KUER

kuer.orgAcross Utah’s biggest congressional district, ‘rural’ means different thingsUtah’s 3rd District covers more than half the state, stretching from the slopes of posh Park City down to Provo and the remote Four Corners region. It also cuts across dozens of farming communities to...

In Utah's huge 3rd District, a politician has "to be a jack-of-all-trades, and you have to have knowledge about every single issue — rural and suburban and urban-adjacent." So we asked voters about it. Reported in partnership w/ @utahnewsdispatch.com #utpol #utah

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kuer.orgUtah ICE flights are increasing. Here’s one man’s experience onboardTwenty-nine ICE flights passed through Salt Lake City and St. George in September. Dennys Alcivar describes what one of them was like.

September was the biggest month on record for ICE flights through Utah. One man onboard joked that the chains around his hands, feet and waist made him feel as important as the drug lord El Chapo. www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

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David Condos

@davidcondos.bsky.social

Utah’s biggest cities rely on #ColoradoRiver water. That’s thanks to a network of tunnels and pipes that carry it through the mountains. I got to follow the water on its journey from high-altitude peaks to fast-growing Utah County communities. Listen here @kuer.org: www.kuer.org/science-envi...

kuer.orgWhat a ghostly grave robber and bitter ex-wife say about Utah’s LDS pioneer historyJean Baptiste rattles his chains on the shores of Great Salt Lake, and two women supposedly haunt This Is The Place Heritage Park. A historian said these apparitions reflect pioneer anxieties we can’t...

A ghost story either helps us "put our troubled past to bed" or reminds us that the "past is actually never really past" — especially when you look at #Utah history.

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NPR

@npr.org

via @kuer.org It’ll be a few more weeks before a judge sets a trial date for the man accused of shooting and killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.

n.prCharlie Kirk case continues to stretch on as judge pushes trial date decisionThe defense and prosecution have vastly different ideas on how long the trial for Charlie Kirk’s murder should take. As a result, the judge has yet to schedule a date.

kuer.orgUtah’s AI prescription pilot mindset is more tech bro than doctor, critics sayTech startup Doctronic has had more than 2,300 requests since opening its AI prescription refill service in Utah. But critics say there’s a lot at stake when you disrupt the doctor-patient relationshi...

In the brave new world where AI starts to make more of our decisions, “All eyes are on Utah right now,” said a Stanford researcher. But are we watching out for the machines or the people?

kuer.orgCharlie Kirk case continues to stretch on as judge pushes trial date decisionThe defense and prosecution have vastly different ideas on how long the trial for Charlie Kirk’s murder should take. As a result, the judge has yet to schedule a date.

“My intent was to issue a ruling today,” Judge Graf told the courtroom before explaining that both parties had raised too many issues he hadn’t considered.

kuer.orgUtah congressional districts are warming fast. That may not move the political needleConnecting the impacts of a warming planet with issues voters already care about, such as air quality, Great Salt Lake and the economy, might help climate gain more political traction in Utah.

“We've all felt it. We've all experienced it” in Utah's 4 congressional districts. The state’s rising thermometer, however, doesn’t seem to be moving the political needle. #utpol

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David Condos

@davidcondos.bsky.social

Meanwhile, in Utah County…

ProPublica@propublica.org

NEW: A bird flu outbreak has been raging uncontrolled on a Utah mink farm for two months. Flu experts fear it could spark a devastating human pandemic. But officials haven’t acted — instead prioritizing the financial interests of the fur trade.

propublica.orgBird Flu Is Raging on a Mink Farm. It Could Spark a Human Pandemic, Experts Say, but Officials Won’t Act.Federal officials brushed off the issue as Utah prioritized the fur industry’s interests. Little has been done to stop the spread of the virus and ensure it can’t spread to humans, a failure that expe...

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kuer.orgOgden police say they don’t do ICE’s job. Bodycam footage suggests otherwiseAt an ICE arrest in September, an Ogden police officer appears to help ICE restrain a man. The department is investigating

Body camera footage shows an Ogden police officer helping ICE restrain a man. OPD is investigating. www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

kuer.orgJustice Department says it’s sending election monitors to UtahUtah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson says federal election monitors will be required to follow state laws governing poll watchers and will not be allowed to interfere with voting.

UPDATE: Salt Lake County has been notified it will be monitored by DOJ observers. “I want to make sure voters are calm and know that things are going to be OK,” says @lghendersonutah.bsky.social. #utpol

KUER@kuer.org

Just in: Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson announced this morning that DOJ monitors would be headed to the state. There's "no indication of where or how many," she says.

