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Utah ‘optimistic’ to receive grants to study rail service from Salt Lake to Boise, Las Vegas

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Utah ‘optimistic’ to receive grants to study rail service from Salt Lake to Boise, Las Vegas


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Transit Authority officials say they are “pretty optimistic” about Utah’s ability to receive federal funding that will help state transportation officials study the possibility of restoring commuter rail service to Idaho and Nevada in the near future.

Jay Fox, the agency’s director, told a joint KSL-Deseret News editorial board Monday that he supports the idea of creating more north-south passenger rail corridors in the region, especially since that option is almost nonexistent in the West, except along the Pacific Coast.

The topic was scheduled to be discussed in further detail during the Utah Legislature’s Transportation Interim Committee on Wednesday afternoon, but the committee was unable to get to the subject before a special legislative session was called to order.

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However, UDOT officials confirmed to KSL.com that the agency did apply for a grant through the Corridor Identification and Development Program led by the Federal Railroad Administration, which would help the agency study passenger rail service restoration between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, in partnership with UTA and the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The Idaho Transportation Department applied for the same grant to help study the same service between Boise and Salt Lake City in coordination with UDOT, UTA and the city of Boise.

“At this point, these are just exploratory study efforts and do not necessarily mean that passenger rail is moving forward,” said UDOT spokesman John Gleason in a statement Friday.

It’s unclear when the Federal Railroad Administration will announce which projects it will provide money to through its program, which seeks to “guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country and create a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for implementation.” Its deadline for states to submit proposals was March 20.

The three states should know later this year whether they will get the grants to study the idea further, according to Fox.

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“I would say, given the nature of our relationships with the (Federal Railroad Administration) and the conversations we’ve had with Amtrak, we’re pretty optimistic,” he said.

Salt Lake City leaders initiated “preliminary” conversations with leaders in Boise and Las Vegas last year. The idea would be to restore the old Pioneer and Desert Wind lines, a pair of lines that connected Utah’s capital to the two other cities that were discontinued in 1997. The idea immediately gained the support of Utah transportation officials, even if UTA wouldn’t run any of the rail services.

Fox explained that UTA became involved because he believes it would not only build public transportation options in the region but could also enhance the commuter rail service that already exists across the Wasatch Front through the FrontRunner.

“We have 83 miles of what could be a larger intercity corridor,” he said. “I think that would not only be great for Utah and the surrounding areas but also great for us.”

It’s also possible that Amtrak, which operates on Union Pacific lines, could operate service using UTA’s FrontRunner line, which would allow the commuter train to run “more effectively” through the Wasatch Front, he added. That’s something that could be possible once the agency completes its double-tracking project, which may not happen until at least 2028 or 2029.

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The $966 million double-tracking project is something that could also enhance FrontRunner’s speed, frequency and capacity, as well as unlock the ability for UTA to provide Sunday service.

The possible commuter rail study comes as passenger rail advocates pushed for Utah to consider adding more rail service. Dan Bilka, the co-founder of the nonprofit rail advocacy organization All Aboard Northwest, told KSL.com last year that he believes trains could help improve the country’s transportation infrastructure, providing more options than what’s on the road or in the air.

“Our ultimate vision is for a seamless transportation network,” he said at the time. “We don’t see passenger rail as an end-all-be-all of transportation but as a crucial missing middle that really makes the other modes of transportation work well and effectively.”

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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Utah

Utah is now completely out of drought status

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Utah is now completely out of drought status


SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in five years, the entire state of Utah is out of a drought status.

The latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows no part of the state being in drought status, though about 25% is still considered abnormally dry.

“Portions of the state, mainly along that eastern and southern border, are abnormally dry,” KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said. “But basically, we are completely out of a drought.”

Johnson says this is because Utah’s most recent wet winters have been crucial in restoring the state’s water supply.

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“We’ve had two really good winters, one of them record-setting, as far as snow-water equivalent. So this has been huge for getting us on the right path.”

However, Johnson said whether we stay out of drought conditions will be contingent on how hot it gets this summer, and how much rain Utah gets when monsoon season hits. 

“If we’re not in a drought, now we are planning for the next,” Johnson said, quoting a saying from The Utah Department of Natural Resources. “That just kind of comes with the territory…we are one of the top three driest on average so it’s not foreign territory for us to have dry weather.”

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“Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites

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“Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites


UTAH COUNTY, Utah — The Utah Lake Authority is hosting “planting parties” to put native vegetation in places where invasive plant species had previously been spreading.

Phragmites are a type of reed that have been taking over at Utah Lake and places across the country. Utah Lake Authority’s Deputy Director Sam Braegger said they have been partnering with other agencies to keep the phragmites at bay.

Now Braegger said they’re working toward revegetation with lots of groups who want to help them plant more native species.

“It’s been great to have groups come and help in that way, and I think they find it very fulfilling to spend an hour or two on the shoreline,” he said. “Our staff are all out there with them. They get to learn and ask questions about the lake. And then, help give back in putting plants into the ground.”

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Utah Lake Authority has spent more than 15 years dealing with phragmites, according to Braegger.

“Beating back the phragmites has been necessary for some time because phragmites is very aggressive,” he said. “It grows in very thickly, so it’s terrible habitat. There’s not very much of wildlife, birds and fish, that can get in there.”

This is the Utah Lake Authority’s first time doing a “concentrated revegetation” effort.

“We’ve put out some seed before, in recent years, but just seed is all we’ve done,” Braegger said. “This year, for the first time, we’re going out and actually planting 10,00 plugs.”

Braegger said the goal is to plant over 40,000 seed plugs next year.

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Heather Peterson is a reporter and producer for KSL NewsRadio. She also produces Utah’s Noon News.

Potentially toxic algal bloom detected at Utah Lake

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Videos show fireworks veer into crowd at Stadium of Fire concert in Utah, injuries reported

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Videos show fireworks veer into crowd at Stadium of Fire concert in Utah, injuries reported


Multiple videos have surfaced Thursday evening showing a fireworks display at the Stadium of Fire concert in Provo, Utah, with rogue shots straying into the audience. Early reports state that one person was taken to a hospital with serious injuries while others were reportedly injured.

Several firefighters immediately responded to reports of injuries in the crowd, according to Fox 13 in Salt Lake City.

Fireworks at large gatherings in Utah are nothing new, like the ones that lit up the sky above the stadium for the grand finale of the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games at the Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The incident happened at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the football facility for Brigham Young University. Just as the national anthem is heard ending, and as four fighter jets fly over the stadium, a fireworks display begins behind the stage.

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Fireworks shot into the sunlit sky vertically, but stray sparks are seen firing horizontally into the crowd near the stage. Crowdgoers were reportedly seen waving their hands in the air for officials to render help.

Freedom Festival, which facilitates Stadium of Fire and other yearly events across the country, tweeted that all fireworks were “thoroughly checked” before Thursday’s show and then checked again after the incident.

“Safety is of the utmost importance to us. All pyrotechnics at Stadium of Fire are thoroughly checked before the show, and were rechecked after tonight’s incident. Our thoughts are with those who were impacted, and we are following up with them to make sure they are okay.”

UTAH FIRE CAPTAIN DIES IN COLORADO RAFTING ACCIDENT AT DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT

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After a pause in activities, the concert resumed with Jonas Brothers taking the stage around 9 p.m. and closing out the show with no other reported mishaps.

Provo Police Department spokesperson Janna-Lee Holland told KUTV the incident happened just after the flyover.

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The number of injuries and each of their severities is unknown at the time.

Videos like the one seen in this tweet show pyrotechnics not only firing into the stands, but also onto the field where people were either standing or in a seated area.

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