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Darren Parry is the council chair of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Jamie Cheek is a district director for the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. The two are the only Democrats in a primary election for any of Utah’s congressional races. 

Updated 9:47 a.m. MDT 6/1/2020

Salt Lake City officials launched a massive cleanup effort on Sunday, the day after intense protests through downtown Salt Lake City left a wake of damage, including spray painted graffiti on the State Capitol, smashed windows and overturned and burned two cars, including a police cruiser. 

Utah’s fire agencies are currently reporting two wildfires burning in the state. 

The Ninth Street Fire in the hills east of Ogden is burning 35 acres. The blaze has damaged a Rocky Mountain Power substation, downed several power lines and threatened 72 homes. It was 15% contained as of 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Utah politicians are largely criticizing the violence that took place during a Saturday protest over the in-custody death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis. Some are calling for systemic change to prevent more deaths of black people at the hands of police. 

State Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, said protests are effective tools to bring awareness to issues, although she’s worried the violence on Saturday has diluted that message. 

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said Sunday morning the city’s streets are “quiet and calm” after Saturday’s protests against police brutality turned violent.

But Mendenhall cautioned against prematurely lifting a citywide curfew that went into effect 8 p.m. Saturday and is scheduled to last until 6 a.m. Monday.

Updated 11:00 p.m. MDT 5/30/2020

A citywide curfew enacted by Salt Lake City to quell violence after a day of protest against police brutality went into effect Saturday night, as police advanced on demonstrators, pushing them south from downtown Salt Lake City.

Chants of “Justice for George Floyd” and “No justice, No peace” filled the hot Salt Lake City air Saturday morning, as more than a thousand protesters — some on foot, others in cars — marched against police brutality. 

A controversial concert protesting social distancing measures was effectively shut down Friday after a Utah District Court judge issued an injunction against it being held.

In a first of its kind call Friday, a task force set up by President Donald Trump that focuses on missing and murdered indigenous women hosted a forum to discuss how the crisis is affecting Native Americans in the Southwest. 

The state Legislature’s Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee voted Friday to recommend using roughly $37 million from the Medicaid rainy day fund to offset proposed cuts to social services. Those cuts include reducing payments to foster families and money for domestic violence shelters.

ST. GEORGE — Southwest Utah has reached a new high-point of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, local health officials announced Thursday.

State and local leaders are working towards issuing guidelines for how Utah’s K-12 public school districts and charters can reopen in the fall. 

The Utah Department of Transportation’s budget could shrink by up to $1.5 million next year due to falling tax revenues resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

A legislative subcommittee approved plans Wednesday to cut up to nearly $45 million in funding for Utah’s courts and Department of Corrections. 

Members of Utah’s Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee met Wednesday to discuss up to $380 million in possible cuts to the state’s education funding. The hearing is part of a larger effort from Utah lawmakers to balance the state’s budget, which is projected to lose up to $1.3 billion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Things like Medicaid, mental health services and programs for people with disabilities could be impacted by cuts to Utah’s social services budget. 

ST. GEORGE — In the eight years Sgt. Darrell Cashin has worked search and rescue, Sunday was the busiest day he’s ever had on the job.

Hispanic and Latinx people made up 13% of Utah’s unemployment claims in April, according to the state’s Department of Workforce Services. 

State Sen. Dan Hemmert, R-Orem, is planning to sponsor a bill aimed at protecting the privacy of Utahns who use the state’s COVID-19 voluntary contact tracing app. 

Utah spent nearly $1.5 million on a quarantine center and a hospital overflow site, but did not use either. Those contracts will expire at the end of May and June respectively.

When the White Mesa Mill was built in 1980, it was permitted to process domestic uranium ore for 15 years.

State and local governments have moved public meetings online in order to help slow the spread of coronavirus. They’ve had to figure out how to balance security and public access. 

Utah Business Revival, a group of small business owners that want to fully reopen Utah’s economy, plans to host a concert later this month in Kaysville. It’s the same group that held a protest in Salt Lake City last month, opposing stay-at-home orders.