Utah’s pro-nuclear billboards say plants emit less radiation than bananas. Do they? The billboards are part of an education campaign under Gov. Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt. There is science behind the claim, but critics think it’s unfair.

"That's a convoluted topic, but you've got to make a billboard that has a one-sentence statement," said the research director at the Utah Office of Energy Development.

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

What comes next for Ogden Valley City? How about a new name Naming the newly incorporated city has brought out a lot of strong feelings. Residents can share their preferences in a survey, but city council has the final say.

Ogden Valley City got up and running this year, but its name was intended to be a placeholder.

Now Utah's newest city is grappling with what to call itself.

www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

Paid parking could be just around the corner in downtown Ogden Ogden changed its original proposal after business owners raised concerns over employee parking and quick visits. The city council will consider the new plan at its April 14 work session.

Free parking on 25th Street could be coming to an end.

www.kuer.org/business-eco...

Hagfish are not cute. But their slime could help reduce plastic in clothing.

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

Weird. Before they added that option, I used Parallel Space to have two separate WhatsApp apps downloaded on my phone. It was clunky but it worked.

I set up a WhatsApp account with my GV number! WhatsApp now allows you to have multiple accounts on the same device

The Utah Renewable Communities energy program is almost ready for launch June 2 is the deadline for communities to officially enroll in Utah Renewable Communities. Participating customers will pay $4 a month toward new clean energy sources in the West.

Net 100% renewable energy for $4 a month.

19 Utah communities are considering hopping on board.

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Utah ICE arrests appear to be more targeted, rather than by chance In terms of what’s driving fear in Hispanic and Latino communities, advocates like Ogden-based LUPEC still point to Trump administration rhetoric, instead of actions on the ground.

New data from @deportationdata.org shows 86% of Utah ICE arrests since August were targeted — more than in the US as a whole.

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A Utah adoption agency imploded. It cost potential parents a child — and $575,000 When Utah’s Brighter Adoptions unexpectedly closed its doors, it left more than a dozen families in the lurch and without answers. Those families say negligence sank the agency and blocked their way t...

Adoption is expensive. That I understand.

What I didn't get, until now, was the *risk.* That families can go all in on starting a family and see that investment go dramatically belly up.

Ogden is feeding on the curling boom, even if the rink is too small for 2034 Having the World Men’s Curling Championships in town builds on Ogden’s Olympic legacy. But when the games come back to Utah, curling may have outgrown Ogden.

The men's world curling championships are in Ogden this week.

Could Weber County host again at the 2034 Olympics?

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What to know about how Weber County’s partnership with ICE works Deputies release many immigrants who lack legal status with just a local charge or warning, but ICE can also request that they take someone into custody.

The Weber County Sheriff's Office collaborates with ICE, but exactly who ends up in immigration custody is complicated.

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Salt Lake County district signature removals knock Prop 4 repeal off the ballot The fatal blow came from Senate District 15, currently held by Democratic Sen. Kathleen Riebe. The Republican-backed repeal group had no margin for error, as it only met the minimum district threshold...

More than 650 people have removed their signatures in a key Senate district, so the attempted repeal of Utah’s gerrymandering ban won’t be on November’s ballot.

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DIY balcony solar power can help Utahns chip away at their electric bills Last year, Utah was the first state to pass a law allowing small-scale plug-in solar at home. Now, similar bills have popped up in more than 25 other states.

It's sunny out! And the sun could be yours, with the help of solar panels that plug straight into the wall.

www.kuer.org/business-eco...

“I could do that!” Stories of improbable confidence One guest can sell you a plot on the moon, the other ran a marathon with zero training and a third bought a chance to conduct the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Just listened to this podcast from @ctpublic.bsky.social about how you can buy yourself some land on the moon! www.ctpublic.org/show/audacio...

ICE says its SLC detention center would be an economic boon. They won’t show their math — but we tried to check it anyway. ICE says its planned SLC detention center will bring in 9,893 jobs and add $1.1 billion to Utah’s GDP. But the agency won’t show how it calculated those figures, and local leaders and experts are skep...

From @sltrib.com: ICE says its planned SLC detention center would bring boatloads of jobs and revenue. But how?

www.sltrib.com/news/2026/03...

