KSL News Daily

Utah’s search for new, reliable sources of electricity takes center stage on KSL News Daily. Maria Shilaos speaks with Chris Hayter about a new partnership between Fulcrum Point Holdings and Rodatherm Energy Corporation and their plans to develop a next-generation geothermal power project in the Brigham City area. Also, a steel beam from the World Trade Center’s South Tower makes a stop in Utah, recent rain fails to ease the state’s drought concerns, and campers stake out their places along the Days of ’47 Parade route. Plus, Heidi Byington of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium explains why sharks deserve our respect—not just our fear—during Shark Week.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos examines a major new investment in rural Utah. The state has received nearly $196 million in first-year federal funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, and new grant opportunities are now rolling out. Krisann Humphreys, who leads the program for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, explains how the money could expand access to care, strengthen the rural health workforce and support local providers. Maria also looks at a new food security grant offering up to $9.3 million for projects that increase the production, processing, storage and distribution of Utah-grown food in rural communities.

Plus, Tooele County considers rules for future data centers, Utah cities welcome local control over fireworks restrictions, and hundreds of 388th Fighter Wing airmen return home after a 10-month deployment to Japan. Before You Go, Utah first lady Abby Cox brings her literacy campaign to children at a family shelter operated by The Road Home, where CEO Michelle Flynn explains why the visit matters for families experiencing homelessness

Flash flooding continues to impact communities across Utah, with Beaver County hit hard by rising waters that damaged homes and forced emergency mitigation efforts ahead of more storms. Maria Shilaos speaks with Beaver County Commissioner Brandon Yardley about conditions on the ground and what's next as another round of heavy rain threatens the state. Plus, search and rescue teams remain on high alert after dangerous flood incidents, including a family swept away in Wayne County. We also cover updated fireworks restrictions ahead of Pioneer Day, the opening of the Days of '47 Rodeo, and the annual Longhorn Cattle Drive through downtown Salt Lake City.  

Layton and Heber have banned cryptocurrency kiosks following reports that scammers are using the machines to take thousands of dollars from victims, particularly older adults. Maria Shilaos speaks with Stewart Young of the Utah Attorney General’s Office about how crypto ATM scams work, why the machines are difficult to regulate and the warning signs consumers should recognize. Also: an urgent call for blood donors, Ogden’s push to improve kindergarten readiness and a student-created opera that uses blueberries, brine shrimp and a disappearing lake to inspire action for the Great Salt Lake.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos follows Utah’s water crisis from the Great Salt Lake to the Colorado River reservoirs that help power and supply the West. Ben Hart of the Utah Inland Port Authority explains how property tax dollars from west-side development are being directed toward shoreline preservation and wetland conservation, and why the lake’s health is now an economic issue as well as an environmental one.

Then the show turns to Lake Powell and Lake Mead, where combined water storage is hitting historic lows and experts warn the region is running out of time to solve a crisis built around drought, power generation, water rights, tourism, and the future of fast-growing communities in southern Utah and across the West.

Plus, Kevin O’Leary and Fox News Media respond to a defamation lawsuit tied to claims about Utah data center critics, the state joins a multi-state push against robocalls, agritourism becomes a bigger lifeline for Utah farmers, and Before You Go heads to Iron County, where one missing zero briefly sent a public meeting back to the year 226.

On today’s KSL News Daily, Maria Shilaos goes inside the disturbing attack at Valley Fair Mall, where a kiosk worker was stabbed and bystanders jumped in to stop the suspect. Reporter Adam Small breaks down what the video shows, what police wrote in arrest documents, and why prosecutors may look at the case as a possible hate crime.

Then Imam Shuaib Din explains why an alleged anti-Muslim attack does not just affect one victim, it leaves a wider community feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

Plus, new funding is aimed at Great Salt Lake shoreline and wetland conservation, Weber School District looks at early-out days to help students and teachers handle triple-digit heat, a preliminary hearing begins in the case of three disabled men who died in a running van, and Before You Go asks whether Salt Lake City’s trees are getting the deep drink they need during the summer heat.

On today’s KSL News Daily, record-breaking heat and extreme fire danger are raising the stakes across Utah. Maria Shilaos talks with KSL 5 TV’s Tyrese Boone about why University of Utah Health and Salt Lake City fire officials want families to prepare a 96-hour emergency kit before a wildfire threatens their neighborhood. KSL NewsRadio’s Heather Peterson explains how quickly hot pavement, hiking trails and parked cars can become deadly for pets after a Great Pyrenees died during a hike in Kane County. Plus, car enthusiasts brave the heat for imports and drifting at the Import Spring Showoff at the Utah State Fairpark.

On today’s KSL News Daily, triple-digit heat is testing Utah’s people, power grid and water. Maria Shilaos talks with KSL-TV’s Alex Cabrero about why boats are leaving the Great Salt Lake marina, why one excursion company says business is down 50%, and what the lake is really like once you get away from the shoreline.

Eric Cabrera explains how Rocky Mountain Power monitors the grid around the clock and what customers can do to reduce demand.

Plus, producer Jenny Ament asks people around City Creek and the Capitol how they’re handling the heat.

HEAL Utah’s Carmen Valdez explains why environmental advocates are urging the state to slow down, asking tougher questions about safety, waste, cost, public health, security, and whether nuclear can realistically power data centers anytime soon. Then Maria visits the University of Utah’s nuclear reactor lab, where Dr. Ted Goodell explains what the campus reactor actually does, why nuclear energy is so powerful, and why the next big question may not just be whether nuclear can be safe, but whether it can be safe, affordable, transparent, and ready in time.

Plus, new research links extreme heat and pollution to increased suicide risk, Rocky Mountain Power shares tips for cutting costs during triple-digit temperatures, Salt Lake’s Buddhist community marks the 90th anniversary of the Obon Festival, and Before You Go looks skyward with Patrick Wiggins, the Utah astronomer who just discovered his tenth supernova.