Plus, are high housing costs driving Utahns to consider moving?
🌦️ 29 – 43° Logan | 🌦️ 35 – 46° Salt Lake
🌦️ 26 – 39° Manti | ⛅ 40 – 54° Moab
🌦️ 29 – 48° Cedar City | ⛅ 47 – 61° St. George
Good morning and Happy April Fools’ Day! (Stay alert and beware of pranks — but don’t worry, this email has nothing but the news.) Utah recently became the first state to ban fluoride in its water supply. Some cities in the U.S. have never added the mineral to their water, while other states mandate its addition. How important is fluoride for oral health? “The science, it seems, is not as settled as either critics or supporters would like folks to believe,” Lois M. Collins writes. Fluoride has proven benefits for oral health: it resists cavity-causing acids produced by mouth bacteria and can remineralize damaged teeth. However, it can cause problems if ingested in large quantities, and people can use fluoridated oral products to make up for any lack in their water. Read more about what science says about fluoride in public water supplies. Also on our minds: President Trump said he isn’t ruling out a third term. Is that constitutional? Utah will lose 37 public health positions, $98M in grants from federal cuts ‘The Chosen: Last Supper’ opens at $11.4M, the franchise’s best debut |
|
| Is Utah the blueprint for America’s ‘Abundance’ agenda? |
|
| | |
Utah leads the nation in positive-sum thinking, social mobility and energy costs. Our state’s abundance mindset makes it a clear outlier in the nation, and that may be just the thing the U.S. needs. In their new book, “Abundance,” New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and Atlantic writer Derek Thompson assert that government overregulation prevents good outcomes. (For example, excessive requirements and regulations have stalled projects like California’s high-speed rail and the Biden administration’s $42.5 billion rural broadband initiative.) Thompson and Klein offer a solution: increase supply by streamlining government processes and promoting a culture of abundance. “As liberals scramble to articulate a substitute to Trump’s populist regime change, ‘Abundance’ proposes a simple thesis: The answer to voter frustration isn’t pointing fingers, it’s producing more of the material outcomes that make America great,” Brigham Tomco writes. Read more about how Utah factors into the “Abundance” agenda. |
| I’d love to buy my own home, but the prospect is looking bleak, especially here in Utah. I’m not sure whether it’s comforting or concerning that I’m not alone in that sentiment. Many young Utahns are considering moving out of state because of high housing costs, according to a recent poll. Steve Waldrip, Gov. Spencer Cox’s senior adviser for housing strategy, said that’s “really not surprising.” Here are some insights from the poll: 58% of Utah voters under 30 agreed with the statement, “Housing is so expensive that I’ve considered moving out of state.” A third of Utah voters overall agreed. 56% of Utah voters agreed that housing was expensive, but have not thought about leaving Utah for a cheaper housing market. Just 6% labeled housing affordable in Utah. “People are understandably concerned about their quality of life. They’re understandably concerned about traffic impacts and density impacts,” Waldrip said. But he believes growth can be managed in a positive way with the governor’s starter homes initiative. Read more about how Waldrip says Utah can provide housing that young buyers can afford. More in Utah Utah health, human services loses jobs, $98 million in grants (Deseret News) Photo gallery: Spanish Fork Festival of Colors (Deseret News) Utah’s next storm could produce another foot of mountain snow, some for the valleys (KSL-TV) Utah Board of Higher Education adopts new policy for land acknowledgments (KSL.com) Cox vetoes four more bills, rejecting a controversial tax policy and innovative gold legislation (St George News) As people reach for their inhalers, Utah is in 'dust season' (FOX13) |
FROM UTAH BUSINESS Utah Business 2025 Executive Excellence Nominations It’s time to recognize executive team members for their strategic vision, resilient leadership, and profound influence. Nominate before April 18! |
The West A tale of two stranded horses that became fast friends (Deseret News) Colorado officials say Sundance Film Festival expected to bring economic boost to state (CBS News) Politics Trump says he isn’t ruling out a third term (Deseret News) Will TikTok survive its second deadline? (Deseret News) The U.S. Wednesday is tariff ‘Liberation Day.’ Here’s what Trump says is coming (Deseret News) Wild weather blamed for deaths of 3 kids in Michigan and a man in an Amish buggy in Indiana (The Associated Press) The World Israel to reoccupy 25% of Gaza to press Hamas to release hostages, official says (Axios) Front-runner in France’s next presidential election barred from running for office (Deseret News) Sports Kalani Sitake on what BYU accomplished in spring football camp (Deseret News) 3 takeaways from the Runnin’ Utes’ loss to Butler in College Basketball Crown (Deseret News) Egor Demin’s decision on the NBA has become complicated (Deseret News) How does the NCAA Tournament impact NBA decisions on prospects? Ask Thurl Bailey (Deseret News) The Kansas City Chiefs are coming to Disney+ in a new docuseries (Deseret News) Faith ‘The Chosen’ inches closer to box office milestone with ‘Last Supper’ debut (Deseret News) This 17-year-old aspiring preacher praised God on ‘American Idol’ — and left the judges ‘speechless’ (Deseret News) |
🗓️ Events Calendar We put together a list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah in April. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything! Here are some highlights for events in Utah today: April 1 — Utah Hockey Club vs. Calgary Flames | 7 p.m. April 1 — BYU softball vs. UVU | 6 p.m. April 1 — U of U baseball vs. Utah Tech | 4 p.m. April 1-5 — “The Pajama Game” | Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Ogden April 1-6 — “Life of Pi” | Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City |
|
Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond! And reply to this email or email newsletters@deseretnews.com to tell us what you think of Utah Today. Thanks for reading! — Ariel |
|
Copyright © 2025 Deseret News, All rights reserved. |
