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⛅ 38 – 57° Logan | ⛅ 48 – 59° Salt Lake

⛅ 39 – 59° Manti | ⛅ 56 – 72° Moab

⛅ 42 – 60° Cedar City | ⛅ 54 – 69° St. George

🌅 Good morning!

There are lots of beautiful hikes to do along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and soon it could be a National Scenic Trail.

Tell me: Have you ever hiked part of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail? The Draper Suspension Bridge Loop is one of my personal favorites.

Sens. John Curtis and Mike Lee introduced a bill this week proposing to have it studied to evaluate whether it qualifies to become a National Scenic Trail, Caitlin Keith reported.

"Utahns love the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which provides recreational access to over 80% of the Wasatch Front," Curtis said in a post on X. "My bill with @SenMikeLee takes proactive action to ensure the trail's completion, maintenance, and protection."

Receiving the National Scenic Trail designation would mean more access to federal funding and preservation efforts, according to the National Parks Service.

🥾 Read more about the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Here’s how much losing Sundance is going to cost Utah

The Sundance Film Institute announced it will be moving the Sundance Film Festival to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027. Park City hosted the film festival for 44 years.

What does that mean for Utah?

In 2024, over 72,000 people attended the festival. Over 24,000 of the attendees were visitors from out of state. Out-of-state visitors spent an estimated $106.4 million in Utah during the festival, Art Raymond reported.

The Sundance Film Festival contributed the following to Utah’s economy in 2024, according to an impact report from Y2 Analytics:

$132 million in gross domestic product
1,730 jobs for residents
$69.7 million in wages
$13.8 million in state and local tax revenue

Gov. Cox reacts to the decision

“Sundance and Utah are connected in ways that would devastate both of us, I think, to have to have that separation happen,” Gov. Spencer Cox said last fall. “I think it would hurt Sundance to leave this state and to leave the place where their identity is so much a part of the fabric of our state."

Cox took to X Thursday to express his disappointment and to also bring up that he is already in talks about a Utah film festival reboot.

“We have already begun meeting with partners, stakeholders, and creative voices to create a new festival — one that honors our legacy and writes the next chapter of independent film in Utah," Cox wrote.

🎥 Read more about Sundance.

BYU’s NCAA Tournament run ends with Sweet 16 loss to Alabama

BYU's journey in the NCAA Tournament has come to a close.

The Cougs lost to No. 2 seed Alabama in the Sweet 16, 113-88 in Newark, New Jersey.

BYU concluded its first season with Kevin Young at the helm with a 26-10 record, as well as its third-ever appearance in the Sweet 16 — and first since 2011.

Here are Jackson Payne's three takeaways from the game:

Alabama went nuclear from 3-point range: The Crimson Tide broke the all-time NCAA Tournament record for most made 3-pointers in a game, sinking 24 of a whopping 50 attempts (48%) from long distance.
BYU had no answer for Mark Sears: Alabama’s superb guard played the game of his life against BYU, scoring 34 points with 10 made 3-pointers, eight assists and three steals.
Both BYU’s NCAA Tournament run and season as a whole were tremendous successes: Cougar fans may not want to hear it right now, but Young’s first season with the program went about as well as anyone could have hoped for a year ago when Mark Pope bolted for Kentucky.

🏀 Read more about BYU's final game of the season.

FROM OUR SPONSOR UTAH BUSINESS

Utah Business 2025 Executive Excellence Nominations

It’s time to recognize executive team members for their strategic vision, resilient leadership, and profound influence. Nominate before April 18!

Utah

Is Utah making progress in the fight against opioid-related deaths? (Deseret News)
‘Her name said it all’: Lawmakers honor Mia Love in moment of silence on U.S. House floor (Deseret News)
How a Salt Lake City underpass became a quasi-park, with an assist from an RSL legend (KSL.com)
Rescuing the Great Salt Lake: Utah’s ‘moonshot’ (Deseret News)
Introducing the Utah CEOs you need to know (Utah Business)
The most wish listed Airbnb in Utah (Axios)
The growing industry of pet funerals in Southern Utah (St George News)
Utah’s water supply faces challenges as snowpack peaks below normal (Cache Valley Daily)

Health

The pain points in plan to lay off 10,000 HHS employees (Deseret News)
'Grandpas' got together to help kids. Scientists say it boosts the elders' health, too (NPR)
Males who skip prostate screenings could face 45% higher risk of death, according to new study (Healthline)

Faith

Tom Holmoe reflects on faith, experiences after two decades as BYU’s athletic director (Church News)
General conference can be the rejuvenating retreat you need—here’s how (LDS Living)

Politics

How will big tech comply with Utah’s first-in-the-nation child protection laws? (Deseret News)
Republicans crack down on foreign gifts to U.S. universities citing national security concerns (Deseret News)
Ashley Losoya: A government for the people must include mothers (Deseret News)
Trump pulls nominee for ambassador to United Nations (Deseret News)
Mike Lee introduces bill to abolish the TSA (Deseret News)

The Nation and the World

Here are the hottest neighborhoods for homebuyers in the country (Deseret News)
Canada PM Mark Carney says old relationship with US 'is over' (BBC)

Sports

Takeaways from the Jazz against the Rockets (Deseret News)
BYU’s alumni game brings past and present together, but always with an eye to the future (Deseret News)
‘It’s like a father-son type thing’: Utah RB Wayshawn Parker’s bond runs deep with coach Mark Atuaia (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah during the next month. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

Holst’s the Planets | Abravanel Hall
Snow Patrol | Union Event Center
“Bright Star” | Draper Historic Theatre, Draper
BYU softball vs. Arizona | 5 p.m.
BYU baseball vs. West Virginia | 6:30 p.m.
U of U beach volleyball | 1 p.m.
U of U softball vs. Houston | 4 p.m.
U of U baseball vs. Arizona State | 6 p.m.
USU women’s tennis vs. Nevada | 11 a.m.
Weber State softball vs. Portland State | 1 p.m.
Weber State women’s volleyball vs. University of Utah | 4:30 p.m.
UVU softball vs. UT Arlington | 2 p.m. / 4:30 p.m.
UVU baseball vs. Abilene Christian | 6:05 p.m.
Track and Field UVU Collegiate Invitational

Please reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share!

✨ Cheers ✨

— Gambles