Utah
Utah, neighboring states get new emergency preparedness center
SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding a new emergency preparedness center led by a University of Utah professor.
The Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Center for Emergency Public Health will help Utahns and neighboring states ramp up preparation for extreme weather events and public health crises.
It doesn’t have a brick and mortar building. Center Director Dr. Kimberley Shoaf said instead, it’s an academic center designed to help us be ready when disaster strikes.
“As much as we’d like to, we can’t control Mother Nature,” Shoaf said.
Natural disasters like Hurricane Helene show the devastation many communities are left with after extreme weather rolls through.
‘As resilient as possible’
“We need to be able to respond and do the things that we can to make ourselves as resilient as possible,” Shoaf said.
The new emergency preparedness center she leads with the University of Utah’s Division of Public Health is designed to help with that.
“They funded 10 centers across the country, one in each of the regions, to work with state and local health departments and tribal health departments to help them be ready to respond to public health emergencies,” Shoaf said.
The Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Center includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
“Congress has reallocated funding to ensure that each health department across the country have access to one of these centers,” Shoaf said.
Her team, in partnership with the University of Colorado’s School of Public Health, has been working with those health departments for the last year.
“Wildfires was what was their top priority, flooding was actually another one in some of the areas,” Shoaf said.
They’re also concerned about severe winter weather.
“When something happens during the winter, how do we get people to respond? How do we get people from here to there? What do we do about sheltering?”
Prepared for earthquakes
Included in Shoaf’s list of priorities is earthquake readiness.
“I currently have a research project looking at the earthquake in Turkey from a year and a half ago, and trying to get a better idea of exactly how people get injured,” she said. “We have some data about that we’ve done in the past, but really looking at within a specific building with a specific type of damage, what kind of injuries would we expect to see?”
Dr. Shoaf’s team helps train members of public health agencies for emergency response. She said public health is a field where turnover is high.
“There’s always there’s a constant need for training, and to keep them up to date on how do they work with their partners, how do they work with emergency management, how do they work with the fire department,” she said.
It’s part of a national effort to have a coordinated response to disasters when they happen. Part of that is ensuring rural and tribal communities are included.
“We have an advisory council that has worked with us from tribal communities across the region, and so we’ve got those relationships there,” Shoaf said.
Nearly $1 million of the $5 million worth of funding the center has over the next five years will be allocated toward working with tribal communities.
She said they’re working on sending out messaging and alerts to help us prepare for what mother nature could bring our way.
“It certainly gives me a sense of hope that we’re turning the corner on recognizing the need to do this sort of thing,” Shoaf said.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Public Safety is urging people to make sure items are safely secured to vehicles while traveling on Utah roads. Saturday marks the 10th annual National Secure Your Load Day, and DPS is using the occasion to remind motorists that securing cargo isn’t just the law — it saves lives.
So far this year, there have been over 130 debris-related crashes in Utah, which are dangerous for other drivers and troopers who have to retrieve that debris.
“Statewide, on average about 70 times a day, highway patrol gets called to respond to debris in the roadways, so that adds up to over 25,000 times per year that we’re having to respond to get items pulled out of the roadway that people have not secured,” said UHP Lt. Zach Randall.
Unsecured loads are a persistent hazard on Utah’s roads, contributing to more than 700 preventable crashes and traffic disruptions each year. While incidents have dropped 12% over the past five years, DPS said the risk remains high and urges drivers to take “full responsibility for their cargo” before hitting the road.
Over the last five years, 17 fatalities have been caused by debris-related crashes.
Debris hazards can also cause serious injuries or deaths when striking vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians, with DPS noting that such obstacles are often difficult to avoid safely, leading to sudden braking, swerving, and collisions.
Clearing debris can also slow traffic to a crawl. Interstate traffic is often halted entirely so crews can remove dangerous items from the roadway, adding delays and frustration for drivers.
Utah law carries fines between $200-1,000 for unsecured loads, and in severe cases, offenders can face penalties up to a Class A misdemeanor. Officials emphasize that a few minutes spent checking and securing cargo can prevent tragedy — and costly legal consequences.
Randall explained how it is important to use bungee cables, racket straps and rope to secure items to your car.
“We have a blanket that you could wrap over and then a bungee or tie-down strap over top of that,” he said. “So with some loose items like wood, we tied them together so they’re not bouncing around the truck, being able to bounce out. You can use something like a plastic wrap or a cellophane wrap to tie those together so that they’re in one unit.”
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
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Utah
Here’s what Utah football player Lance Holtzclaw told U.S. senators about student-athletes’ pay
If the “Protect College Sports Act” is passed, it would create new rules regarding college athletics.
(Jose Luis Magana | AP) The University of Utah’s Lance Holtzclaw testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A new master’s degree just launched at the University of Utah.
The University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business Master of Science in Financial Technology program is scheduled to start in the fall of 2026.
The program includes curriculum such as AI, data analytics and financial regulation. According to the university, it will put an emphasis on applied learning and offer flexibility for students working in the field.
This comes as researchers say Utah is gaining momentum as a financial technology hub.
“Utah has emerged as a national hub for financial technology, creating demand for talent that understands both finance and technology,” said Kurt Dirks, Dean of the David Eccles School of Business, in a press release. “This program is designed to prepare students to help companies innovate, grow, and thrive by combining technical fluency, financial expertise, and an understanding of the broader business and regulatory environment.”
Utah’s fintech industry includes 67 companies that support around 8,000 jobs. Careers in these fields average a salary of $131,500, doubling the state average.
The new Master of Science in Financial Technology program is in response to growing demand of finance, data, and technology jobs.
The program includes curriculum like AI, data analytics and financial regulation. It offers flexibility for working professionals as well.
For more information about the program, click HERE.
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