in burn pits and in buildings, stacked like wood. Many more were cremated, their "ashes poured into one great hole."

• Scholars estimate 7,000 people died there in the previous four months.

Friction point: Some Germans slipped into denial, saying, "The S.S. isn't like that."

• After seeing the camp, a German major said, "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

Reality check: Residents' letters and journals show they saw starving prisoners being beaten and murdered.

Zoom in: A Carbon County woman later received a report from an enlisted family member, clipped from the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. The Sun-Advocate reprinted it in full, calling it "required reading."

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😷 Utah is the nation's new measles "epicenter," with more than 100 cases reported in the past three weeks, surpassing South Carolina, an early hotspot. (Utah News Dispatch)

• Go deeper: Utah has "barely acknowledged" ongoing measles outbreak

🎤 Suki Waterhouse, MUNA and The War on Drugs are set to headline this summer's Twilight Concert Series in Salt Lake City. Individual tickets go on sale today. (KSL)

📺 A new true-crime documentary on Netflix, "Trust Me: The False Prophet," exposes a polygamist sect in Utah and Arizona. (Salt Lake Tribune)

From baby goats to "Real Housewives," there's a lot to do this weekend in and around Salt Lake.

🐑 Cross E. Ranch's Spring Festival runs today through May 9, with animals, rides, games and more. Hours and ticket prices vary.

📺 "How We Watch the RHOSLC" is a "Real Housewives" scholar and fan symposium all day today at the University of Utah. Free reservations

✍️ LetterWest celebrates calligraphy and other writerly arts with workshops, panels and a community art project all day today and tomorrow at various Main Street locations in Midvale. Tickets

🦎 Reptile Nation Expo has all the creepy crawlies on display tomorrow and Sunday at Mountain America Expo Center. Tickets

🔎 The Dinner Detective serves up a theatrical murder mystery meal where guests help solve the crime. Select Saturdays starting this week at the Hilton Salt Lake Center. Start times vary. Tickets

Tell your friends

Mono Tape Club, a new 21+ "listening room" cafe and bar, has opened on the eastern edge of Fairpark.

Why it matters: It's one of the up-and-coming area's most exciting additions since Koyoté, a popular ramen spot, opened in 2024.

• Plus, I can walk to it!

The intrigue: The cafe-by-day, bar-by-night concept is inspired by Japan's famous "listening bars," featuring a wide collection of vinyl and cassettes.

• The menu includes espresso drinks and a variety of beers and highballs.

Tip: Bring your ID even if you don't plan to drink alcohol.