NBA All-Star Weekend is here! The NBA has invaded Salt Lake City. Tomorrow, Jazz fans can watch Lauri Markkanen start in his first All-Star Game after watching his unofficial All-Star campaign manager, Walker Kessler, in last night's Rising Star Game. Kessler, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton will also be participating in today's Skills Challenge. Have you participated in any of the All-Star Game festivities?
Looking for something? Anything related to the 2023 legislative session will have a bee emoji next to it. 👉 🐝
Also on our minds: the story of the world's oldest Hebrew Bible, what QB guru John Beck said about Zach Wilson and a missing romance novelist flew to Salt Lake City before disappearing.
Mitt Romney: California wildfires may be Utah’s destiny without quick action
Sen. Mitt Romney met with state representatives of a federal wildfire and mitigation commission on Friday to discuss problems and recommendations to ease the pain and breadth of wildfires.
Romney said overcoming federal hurdles is a necessary step in preventing Utah from experiencing the same fate as California.
"We’ve got to approach this differently than we have in the past," he said. "And we have been fortunate here that while there’s been economic impact and a lot of structures have been lost, we haven’t had massive loss of life like they’ve had in California."
The senator compared the impacts of drought and fires to a foreign nation dropping bombs on the U.S., arguing the former should be approached with the same sense of urgency.
On Friday, the Utah Senate voted unanimously to pass HB228, codifying the state's conversion therapy ban. The bill is now on Gov. Cox's desk, and he said he will sign the bill into law.
“We’re very pleased with the outcome on HB228,” he said in a statement. “The unanimous vote shows a commitment by the various parties to find common ground and we look forward to signing the bill.”
Jazz rookie Walker Kessler played in last night's Rising Stars game, but that's not the end of his time in the All-Star Game spotlight. He is doing his part to be an ambassador for the state of Utah.
Kessler will be playing in tonight's Skills Challenge alongside teammates Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton. He will also be making an appearance at NBA Crossover today.
"I’m gonna do my best to represent Utah," he said. "I’m excited for the opportunity, and I hope I make y’all proud."
In between the weekend's festivities, the rookie will be showing his friends and family around Salt Lake City.
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