The Daily Buzz

The Utah Supreme Court upheld a law that limits access to some of Utah’s rivers and streams, a ruling that impacts anglers and those who want to float many of Utah’s waterways.

Salt Lake City is considering an e-bike rebate similar to one offered in Denver.y Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s 2024 budget request includes $230,000 for an air quality incentives program that could, in part, provide rebates for electric lawn care equipment, air purifiers or filters and electric bikes.

However, e-bike incentives are not beloved by all, including Sen. Mitt Romney.

California, Arizona and Nevada have agreed to use less Colorado River water in the next few years. And while the deal doesn’t apply to the Upper Basin states like Utah, it doesn’t mean Utahns won’t feel any impact.

The Colorado River supports around 40 million people living in seven Western states, tribal reservations and Mexico, but its volume has dropped by one-third in recent years. About half of the river basin’s water goes to beef and dairy production, recent research has found. Climate change coupled with population growth in the region has further fueled water shortages.

Read more:

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2023/05/23/utah-isnt-forced-make-cuts-will

For many, Interstate 15′s expansion through northern Salt Lake and southern Davis counties is a certainty. After all, state money has been identified for the project and an environmental impact statement is due out this fall.

So these people choose a place at the table to form, rather than fight, the road.

Others, especially those who may be displaced or affected by a bigger highway, aren’t about to raise a white flag. They battle on, aiming to halt the project altogether.

Read more:

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/05/20/farmington-slc-latest-i-15/

Dorothy Durrant has operated a farmers market on her property north of Utah Lake since at least 2020.

The lot between Center Street and Country Lane, off a spur called Farmers Market Street, is home to her Lehi Farmers Market on Fridays and Saturdays. It has also been a recreational vehicle park, petting zoo and a launch site for hot air balloon and helicopter rides, with food trucks, tractor rides and firework shows.

On paper, the more than 4-acre lot isn’t permitted for many of the attractions hosted there, including the namesake farmers market, said Bryce Armstrong, associate director of Utah County Community Development. It isn’t even technically in Lehi.

Read more:

sltrib.com

From the Bear River in the north to the Virgin River in the south, communities throughout Utah are flooding as the state’s record-busting snowpack melts. But as public officials have urged Utahns to prepare by purchasing insurance policies, thousands may not have access to it and few communities participate in a federal program to make it more affordable.

Over two dozen Utah municipalities with a flood hazard area do not participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s voluntary National Flood Insurance Program, cutting their residents off from accessing flood insurance policies through the government. And only 13 communities in the state have implemented flood mitigation standards that would cut their residents’ rates to purchase such policies.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2023/05/18/should-utahns-get-flood-insurance/

Utah has the highest rate of teens as part of the workforce and the second-highest rate of teens working in the nation. More than half of Utah teens were part of the state’s labor force in 2021.

Learn more:

sltrib.com

Fentanyl has made headlines in Utah. From St. George to Summit County, the synthetic opioid has been the “main driver” of increases in drug-related deaths, according to a 2021 report. So what is it and how does the drug get into the state?

Read more:

sltrib.com

FrontRunner has been serving Utahns for 15 years — but not on Sundays.

The Utah Transit Authority’s commuter rail system serves riders from Ogden to Provo, but only operates Monday through Saturday. The train provides service every 30 minutes during peak travel times on weekdays — and every 60 minutes on Saturdays — but the agency does not currently have the infrastructure to run service on Sundays, a spokesperson said.

However, Sunday service could be added after the ongoing ”FrontRunner Forward” project is completed. The train currently operates on a single track over the majority of its length, according to documents from the Federal Transit Administration, and the project will add an additional track running parallel to certain portions of the 83-mile corridor — which will increase service frequency and help avoid delays.

Read more:

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/05/14/why-doesnt-frontrunner-run-sundays

Utah got more than $1 billion in several rounds of federal coronavirus funding for K-12 education. But where did the money go?

By one count, the state has spent 49.4% of the main funding stream, known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funds.