Listen Now

UT Tribes Urge Lawmakers to Pass Bill Ensuring Protections for Native Kids Tribal leaders from the eight federally recognized tribes in Utah gathered at a news conference at the state Capitol this week and called on state lawmakers to pass House Bill 40, Utah's version of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Advocates say the bill would implement provisions to protect Native American children from unnecessary removal from their families and tribes. Eugenia Charles-Newton, a delegate of the Navajo Nation Council, said recent research has shown that systematic bias within the child-welfare system means Native families are four times more likely to have their children removed and placed into foster care compared with their counterparts. ...(Read More)

Utah Bill Would Mean Stricter Regulations for Union Workers A Utah lawmaker has proposed a bill which could impose stricter restrictions and regulations for public employees. Passage of House Bill 241, sponsored by Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, would mean union stewards and leaders would not be allowed paid time to engage in union work. ...(Read More)

UT Leads with Formal Volunteering Efforts in AmeriCorps' Latest Research According to AmeriCorps' latest research, Utah was the state with the highest number of residents volunteering with nonprofits in their communities from September 2020 through 2021. Michael Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, said those in the Beehive State and across the country had to find innovative ways to give back to their communities during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. According to the data, about 40% of Utahns regularly volunteered with nonprofit organizations, which classifies as formal volunteering. ...(Read More)

UT Mayor Aims to Lead by Example Following Mayors' Conference The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the prime opportunity for local leaders to connect with colleagues about shared challenges they face, but also engage with the federal government to discuss improvements. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said Salt Lake City faces challenges surrounding housing affordability, homelessness and climate change and having the opportunity to hear how other mayors are addressing certain issues was enlightening. ...(Read More)

UT Pitches In to Help with Wildlife Migration Two state agencies have teamed up to make safer wildlife migration a priority in Utah. The Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative relies heavily on GPS tracking data received from mammals, birds and fish, which gives coordinators a good picture of where animals are spending time, the routes they take, and areas where safe migration routes are needed. It is a joint project of the state's Division of Wildlife Resources and Department of Transportation. ...(Read More)

Utah Group Calls EPA Methane Rule Crucial for State's Overall Wellbeing A Utah group was one of many who voiced its support during last week's Environmental Protection Agency public hearing on a proposed rule to reduce oil and gas methane pollution. Ashley Miller, executive director of Breathe Utah, said the state is in need of strong EPA rules. She cited vast jurisdictional issues when it comes to air pollution, especially in the Uinta Basin, which Miller pointed out faces ozone pollution during the winter. ...(Read More)

UT Events Highlight National Day of Racial Healing Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day in which many across the country celebrate the revolutionary words and thoughts of the civil rights activist who fought for racial justice. Tomorrow marks National Day of Racial Healing. ...(Read More)

UT Food Bank Receives $100K for Culturally Responsive Foods Utah Food Bank has received funding for distributing what it calls more "culturally responsive" foods. The $100,000 dollar grant from KeyBank will allow Utah Food Bank to create the infrastructure needed to identify, track and distribute a wider range of food items, starting in Salt Lake County, and eventually statewide. Ginette Bott, CEO and president of the Utah Food Bank, said people from many different cultures and countries have relocated to the Beehive State. ...(Read More)

College Courses Show Benefits for Incarcerated Youth in UT Utah is one of a few states where juveniles behind bars can earn college credit. Utah's Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth program lets young people study a wide range of subjects while in custody. It offers primarily virtual classes in collaboration with Utah Tech University, which provides the instructors for the courses. ...(Read More)

$15 Million Allocated to Utah Wastewater Reuse Projects The state of Utah has allocated a total of $15 million to wastewater re-use projects in Southern Utah. The Southern Utah Reuse ARPA Grant Program has provided the funding to 12 municipalities, conservancies and service districts. It prioritizes projects to mitigate the impacts of drought in rural communities and in the agricultural sector. ...(Read More)

Utah Economy Sees Tight Labor Market Heading into 2023 Utah's economy is starting to slow down, according to data from the state. Last month, Utah saw an increase of 2.6% in nonfarm payroll jobs, which translates to about 43,000 more jobs compared to last year. Benjamin Crabb, regional economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said despite Utah experiencing historically low unemployment in a tight labor market, he believes the state is well positioned going into 2023. ...(Read More)

