Utah
Personalized Utah license plates at the center of proposed bill
SALT LAKE CITY — For anyone thinking about putting some choice language on their personalized Utah license plates, a Utah lawmaker’s proposal could take that option away.
Rep. Norman Thurston, R-Provo, proposed legislation that would prohibit the Utah Tax Commission from issuing license plates if the request included inappropriate language.
The bill wouldn’t allow swear words, slurs, sexually explicit messages, or references to drugs, gangs or other illegal activity.
Thurston proposed similar legislation in past sessions.
In a previous bill, he proposed a moratorium for the personalized license plate program as a whole. That legislation did not make it to the governor’s desk before that legislative session ended.
When speaking to the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee Friday, Thurston said he previously pursued this issue with the goal of defending the state from free speech lawsuits.
“In some cases, this still may open us to a constitutional challenge. It’s the very best we can do to balance free speech rights with things that are appropriate to be on a license plate that says Utah.”
With this year’s bill, Thurston is taking a more direct approach.
“If somebody says they want the n-word on their license plate and we say ‘no you can’t have that,’ and if they challenge us in court, we’re willing to make that fight.”
At least one other state has faced a lawsuit over denying a personalized plate.
The bill passed through the Utah House, but the committee voted to hold the bill or table it for later. One lawmaker said they’d want to hear more from the Utah Tax Commission directly.
The bill would need approval from that committee, the Senate and Gov. Spencer Cox by March 1 to become law.
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and ANDREW DALTON
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday on a protective order sought by a former partner against Taylor Frankie Paul, the star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and a recently filmed season of “The Bachelorette” that was canceled over abuse allegations in the relationship.
Dakota Mortensen, who has temporary custody of his and Paul’s 2-year-old son, is asking the court to turn a short-term protective order against her into a long-term one as authorities investigate domestic violence reports from earlier this year.
Paul and Mortensen are expected to participate in the hearing remotely while their lawyers appear in person at the Salt Lake City courthouse. Details of the temporary protective order have been kept sealed.
Attorneys are expected to address reports under investigation from February, not a 2023 fight that led to Paul’s arrest and resurfaced just before her “Bachelorette” season was supposed to premiere, though the older issues may be discussed.
ABC last month announced the unprecedented move of shelving an entire, already-filmed new season of “The Bachelorette” with Paul in the title role. The network and its parent company Disney blamed the cancellation on a leaked video, shot in 2023 and posted by TMZ on March 19, in which Paul appears to punch, kick and throw chairs at Mortensen while her young daughter watches and cries.
Police body camera footage of Paul’s arrest in that case was featured in the series premiere of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which first aired in 2024. Paul is shown calling it “the worst night of my life.” Video of the fight itself, which appears to be from Mortensen’s point of view, was not made public until last month’s leak.
Paul was charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge, and the other counts were dismissed.
Paul has two children with her ex-husband, Tate Paul, along with the son she had with Mortensen after their 2023 dispute.
A Paul representative said after the cancellation that she had been “silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation” and was “finally gaining the strength to face her accuser.”
Mortensen said in a statement that he was “used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny.”
Production has also been paused on the fifth season of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” the Hulu series that made Paul a reality star. Her casting on “The Bachelorette” offered synergy between the shows for Disney, which owns both Hulu and ABC.
She became known as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sharing their lives on TikTok. The group, and Paul’s admissions of polyamory within it, helped spawn the hit reality show.
On Sunday, Paul announced she was leaving what is widely known as the Mormon church. She said on Instagram that she will always have love and respect for the Utah-based religious institution but, “It’s time to detach myself.”
Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
GUNNISON, Utah — As drought conditions across the state worsen, with many in central Utah already feeling the impact, state leaders are preparing to offer relief to farmers. The Utah Department of Agriculture claims help is on the way for what’s expected to be one of the toughest growing seasons in years.
Longtime central Utah farmer Allen Dyreng says this year stands out.
“I’ve seen years close to this, but not this bad. This is the worst year,” Dyreng said.
Dyreng pointed to dramatically low reservoir levels in Gunnison, where water supplies are far below normal.
“Right now, our reservoirs are at 7% of capacity. We have 1,800 acre-feet of water in storage, and we usually have 23,000,” he said. “They’ll likely be emptied by the first of June.”
The situation marks a sharp contrast from just a few years ago.
In 2021, the Gunnison Reservoir ran completely dry. By 2023, improved runoff briefly brought some relief, with water levels partially recovering. But now, conditions have reversed again.
Cox won’t rule out drought declaration if Utah’s water woes intensify:
Drought declaration not ruled out if Utah’s water woes intensify, Cox says
Dyreng is now retired but was president of Gunnison Irrigation Company for about 20 years and farmed land for nearly five decades that had been in his family for generations. He said the lack of water will significantly reduce how much land farmers can use this season.
“We normally are able to grow crops on 14,000 acres,” Dyrent explained. “We would be lucky this year to have crops on 5,000 acres.”
The state is working to prevent long-term damage to Utah’s agricultural industry.
“Water is their lifeblood,” said Kelly Pehrson, commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture. “We don’t want to lose farms in Utah.”
Utah is expecting an emergency disaster declaration that would open the door to low-interest loans and additional support programs, including grazing improvement and water optimization grants.
“We’ve got to figure out a way to bring hope back to them,” Pehrson said. “This is going to be a tough year. No doubt about it.”
Drought conditions continue to intensify across the region. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of Utah is now experiencing extreme to exceptional drought, with conditions worsening in just the past week.
For farmers, the impact goes far beyond inconvenience.
“I think this year we will deliver the least amount of water on record,” Dyreng said. “It cuts pretty deep into every aspect of the economy down here.”
State leaders say they plan to meet directly with farmers in communities across Utah later this month to better understand the needs and connect them with available resources.
More information can be found at ag.utah.gov.
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