Friday, April 22, 2022
State
Utah nominating conventions are Saturday
Utah Republican and Democratic delegates will choose their nominees for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Saturday. On the Republican side, Sen. Mike Lee faces two primary challengers. The convention comes a week after revelations about his texts with the White House about overturning the 2020 election. Brigham Young University political scientist Quin Monson told KUER’s RadioWest that likely won’t make a difference because the opposition isn’t “strong enough or united enough to defeat him yet.” Regardless of what happens at the convention, Lee and his challengers will all end up on the ballot because they all gathered signatures. The primary election is June 28. — Sonja Hutson
Utah’s economy shows more uncertainty
Utah’s major economic indicators are beginning to reflect an uncertain future. The Salt Lake Chamber’s economic dashboard shows consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level since its creation in October 2020. Home prices have also risen dramatically over the last year, with the median sale price over $500,000. Still, because of job growth and low unemployment, experts said the state remains a “bright spot” in the country. — Jon Reed
Southern Utah
Keeping cyclists safe
A temporary memorial opened Friday for two bicyclists killed in Washington City earlier this month. The pair of white bikes honor brothers Matthew and Adam Bullard who were participating in a local bike race when they were struck by a car. The driver was impaired. Dannielle Larkin, with Southern Utah Bicycle Alliance, said the area has the infrastructure to keep people safe, it just needs to be used correctly. This is a popular spot for outdoor recreation, with the upcoming World Championship Ironman that will go through the city. Larkin stressed there is no tolerance for impaired or distracted driving. The memorial will be in place until a permanent one is installed at a later date. Read the full story. — Lexi Peery, St. George
Northern Utah
Expect SLC traffic Saturday, consider public transit
There is a lot happening in Salt Lake this weekend, and County Mayor Jenny Wilson has asked people to take public transit instead of driving. The Salt Lake City Marathon starts at 7 a.m. Saturday and will result in road closures throughout the day from the University of Utah to Holladay and back downtown. There’s also a Utah Jazz playoff game at 2:30 p.m. that will bring another 18,000 people downtown. There’s also a convention going on at the Salt Palace. Utah Transit Authority is adding additional TRAX service. The Red Line will start running at 4:07 a.m. The Blue Line will begin at 4:18 a.m. with additional cars to hold more riders. — Elaine Clark
Region/Nation
States agree to federal water cutbacks
The seven Colorado River basin states are giving their approval to a proposed set of water cutbacks from the federal government. The plan would reduce flows to Arizona, Nevada and California by 480,000 acre-feet — enough water to supply more than half a million homes for a year. Even states who would lose water as part of this measure signed the plan, underscoring the urgent need to put more water in Lake Powell. Record-low levels in the nation’s second-largest reservoir are threatening the ability to produce hydropower at the Glen Canyon dam. — Alex Hager, KUNC