Just in: Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson announced this morning that DOJ monitors would be headed to the state. There's "no indication of where or how many," she says.

kuer.orgUtah’s big cities got their Colorado River water. Others have unfulfilled promisesTransbasin diversions that fueled growth on the Wasatch Front had ramifications for farmers, the Ute Indian Tribe and the environment.

Hard feelings persist about promises made for the massive system that moves #ColoradoRiver water to Utah's thirsty Wasatch Front. “The state just robbed us of both our land and water,” said a member of the Ute Indian Tribe.

kuer.orgProvo approves major mall makeover, displacing the mobile home park next doorThe long-struggling Provo Towne Centre will be redeveloped into an open-concept, mixed-use space with new housing. The city council approved the developer’s plan with one dissenting vote.

Pointing to what happens to Shady Acres mobile home park, Councilor Rachel Whipple lamented that “there are some people who always have to carry the burden of progress for others.”

kuer.orgUtah sues prediction market site Kalshi over ‘illegal wagers’In the latest legal escalation between Utah and the prediction market website, the state is seeking to press Kalshi to cease Utah operations and reclaim the money lost in the state.

UPDATE: Responding to Utah's suit, Kalshi says it “answers to federal law, and no single state should have a veto over it.”

Just in: Utah is suing prediction market site Kalshi because “Utah law makes gambling illegal,” said AG Derek Brown. “It's very clear.” Utah wants Kalshi to stop operating in the state, give up its profits and pay restitution.

kuer.orgHere’s how Utah’s biggest cities tap their share of the shrinking Colorado RiverTransbasin diversions, such as the Central Utah Project, bring water from the Colorado River Basin to the Great Basin, where most Utahns live.

It's a literal "series of tubes." Come with us as @davidcondos.bsky.social & @jbrookelarsen.bsky.social go underground with the #coloradoriver and follow the #water to Utah's Wasatch Front.

kuer.orgTrump axed Arches’ timed entry. Moab is lukewarm on the shuttle replacementRight now, Moab is testing a new shuttle connecting to Arches National Park to ease congestion. But some question whether the $3 million pilot program is worth the cost.

The Moab Arches Shuttle occupies a strange space. It replaces a canceled congestion program, yet at the same time, “there's a reason we haven't had one before,” said a former city manager.

kuer.orgFor 100 days, Salt Lake Country Club had a new member: An escaped Harris’s hawkStax, a 14-year-old Harris’s hawk, escaped HawkWatch International on June 29. For much of the time since, he set up shop at a Salt Lake golf course while HawkWatch staff tried to recapture him.

Stax the hawk had one wild summer (he's a rather posh bird, actually). Fortunately, HawkWatch International got him back before winter set in.

kuer.orgIndigenous peoples from Grand Canyon to Madagascar share common struggle against Energy FuelsThis Saturday, Oct. 17, marks the 10th anniversary of the annual White Mesa spiritual walk in Utah. But on the African island nation of Madagascar, the freedom to peacefully assemble against the White...

This Saturday, Oct. 17, marks the 10th anniversary of the annual White Mesa spiritual walk in #Utah — but that right to protest isn't shared by every country where the mill's owners operate.

kuer.orgTropical Storm Rachel brought Utah plenty of rain — and ocean birdsIt was a historic week for birders who saw storm petrels for the first time in Utah.

"...seeing it in #Utah is crazy, right? Because you never expect to see a bird that rarely comes to land, let alone 800-900 miles from the ocean."

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kuer.orgUtah is halfway to Gov. Cox’s starter home deadline with less than 25% builtOne builder is glad to help Utah’s affordability problem, but he said it’s tragic that starter homes cost upward of $400,000.

Jed Nilson makes less money selling smaller homes. But he wants his kids to afford to stay in Utah. Even so, the price tag on today's starter homes is triple what he paid for his. www.kuer.org/business-eco...

kuer.orgLDS Church donates $1 million to fight Idaho abortion initiativeThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated $1 million to fight Proposition 1 last week. The initiative would restore reproductive rights in Idaho, allowing abortions up to fetal viability...

"While The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains neutral toward political candidates, it actively addresses ballot initiatives it believes carry significant moral consequences," a spokesperson said in a statement.

kuer.orgHere’s what Utah Amendments A & B on your ballot are asking of votersLawmakers are proposing two state constitutional amendments. What do they do? We’ll give you a hint: They are related to Utah’s redistricting saga and the tug-of-war over citizen-led ballot initiative...

