SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Summer Solstice, Utah! It’s the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere today with the sun at its highest point in the sky. We will see 15 hours and six minutes of sunlight today with the official sunrise in Utah at 5:56 am and the sunset at 9:02 p.m. The solstice occurs at 2:50 p.m. and it’s going to feel a bit more like summer today in comparison to the beginning of the work week.

Southwest flow is in place today and our daytime highs will climb to the low 90s along the Wasatch Front and triple digits make a return to Washington County. A mix of sun and clouds is expected to start the day for Utah with increasing cloud cover expected in the Four Corners area by this afternoon.

Bottom Line? Temperatures are climbing statewide as a strong southwest flow is in place and moisture increases in eastern Utah on Thursday afternoon. 

By Thursday night and into Friday, a surge of monsoon moisture is in the works for eastern Utah, bringing the threat of showers and thunderstorms. We have the low to our west and an area of high pressure to the east, and that amplified southerly flow will pull some subtropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the state.

To take a moment to touch on the Tropics, the first named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Alberto, will usher in moisture in Texas and some of that will get caught up in our southwest flow.  This influx in moisture east of I-15 could lead to flash flood concerns for slot canyons and burn scars. The flash flood potential has been upgraded already to the “possible” category for all recreational areas in southern Utah except for Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks, with wet weather continuing for some overnight.

As more moisture streams into Utah on Friday, the potential for strong thunderstorms becomes more widespread. Subtropical remnants of Alberto could assist in heavy downpours. These Utah thunderstorms could bring damaging winds, hail, and heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding.

The risk for flash flooding Friday has been upgraded for all popular areas in the Southeast part of the state to probably, with Zion and Bryce Canyon in the possible category. This area includes the National Parks, Grand Staircase, Lake Powell, and the San Rafael Swell. The most vulnerable areas include slot canyons, recent burn scars, normally dry washes, and slickrock. You might want to reconsider your plans if you’re planning outdoor activities, especially along or east of I-15. West of I-15, temperatures will soar, reaching five to 15 degrees above normal, especially in northern Utah.

Moisture should clear out into the weekend and high pressure will build back and strengthen for the latter half of the weekend, allowing temperatures to spike once again. Northern Utah could see temperatures 10-15 degrees above normal. Salt Lake City might hit 100 degrees on Sunday, and flirt with the record of 101 degrees record set in 2012. 

Northern Utah will stay mostly dry with only a slight chance of a storm, but southern Utah will see lingering moisture, bringing chances of showers and thunderstorms through Monday east of I-15, increasing the risk of flash flooding. Triple-digit heat is forecast for the next seven days in Southern Utah, and temperatures along the Wasatch remain above average for the long-range as well. 

The 4Warn Weather Team will continue to monitor conditions and keep you posted on changing conditions both on our 4Warn Weather app as well as on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

The state House of Representatives debated then voted overwhelmingly in favor of two resolutions that authorize educators to enforce state law over new Title IX regulations, as more than 100 protesters chanted in favor of transgender rights in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday.

The bills were also overwhelmingly approved by the Utah Senate. Votes were cast largely along partisan lines.

Convening in a special session, Utah lawmakers passed HCR301, sponsored by Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, which will “prohibit a government officer from enforcing or assisting in the enforcement of the new regulations promulgated under Title IX.”

Earlier this year, Birkeland sponsored HB257 during the Legislature’s General Session. It requires K-12 students to use public school restrooms that match their sex designated at birth, restricting transgender access to “privacy spaces” in public schools and other publicly-owned buildings.

They also passed companion legislation, HJR301, sponsored by Rep. Neil Walter, R-St. George, which declares “Utah has the sovereign authority with rights and responsibilities to safeguard Utah’s men, women and children.”

The resolution states that the new Title IX regulations constitute “an overreach of federal administrative authority that violates Utah’s rights and interests to provide for the health, safety, welfare of, and to promote the prosperity of, Utah residents.”

