The Utah State Records Committee is an important part of the state’s mostly admirable process of keeping its government open.

Or it was, until a Senate committee started sitting on nominations to the committee, leaving it without enough members to act and unreasonably limiting the public’s right to know what its government is up to.

The mess at Utah Tech University, where charges of a toxic work environment have been bottled up and kept from public view, is only one example of what happens when the process is stymied.

The records committee hears appeals from citizens and the media when someone has filed a request for information using Utah’s Government Records and Management Act and the relevant government agency has refused to release it.

At least it used to, when the seven-member body had at least five people serving, enough to constitute a quorum to do business.

But the terms of three of those members expired. Gov. Spencer Cox properly nominated those same three people to serve another term, but the relevant Senate committee refused to approve the nominations, leaving the committee inert.

Cox has since forwarded two new nominations to the Senate Business and Labor Confirmation Committee. Approving just one of those appointments could get the open records process up and running again.

But the committee’s chairman, Sen. Curt Bramble, has refused to schedule any hearings or votes on any of the candidates. That’s unusual for the Utah Senate, which usually responds to such nominations quickly.

Bramble offered no reason why the outgoing members weren’t reapproved and said he wanted to wait on the two pending candidates until the committee could consider nominees for all three vacant posts.

That’s not showing much respect either for the governor’s choices or the whole process of open government in Utah.

While Bramble dawdles, undoubtedly with a back slap from legislative leadership, open records appeals are piling up and languishing, in some cases, for more than six months.

It is reasonable to suspect that the Senate’s inaction is less sloth than it is a deliberate attack on the records committee and the whole open records process, revenge for its ruling holding that the calendar kept by Attorney General Sean Reyes is a public record.

The Senate should approve Cox’s nominees right away and make the records committee functional again.

Better, the law should be changed so that any records committee member whose term has expired is allowed to continue serving until a replacement has been confirmed.

The committee’s work is too important to be allowed to grind to a halt just because some elected officials won’t do their jobs.

It’s now two nights in a row that De’Aaron Fox has put up big time numbers and he did it two nights in a row. Tonight Fox helped light the beam by beating the Utah Jazz 121-117.

It’s a pretty remarkable win for the Kings who didn’t have Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, or Malik Monk. In the fourth quarter the Jazz were up by 10 and the Kings were able to claw their way back and get a win. It took all of the 49 points from Fox to get the win. He would have had 50+ but he actually missed two free throws late that gave the Jazz some life late in the game.

The Kings have to be excited that they could eke out this win on the back end of a back-to-back. Utah also has to be happy to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Utah has to consider the future with every game. It may seem like a lot but Utah’s 3 wins currently has them off pace for a top-three pick. They have to worry about development while also solidifying their place at the top of the lottery.

As far as development, we’re seeing players show their chops.

Keyonte George was great offensively in this one. He was 6/10 from the field, 2/4 from three and 5/5 from the free throw line. He ends the game with 19 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. George is now putting in consistently good shooting nights and is making great decisions. He’s playing a little more off ball and it’s exciting for a couple reasons. The first is that it’s working, the second is that it solidifies his role in the future. If Utah does this right, they will get a cornerstone player at the wing. Key can fit perfectly as a scorer next to a superstar.

The other player that is shining is Kyle Filipowski who is making some real waves. Filipowski had a monster dunk tonight driving from the three-point line.

He also had some real moments of toughness where he showed his awesome potential. It’s clear that the game is slowing down for Filipowski more and more. Each night he seems more and more like an NBA rotation player. If he can consistently keep up this level of play with efficient shooting, he may be the steal of the draft for Utah.

Utah State got back to winning in about as dominant a fashion as it could Saturday in Logan.

The Aggies dominated the visiting Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors from opening kick to final whistle en route to a 55-10 victory.

It is USU’s third win on the season and has the Aggies 2-3 in Mountain West Conference play with two more games to go. Believe it or not a winning record in conference play is possible for Utah State.

There was no shortage of standouts or areas of excellence. Outside of two interceptions thrown by starting quarterback Spencer Petras, the Aggies were close to flawless in nearly every aspect.

Here are three takeaways from Utah State’s latest victory.

