News

By Madelyn Beck -- Inside Energy

California’s Insurance Department says insurance companies working in-state must report carbon-based investments. 

Western Governors University is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The Salt Lake City-based online school enrolls nearly 82,000 students nationwide and aims to be the perfect fit for those who are giving college a second try.

Half a billion dollars. That’s the amount Utah estimates it forgoes every year in sales tax due to the state’s abundance of exemptions.

Emergency officials say hot and windy conditions more than doubled the size of the Brian Head Fire overnight in southwestern Utah. The fire is now 28,000 acres in size and only 5 percent contained.

On Thursday the U.S. Senate released its replacement bill for Obamacare. It was met with mixed responses, including from Utah’s Senators who helped write it.

Gov. Gary Herbert is defending his authority to organize a special election to fill the upcoming vacancy in the 3rd Congressional District, after lawmakers accused the governor of a power grab.

Utah Lawmakers continued discussions Wednesday about possibly changing a new law that lowers the legal limit to .05 blood alcohol content.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams wants to move the downtown liquor store. He hopes it will reduce the flow of alcohol into the troubled Rio Grande neighborhood. Officials at the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control support the idea but say there are obstacles.

On Wednesday a Utah State Representative announced his plans for a bill to increase access to birth control methods for low-income Utahns.

Conservation groups are asking federal land managers to avoid proposing oil and gas leases that undermine the appeal of nearby national parks and monuments.

Eight schools in Utah have qualified for a state STEM designation. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In order to get the title, these schools had to prove they’re serious about each one of those. 

Utah state lawmakers are ramping up their fight with Gov. Gary Herbert over the special election to fill Congressman Jason Chaffetz’s seat. 

Monday marked the start of the third annual Wasatch Mountain Film Festival. The festival is bringing adventure and outdoor films to locations around Salt Lake City.

Hot.

It’s the big theme in this week’s weather forecast, as temperatures soar 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal. The National Weather Service has teamed up with local agencies to prepare the public with a new “heat risk” warning program.

Local Muslim leader Yussuf Abdi returned to Salt Lake City with his family on Sunday. Abdi, who is a U.S. citizen, was stranded in Kenya last week when airport security barred him from boarding his flight back to America.

The once-crowded Republican field to replace Congressman Jason Chaffetz is now down to three candidates — and when it comes to discussing President Trump, the GOP candidates are striking a delicate chord between support and uncertainty.

Utah Democratic Party Delegates chose Daisy Thomas as their new party chair at Saturday’s organization convention.

Democratic delegates have selected Dr. Kathie Allen as their candidate in the special election to replace Congressman Jason Chaffetz. She won the nomination with 77% of the delegate vote over progressive activist Ben Frank and environmentalist Carl Ingwell.

In a surprise win, former state lawmaker Chris Herrod won the Republican nomination to replace Rep. Jason Chaffetz of the 3rd Congressional District.

Provo Mayor John Curtis will be on the primary ballot for Utah’s 3rd congressional district race but with very little support from Utah’s GOP delegates.

University of Utah administrators are taking steps to make the campus safer. The changes include mandatory sexual assault awareness training for students, faculty and staff.

Insurance companies are concerned congress may not fund an important federal subsidy approved under Obamacare for the coming year. That could mean higher healthcare costs for Utahns. 

A new facility is being built in North Salt Lake to turn food waste into energy. It’s the first of a kind in Utah.

Gov. Gary Herbert (R) helped kick off construction on Thursday.

Downtown Salt Lake City’s Gateway shopping center has been undergoing slow and steady adjustments since its change in ownership last year. The transformation is paying off: The Gateway is adding new tenants, including a Dave & Buster’s.

A Muslim-American Utah man is stuck in Kenya after allegedly being told he could not return to The United States. Yussuf Abdi’s attorney says airline officials told him the U.S. government had placed a hold on Adbi and would not allow him to board his return flight back to Salt Lake City with his wife and children.

Utah leaders are prodding the Trump administration to expedite the Lake Powell Pipeline. They’re not asking for money but to speed up governmental approval.