Utah
National Park visitors spent $1.9 billion in Utah – third highest in nation
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — More than 15 million people visited Utah’s national parks in 2023, spending billions and helping create jobs to add $3 billion to the state economy, according to the National Parks Service.
In a newly released report, visitors to Utah’s 13 national parks spent an estimated $1.9 billion and supported over 26,000 jobs. It’s the third highest in the nation, behind only California and North Carolina.
“Whether it’s science, adventure, history or scenery, Utah’s national parks leave the more than 15 million visitors marveling,” said Kate Hammond, NPS Intermountain Regional Director. “Investments into Utah national parks give back to communities and these visitors support the state’s economy.”
So where are Utah’s visitors spending their money?
Three Utah-based real estate coaches barred from teaching, ordered to refund $2.8M
According to the National Parks Service, more than $700 million – or about 40% of visitor spending – is on lodging such as hotels. Next about $306 million (16%) is spent on restaurants. Other spending includes gas, recreation, shopping, groceries, and camping.
The 2023 numbers mark another rise in Utah’s tourism industry since the sharp decline in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, national park visitors spent only $878 million in Utah. That number rebounded past pre-pandemic levels in 2021 and has continued to grow in the years since.
Nationwide, more than 325 million people visited national parks in 2023, spending an estimated $26.4 billion. As it was in Utah, most of that spending was on lodging and restaurants.
“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”
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Utah
Gusty thunderstorms possible statewide on Memorial Day
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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Utah
Two Jazz Players Set to Suit Up for Summer League
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.
200 percent chance.
We will see the rookie and Ace Bailey year two first looks in July, https://t.co/Nx4Cx1cvYA
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) May 24, 2026
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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Utah
NBA Rumors: New lottery rule helps Utah, hurts Grizzlies
The top-five pick rule will date back to 2025. The Utah Jazz picked fifth in 2025 and second in 2026. Under the new rule, they can’t land in the top five in 2027.
But the Jazz traded that pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in February for Jaren Jackson Jr., which means Memphis won’t be able to receive it since streaks will be triggered by the original team, not the team holding the pick. Two issues here.
First, the framework. The NBA explains this rule under a section titled “Pick Restrictions For Repeat Lottery Winners.” Is landing the fifth pick really a winner? One year ago, the Jazz were distraught when their pick landed fifth, because the true franchise-changers that teams want to win are commonly landed with the first or second pick. In the future, if a team ends up fifth one year, then fourth the next, should they really be punished for landing first in the third year? Or even fifth again? I would argue no, that the top-five rule reaches too far.
I am understanding of wanting to prevent a team from picking first in consecutive years. But anything beyond that feels like a massive overreach that could cause more problems than intended when the goal is supposed to be to eliminate tanking.
Second, there’s the reality that the Jazz did trade that pick. Now the Grizzlies have it — through the rights of a pick-swap structure. But if this rule passes, Memphis wouldn’t be able to receive an unprotected pick. Grizzlies fans would obviously be crushed by the news. This pick was the most valuable of the assets Memphis got back for one of its stars, and it happened under a set of rules that didn’t include a three-year streak cap. That Jazz-to-Grizzlies pick is being retroactively devalued because of a league’s arbitrary decision to start the clock in 2025, but it also gives us an example of what could happen in future years to any team.
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