University of Utah is poised to support the state’s critical minerals ambitions with new institute • Utah News Dispatch The University of Utah's Board of Trustees approved a critical minerals institute amid Legislature's push to become a major producer.

University of Utah is positioning itself to support the state’s critical minerals ambitions with new institute approved by trustees this week.

Utah Air Force base cancels popular air show in a ‘small but telling sign of world uncertainty’ • Utah News Dispatch Hill Air Force Base's Warriors Over the Wasatch air show has been postponed until 2027 due to "operational commitments."

As northern Utah's Hill Air Force Base cancels its June air show, a foreign policy expert says "we shouldn't be surprised that we're seeing effects even in Ogden, Utah.”
utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/04/14/u...

Some Utah voters weigh unregistering because of new law lifting certain privacy protections • Utah News Dispatch Some Utah voters are weighing whether to unregister to vote because of SB153, a new law lifting some privacy protections except for "at-risk" voters.

Some Utah voters weigh unregistering because of a new law lifting certain voter privacy protections.

As state election officials address misconceptions, they also say some clerks worry about deciding who qualifies for 'at risk' protections — and who doesn't.

Salt Lake City police chief meets with ‘nomads’ to talk homeless problems and solutions • Utah News Dispatch Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd met with people who have been homeless for a discussion hosted by the Nomad Alliance.

From limited shelter options for couples to added hurdles from camping tickets, people with experience living on Utah streets aired concerns and pitched solutions to Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd. #utpol

A new gold rush: States stockpile bars, encourage gold-backed debit cards • Utah News Dispatch More states are piling up gold bars, or encouraging residents to use gold-backed debit cards, to hedge against inflation.

Several states, including Western ones with rich mining histories, have been stockpiling gold as part of their broader state savings.

In Utah, a new law requires the state to create a precious metals-backed electronic payment system to pay state vendors.

Read more from @stateline.org

Amid ‘nuclear renaissance,’ Idaho worries about job demands coming to the Intermountain West  • Utah News Dispatch If the government wants to achieve its nuclear ambitions, it’s going to need an additional 184,000 people to work in the industry.

If the federal government wants to produce 400 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2050, it’s going to need an additional 184,000 people to work in the industry, a fact that worries intermountain states.

Mormon crickets make an early appearance in warm, dry Utah  • Utah News Dispatch Mormon crickets are starting to show up early in Utah, according to the state's Department of Agriculture and Food.

If the drought isn’t causing enough of a headache in Utah, Mormon crickets are starting to show up early. Scientists are asking farmers to help them keep a close eye on the insects that can wreak havoc in large numbers.

Drought and low snowpack raise wildfire risk as Trump’s budget creates a funding puzzle • Utah News Dispatch Utah is staring down a tinder dry wildfire season that has already started and could end with big changes to its federal funding.

Utah is staring down a tinder dry wildfire season that has already started and could come with big changes to its federal funding.

Fewer phones and more books — Cox commends new education laws • Utah News Dispatch Gov. Spencer Cox highlighted a set of education laws passed this year guiding how students use digital and physical media.

Gov. Spencer Cox highlighted a set of education bills passed by the Legislature this year that he hopes can encourage kids to get off their phones and help them read more books. #utpol

Utah now ‘epicenter’ of U.S. measles outbreak • Utah News Dispatch With more than 121 measles cases reported in the last three weeks while South Carolina hasn’t seen any new cases, Utah’s measles outbreak is now the most active in the U.S.

With more than 121 measles cases reported in the last three weeks while South Carolina hasn’t seen any new cases, Utah’s measles outbreak is now the most active in the U.S. #utpol

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What to know about Utah’s new voter privacy law and how clerks are responding to concerns • Utah News Dispatch What to know about Utah's new voter privacy law making previously "withheld" records public, and how clerks are responding to concerns.

What to know about Utah's new voter privacy law making previously "withheld" records public, and how clerks are responding to concerns. #utpol

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It’s Local News Day! Show your support for the journalists working in your community by sharing this post and subscribing to our daily newsletter, Your Daily Dispatch. utahnewsdispatch.com/subscribe/ #FairFearlessFree #LocalJournalism

Attention, gardeners: Utah’s free plant program gives bees a boost • Utah News Dispatch Utahns have until April 15 to apply to receive free native plants that can expand habitat and boost populations of bees and other pollinators.

The deadline for the Beehive State's pollinator habitat program flies by in less than a week. Supporters say it gives bees a boost by doling out free native plants.

Uncertainty swirls around Salt Lake City ICE warehouse amid DHS review • Utah News Dispatch The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing contracts. What that means for a planned ICE detention center in Utah is an open question.

The Department of Homeland Security isn't saying whether it's pausing plans for an immigrant detention center in Salt Lake City as it reviews contracts from Kristi Noem's time as head of the department. The agency paid more for the Utah warehouse than any other in the nation this year.

Another Utah Senate district topples as signature removals continue in failed Prop 4 repeal • Utah News Dispatch Another Senate district has fallen short of signature requirements in the bid to repeal Utah’s anti-gerrymandering law known as Proposition 4.

