Plus, the new plan to save the Great Salt Lake from drought has a market-based approach, rather than using water use mandates.
Good morning. Salt Lake City will have a high of 39° and a low of 21°. Today marks two years since the death of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, along with seven others who were in the helicopter with them. I remember reading the news that morning and feeling surprised at how emotional I felt, as someone who didn't know Bryant personally and didn't follow his career — or even basketball in general — too closely. I think Fox Sports' Charlotte Wilder captured my feelings in a tweet that day: "Terrible things happen every day, but when someone like Kobe — who seemed so untouchable, so omnipresent and larger than life — is taken away it really drives home how absolutely nothing is guaranteed and our time here is pretty precious." So with that in mind, I'm going to try to make the most of this pretty precious Wednesday. Also on our mind today: a possible end to the Omicron wave, why Ryan Hamilton postponed his Salt Lake City show and the first complete photographic record of the original Book of Mormon manuscript. |
| Can Utah save the Great Salt Lake from drought? Here’s the plan |
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| | A new bill unveiled Tuesday would establish unprecedented guidelines for how Utah should respond to its shrinking Great Salt Lake. What's new: Lake Mead, Lake Powell and the Great Salt Lake all hit record lows over the summer and into the fall. But unlike Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the Great Salt Lake doesn't have a comprehensive framework for how water districts and the state can try to curb its decline. Why it matters: As the lakebed dries, more dust is exposed — dust that contains concentrations of heavy metals, including arsenic. Wind can pick up the dust and dump it along the Wasatch Front, potentially leading to cancer and cardiovascular disease for those exposed. The lake is also a key factor in Utah's $1.5 billion ski industry, as the "lake effect" bolsters storms that roll into the Wasatch. What's the plan?: Generally speaking, the idea is to take a market-based approach, rather than a mandate on water use. The plan would impose fees and allow the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to buy or lease water rights from users in the Jordan, Weber and Bear river basins. |
Read more from Kyle Dunphey about the specifics of the plan. |
| Lawmakers received a “litany” of public comments from constituents who worry HB16 would allow health departments and other entities to declare “false” emergencies and institute martial law. Let's talk about what HB16 would — and wouldn't — do. HB16 would: Provide workers’ compensation benefits to emergency response team members — primarily Utah firefighters who are sent to assist with disasters or special security events Increase funding to the National Guard for fire suppression Make it easier for the state to reimburse local fire authorities so they can pay personnel who are fighting fires in neighboring states HB16 would not: Allow citizens to be arrested for speaking out against critical race theory Allow the United States Department of Homeland Security to mobilize the National Guard or other emergency response teams in Utah The Senate Business and Labor Committee recommended HB16 unanimously on Monday, but added an amendment to clear up some of the language in the bill. HB16 passed the House unanimously and will be sent to the Senate for final approval. Read more to find out why one University of Utah professor called the public comment period and subsequent amendment "kind of a success story." More in Politics Bill to require Utah schools to stock free period products advances to House (Deseret News) Utah House votes to remove barriers for unmarried couples seeking surrogacy (Deseret News) Salt Lake City mayor focuses on affordable housing, air quality in State of the City address (KSL.com) |
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