Utahns Call on Congress to Expand Child Tax Credit Utahns are calling on Congress to expand the Child Tax Credit and say it should be a priority in a year-end tax package. The debate comes as lobbyists are also pressuring elected officials to approve business tax breaks as the year draws to an end. According to the Coalition on Human Needs, nearly half of Utah adults with children said they found it difficult to pay household bills in the month of October, and one in three said they did not purchase basic needs so they could pay their energy bills. ...(Read More)

Utah Trees Help Forest Service Meet Challenging Reforestation Efforts Seeds from trees located within Utah's national forests are helping repopulate forests with similar makeups that may have been impacted by climate change or burned by wildfires. The initiative is headed by the U.S. Forest Service. ...(Read More)

Protection of Utah National Monuments Under Attack Conservation groups are pushing to keep federal protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. Boundaries of the two monuments were significantly reduced by President Donald Trump five years ago, but restored by the Biden administration. Now, conservation groups have filed a motion to intervene in two lawsuits, one headed by the State of Utah and the other headed by a number of plaintiffs including the BlueRibbon Coalition, an off-road vehicle advocacy group, challenging federal protection of these lands. ...(Read More)

UT Group Backs New EPA Proposal to Reduce Methane Emissions One Utah group is pleased with the Environmental Protection Agency's latest proposal to further reduce methane pollution from oil and gas drilling. This comes almost a year after President Joe Biden announced a methane rule for existing oil and gas wells nationwide, rather than solely focusing on new ones. The latest rule targets drilling sites which are considered to be high-polluting, low-producing wells. ...(Read More)

Utah Food Bank Braces for Challenging Holiday Season The Utah Food Bank is responding to what it calls record levels of need for food assistance across the state. Lingering economic effects of COVID-19 compounded by rising inflation are presenting challenges for many Utah families as winter arrives. A survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation reports Thanksgiving dinners will cost 20% more this year than last. ...(Read More)

As Utah Temps Drop and Energy Costs Rise, Help is Available As temperatures drop across the state of Utah and energy costs continue to rise, Utahns may be eligible for heat utility assistance to stay warm as winter fast approaches. Jamie Castleton, manager of the Utah Community Action HEAT Program, said it provides water and energy assistance throughout the year to households considered to be low-income and encourages Utahns who need help to apply. "People who are living with a documented disability, age 60 and over, and then young children under the age of 6, are our three main target populations," Castleton pointed out. "...(Read More)

UT Landowners, Tribes Fight Plan to Pump Rural Water to Cedar City By Claire Carlson for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for the Utah News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration From one side of the city limits sign, a groundwater pipeline proposal in a sparsely populated Utah county looks like a crucial investment in economic expansion for a growing metropolis. From the other, less crowded side of the road, the project appears to be a water grab that will turn rural areas into sacrifice zones for the sake of urban growth. The proposal, called the Pine Valley Water Supply Project, would pump billions of gallons of water from rural Beaver County in western Utah and send it 70 miles southeast to Cedar City. ...(Read More)

Avian Flu Takes Big Toll on UT Turkey Farms About 700,000 turkeys across 18 Utah farms have to be euthanized following an outbreak of the avian flu. Bailee Woolstenhulme, public information officer with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said the first cases were detected earlier this year, but did not start taking off until August. Woolstenhulme said about 2.2-million turkeys across the country so far have fallen victim to "bird flu." She emphasized that Utah is one of the states with the highest number of turkey farmers. ...(Read More)

Utah Group Pushes to Protect Wild Horses from Intentional Shootings At least 16 wild horses have been shot dead in Utah's rural San Juan County since the beginning of the year, and one group working to protect them suspects there are more to be found. Advocates for Wild Equines is not only asking for state or federal protections for the horses, but is also demanding a full investigation into the shootings. Lynda Logan, a member of the group, said it is unfortunate the animals' carcasses have been found only because of the efforts of some private citizens. ...(Read More)