Rahsul Faison is the best Aggie running back since…

There have been some good running backs who have gone through the Utah State football program.

All-time definitely, but in recent history, too.

There was Darwin Thompson in 2018, who rushed for 1,044 yards (6.8 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns and caught 23 passes for 351 yards (15.3 yards per reception) and two touchdowns in his lone season as an Aggie.

There was Gerold Bright, who in four years playing for the Aggies ran for over 2,000 yards (2,145) and 22 touchdowns.

There was Calvin Tyler Jr., who in two years with Utah State rushed for 2,006 yards on 449 carries. In his final season in Logan, Tyler Jr., rushed for 1,122 yards alone.

When all is said and done, Rahsul Faison may deserve to be considered better than all of them.

Back in action after being sidelined against Washington State with a knee injury, Faison was his usual electric self Saturday. He rushed for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns, averaging nearly 10 yards per touch.

With two games remaining this season, he is now nine yards away from the 1,000 yard mark on the year and has now rushed for 100 yards or more in five games this season now, seven in his USU career.

Faison has it all. Explosiveness and speed (both of his touchdowns against Hawai’i went for 30-plus yards). Power. Elusiveness. Vision. Patience.

You name it, and Faison has it as a running back.

Faison still has a chance to make program history, entering the top 10 in multiple rushing categories in only two season played at Utah State.

Will he go down as the best ever at USU?

No, but he is arguably the best Aggie running back in the last five years, if not more.

You get an interception, you get an interception, you get an interception

Entering the season, there was a lot of hope (maybe even hype) regarding Utah State’s secondary.

With Ike Larsen back at safety along with Avante Dickerson, JD Drew at cornerback/nickel back and the arrival of safety Jordan Vincent and cornerback DJ Graham, the Aggies’ secondary was expected to be the strength of the USU defense.

Strength has not been a good descriptor for Utah State’s defense this season, and while the secondary has had its moments, it has also struggled.

Entering the game against Hawaii, USU ranked eighth in the MW in passing defense and sixth in interceptions (with seven).

Against the Rainbow Warriors, the Aggie secondary finally showcased its real potential and then some as USU registered five interceptions. Vincent had two and Drew had another, as did nickel back Torren Union and cornerback Noah Flores.

Time and again, the Aggies’ defensive backs were in the right place at the right time, and more importantly they made the plays that have so often been lacking this year for Utah State.

In total, Utah State won the turnover battle 5-2, a plus-3 differential has been pretty rare for USU for a couple of seasons now.

The Aggies may or may not be able to replicate their performance against Hawai’i in upcoming games against San Diego State and Colorado State, but for a game the USU secondary showed its real potential all at once.

Hello, tight ends

If there has been one real criticism of the Aggies’ offense the last few seasons under Blake Anderson and now offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo’s direction, it has been the absence of the tight ends.

Utah State has had solid tight ends on the roster, guys like Broc Lane, Josh Sterzer and Will Monney for multiple seasons, but they haven’t been a featured part of the Aggies’ passing game, or even really slight contributors.

Utah State has relied almost exclusively on its wideouts in the passing game, and slot receivers especially until the emergence of Jalen Royals on the outside.

Against Hawaii, though, USU utilized its tight ends, and to great effect.

Sterzer and Monney combined for 11 receptions (Sterzer had a team-high seven catches) for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Each player was nearly perfect, as Sterzer was targeted eight times and Monney targeted five times (he had four receptions).

Against Hawaii’s zone defense, both Sterzer and Monney proved the perfect safety valves for Petras, often in the middle of the field.

Neither player went down easy when hit, either. The pair combined for 55 yards after the catch. With the tight ends so effective, Petras had open receivers on the outside again and again (he hit some, missed others).

And when the Rainbow Warriors dropped linebackers more into coverage to handle the tight ends in the passing game, Faison and fellow running backs Herschel Turner, Derrick Jameson and Nick Floyd made Hawai’i pay on the ground (that quartet combined to rush for 299 yards in the game.

Will the Aggies’ tight ends be utilized as much going forward? Ever again? Who knows, but they showed their value in the passing game against Hawaii.