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A group of Herriman High Schoolers broke a national record this week.

The school’s 4 x 800-meter relay team broke the national high school record at the New Balance Nationals track and field meet in Philadelphia's famed Franklin Field.

The team consisted of Jonah Tang, Micah Tang, Tayshaun Ogomo and Jackson Spence, who finished with a time of 7:26.12 to break a 14-year-old national record of 7:28.75 set by Poly High School of Long Beach, California.

The performance also set a stadium record for Franklin Field, the site for the annual Penn Relays, the biggest high school relay competition in the nation — if not the world — with an international field, Doug Robinson writes.

Referring to Herriman’s performance, New Balance Nationals meet director Aaron Robison, a former BYU miler, noted, “That’s unreal. When you set a Franklin Field record, that’s something.

“It’s a solid time for a college team and it was done by a high school team and a team from Utah.”

Read more about the record-breaking feat.

Are national parks really at risk? Sen. Mike Lee pushes back on campaign against public land sales

The debate over Utah's public lands continues.

Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Celeste Maloy are defending a proposal to sell federally owned land after environmental groups launched a campaign against the proposal, included in the Senate version of President Donald Trump’s tax bill, Cami Mondeaux reported.

The groups accuse congressional Republicans of trying to siphon off millions of acres of federal land to help pay for Trump’s tax cuts.

In a post on X, Sen. Lee wrote:

“I want to be COMPLETELY clear: My bill exempts ALL parks, monuments, wilderness areas, etc., from the federal land sale. We exempt 15 categories of land, including land where people have valid existing rights. And even then, it's less than ONE PERCENT of federal land.”

Here are four key points:

Under the bill, 11 states would be required to sell anywhere between 0.5% and 0.75% of all Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands, which could total up to a maximum of 1.5% in some cases.
About 63% of Utah’s land is owned by the federal government, the most of any state in the country aside from Nevada.
The legislation would require that any land sold would be used only for housing development or other community needs.
The bill outlines 15 categories of land that cannot be sold, assuring the preservation of sites like national monuments and parks.

Artists from across the country gather in Salt Lake City for the 49th annual Utah Arts Festival

Some of the best artisans and tastemakers are presenting items this weekend at the 49th annual Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City.

The festival showcases more than 800 artists, dancers and musicians from around the country, Margaret Darby reported. More than 900 volunteers help bring the festival together.

It will also feature a variety of food and beverage stations, an interactive kids zone, live graffiti art and film screenings.

Here's what some of the artists are saying:

Garett Loveless on his sculpture titled, "Self-Reflection": “This piece is all about perception. It’s about (how) the outsider will see things the individual does not know — there are gaps in the reflection ... they see things more clearly than the individual."
Mandy Henebry on her first time showing her ceramics: “I’ve been making ceramics for about 35 years. I finally got to a point where I wanted to make sure my pots looked different from everyone else’s.”
Cory Ballis on his specialty in blown glass: “Everything starts as clear glass at 2,100 degrees, and then I hand mix all the colors myself. I have 15 different colors that I mix.”

Read more about the Utah Arts Festival.

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Utah

Utahns have higher debt amount but lower delinquency rate (Deseret News)
450 homes near Pine Valley remain evacuated due to fire; more power shutoffs possible (KSL.com)
Utah Olympic organizers are heading to Switzerland. Here’s why (Deseret News)
How the Deseret News covered Utah's worst crimes (Deseret News)
Teen who killed 3 and unborn baby at WestFest 'laughed and smiled' after, charges say (KSL.com)
Utah paves the way in AI governance – A national blueprint? (Utah Policy)
Rocky Mountain Power warns of power shutoffs due to weekend fire weather (KUER 90.1)
'A culinary adventure' under the stars: Black Sage expands outdoor dining near Zion National Park (St George News)
A win for Utah and Oklahoma: Supreme Court tells EPA to back off (Deseret News)
Shakespeare productions display timeless dialogue with a contemporary lens at Provo outdoor venue (Daily Herald)

Health

Public health announces first 2025 Utah measles case (Deseret News)
RFK Jr. launching study on health effects of Ohio chemical spill (Deseret News)

Faith

‘Picking God over the game’: Hear what players say who put missions before the big leagues (Deseret News)
President Eyring’s message for new mission leaders about being prepared by the Lord (Church News)

Politics

Trump caps off a tense week in D.C. with wait-and-see approach on Iran (Deseret News)
Federal judges affirm Trump’s power to deploy National Guard against violent protests (Deseret News)

The Nation and the World

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil ordered released by federal judge (NBC News)
Suspect arrested in alleged antisemitic road rage incident involving Rep. Max Miller (ABC News)
Iran rules out new nuclear talks until attacks stop (BBC)

Sports

2 wins away from first championship, Utah Warriors head coach weighs in on historic season (Deseret News)
BYU football’s big recruit visit weekend headlined by 5-star QB Ryder Lyons (Deseret News)
This former Ute is projected to be one of college football’s most impactful transfers in 2025 (Deseret News)
AJ Dybantsa officially named to Team USA in FIBA U19 World Cup. Here's how to watch him play (Deseret News)
VJ Edgecombe might not profile as an NBA star, but he is one of the most complete and ready players in the draft (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah during this month. Check it out, and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

Strawberry Days | Pleasant Grove
Utah Arts Festival | Salt Lake City
Tooele Arts Festival | Tooele
Redwood Farmers Market | New Roots Redwood Farm, West Valley City
Hurricane Farmers Market | Hurricane, Washington County
Lake Street Dive | Sandy Amphitheater
Lead singers of classic rock: Jason Scheff from Chicago and Tommy DeCarlo, formerly of Boston | Summer Nights with the Stars (Davis Arts Council)
“Disney’s Newsies: The Broadway Musical” | Heritage Theatre, Brigham City
“Something Rotten!” | Murray Park Amphitheater, Murray
“Into the Woods” | The Electric Theater Center, St. George
Utah Royals vs. Seattle Reign FC | 3 p.m.
Salt Lake Bees vs. Sacramento | 7:05 p.m.

Please reach out to me at sgambles@deseretnews.com if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share!

✨ Cheers ✨

— Gambles