Utah nears last year's wildfire burn total with months left in fire season; what if you meet a mountain goat on a high-elevation hike | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | July 15, 2025 It's Tuesday and National Hot Dog Day - Mitt Romney's favorite! ð What you need to know Utah Gov. Spencer Cox doubled down Tuesday on the stateâs ban on land sales to foreign adversaries, saying the state blocked a Chinese-owned corporation from buying Utah land near an airport in the last few months. Gov. Cox said China has used coercion in an attempt to obtain "leverage" in the state. "We will not allow adversarial foreign entities to buy up strategic land in our state," he said. Utah is strengthening laws to block some foreign entities from buying land.
Rapid Relevance What to do if you meet a mountain goat on a high-elevation hike; Utah nears last year's wildfire burn total with months left in fire season; how ICE's partnerships with local sheriff's offices will work | | |
Utah Headlines Political news What is the AIDS prevention program Sen. Curtis wants to protect from DOGE cuts? (KSL) White House agrees to withdraw proposed cuts to AIDS prevention program (Deseret News) Sen. Mike Lee says he is 'forever scarred by ... Elmo' (Deseret News) State leaders praise effort to stop foreign entities from owning land in Utah (KSL Newsradio) Utahns are unsure of nuclear energy. Cox will spend $1.8M convincing them itâs a good idea. (Salt Lake Tribune) From discontent to action: Utah seniors speak out against political division (Fox13) Utah lawmaker responds after Cottonwood Heights police chief questions bike lane law (KUTV) Municipal news Viral video of purported ICE raid in West Jordan showed a different federal agency (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah What we know about the last Sundance Film Festival in Utah (Deseret News) Utah needs primary care doctors. Can the Utah doctor shortage be fixed? (KSL) Utahns mourn loss of historic Grand Canyon Lodge in North Rim Fire (KSL) Utah family home safely after minivan rolls down embankment, into Snake River in Idaho (KSL) This Utah farmer has a âmillion-dollar view.â Heâs keeping it out of reach of developers. (Salt Lake Tribune) Biz/Tech Utah women often face career 'segregation,' significant pay gaps (UPR) Crime/Courts Not guilty pleas entered for 2 men in Ogden dog-hoarding case (KSL) Culture/Community Former BYU star Ashley Hatch announces pregnancy (Deseret News) How a Utah cookbook author built a big online community, and won the Oscar of the food world (Salt Lake Tribune) Education Utah State University to offer conflict resolution classes as part of general curriculum (KSL Newsradio) A Utah music teacher gets a big cash prize from singer Barry Manilow (Salt Lake Tribune) Only 1.2 percent of Utah school security grant funds have been spent so far (KUTV) South Salt Lake summer program already feeling the heat from frozen educational funds (Fox13) Environment Feds seek information about ATV driver as part of Monroe Canyon Fire investigation (KSL) First rare earth mineral mine in America in over 70 years breaks ground in Wyoming (Deseret News) Drought conditions fuel fires across the western U.S. as Canada faces one of its worst fire seasons on record (Deseret News) BYU professor, students are fighting wildfires with wildflowers in Provo's Rock Canyon (KSL) Unified Fire Authority breaks down commonly used wildfire terms (KSL TV) Tourism is taking off in âUtahâs Trail Country.â Hereâs 5 ways to explore it. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah makes millions from land on reservations â and has made it harder for tribes to buy back land (Salt Lake Tribune) Faith When a place for solace and communion with God becomes a source of fear (Deseret News) Family Opinion: Divided by faith â but still united as parents (Deseret News) Health As northern Utah approaches triple-digit heat, a reminder about how quickly heat stroke can happen (KSL Newsradio) What causes obesity? A major new study is upending common wisdom. (Washington Post) | | |
