Utah
John ‘Frugal’ Dougall is running for Congress to make the GOP the party of ideas again
State Auditor John Dougall thinks the best place for a congressman to serve Utah is in the weeds.
After two decades of working to lighten Utah’s tax load and shed light on government waste, Dougall says he wants to bring his penchant for problem-solving to the nation’s Capitol representing the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
But selling constituents on the importance of welfare reform and budget reduction is a problem to solve all on its own.
As a former state lawmaker and tech entrepreneur, with graduate degrees in electrical engineering and business from Brigham Young University, Dougall said he believes the Republican Party of late has been less interested in outcomes than political point-scoring.
“The Republican Party used to be the party of big ideas,” Dougall said. “We have nothing but infighting, squabbling, performative politics.”
Dougall was ready for retirement from public service following his 10 years in the Utah House of Representatives and 11 years overseeing the state auditor’s office, he said. But he said the absence of “any real budget hawks back in D.C.” drew Dougall to Rep. John Curtis’ soon-to-be-open seat.
“I’ve got a unique skill set when it comes to these issues,” Dougall said. “And I think the financial matters, the debt, the out of control spending, the dysfunction in Washington, D.C., this is one of the top national crises.”
Creative solutions to the nation’s biggest money problems
For those who don’t feel the same sense of urgency about the country’s balance sheets, Dougall has a thought experiment.
Imagine a Utah household making $100,000 a year and spending $130,000 with the help of a credit card. The monthly minimum credit card payment would exceed most Utahns’ biggest budget item, their mortgage, Dougall said, making it harder to pay for essential needs and leaving the family at the mercy of steep interest rates.
In fiscal year 2024, Dougall pointed out, the United States is expected to pay more on interest payments to service the national debt than on national defense — a sober milestone that comes on the heels of federal debt surpassing $34.5 trillion for the first time, increasing by a rate of roughly $1 trillion every 100 days.
Dougall has incorporated an interactive “Balance the Federal Budget” tool into his campaign website to help voters visualize the problem. The feature is similar to the property value and public education tracking tools that he developed as auditor to help Utahns follow their tax dollars and access government information.
The country’s biggest problem has “no single silver bullet” solution, Dougall said, but “we can’t just keep doing the same thing because we’re going to get the same results. We’ve got to try and be more innovative, we’ve got to try and push big ideas to try and solve these very, very difficult problems.”
For Social Security — the retirement benefit program that drives more than one-fifth of federal spending — Dougall proposes a shift to state sponsored retirement trust funds modeled after 529 college savings plans.
This would allow workers to opt out of Social Security benefits, which are projected to be cut by 20% in a decade. Workers would then be able to invest that portion of their payroll tax into a state sponsored investment fund “to get them a better, more secure retirement” while giving Democrats the government oversight they demand to protect all workers, Dougall said.
Such a massive overhaul of Social Security would have to be phased in, with different age cohorts being allowed to allocate more or less of their payroll tax, Dougall said.
When it comes to government-provided health care for the elderly, however, Dougall said an overhaul doesn’t go far enough.
“I don’t want the federal government running Medicare better,” Dougall said. “I want to get the federal government out of health care.”
Enabling competition with government provided health care, facilitating direct care models and reimbursing procedures the same regardless of location would result in hundreds of billions of dollars in savings, Dougall said.
“It won’t balance the budget, but it’s a big step in the right direction,” Dougall said. “And it can put patients more in control of their health care so they can get better quality care.”
Subsidized health care programs for low income Americans, like Medicaid, also need to be stripped of federal involvement, Dougall said, with funds and oversight being handed over to the states, instead of the “split-funded” system currently in place that creates a “mismatch of accountability” that incentivizes states to grow Medicaid rolls, Dougall said.
Block-granting Medicaid funding to the states and expanding work requirements for “able-bodied individuals” would result in another $100 billion in annual savings, Dougall said — far short of the $1.7 trillion deficit in 2023, but one of the many trade offs needed to make federal spending look more like a responsible home budget.
The government watchdog candidate
Dougall has more time in government than any of his four opponents in the Republican Party primary election. The crowded field of five also includes Roosevelt Mayor JR Bird, Sky Zone CEO Case Lawrence, commercial litigator Stewart Peay and state Sen. Mike Kennedy.
Dougall took over the state auditor’s office in 2013 after ousting a longtime incumbent in a primary election. As auditor, Dougall held officials accountable and reviewed the state’s COVID-19 expenditures, database security and implemented programs to make government financial information available for “essentially every state and local entity in Utah.”
Dougall also emphasized transparency during his 10-year tenure as a state lawmaker which immediately preceded his time as a state auditor. He contributed to the public meeting notice website and pushed to repeal the state’s vehicle inspection program, which required added bureaucracy with little benefits to show for it, he said.