The federal Department of Education’s new Title IX rules, set to take effect on Aug. 1, change the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation.

The new rules also broaden the definition of sexual harassment and stipulate that colleges and universities are no longer required to hold live hearings to allow students to cross-examine each other. Universities can still hold live hearings if they choose to but students will have the option to participate remotely and stop questions they find “unclear or harassing.”

According to leaders of the Utah State Board of Education, K-12 Utah educators have been asking for guidance on how to comply with the federal guidelines given conflicts between the regulations and state law. The board urged lawmakers to invoke the Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act, which prohibits enforcement of a federal directive by “government officers” if the Legislature determines it “violates the principles of state sovereignty.”

Declining to enforce the federal rule could put federal education funding in jeopardy. In a gathering with reporters prior to the start of the special session, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said the federal government provides about 10% of what Utah spends annually on education.

Much of that funding supports programs that serve some of the state’s most disadvantaged children, including Title I programs, school nutrition programs and special education.

Schultz said the state has sufficient funding in reserves to make up the difference if the federal government pulled Utah’s funding.

Utah is willing to sacrifice the funding to stand by its principles, he said.

“We’re on pretty solid legal ground,” Schultz said, noting recent federal district court rulings in Kentucky and Louisiana that have temporarily blocked the new Title IX rule from taking effect, with one judge describing the rule as an “abuse of power” by the Biden administration.

Utah has joined three other Republican-led states and four private entities in a lawsuit that challenges the U.S. Department of Education’s new Title IX rule as well.

“State’s rights means something and the overreach from the Biden administration and the federal government has gotten out of control. Federalism is the way forward,” Schultz said.

University of Utah law professor Cliff Rosky, however, said he believes the underpinning of the resolutions passed by lawmakers, the Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act, “is unconstitutional. He said it violates the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, which declares federal law, the “supreme law of the land.”

Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said Utah had dealt with the issue of transgender rights “better than any other state. You’ve seen states actually ban transgender sports. We put together a commission. There’s not another state in the nation that’s put together the commission to deal with transgender sports. We’ve led the nation. People shouldn’t be protesting. They should be celebrating what we’ve done,” he said.

The votes on the resolutions were split between Republicans and Democrats, with supporters applauding the move to back states rights and opponents expressing concern about the impact of the votes on transgender youth.

“We don’t need to pit one vulnerable population against another. Transgender kids are not an enemy. They’re not a threat to women. They are kids” struggling to live their lives “and the odds are against them. We should not be the ones making it harder for them,” said Rep. Sahara Hayes, D-Millcreek.

In Senate debate, Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said by passing the resolutions and previous legislation, “we’ve pounded a stake in the ground and said on these issues, Utah will stand firm and protect women. We’ve passed several bills to that regard and to the extent that the federal government is trying through inappropriate overreach to subvert those laws, we rely on SB57 that we passed. We rely on these resolutions. We say, ‘Not on our watch.’”

Sen. Jen Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, said she has been “unable to figure out if there is a right way to implement (previously passed) policy that is wrong. To me this feels wrong. It doesn’t feel right. It just feels like targeting. This feels politicized and truly it feels like we are really doubling down on hate for an already very marginalized, sometimes unloved-feeling section of our population.”

Sen. Dan Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said the Legislature’s action “very seriously places in jeopardy the $696 million that the federal government provides for nutrition programs, for Title I, for career and technical education, and especially for special ed. So while I do believe we have the authority to do this, and while I do believe that they do not have constitutional leverage … I do believe that that the lack of constitutional leverage will compel them to threaten funding. That’s the biggest thing that I’m worried about. I think this has huge risk.”

HJR301 states that the Education Department “has corrupted the mission of Title IX,” which is to promote women’s and girls sports and protect women and girls from discrimination in education and sports.

Moreover, the new regulations “harm students on college and university campuses by dictating the manner in which a student speaks and expresses opinions or thoughts, altering college and university anti-harassment processes and procedures, and interfering with a student’s due process rights.”