Ogden activists want to use a city permit as an unlikely tactic against ICE ICE sometimes holds people overnight at its temporary detention facility in Ogden, in violation of conditions set by the city planning commission in 2000. Could the city do anything about it?

The predecessor to ICE got permission for a temporary holding facility in Ogden in 2000.

It looks to be violating its conditional use permit, but could the city do anything about it?

www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

Salt Lake City mayor asks for urgent meeting with feds over ICE warehouse purchase • Utah News Dispatch Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall sent a letter to an ICE official asking for a meeting over the purchase of a $145.4 million warehouse.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall sent a letter to a top ICE official asking for a meeting over the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recent $145.4 million purchase of a warehouse property in the city. #utpol

Utah’s warm winter is likely to lead to a confusing spring for early flowering Weber State scientists have an eye on the correlation between weather and the timing of flowers blooming. Short answer: heat speeds things up.

If you think your flowers are blooming early, you're not crazy.

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

The Trump administration's crackdown on immigrant truckers shifts into higher gear The White House wants tougher rules for commercial licenses after several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers. But critics say that would do little to make the nation's roads safer.

The White House wants tougher rules for commercial licenses after several high-profile crashes involving foreign-born drivers.

Critics say that won't make the nation's roads any safer, but it would force thousands of immigrants out of the trucking industry.

www.npr.org/2026/03/12/n...

ICE pays $145 million for a Salt Lake City warehouse The agency has been buying warehouses across the country for massive new detention centers. Previous rumors of a detention center in Salt Lake City were met with protests and outcry from city and coun...

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Utah lawmakers fix emergency English learner funding that no school qualified for Schools don’t need as many new English learners to qualify, and the Utah State Board of Education now has the discretion to award emergency funding to schools that demonstrate need.

The first attempt at granting emergency funding for English learners was a flop, but help could be on the way next year.

www.kuer.org/education/20...

Raising roommate limits in SLC and Ogden might help squeeze more from housing The current rules are unenforceable, and allowing more unrelated residents could result in more people splitting rent — and making housing more affordable in the process.

Allowing 8, 10, or unlimited unrelated roommates could help make housing more affordable.

www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

I don't know why HB309 only applied to the four largest counties. I didn't follow the bill last year so I don't know if it came up. The new bill will eventually equalize things, but it's a good question.

After hiker and biker blowback, Utah lawmakers fix wildlife area access rules Last year, lawmakers required users to have a hunting or fishing license on state wildlife management areas. They’re swapping that out for an educational and donation-based system.

The requirement to have a hunting or fishing license angered a lot of trail users. Now lawmakers are replacing it with an educational video.

www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

Meteorological winter leaves Utah the way it came in — hot and bothered From Salt Lake City to St. George, communities statewide experienced their warmest winter on record. Snowpack, air quality and ski shops all took a hit.

Ogden's winter was 8.5°F warmer than the 1991-2020 average.

8.5°F!

via @davidcondos.bsky.social
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Run up and down a mountain for air quality? This Ogden race is all about it Last year’s Running Up For Air fundraiser paid off with four new air quality monitors around Ogden. This year’s race up and down Malan’s Peak hopes to add even more.

New air quality monitors are coming to Ogden, thanks to a group of runners shlepping up and down Malan's Peak a bunch of times.

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

The Ogden police homeless advocates housed 50% more people in 2025 The advocates work to meet people’s basic needs, with the end goal of helping them find and stay in stable housing to reduce the cost to the community.

Weber County has Utah’s second highest homeless population. OPD’s advocates help people find and stay in stable housing.

It's a long process.  

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I have been on a @christinalauren.bsky.social spree! Their books are all so fun

In Utah and elsewhere, habeas petitions are the tool used to fight ICE detentions It’s gotten much harder for immigrants held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get out on bond. Habeas corpus petitions often work, but there’s a catch: they’re very expensive.

The Trump administration is keeping immigrants detained without bond.

Attorneys have been suing the federal government to get them out, but it’s expensive and out of reach for many.

www.kuer.org/politics-gov...

Heads up, fees are rising at 18 Utah state parks this year Sand Hollow, Dead Horse Point and Bear Lake are some parks where fees are going up in 2026. Fees are capped by the Legislature, and setting them is a balancing act between access and maintenance.

Visitation has shot up at Utah state parks, and they need to pay for staff and maintenance.

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