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Good morning!

Here’s today’s forecast:

☀️ 58 – 92° in Logan |💧 10% chance

⛅ 73 – 98° in Salt Lake City |💧 10% chance

⛈️ 79 – 100° in St. George | 💧 30% chance

Good morning, Utah Today readers!

Do any of you still play Wordle on the regular? My mom and my sisters have a text group called “Wordle Woes 😵‍💫” and we post our scores there every morning. We also compete I mean share our Quordle and Worldle scores as well. Not to brag, but my scores on all three are pretty great. 😎

My secret? An obsession with traveling, google maps and sometimes I need a hint! Lottie Johnson periodically posts hints if you need one.

Tell me: What are your two best starting words for Wordle? Mine are “psalm” and “story.”

Also on our minds: Why Mitt Romney voted against the veteran health care bill, preparing for a future filled with fire and smoke and save yourself the time because Zack Wilson can’t see your tweets.

Rain pounds southern Utah amid horrific drought plaguing the West

Droughts and flash floods don’t seem to be a likely duo, but here we are. Over 80% of Utah is in an extreme drought and just under 8% is in an exceptional drought. Although we have seen an increase of 104% of rainfall from last July, soil saturation levels remain low. Meanwhile, southern Utah is getting pelted with rain. 🌧

Learn more about what’s going on with the weather.

Mental health issues or gun laws? Utahns weigh in on causes of mass shootings

According to a new Deseret News poll with the Hinckley Institute of Politics, 40% of registered voters believe that laws restricting access to firearms would improve public safety.

See what voters said when asked about the primary causes of gun violence and other ways to improve public safety.

The West:

Amanda Monthei: In the air: Preparing for a future wrapped in wildfire smoke (Deseret News)
Jonathan Nez, Buu Nygren advance for Navajo presidency (KUTV)
Report: Glen Canyon Dam plumbing problems could cause ‘massive bottleneck’ on Colorado River (Deseret News)

Faith:

President Nelson to rededicate Washington D.C. Temple on Aug. 14 (Deseret News)
8 highlights from the church historian and recorder as his service draws to a close (Deseret News)

Wasatch Front:

Michael Kofoed: The tragedy of the Great Salt Lake commons (Deseret News)
What was that strange object floating over the Salt Lake area? (KSL)

Southern Utah:

We can't risk running out of water': Washington County adopts new water restrictions (KSL)

The Nation:

New York prisons lifted a ban on this book but are still cutting out some pages. Here’s why (Deseret News)
What’s known about the victims of the Kentucky flood (Deseret News)
Alex Jones concedes Sandy Hook was '100% real' in court testimony (USA Today)

Sports:

Which Power Five transfer (not named Chris Brooks) will make biggest impact for BYU? (Deseret News)
‘Even parents sometimes can be a distraction,’ says Zach Wilson in latest press conference (Deseret News)