OREM, Utah (KUTV) — Reports of ticks near Orem City Center Park and surrounding neighborhoods are raising concerns among Utah County residents as families spend more time outdoors during the holiday weekend.

The sightings, shared in neighborhood social media posts, appear to show ticks in residential backyards near the park. While ticks are commonly found in Utah during warmer months, health officials warn some species can carry serious diseases.

Susan and Paul Johnson were among many families spending Memorial Day in the area with visiting friends from Japan.

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“Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s not too hot, not too cold,” Susan Johnson said.

The family said they spent the morning honoring veterans before heading out to enjoy the weather.

“We went to the cemetery this morning and placed flowers, and now we are here to play in the water, enjoy the sun and be together as a family,” Johnson said.

Utah’s warmer weather brings increased tick activity. The Rocky Mountain wood tick is the species most commonly found in Utah. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, the tick is typically active from snowmelt through mid-July and is often found in mountainous terrain.

The species can carry diseases including Colorado tick fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Another species, the western black-legged tick, can carry Lyme disease.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services began statewide tick surveillance efforts in 2020. Officials recommend anyone bitten by a tick monitor for symptoms including fever, rash, fatigue or body aches. Health officials also advise residents to safely collect and store the tick, if possible, for testing and identification.

Johnson said her family takes precautions after spending time outdoors.

“We check ourselves anyway at night,” she said.

Utah has reported a small number of Lyme disease cases in recent years. State health officials said more research is needed to better understand Lyme disease risks in Utah.

Residents are encouraged to wear long sleeves and pants in grassy or wooded areas, use insect repellent and perform tick checks after spending time outside.

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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah Memorial Day weather statewide starts with partly cloudy skies and pleasant temperatures. As the morning progresses, clouds and light showers will increase across southeast Utah.

Stronger showers and thunderstorms are likely over the south-central mountains from I-70 south from midday through the afternoon.

Storms will produce gusty winds and lightning, but rainfall generally will remain light except over the highest terrain.

Showers will move north through the afternoon across mainly eastern Utah, though a few storms may develop over western Utah.

Once again, gusty winds are possible with these generally dry storms.

Showers are possible over the Uinta Mountains by late evening.

Strong southerly winds are the next weather event in the forecast, beginning Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday across western and southwest Utah.

Critical fire danger remains the main threat as the winds continue drying out already dry vegetation.

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The Utah Jazz’s summer league roster won’t be as loaded with young talent as it has been across the last couple of offseasons.

With the Jazz’s young names around the team such as Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, and Brice Sensabaugh having clearly graduated from those reps thanks to their gradual development, it leaves this year’s group in July inevitably slated to look a little different than fans have been accustomed to as of late.

However, according to Chandler Holt of KSL Sports, two players on the Jazz’s roster stick out to have a strong chance of being a part of this year’s summer league group come time for July: second-year wing Ace Bailey and the number-two overall pick, whoever that ends up being.

Ace Bailey, No. 2 Pick Slated to Play in Summer League

It’s not a major surprise that the Jazz’s incoming rookie— even with a draft stock as high as second overall— will at least get some portion of the reps during summer league.

Looking back to last summer, and even as far back as 2023’s stint with Victor Wembanyama taking the floor for just two games, the most highly touted rookies in the class are bound to get some type of run during those live reps that are hard to replicate, regardless of whether the stretch of games played is extremely short.

The Jazz will be no different with their top pick. And perhaps in a bit of a bigger surprise, he’ll more than likely be joined by Utah’s fifth-overall pick from 2025, Ace Bailey, for what will be the first appearance on the floor for his second year as a pro, and his second time ever appearing in the summer league.

Bailey showed a ton of upside and growth during his first season in the fold with the Jazz, especially towards the end of the year when he was able to claim a good chunk of the offensive responsibility while the lineup was depleted.

By just looking at Bailey’s averages in the month of March, he was playing 30 minutes a night to shoot up to 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 45.3% shooting from the field.

Following that strong end to the season, the Jazz might want to see more of Bailey in a role as the primary scoring option on the floor, albeit in a summer league setting that has stark differences from an NBA regular season contest.

However, with a few months of offseason work under his belt, fans could be in line to get a glimpse of a wildly improved Bailey, which wouldn’t be the most shocking development after how he found his stride and confidence offensively following February’s All-Star break.

Could both Bailey and that top draft selection end up playing a brief two-game stretch before the Jazz put them on the shelf?

It’s very possible, especially considering Utah will want to keep the key fixtures of this roster both healthy and prepared for a bounce-back 2026-27 campaign. The Jazz did something similar with Brice Sensabaugh last year as they decided to rest him midway through their summer league slate after his electric start in Salt Lake City.

But at the very least, those in-game reps can always help out young players in a big way when they’re available, either in the summer league or in a regular-season outing. So expect the Jazz and their fans to take advantage of those with two of their most pivotal pieces for the future.

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