Another Senate district has fallen short of signature threshold requirements — marking what is likely the second nail in the coffin for the effort to repeal Utah’s 2018 voter-approved anti-gerrymandering law known as Proposition 4. #utpol

Tomorrow is the inaugural Local News Day, a new nationwide day of action dedicated to connecting people with trusted local news. Utah News Dispatch is proud to be a founding partner of this important event, we hope you’ll join us. Please share this post to support local journalism. More tomorrow!

University of Utah’s ‘AI supercomputer’ set to come online this summer • Utah News Dispatch The University of Utah is working on an AI supercomputer researchers hope will advance health care and environmental breakthroughs.

The University of Utah is working on an AI supercomputer, expected to come online this summer, that researchers hope will advance health care and environmental breakthroughs.
utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/04/07/u...

Makers of ‘feel free’ tonics sue Utah officials over new kratom regulations • Utah News Dispatch A stricter kratom regulation law isn't yet effective in Utah, but the makers of the popular "feel free" tonics are already suing.

Utah's stricter kratom regulation law won't take effect until May, but the makers of popular "feel free" tonics are already suing over it.

Two Wasatch Front cities help conserve water for the Great Salt Lake in a first-of-its-kind deal • Utah News Dispatch A new plan to get a little more water to the drying Great Salt Lake came together with help from Sandy and Salt Lake City.

Utah is breaking records for alarming reasons, with its hottest winter and flimsiest snowpack on record. But officials from the state and two cities joined conservation groups to say there's something to celebrate.

Facing a hotter climate and drying Great Salt Lake, some families plan to leave Utah  • Utah News Dispatch Some Utahns are leaving Utah to get away from the drying Great Salt Lake and dust containing heavy metals from its exposed lakebed.

Utah is getting hotter and drier, leaving residents choking on deteriorating air quality from worsening wildfires and toxic dust blown off the Great Salt Lake.

Some, like a family whose children experience severe asthma, face a painful choice — stay and suffer in the dirty air, or leave the state.

Over half of federal nursing care funding was used for hospitals’ administrative fees, audit finds • Utah News Dispatch Only 49% of the nearly $1 billion allocated for a funding initiative for nursing care, was used at the facilities it meant to serve.

Only 49% of the nearly $1 billion allocated for a funding initiative for nursing care, was used at the facilities it meant to serve, the Utah Office of the State Auditor says.

Private voter info to become public, but some Utahns, including police, can get exemptions • Utah News Dispatch The Utah lieutenant governor's office is notifying over 300,000 voters that some of their information will soon become publicly accessible.

The Utah lieutenant governor's office is notifying more than 300,000 voters that their addresses and other information now kept private will soon become publicly accessible under a new state law. Some Utahns qualify for exemptions, but they must request one by May 6.

Utah has the second-highest count of measles cases in the country so far this year • Utah News Dispatch With 318 cases so far in 2026, Utah has the second-highest count of measles cases in the country, after South Carolina, which had 668.

Utah has the second-highest count of measles cases in the country so far this year, fueled by a spike in the last three weeks.

A Biden student loan plan has ended. Here’s what borrowers need to know. • Utah News Dispatch On July 1, federal loan servicers will start sending notices to borrowers instructing them to enter into a legal repayment plan within 90 days

A federal court order last month to effectively axe a Biden-era student loan repayment plan capped years of chaos for more than 7 million student borrowers enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan.

Read more from @statesnewsroom.com

Kamala Harris and Salt Lake City Mayor Mendenhall walk into a bar • Utah News Dispatch Former Vice President Kamala Harris met with Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall at a bar in Salt Lake City before a speaking event.

When Kamala Harris and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall strode into T.F. Brewing together, it took a matter of seconds for the double takes to ripple across the brewery.

Here's why Harris was in Utah, and why Mendenhall wants her to run for president again. #utpol

Advocates, nurses say a Utah law takes away power from survivors of sexual assault  • Utah News Dispatch Advocates and experts in sexual assault are urging Utah to change a state law they say creates a barrier to medical care for victims.

Utah is the last state in the nation that requires health care providers who treat survivors of sexual assault to report their names, contact information and injuries to law enforcement, whether the patient wants them to or not.

Advocates and nurses say the law keeps people from seeking help.

Idaho governor signs bill to criminalize trans people using bathrooms that align with their identity • Utah News Dispatch Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill that criminalizes transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill that criminalizes transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, including in private businesses.

Read more from @idahocapitalsun.com

Utah election officials eye Trump vote-by-mail order with uncertainty, concern • Utah News Dispatch Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson compared President Donald Trump's executive order restricting voting by mail to a "nonsensical" play.

After President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order that attempts to restrict mail-in voting, Utah’s top election official, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, reacted with a social media post comparing the order to a "nonsensical" play. #utpol

Forest Service headquarters to relocate to Salt Lake City in major restructuring plan • Utah News Dispatch The U.S. Forest Service will move its headquarters to Salt Lake City a part of the agency's sweeping restructuring plans.

The U.S. Forest Service will move its headquarters to Salt Lake City, a big move among other sweeping restructuring plans.