Wildlife Crossings Save Money—and Lives

Utah sees around 7,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually, costing taxpayers nearly $138 million in vehicle damage and injury each year. Luckily, research shows that overpasses and underpasses with associated fencing can reduce those collisions by up to 90%. But first, they have to be funded. While wildlife crossings are sometimes included in larger road projects, Utah needs dedicated funding—funding that would accelerate the construction of projects when and where they are needed. Learn More.

Utah Headlines

Political news

• Robert Griffiths: Respectful firings lead to better government outcomes, not doing it rashly out of contempt (Deseret News)
• Dear Mike Lee, the time is right for the Article I Project (Deseret News)
• Sen. John Curtis calls Trump's China tariffs 'warranted' but urges 'thoughtful approach' to U.S. allies (Deseret News)
• Here's why Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is praising Utah lawmakers (Hinckley Report)
• How complete is the Trumpification of Utah's GOP? (RadioWest)
• Tariff crisis, federal budget negotiations, and MAHA in Utah (Both Sides of the Aisle)
• Utah lawmakers quietly repeal teleworking for state employees on bad air days (Daily Herald)

Municipal news

• Vineyard councilman leading referendum effort against $35M bond vote to fund city center (KSL)

Utah

• The legend of Davy Crockett: Utah’s ultrarunning man (Deseret News)
• 'Citizen hero,' fast-acting train engineer save driver stuck on train tracks in Springville (KSL)

Biz/Tech

• Trump health policy uncertainty sends biotech sector into deeper slump (Reuters)

Culture/Community

• Tim Shriver on speaking with dignity (Deseret News) 
• Fasting: A sign of discipline and devotion (Deseret News)
• University of Utah and BYU presidents agree: Rivalry, kindness can coexist (Deseret News)
• Daniel Pink: Why not attend your own funeral? (Washington Post)

Economy

• With tariffs looming, EU ambassador warns Utah leaders that the state will feel economic impact (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education - Higher

• One UVU historian says, actually, this political moment is precedented (KUER)
• University of Utah honors renowned chemist Henry Eyring for his love of God, love of people, love of chemistry (Deseret News)
• Religion, research among the 5 goals the First Presidency set for BYU’s new School of Medicine (Deseret News)
• USU plans college merger to accommodate deep budget cuts (UPR)

Energy

• Opinion: How hydropower can energize growth in the West (Deseret News)
• Opinion: How investing in clean energy can boost Utah's economy and job market (Deseret News)

Environment

• Southern Utah’s dry winter could make for a long wildfire season (KUER)
• As Utah’s San Rafael River dries, scientists try to give native fish a fighting chance (KUER)

Family

• Research: 1 in 7 Utah children is a victim of sexual abuse (St. George News)

Health

• Reconnecting with nature: How Utah hikers are finding mental wellness in the mountains (KSL)

National Headlines

General

• 17-year-old in Wisconsin allegedly killed parents as part of plot to assassinate Trump, FBI says (AP)
• Intellectually disabled teen shot by Idaho police dies after being removed from life support (AP)
• FAA says company whose sightseeing chopper crashed, killing 6, is ceasing operations immediately (AP)

Political news

• Man charged with attempted murder, terrorism in fire at Gov. Shapiro’s home (Washington Post)
• Suspect in arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence planned to beat him with a hammer, documents say (AP)
• In spite of US Supreme Court ruling, Trump administration says it is not required to help wrongly deported man return to US (Reuters)
• The 'world's coolest dictator' heads to the White House (NPR)
• Trump says CBS should lose license after ’60 Minutes’ segments on Ukraine, Greenland (The Hill)
• State Department wants staff to report instances of alleged anti-Christian bias during Biden’s term (AP)
• Plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary were underway. Then came the federal funding cuts (AP)
• Will the SAVE Act make it harder for married women to vote? We ask legal experts (NPR)
• Trump wants to be impeached again (Wall Street Journal)
• Trump administration retreats from white-collar criminal enforcement (Wall Street Journal)
• No evidence linking Tufts student to antisemitism or terrorism, State Dept. office found (Washington Post)
• Trump administration overrode Social Security staff to list immigrants as dead (Washington Post)

Tariffs

• Tariffs on chips, phones, laptops still coming, commerce secretary warns (Washington Post)
• Can tariffs turn farmers in this critical state away from Trump? (Washington Post)
• China halts critical exports as trade war intensifies (New York Times)

DOGE/Musk

• DOGE abruptly cut a program for teens with disabilities. This student is 'devastated' (NPR)
• Some DOGE staffers hold high-powered jobs at multiple federal agencies (Washington Post)
• DOGE takes over federal grants website, wresting control of billions (Washington Post)

Ukraine/Russia

• Palm Sunday Russian missile strike kills 34 in Ukraine's Sumy, Kyiv says (Reuters)
• Ukraine's DIY drone makers are helping fighters on the front lines (NPR)

Israel, Gaza, Syria

• Israeli missiles strike Gaza hospital, patients evacuated (Reuters)
• Photos point to Israeli tank fire in deadly strike on U.N. guest house (Washington Post)

World news

• Haunted by hopelessness: 12 Zambians share their stories as HIV drugs run out (NPR)
• In Sudan, hundreds killed in attacks on famine-hit displacement camps (NPR)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Utah labor market withstanding rising uncertainty

The Salt Lake Chamber, in partnership with the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has released the March 2025 Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard to inform business leaders’ understanding of Utah’s economy. “As economic uncertainty continues, Utah’s labor markets are responding to the pressure with strength,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Even with steep declines in both Utah and U.S. consumer sentiment, employment growth in Utah demonstrates our resiliency and ability to adapt to shifting economic conditions." (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Apr 24 â€” Giant in Our City with the Salt Lake Chamber, 6:00-9:00 pm, Register here
• May 1 — Utah Foundation's annual luncheon and 80th birthday celebration, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, Grand America Hotel, Register Here
• May 1 â€” High school writing contest deadline with The Rostra: Applying the wisdom of the past to the problems of today. More info here
• May 6 â€” "State AG Offices and the New Administration" webinar hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, 10:00 am MDT, Register here
• May 12 â€” Utah Taxes Now Conference with the Utah Taxpayers Association, Grand America Hotel, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Register here
• Aug 7 â€”  Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here

On This Day In History

• 1775 - The first American abolition society is founded in Philadelphia.
• 1818 - Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language is printed.
• 1865 - John Wilkes Booth shoots Abraham Lincoln in the head. 
• 1866 - Anne Sullivan Macy is born today. She was Helen Keller’s teacher. 
• 1912 - The RMS Titanic hits an iceberg at 11:40 pm, sinks a few hours later
• 1935 - ‘Black Sunday’ Dust Bowl storm strikes, kicking up millions of tons of dirt.
• 1975 - Operation ‘Baby Lift’ concludes after flying 2,600 South Vietnamese orphans to the US.
• 1988 - Soviets agree to withdraw from Afghanistan
• 2003 - The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
• 2021 - Bernie Madoff dies in prison of natural causes at age 82

Quote of the Day

“[A] federal court cannot compel the Executive Branch to engage in any mandated act of diplomacy or incursion upon the sovereignty of another nation.”

—U.S. Dept. of Justice, responding to the U.S. Supreme Court 9-0 ruling on bringing back illegally deported Maryland man

On the Punny Side

What do British sea monsters eat?

Fish and ships.

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