In 2005, Dougall was a member of the Tax Reform Task Force that led to the passage of Utah’s biggest restructuring of the tax-code in decades, which included a 5% single-rate income tax.
These policy wins were the result of focusing on how to get a solution across the finish line without worrying about “who gets the credit” or “the next election cycle,” Dougall said — an attitude he plans to bring to the contentious halls of Congress.
“I will work with anybody who’s willing to fight out-of-control spending, to try and rein in the federal government, to try and balance the budget,” Dougall said. “I’ll work with anybody, I don’t care who they are, because that’s what it’s going to take.”
Dougall’s other priorities include securing the southern border and ensuring American energy dominance. He also believes the U.S. should continue to provide “targeted assistance” to Ukraine to stop Russia’s advance and prevent a bigger war in Europe.
Dougall — John ‘Frugal’ Dougall on the ballot — will face his four primary opponents on June 25. The Republican who wins the primary will face off against Democratic candidate Glenn Wright on Nov. 5.
Correction: An earlier version said Dougall has spent 10 years as state auditor and that he was co-chair of the Tax Reform Task Force. He has been state auditor for 11 years and was a member of the task force, but not co-chair.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued red flag warning Friday morning as emergency workers continued to battle one of the state’s largest wildfires in its history.
The red flag warning, issued when critical fire warnings are occurring or imminent, was to be in place through midnight Saturday.
“This is the FIRST Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning issued in NWS Salt Lake City history. This is an exceptionally rare event,” the federal agency said in its warning.
A map of the area under the warning covered much of central and southwest Utah, with an area of the southwest, central and southern mountains also outlined as “particularly dangerous red flag.”
The particularly dangerous area includes the Cottonwood Fire, near the town of Beaver, which started Monday and had grown to covering almost nearly 71,000 acres by Thursday, 15 News reported. The fire forced evacuations.
The NWS warned that gusty winds and dry conditions would lead to rapid fire growth.
Utah also was dealing with the Iron Fire, which started June 19, and nearly destroyed the town of Eureka. The fire was about 27% contained Friday morning.
The fire danger led Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to issue executive order restricting fireworks statewide during the July 4 holiday, which marks the nation’s 250th birthday this year. The ban is in effect through July 5.
“Nothing about this decision was easy,” Cox said in a statement issued by his office Thursday.
“This is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory. We’re seeing fires spread farther and faster under conditions that defy historical expectations” Jamie Barnes, Utah state forester and director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, added in the statement.
Cox allowed cities and local communities to set aside areas where fireworks could be safely used. The city of Provo announced it would enforce a citywide prohibition on fireworks and would not designate a safe area for fireworks.
“This year is different,” Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins said in a statement. “The wildfire danger facing our community is real, and protecting lives, homes, and our natural spaces must come first.”
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Earlier this month, 2News Investigates brought you a former inmate’s federal lawsuit alleging Utah Department of Corrections leaders failed to address reports of alleged sexual assault by correctional officers. Now, 2News Investigates examines another key claim in that lawsuit.
MORE: Federal lawsuit alleges Utah prison leaders covered up guards’ sexual assaults on inmates
The lawsuit alleges a mass cross-gender strip-search operation – women being viewed by men was intended to further silence female inmates.
Federal law generally prohibits cross-gender strip searches of female inmates except during emergencies or when conducted by medical personnel. UDC says that during body-search procedures, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area and inmate privacy is maintained. Former inmates say that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Three former inmates agreed to speak with 2News Investigates but asked that their identities not be revealed.
“It was very traumatic.”
According to the lawsuit, on May 13, 2025, UDC carried out a large-scale operation known as a “reset” in women’s housing units at the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF) in Salt Lake City.
Wendy: “They call it a reset. What do you call it?”
“A violation.”
“It’s like a rape.”
The lawsuit alleges UDC Deputy Warden Derick Zorn and Warden Sharon D’Amico directed the operation, along with more than a dozen members of the Critical Incident Response Team, or CIRT.
According to the plaintiffs, officers stormed dormitories, shouted profanities, and issued conflicting commands.
The women say and the lawsuit states they were ordered to pack their belongings into totes and change into state-issued uniforms in front of male CIRT officers. They were then marched to the Emerald Building for processing.
“It felt almost like we were at a concentration camp.”
The lawsuit alleges the women were required to undergo body scans and then strip completely naked. Plaintiffs claim they were ordered to lift their breasts, spread their buttocks, and cough while visible to male staff.
Women who were menstruating allegedly were instructed to remove menstrual products in full view of others.
“Just use one hand to remove it. Hold it up in front of you.”
“I felt really small and worthless.”
