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Changes to retaining judges were heavily contested, with opposition from the Utah Judicial Council, the Utah State Bar and 900+ lawyers.

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Are we ready for primary run-offs? There are worries though about the cost of running another election and it might contribute to voter fatigue.

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There’s a lot of hype and promise of what AI can do, but there’s also some not so great stuff. Utah wants to find a way to keep that in check.

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72% of Utah college grads have degrees linked to high-wage/high-demand jobs. That’s a big part of the state’s upward mobility and other benefits, says a new analysis.

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The money wasn't meant to "sit in the bank," one lawmaker noted. It was meant to combat the opioid crisis. But the majority of Utah counties are sitting on that cash.

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Democratic Sen. Nate Blouin worries about the costs of cutting Utah off from other state’s energy systems, saying it creates what he considers “an economic barrier on the system.”

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There are only 5 days left — will there be changes to vote by mail? Will we get run-off elections? Ditch same-day voter registration? There's a lot left to do and that's only a sample of some of the election stuff.

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The Judicial Council said it is willing to work on bill changes and Senate President Stuart Adams is “still open to input.” The session ends March 7, so time is ticking.

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Social and political issues tend to cloud conversations surrounding college, says Utah Commissioner of Higher Ed’s Geoffrey Landward. “One of the things that we need to be better at, being responsive to, is questions around value.”

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The US Supreme Court won't hear the state's appeal of the Douglas Lovell case. Last year, the Utah Supreme Court threw out Lovell's death sentence.

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🚨 New episode alert 🚨 Vote by mail is super popular in #Utah. We asked and heard from a lot of you. So why mess with it? From requiring ID to making it opt-in instead of automatic, #StateStreetKUER asks the bill sponsor why changes are necessary.

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“Until my last breath at the park — in terms of my job at Bryce Canyon — I was working,” said one park biologist. Then came the Valentine's Day email.

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#utleg is in the final countdown and election changes are still on the table. Last day is Friday.

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The bill, which is now off to the governor, was opposed by @UtahSchoolBoard, @USSA_Utah, @myuea and school business administrators.

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“They're claiming that based on our performance, that these positions are no longer in the interest of taxpayers,” said Bryce Spare, who lost his job as a backcountry ranger. “I take a real, great offense to that.”

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“Higher education really helps generate many of Utah's most differentiating and acclaimed characteristics,” says education analyst Andrea Brandley. Like the state’s economic strength, mobility and stability.

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The layoffs in McCall didn’t include fire personnel, but many non-fire staff played key roles in wildfire responses. That’s drawn concern over what the next fire season will look like.

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We’re heading back into drier times.

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In 2024, only 66 Utah water systems fluoridated their water – including #SLC, which was the largest. That’s out of 484 state systems that reported to the CDC.

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The former employees have support from residents like Bethany Thomas, who protested alongside them. “Without their income, our community doesn't have money coming into it,” she said.

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Some counties have tracked their settlement funds as they’ve awarded them to different groups and agencies. Others haven’t.

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One unofficial estimate has about 20 rangers fired from Utah's parks, so far. One advocate noted there's still a lot of confusion about what's happening.

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“Montana's codified, other red states have codified. So this isn't a red state, blue state thing,” said Rep. Angela Romero. For her, it’s about “doing the best we can for children that are in foster care and are going to be adopted.”

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Court Justice Paige Petersen has called #utleg’s recent actions “retribution” for court rulings that haven't been in lawmakers’ favor.

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The state still gives the money to school districts, but it's not necessarily a direct transaction from the State Basic School Levy.

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The governor said this year's budget was tight but more money for educators was "a priority and it's the right thing to do."

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One bill, that creates a judicial review committee of lawmakers, was singled out by the lawyers rallying at the capitol.

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Higher ed has a high value in Utah, says a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute report. But it hasn’t been easy to get students, citizens and lawmakers to see it that way.

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“I wasn't slacking off and wasting taxpayer money. I was out in the field for 10 hours a day,” said the fired Bryce ranger. “I was working in unstable weather conditions, or I was getting down and dirty with some prairie dogs.”

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“It's going to take all of us using less water to make us more drought resilient.”

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Utah public school teachers are getting a $1,446 pay raise from the state. But the Utah Education Association is still frustrated with state leaders and called today's announcement "political posturing." www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

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“I wasn't slacking off and wasting taxpayer money. I was out in the field for 10 hours a day.” One of the rangers fired from Utah’s national parks shares what they loved about their job and how it feels to have to leave it behind. Read my story for @kuer.org ⤵️ www.kuer.org/science-envi...

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The increase spending across teachers, support staff and district staff amounts to $278 million — in a tight budget year, the governor noted.

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Most of the $4B the Biden admin set aside for the Colorado River had already been delivered. But the hold on the remainder could imperil the completion of some conservation projects.

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Citing political differences between the coastal states served by PacifiCorp, Utah wants to align with its like-minded neighbors as it charts its energy future.

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#Utah has the nation's 3rd most educated and well-trained workforce, says a new analysis. Only Colorado and Massachusetts have higher rates of college grads. buff.ly/3DfdmVR

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Despite the state’s blueprint on how to best spend the funds, it’s on the counties to choose their path. Many still haven’t after 2 years.

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“These are not woke environmental programs,” said Anne Castle, a former federal water policy official. “These are essential to continued ability to divert water.”

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The change where cash lands may seem simple, but it complicates the accounting for education funding. It also opens budgeting options for lawmakers since income tax funds are constitutionally linked to education.

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“The perceptions around the value of higher education are misaligned with the realities of the value,” said Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward.

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The big point of contention are changes to judge retention. Specifically, the creation of a lawmaker board that would review judges and then print those recommendation on the ballot.

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Why Idaho and Wyoming? House Majority Leader Jefferson Moss notes both share ”similar geographic and economic landscapes” with Utah, along with “similar goals, ideals, desires, on how we want to continue to develop out all of the above energy strategies.”

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Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant's letter to the Legislature's leadership said that “HB512 introduces partisan politics directly into the work of the Judiciary.” Among other changes, it introduces lawmaker performance reviews of judges, which would appear on the ballot.

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Even after a couple of wet years, when you live in the desert, there’s always another drought around the corner.

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This isn’t the first time. A 2023 attempt that was backed by Utah’s federally recognized tribes was also held in committee.

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The largest ever federal investment in the Great Salt Lake — $50 million in funding under the Inflation Reduction Act awarded by the Biden administration — has been paused. While the state’s Great Salt Lake commissioner remains confident the money is still coming, it's unclear when. #utpol

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One bill, that creates a judicial review committee of lawmakers, was singled out by the lawyers rallying at the capitol. buff.ly/43jbRjZ

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$4B from the Inflation Reduction Act went to protect Colorado River flows by compensating users for water compensation. “If there's no funding, there will be no conservation,” noted a California irrigation district member.

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Sen. Scott Sandall noted that the energy goals of Oregon, Washington and California have shifted, putting them on a different path than Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

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If the governor signs SB37, the State Basic School Levy on your property tax bill wouldn't go straight to districts. It would land in the state's primary checkbook instead.

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