The resolution also states that the rule requires government support of abortion services “in direct conflict with the abortion ‘neutrality’ provisions adopted by Congress” and usurping Utah’s state laws on abortion.

According to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, schools must not discriminate against any student, or exclude any student from their education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, “based on a student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom.” Discrimination against a school employee based on these conditions is likewise prohibited.

According to the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, schools must not discriminate against any student, or exclude any student from their education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, “based on a student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom.” Discrimination against a school employee based on these conditions is likewise prohibited.

HJR301 also states that the Utah Legislature “finds that the new regulations disadvantage women and girls who participate in women’s and girl’s sports by requiring that they compete against biological males.”

The Education Department has stated the final regulations do not include new rules governing eligibility criteria for athletic teams.

A statement by Equality Utah said the state would invariably “embark on costly and time-consuming litigation, all so that the state can continue to police bathroom usage by children. It is high time that Utah starts focusing its resources on helping our children achieve success rather than using them as pawns to score political points.”

Other education bills passed by lawmakers

Utah lawmakers also passed HB3001, which clarifies Utah law by allowing foreign exchange students to participate in the Statewide Online Education Program.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Riverton, said without changes to the law some 200 students would be unable to complete their high school graduation requirements.

Under current law, the custodial parent of a student enrolled in a private or home school and taking an SOEP course must be a resident of Utah. HB3001 expands participation in the program by allowing foreign exchange students enrolled in a private school, whose custodial parent lives outside of Utah, to participate.

In other action, the Utah Legislature passed HB3003 to clarify the process for splitting a school district as communities in the Alpine School District, the largest district statewide with more than 87,000 students, contemplate a split.

Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, the bill’s sponsor, said the intent of the legislation was to avoid a “messy ballot” and a “messy outcome” if various options to split the district appear on ballots and more than one passes.

The bill eliminates the option for a local school board to initiate the process to create a new school district. It also creates a withdrawal process should voters approve a split and clarifies terms of school board members and other provisions.

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — The Utah woman charged with sexual battery for allegedly yanking on a teenager’s miniskirt in a St. George restaurant made her first court appearance Wednesday in a case that garnered national attention due to a viral TikTok video.

Ida Ann Lorenzo, 48, of Santa Clara, stood silently in 5th District Court for her initial appearance since being charged with the Class A misdemeanor in April. Her attorney, Susanne Gustin, answered routine questions, and Lorenzo’s next appearance was slated for July 30.

The sexual battery charge against Lorenzo came in the wake of an incident on April 20 in the packed entryway of Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. Lorenzo told police she tugged down a teenager’s miniskirt after claiming the teen’s buttocks and vagina were exposed to the people in the lobby, including a young child.

The aftermath of the alleged skirt-pulling was captured by one of the 19-year-old’s friends, and the video has since amassed more than 14 million views on TikTok. In the viral clip, Lorenzo described herself as a Utah state employee and threatened to call Child Protective Services on the teenager.

While Lorenzo was the first to contact police, the teenager also came forward, prompting an investigation. Per St. George police body camera footage obtained by ABC4.com, the teenager told the investigating officer that Lorenzo came up to her unannounced and pulled her skirt down from behind, leaving her feeling violated.

The teenager disputed that her genitals were exposed, telling police she was wearing underwear that night. She also provided a video to the investigator showing her wearing the skirt and spinning around in it.

In Lorenzo’s several discussions with the investigating officer, he repeatedly told her that unwanted touching of someone’s private areas is against the law, even if the touching only happens on clothing. Lorenzo denied ever touching the teenager’s skin.

On April 24, Lorenzo was arrested and charged with sexual battery. The next day, she lost her job with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, where she’d been hired only weeks before as a legal secretary, as shown in documents obtained by ABC4.com. Lorenzo has since created a GoFundMe page to help support herself and her family.

In Utah, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and fines up to $2,500.