The lawsuit alleges some women were forced to hold soiled menstrual pads while performing physical maneuvers.
“I just did what I was told. I just wanted to get it over with.”
The plaintiffs also claim they were required to sit on toilets or squat to provide urine samples while completely naked and visible to male officers.
“It was humiliating. It was degrading.”
The lawsuit further alleges cell doors were left open, exposing naked women to other inmates and male staff.
An overhead observation booth with reflective glass overlooked the strip-search area. Plaintiffs say they observed movement inside and believed they were being watched from above.
The lawsuit alleges the female inmates were being watched from above during a mass strip search on May 13, 2025
“I could see in the overhead, the two-way mirror. There were multiple men walking around up there who had direct vision inside those cells.”
The lawsuit alleges Captain Jared Beers and Lieutenant Matthew Coombs were inside the booth and that Deputy Warden Derick Zorn observed women in various states of undress.
“I made eye contact with Officer Arroyo, and I also saw Deputy Zorn.”
“I knew if I could see the male officers, they could see me.”
One former inmate described the experience as state-sanctioned sexual violence.
“When that happens, and you’ve gone through the same kind of thing as a child, it’s very traumatic.”
The lawsuit alleges Warden D’Amico knew male officers were viewing naked female inmates and “ratified, condoned, and failed to stop it.”
An allegation in the lawsuit filed on May 15, 2026
“You’re pretty much a hostage.”
UDC Executive Director Jared Garcia declined repeated requests for an on-camera interview. A letter sent said:
“During the body search process in female living areas, male correctional officers are not allowed in the immediate area, and privacy is maintained. In general, resets are conducted routinely, according to UDC policy and under strict protocols designed to ensure safety while also preserving the privacy and dignity of incarcerated individuals.”
“The manner matters.”
Walter Mason represents the plaintiffs.
He told 2News Investigates, “The law protects inmates from being exposed to members of the opposite sex viewing their naked bodies unless there’s an emergency. Unless there’s what the law calls an exigent circumstance, the prison can take necessary actions to protect safety. There was no emergency. There was no exigency.”
UDC says the reset involved approximately 150 trained staff members and was conducted according to department policy.
UDC’s letter goes on to say:
“Every effort was made to treat belongings with care and document confiscated items appropriately. UDC stands by our methods and policies, which are intended to maintain the highest standards of integrity, safety, and efficiency during the reset process.”
Written response from the Utah Department of Corrections regarding 2News investigations
I asked UDC whether any exigent circumstances existed on May 13, 2025, during the reset operation.
The response:
“No exigent circumstances occurred on May 13, 2025.”
I also requested information about what items were confiscated. UDC said it could not provide a specific list.
Response to questions posed by 2News Investigates to UDC regarding mass strip search and if exigent circumstances existed that day
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and accuses the defendants, all supervisors, of participating in a “coordinated effort to humiliate, mock, and psychologically degrade the plaintiffs … operating with a brazen and intentional disregard for clearly established law, fueled by an institutional custom of impunity.”
_____
Utah
Utah Royals FC Announce the Addition of Assistant Coach Jessie van den Broek to 2026 Coaching Staff | Utah Royals
HERRIMAN, Utah – (Thursday, June 25, 2026) – URFC announced today the addition of assistant coach Jessie van den Broek to the 2026 technical staff.
The Dutchwoman brings experience from several levels of soccer across Europe. Her coaching journey has steadily progressed through commitment to player development, making her a strong addition to the Royals as the club continues to build for the future.
After gaining coaching experience at various levels, van den Broek made the jump to professional soccer in Germany’s Bundesliga, joining as an assistant coach and second in command to head coach Robert de Pauw and helping to support the club in its sixth place finish during the 2023-24 season. After a year and a half in Germany, she followed de Pauw to England, joining the coaching staff of Aston Villa Women, continuing to expand her experience in one of Europe’s top leagues.
In 2025, van den Broek returned to her native country of the Netherlands to join the coaching staff of HERA United, the country’s first stand-alone women’s soccer club. Her work with HERA United further strengthened her coaching abilities and her dedication to the women’s game. Following the conclusion of the club’s season in May 2026, she has now accepted her first position overseas, joining the Utah Royals, bringing the international experience and diverse coaching background with her.
Away from the pitch, van den Broek attended Radbound University in the Netherlands, earning a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration. She also earned an A Licence through the Union of European Football Associations in 2025. Her combination of education and coaching credentials, along with her experience in Germany, England and the Netherlands gives Utah Royals FC a coach with high-level experience and a proven commitment to the game of women’s soccer.
The Royals return to NWSL play on July 5 to take on the Chicago Stars at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium with kickoff set for 3:00 p.m. MT. The match is available to watch on CBS Sports Network and KMYU.
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