Utah

Mysterious Steel Monolith Discovered In Utah Desert Mysteriously Disappears

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Supreme Court rejects New York restrictions on religious services … Trump administration denies key permit for Pebble Mine … Baltimore County schools still closed after ransomware attack.

  • By Laura Maggi

One City Council Tried to Dissuade Protesters from Targeting the Governor's Private Home. (It Didn't Work.)

The city council in Orem, Utah, convened an emergency meeting to pass an ordinance restricting protests that target public officials' private homes. Two days later, protesters were back at Gov. Gary Herbert's house.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

One Republican Governor Reversed Course on a Mask Mandate. Others Are Still Resisting.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared an indefinite statewide mask mandate on Sunday as coronavirus cases continue to spike around the country, but other governors—including those in states hit hardest by the virus—haven't budged.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In One Western State, Warnings of Strain on Hospitals as Virus Surges

“We cannot continue to argue that health care will do just fine regardless of the demand. That is not true,” says one doctor.

  • By Bill Lucia

Bringing Artificial Intelligence to Everything from Cattle Branding to Cybersecurity

Utah simplifies the process of registering brands using image recognition technology, one of many projects that is part of the state’s AI plan.

  • By Laura Maggi

Voting By Mail? You May Not Get a Sticker That Says So.

Whether you receive an "I Voted" sticker with your ballot depends entirely on where you live. Some election officials are cautioning against dispensing stickers in person out of fears of spreading the coronavirus.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

The Red State That Isn’t Worried About a Mail-In Election

Utah has thoroughly embraced voting by mail with no problems. Why can’t the rest of the country follow suit?

  • By McKay Coppins, The Atlantic

States Let Law School Grads Work Without Taking the Bar Exam

Earlier this month, Louisiana cancelled the bar exam. This week the state became the fourth to enact "diploma privilege," allowing recent law school graduates to practice law without sitting for the three-day bar exam.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Politicians and Business Interests Pushed Health Officials Aside to Control Reopening. Then Cases Exploded.

Interviews and internal emails show that Utah prioritized the health of businesses over keeping coronavirus case counts down. As case counts rise, the state will now allow indoor gatherings of up to 3,000 people.

  • By Lisa Song and Mollie Simon, ProPublica

One State is Manufacturing Free Masks for Any Resident Who Wants One

Since April, the state of Utah and area manufacturers have supplied more than 1 million masks to state residents for free.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

A State Tries to Chart its Economic Rebound From a Pandemic

Utah has drafted a plan meant to serve as a road map for both public health and economic policies during the coronavirus crisis.

  • By Bill Lucia

Salt Lake City Cracks Down on Large Groups Greeting Missionaries at Airport

The stricter rules came after hundreds of residents ignored social-distancing guidelines to greet missionaries returning from abroad.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

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Cracking Down on 'Disruptions' of Government Meetings

The Utah state Senate unanimously passed a bill that the sponsor said is meant to "create civility." It would increase penalties for protests or other disruptions of public meetings.

  • By Emma Coleman

State Lawmakers Face Uphill Battles as They Seek to Tax More Services

Maryland is the latest state to consider such a proposal. What many experts regard as “good tax policy” is often a tough political sell.

  • By Bill Lucia

A Plan To Prevent Drunk Drivers From Buying Alcohol

Proposed legislation in Utah would create an "Alcohol-Restricted Individual Program," with both voluntary and court-ordered participation.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Utah Representative Proposes Bill to Stop Payday Lenders From Taking Bail Money from Borrowers

Debtors prisons were banned by Congress in 1833, but a ProPublica article that revealed the sweeping powers of high-interest lenders in Utah caught the attention of one legislator. Now, he’s trying to do something about it.

  • By Anjali Tsui, ProPublica

Utah Would Decriminalize Polygamy Under Bill Moving Through Legislature

A state lawmaker said that branding polygamists as felons has driven abuse into the shadows.

  • By Emma Coleman

Behind on Child Support? In Some States that Means No Fishing or Hunting

A proposal in Utah would prevent certain people from obtaining hunting or fishing permits if they're behind on child support. Similar policies have been adopted by other states.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

State Lawmakers Backtrack on a Tax Code Revamp

Utah officials say they plan to scrap a law they passed just last month after it attracted widespread public opposition, in part because of a tax hike on groceries.

  • By Bill Lucia

One State May Become the First to Ban Law Enforcement Use of Genealogy Databases

A Utah state representative said he believes lawmakers are prepared to continue their “strong record of protecting individual privacy.”

  • By Emma Coleman

Growing Number of Republican-Led States Say They Will Accept Refugees

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Watchdog group sues San Diego over smart street lights … Washington legislators subject to public record requests .... Washington attorney general sues to stop courthouse ICE arrests.

  • By Emma Coleman