Uinta County commissioner makes plea following Charlie Kirk murder, Colorado school shooting

EVANSTON (WNE) — “We cannot undo what has been done, but we can come together and grieve in solidarity and in resolve,” Uinta County Commission Chair Mark Anderson said during the opening of last week’s commission meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16. 

Anderson was speaking in response to recent, nationwide tragedies including the unprovoked stabbing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, on public transit in North Carolina in late August; the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10; and the same-day public school shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado that left two students injured and the alleged perpetrator dead. 

“To honor what has been lost, to hold space for those suffering and to recommit ourselves to peace, compassion and meaningful action,” Anderson said. “Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.’” 

“In our debate and conversation, let us listen to understand rather than when we only listen to respond, “ he said before calling for a moment of silence. 

The meeting was held in the Lyman Town Hall chambers for the first time since the commission signed a resolution allowing it to hold occasional meetings in the Bridger Valley. 

This story was published on Sept. 24, 2025.