Utah
Utah leaders say gas prices will fall thanks to new agreement – KSLTV.com
SALT LAKE CITY — State leaders announced a partnership with the petroleum industry that they said will increase fuel supply, lower gas prices and resolve an ongoing feud with Idaho.
The announcement comes after weeks of tension between Utah and Idaho leaders over a plan floated by Utah lawmakers to tax fuel exports. Officials in Idaho said that could have raised gas prices there.
Instead of taxing exports, the Legislature plans to cut the state gas tax by 15% while working with the oil and gas industry to increase the supply of fuel at Utah’s refineries, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, announced Monday.
“If you want lower prices, you have to increase supply. It’s that simple,” Schultz said. “This agreement will bring in nearly 800,000 additional gallons of fuel into the market every single day, boosting competition and putting real downward pressure on prices at the pump.”
At the same time, leaders in Idaho have tentatively agreed to work to increase water supply on the Bear River system, which runs through Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. Gov. Spencer Cox signed a memorandum of understanding about that during a press conference at the state Capitol. Idaho Gov. Brad Little was expected to sign it soon, a spokesperson said.
“We are at a critical crossroads in Utah’s energy and water future and we are choosing an abundance mindset over managing scarcity,” the governor said. “This partnership not only benefits Utahns, but it will benefit the entire Intermountain region.”
He said industry leaders have committed to increase refinery production in Utah by 23,500 barrels of oil per day within the next five years. The state is also investing in fuel storage to help meet seasonal demand and infrastructure to aid production and delivery of fuel, Cox added.
The agreement with Idaho won’t secure any new water rights in the Bear River system, but will let both states work together on managing excess flows and water sustainability.
“We have so much in common — probably more in common with Idaho than any other neighbor out there — and so I’m grateful that the relationship is coming out even stronger,” Cox told reporters.
Meanwhile, the proposal to cut the gas tax, HB575, is moving through the Legislature in the final weeks of the session. Besides slashing the tax, the bill also requires refineries to report to the state how many barrels of oil and other petroleum products they produce. It also aims to make it easier to build pipelines in the state that would increase the supply of gasoline.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cal Roberts, R-Draper, was unanimously approved by a House committee last week and is awaiting a vote in the full House of Representatives.
Rikki Hrenko-Browning, the president of the Utah Petroleum Association, said “tightening supplies” in the fuel market has led to some higher prices.
“We stand together with state leadership to reaffirm our commitment to the state, to our neighbors and to our customers,” she said. “We look forward to working together to grow Utah to become an energy leader across the Intermountain West.”
Utah
Man arrested in Wyoming wanted for rape, domestic violence in Utah
RAWLINS, Wyoming (KUTV) — A man wanted for alleged rape and domestic violence in Utah was arrested in Wyoming.
He is “behind bars thanks to the work of eagle-eyed troopers with the Wyoming Highway Patrol,” WHP said on social media.
Troopers were alerted to a Be On The Look Out (BOLO) call at approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday for a suspect in a white Chrysler Seabreeze.
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Troopers in Rawlins, Wyoming, spotted the vehicle just after 8:30 a.m.
The suspect was arrested without incident and transported to the Carbon County Jail.
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Utah
Hill AFB ends Starbase program that sparked STEM interest among Utah students
CLEARFIELD — A program empowering northern Utah children to discover the possibilities of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will end after more than a decade of operation.
This week, Hill Air Force Base announced that it is ending its sponsorship of the Starbase program.
Starbase, a U.S. Department of Defense program, is offered throughout the country to provide hands-on learning experiences to young students — primarily fifth graders, according to a description on the curriculum’s website.
Starbase at Hill Air Force Base opened in 2011, and over the past 15 years, has ignited early STEM interest in more than 25,000 students in Davis and Weber counties.
Heather Ingle, a mother of two daughters — 14 and 11 — who have been in the program, said she was sad to hear that Starbase will no longer be offered at the northern Utah base.
