Utah
A win-win? Utah revisits discussion of public land for housing — with a narrower scope
SALT LAKE CITY — Measures to turn swaths of public land over to local entities were met with widespread opposition last year, but a Utah legislative committee agrees it could yield good things.
Outdoor recreation groups and others say they’re concerned it could be a slippery slope leading to the loss of public land.
Members of the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee voted unanimously on Monday to favorably recommend HCR14, which urges Congress to allow “limited use of unreserved lands near existing communities and infrastructure for moderate income housing.”
Unlike Utah’s effort to secure 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land or Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s push to include the sale of 0.5% to 0.75% of public lands in Utah and 10 other Western states in a federal budget bill, each of which failed last year, HCR14 supports a “much smaller ask” and a particular type of federal land, said Rep. Raymond Ward, R-Bountiful, the resolution’s sponsor.
The idea was sparked by a conversation with Santa Clara leaders, who are dealing with southwest Utah’s population growth near federal land, but it’s a challenge that many other Utah communities face, he and members of the committee added. That’s contributed to some of the state’s housing affordability and other challenges.
“At least some portion of this difficulty is that land is a lot more expensive than it used to be,” he said. “You can’t make any more land, but there is some land that is right close by us, but because of the way it is designated federally, it is not available to be used for housing.”
Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner announced last year that they formed a joint task force to explore using “underutilized federal land” for housing to increase supply and potentially lower costs. Utah’s resolution, if passed, offers federal leaders “one more thing in their hand that they can use as a tool” when they have these types of land policy discussions in Washington, Ward said.
However, efforts to tinker with public land have been unpopular across all spectrums thus far, especially among those who recreate outdoors. Brett Stewart, president of the Utah OHV Advocates, asked if there are ways to trade state and private land in exchange for public land, so that the public doesn’t lose access to the land.
“Once you start doing this, you start handing it off … it’s going to do the domino effect,” he said. “It’s going to get easier and easier and easier, and now we’ve got that reputation that we’re selling off our public lands, which we’ll never, ever be able to touch again once it’s privatized.”
Housing is an important issue, but there’s a “huge lack of trust” following last year’s effort to sell land off land, said Kael Weston, of Salt Lake County.
Members of the committee agreed that it’s a complicated issue, which could require tighter language in the final resolution to avoid confusion, said House Majority Leader Casey Snider, R-Paradise.
“I think the intent is appropriate. I’d like to see it move forward, but I’m wondering if we could just have a conversation,” he said.
Ward acknowledged that it could be nice to clear up any concerns to reassure the public that the resolution isn’t seeking “a lot of other lands” that should remain in the public’s hands.
Others on the committee said land swaps and other types of agreements can be beneficial for both sides of the conversation. They can produce “win-wins” that support conservation and housing development needs, added Rep. Doug Owens, D-Millcreek.
“I think it’s a great resolution. It’s not in the far distant past where this used to happen more,” he said.
The resolution now heads to the House floor for a wider vote.
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
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Utah Mammoth is going to be a trendy underdog pick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not only does Utah have the novelty of this being its first-ever appearance in the postseason going for it, but the Mammoth tick plenty of other boxes that punters look for in a dark horse. They’re fast, dynamic, and create plenty of quality scoring chances.
The only problem is that they are running into the Vegas Golden Knights, arguably the best defensive team in the Western Conference, in Round 1.
Vegas is a -170 favorite to win the series, and it is -152 to win Game 1 on Sunday night.
Mammoth vs. Golden Knights odds, prediction
The Golden Knights had a weird season. Vegas started hot, took its foot off the pedal, and struggled to regain its form down the stretch. That led to a surprising coaching switch late in the campaign, but the move paid immediate dividends as John Tortorella led the Knights to a 7-0-1 record in his eight games behind the bench.
It should be noted that Tortorella benefited from an easy schedule since taking over in Vegas, but it’s hard to deny that the team looks sparked with a new voice in their ear.
What’s especially encouraging for Vegas is that its most glaring weakness, the play of goaltender Carter Hart, has started to trend in the right direction at the exact right time.
And Vegas is so good in its own zone that Hart doesn’t need to stand on his head to get the team over the line against Utah. If he’s just average, the Knights will stand a chance, especially since Utah’s goaltending situation is just as much of a question mark.
Betting on the NHL?
Outside of Vejmelka outplaying Hart, the Mammoth will also need to get this series on their terms if they want to pull the upset. Utah grades out as a slightly above-average defensive outfit, but its strength is up front with dynamic playmakers like Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller, plus sharp-shooter Dylan Guenther.
For those stars to have an impact, the Mammoth will need to get Vegas to open up and engage in a back-and-forth style. I just don’t see that happening with a team that was so disciplined in its own zone all season. The Knights led the NHL in expected goals against and high-danger chances conceded at 5-on-5, which shouldn’t be a shocker given the personnel in Sin City.
Not only does Vegas boast a deep blueline, but forwards Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are regarded as two of the best defensive minds in the entire sport.
Perhaps Utah can blitz Vegas and pull the upset, but I’d need a bigger number to go against the experienced, defensively savvy Knights in a best-of-7.
And if you’re looking for a play with more upside, have a good look at Vegas to pull off the sweep at 12/1.
The Play: Vegas moneyline (-152) | Vegas to sweep the series (12/1, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
KANOSH, Utah — The United States Geological Survey recorded multiple earthquakes near Kanosh Sunday morning, each of them having an average magnitude of 3.0.
The first earthquake, magnitude 3.0, was detected just after 12:30 a.m., with the epicenter located half a mile south of Kanarraville.
The second quake, magnitude 3.2, was detected around 5:45 a.m., with the epicenter nearly five miles south-southwest of Kanosh. This was followed by two more quakes in the same area, a magnitude 2.5 quake coming in around 6:35 a.m., followed by a third around 7:45 a.m, which measured at magnitude 3.3.
This has since been followed by another quake, measuring at magnitude 3.7, being detected around 8:45 a.m. The geographic location in the USGS report places the epicenter approximately over two miles south of the Dry Wash Trail, about six miles south-southwest of Kanosh.
FOX 13 News previously spoke with researchers at University of Utah, who said that earthquake swarms are relatively common. A study published in 2023 posits that swarms may be triggered by geothermal activity. The findings came after a series of seismic swarms were detected in central Utah, within the vicinity of three geothermal power plants.
The study also says that the swarms fall into a different category than aftershocks that typically follow large quakes, such as the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit the Wasatch Fault back in 2020.
Utah
Embattled Utah Rep. Trevor Lee loses county GOP convention — but wins enough support to make primary
Earlier in the week, House Speaker Mike Schultz said lawmakers asked the attorney general to investigate allegations of fraud and bribery against Lee.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, running for reelection, addresses delegates during the Davis County Republican Party nominating convention at Syracuse High School on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
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