National Headlines General Can a browser history prove murder? Prosecutors to use Colorado dentistâs search history (Deseret News) Pew survey: Mexicans now have a negative view of the US, a turnaround from a year ago (KSL) Former MLB pitcher Dan Serafini is convicted of murder in the 2021 shootings of his wifeâs parents (AP) Political news âNobody was in charge': Senate report blasts Secret Service over Butler rally shooting (Deseret News) Pam Bondi dodges questions on Epstein and Bongino amid Justice Department turmoil (AP) âTrump Accountsâ for Kids Come With $1,000âand Tax Complications (Wall Street Journal) Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans break with Trump on Epstein (Washington Post) Vance casts tie-breaking vote as Senate advances bill to slash $9 billion from budget (Washington Post) In Pennsylvania, Trump touts jobs, hails âAI technological revolutionâ (Washington Post) State Department cuts China policy staff amid major overhaul (Washington Post) Hawley Aims to Roll Back Medicaid Cuts He Voted for Just Two Weeks Ago (New York Times) Just 9 percent think FEMA should be eliminated: Survey (The Hill) The Trump administration is about to incinerate 500 tons of emergency food (The Atlantic) DNC and White House launch websites with competing narratives on the Trump tax bill (Deseret News) Judge grants Trump admin request to scrap Biden-era medical debt rule (Reuters) Immigration/deportation Bipartisan lawmakers press Trump to give some undocumented immigrants protected status (Deseret News) US military to remove 2,000 National Guard troops from Los Angeles (Reuters) Trump says he wants to deport âthe worst of the worst.â Government data tells another story (AP) Ukraine/Russia Exclusive: Putin, unfazed by Trump, will fight on and could take more of Ukraine (Reuters) Trump downplays possibility of sending Ukraine long-range weapons as it struggles to repel Russia (AP) Middle East Netanyahu under mounting political pressure after party quits (Reuters) Amid heated debate, no real plan for Israel's 'humanitarian city' in Gaza (Reuters) World news Oldest marathon runner Fauja Singh dies at 114 in hit-and-run (Reuters) | | |
| | | News Releases Rep. Maloy introduces STARS Act to celebrate Americaâs 250th in our national parks Rep. Celeste Maloy (UT-02) introduced the Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites (STARS) Act directing the Secretaryof the Interior to designate Constitution Day as an entrance-fee free day at National Park Service sites in 2026 in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The STARS Act encourages Americans to connect with the nationâs history and natural beauty by making our national parks more accessible. The legislation highlights the role of public lands in telling Americaâs story and honors the legacy of freedom, resilience, and patriotism that began in 1776. (Read More) Utah blocks foreign land purchase near Provo Airport to safeguard national security Gov. Cox announced today that Utah has successfully blocked an attempted land purchase near Provo Airport by Cirrus Aircraft, a company majority-owned by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). AVIC is a Chinese state-owned defense contractor prohibited from acquiring Utah land under state law. AVIC, which manufactures military jets, helicopters, and drones for the Peopleâs Liberation Army, appears on multiple U.S. federal watchlists and is barred from federal contracts due to national security concerns. Cirrus Aircraftâs proposed multimillion-dollar investment promised hundreds of jobs. However, Utah law passed in 2023 and strengthened in 2024 prevents restricted foreign entities from purchasing land in the state. Officials halted the transaction as soon as it was identified. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming 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 Aug 12 â Municipal primary Aug 19-21 â Interim Days Nov 4 â General election February 4-7, 2026 â Summit, with Silicon Slopes and Visit Salt Lake | | |
On This Day In History 1769 - First Catholic mission in California dedicated on the site of present day San Diego 1790 - Congress declares Washington, D.C. the new capital 1862 - Ida B. Wells is born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She became a journalist, newspaper editor, crusader against lynching, and civil rights leader. 1871 - Tad Lincoln, 18 year-old son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, dies. 1882 - Mary Todd Lincoln collapses and dies at age 63 1907 - Orville Redenbacher is born. 1912 - The Dixie cup is patented. 1945 - The first atomic bomb is successfully exploded in Alamogordo, New Mexico. 1969 - Apollo 11 launches, carrying the first men to the moon 1995 - Amazon opens for business as an online book retailer 1999 - John F. Kennedy, Jr.; his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy; and her sister, Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine plane that Kennedy was piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Marthaâs Vineyard, Massachusetts. Quote of the Day "I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It's by the nature of his deep inner soul ⦠we're required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream." âNeil Armstrong, Apollo 11's pre-flight news conference On the Punny Side Parallel lines have so much in common. Itâs a shame theyâll never meet. | | |
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