Got your ballot? Wondering what's up with those amendments? We got you. #Utah

kuer.orgMoore, Crosby drill into data centers and Great Salt Lake in 2nd District debateUtah's 2nd Congressional District is home to Box Elder County, so it was inevitable that this spring's political earthquake over Project Stratos would shape the questions Republican Rep. Blake Moore a...

The Stratos Project was such a political earthquake; of course, it was part of last night's 2nd District debate. #utpol #utah

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kuer.orgUTA wants to raise fares. Utahns wonder why transit can’t be free insteadThe Utah Transit Authority wants to charge $3 per ride, but what if — some residents ask — it did away with fares altogether? The agency says it can’t afford to.

The Utah Transit Authority gets 6% of its revenue from fares. But that's still significant, the agency says. www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

kuer.orgWhat counts as gambling today? Utah Latter-day Saints think they have an answerWhile The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is doubling down against gambling and Utah is fighting prediction apps, some wonder what even counts as gambling anymore in modern life.

What about playing the stock market? Day trading? Fantasy football? Prediction markets? It's hard to define when there's a portable casino in your pocket.

kuer.orgIn a time of distrust, how do we know Utah’s elections are secure? Clerks show usUtah election officials, frustrated by rhetoric casting doubt on voting by mail, walk through what happens to your ballot and what measures are in place to guard against fraud.

Can you trust your ballot? We went straight to the clerks to hear all about it. #Utah ballots start hitting the mail tomorrow, BTW. #utpol Reported in partnership w/ @utahnewsdispatch.com & @pbsutah.bsky.social

kuer.orgBox Elder and Iron have been busy as county data center pauses start to run outIron County will take more public comment on its rules Oct. 12. Box Elder is still working on draft regulations, which will be on the tighter side.

The backlash over Kevin O'Leary's #Utah data center plan was so big it caught Saturday Night Live's attention this weekend. But the moratorium in Box Elder is running short...

kuer.orgMike Kennedy, Jonny Larsen spar over gas prices and Iran in Utah 4th District debateRepublican Rep. Mike Kennedy stood by President Trump’s conflict in the Middle East as Marine veteran Jonny Larsen assailed the war as illegal and criticized Congress for not reining the administratio...

A doctor and a veteran walk into a debate... Last night was slogans and sharp contrasts on the Iran war, as both candidates tried to appeal to conservatives in Utah's redrawn 4th. #utpol #elections2026

kuer.orgAs St. George booms, it wants to rekindle some of that old downtown soulWithout a thriving downtown, St. George risks becoming just “another vanilla city.” But rising rents are making it hard for small businesses to stay.

In the 50s, downtown St. George “was the place to be” — and then it wasn’t. Here's how they're trying not to be “another vanilla city.”

kuer.orgA Utahn will design the Westminster Dog Show’s agility course (and judge it)Tracy Mazur of Draper was shocked when she got a call from the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The American Kennel Club-accredited dog agility judge is headed for the bright lights of New York City ...

When the call came, Tracy Mazur was “glad that it went to voicemail, and I didn't have time to answer it because I really, I wasn't sure what to say at first. I mean, I was very honored, and I was, ‘Are you sure you want me? You sure you wanted to call me?’”

kuer.orgTrump admin voting ‘gamesmanship’ keeps her up at night, says Lt. Gov. HendersonVoting rights shouldn’t be ‘mucked around with’ for political gain, Utah's top election official said in a sit-down interview about her defense of voting rights leading up to the 2026 midterms.

Henderson doesn't know what the “end game” is for all of these efforts “because I am not creative enough, maybe — or devious enough — to think about what in the world the motivation could be.” #utah #utpol #elections2026 Produced in partnership w/ @utahnewsdispatch.com

kuer.orgThe end is in sight for Moab’s uranium tailings. What comes after the pile?The pile just outside of Moab is almost gone, leaving locals wondering what should come of a prime chunk of land alongside the Colorado River.

Does the site become a park? A music venue? Or, as one rascally Moabite put it, a site with "big red letters that can be seen from the air, just ‘oops.’ Because it was an oops, and it still is an oops."

kuer.orgUtah has a bet on parents to boost preschool math skillsUtah’s MILO & Friends outreach program uses simple games to help families build a strong foundation in early arithmetic for their children

We’ve all heard someone say they’re not a #math person. Maybe that’s you. Don't worry, parents. #Utah has a program for that. #stem

kuer.orgAnother Utah city joins the growing — but costly — wastewater reuse bandwagonCedar City’s water conservancy district is putting millions into recycling sewage to stretch its water. It’s one of many Western cities turning to wastewater reuse as drought and climate change strain...