“Just the thought of other kids not being able to have that guaranteed program, I think it’s sad,” she said.
Ingle’s oldest daughter participated in the weeklong Starbase program in Montana while their family was stationed in the Great Falls area. More recently, her 11-year-old daughter participated in it at Hill Air Force Base while the family has been stationed in Utah.
She said her 14-year-old was “strongly influenced” through the exploration of hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics experience and has shifted her career goals around based on what she learned.
Her younger daughter, on the other hand, wasn’t initially as interested in it.
“And then the first day happened, she came home and she loved it, and totally denied that she didn’t want to go that day,” Ingle told KSL. “She really enjoyed it — she likes to learn new things.”
A Hill Air Force Base press release issued Tuesday didn’t go into specifics about why they’re concluding the program, but it did allude to a funding issue.
“Today, northern Utah benefits from a robust network of STEM programs, many of which were inspired or accelerated by Starbase’s early success. This expansion, combined with changes in national program funding, marks a natural moment for transition. Concluding the program allows Hill AFB to realign resources to meet the growing demands of its core national security mission, confident that the community is well supported by a diverse and vibrant STEM landscape,” the base said.
Starbase’s final days at Hill Air Force Base raised a question for Ingle regarding the program’s future elsewhere, as their family will soon be relocating back to Montana and hopes their youngest child has an opportunity to experience it.
“I have a 5-year-old as well, and I really am hoping that the Starbase program in general continues,” she said.
A spokesperson for Hill Air Force Base said the program there will finish out the remainder of the school year and that it’s still active “at some other bases currently.”
Northern Utah benefits from a robust network of STEM programs, many of which were inspired or accelerated by Starbase’s early success.
–Hill Air Force Base
The base said it’s thankful to the many people who helped make Starbase a cornerstone in local STEM education.
“The base remains deeply committed to community partnership and will continue supporting educational outreach that inspires the next generation of innovators, leaders and problem‑solvers,” the base said.
For Ingle, she’s grateful for the opportunities her daughters have had at Starbase and for how it showed them a career they, too, can one day pursue.
“Outside of the doctor, lawyer, cop, firefighter — you know, it opens their eyes into so many different careers and specialties out there that you can touch, and I love that exposure,” she said.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Utah
Special Olympics torch run reaches Utah Capitol – KSLNewsRadio
SALT LAKE CITY — The “Flame of Hope” made its way to the Utah State Capitol Wednesday morning as Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement came together for the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run.
The event is part of a 45-year tradition that raises awareness and support for Special Olympics athletes while strengthening the partnership between law enforcement and the community.
Paralympians ski in shorts and T-shirts, and some ask: Shouldn’t these Games be earlier?
“Law enforcement across the country teams up with Special Olympics chapters throughout the country and we do a torch run which is a fundraiser,” said Bill Newell, Law Enforcement Torch Run Council Chairman.
Organizers say the goal goes beyond fundraising — it’s about visibility and recognition for athletes across Utah.
“We want them to be recognized. We want the community to see these athletes and what tremendous people they are and what great contributions they make,” Newell said.
For athletes, the Torch Run is also a chance to be seen and celebrated for their accomplishments.
“I would like to thank the First Lady, Commissioner Mason, Chief Reed, Special Olympics Utah and everyone who joined us today. Thank you for being here. Because of you, athletes like me are seen, heard and celebrated,” said Special Olympics athlete Josh Roberts.
The Torch Run will continue across Utah throughout the month, leading up to the Special Olympics Utah Summer Games in Cedar City on May 28.
“Join us in Cedar City for the Special Olympics Utah Summer Games. Come cheer, come celebrate and be a part of something very special. It’ll be the best thing you’ll do all summer,” Roberts said.
Law enforcement agencies across the state will continue participating alongside Special Olympics athletes as the Torch Run moves from community to community ahead of the final leg in Cedar City.
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