If it's good enough for Vegas or Phoenix, why not Cedar City, Utah — population 41,000? #water

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Geoff Brumfiel

@gbrumfiel.bsky.social

SCOOP: Valar Atomics is planning a massive nuclear powered data center on public lands in Utah. The 9,600 acre site would include 456 reactors, along with fuel fabrication and waste storage facilities. www.npr.org/2026/09/30/n...

npr.orgA startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in UtahValar Atomics wants to place over 450 reactors on more than 9,500 acres in Utah to power a huge data center project.

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David Condos

@davidcondos.bsky.social

NPR reporting a huge data center is now planned next to Price, Utah

Geoff Brumfiel@gbrumfiel.bsky.social

kuer.orgMcAdams, Owen toed a similar line but split on debt and economy in CD1 debateDespite wide-ranging agreement that could appeal to 1st Congressional District voters, Democrat Ben McAdams and Republican Riley Owen didn’t see eye-to-eye on the national debt, Medicaid or solutions ...

Last night's meeting between McAdams and Owen was an exercise in politeness and similarities that said more about where voters are in the 1st District than the candidates.

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kuer.orgUtah immigration court is struggling to meet the Trump admin’s stepped-up paceIn a courtroom he described as “severely understaffed,” one judge didn’t finish all the cases on his growing calendar, and immigrants are getting less time to find an attorney.

“I’m not quite sure how I’ll be able to finish morning and afternoon sessions,” one judge said. www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

kuer.orgUtah’s trails are getting trashy. Going ‘pliking’ helps keep ‘em cleanIt’s time to get out on a hike to see Utah’s fall colors pop, but the growing trail trash problem might make it less enjoyable. The best thing you can do to help is set a good example.

Trail trash is a growing problem in #Utah, but that doesn't really explain why the Pliking volunteers once found an abandoned vacuum. 🤯

kuer.orgUtah’s increasingly dry, warm weather could mess with leaf peepers’ fall colorsDrought stress can shorten foliage season or trigger trees to drop their leaves early. That’s not a good recipe for a vibrant, long season of fall colors.

“Drought is stressful for plants, and extreme #drought is extremely stressful,” one scientist said. Not a good recipe for a vibrant, long #fall foliage season. #utah #fallcolors

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Sam Brunson

@smbrnsn.bsky.social

I had the pleasure of talking to Ciara Hulet at @kuer.org about the Mormon church's Idaho letter on abortion, tax-exemption, and other related stuff.

kuer.orgWhy LDS politicking against Idaho’s Prop 1 on abortion isn’t a tax status threatIdaho leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a letter to bishops and stake presidents to read from the pulpit opposing a state ballot initiative on abortion. This isn’t the fi...

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kuer.orgWeber County’s tale of two trash dumps gets a cheaper ending for OgdenitesOgden residents were peeved when the price to drop off trash at the Weber County Transfer Station more than doubled. Now another dump has ridden to the rescue.

As the saying goes, when one dump goes up in price, another dump... opens up nearby? www.kuer.org/business-eco...

kuer.orgIs the shrinking Great Salt Lake a climate problem, a farm problem or something else?Agricultural water use usually gets the blame, but Utah data shows city water use now accounts for a record-high 25% of the water depleted from the Great Salt Lake Basin.

If you’re wondering which of our problems today drive the plight of #GreatSaltLake, the answer is “all of the above,” said one hydrology professor. by @davidcondos.bsky.social #GSL #Water #Utah

kuer.orgUtah saw the country’s highest home insurance nonrenewal rate in 2025Roughly 4.5% of Utah homeowners’ policies — or nearly 1 in 20 — were not renewed. That's the highest rate in the country, and 1.5% higher than California, which sits in second.

18 Sept

Uh oh. "The jump in nonrenewals is raising a lot of eyebrows, and it should," said state Rep. Matt MacPherson. via @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social

kuer.orgWill Mother Nature (and El Niño) make up for last year’s lousy Utah winter?Utah resorts are eager for a do-over after last year’s pitiful snowpack, and the impending super El Niño is fueling excitement about early openings. But the weather outlook suggests they might be gett...

17 Sept

“The first thing that we're emphasizing is for people to pump the brakes,” said Utah's assistant state climatologist — and not get out over your skis (meteorologically speaking).