In her latest column, Meg Walter laments how every conversation she's had in recent days begins with “Can you believe how hot it is?”
But, she reminds us, it could be worse — much, much worse — because it could be HUMID.Meg recalls summers spent in Washington, D.C., where she felt like she was wading through a swamp, and where, unlike Utah, shade offered no relief from the humid heat.
Read Meg's analysis of how different sections of the country are horrified by the heat the other lives through every year.
‘Show Up for Teachers’ continues to show love and appreciation for Utah’s educators
More than 2,600 educators and community leaders packed into the Mountain America Expo Center on Wednesday for the second annual Show Up for Teachers Conference hosted by Utah’s first lady Abby Cox.
The event focused on educator wellness and was free of charge thanks to sponsorships from several local businesses, including headlining sponsor the Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation.
Both Cox and her husband spoke to teachers at the beginning of the conference, commending the sacrifices that they make.
For more than eight hours, teachers networked, listened to speakers and learned ways to improve their teaching and mental health.
The event was already a success in 2022, but this year’s convention featured more than twice the number of attendees, which included educators from nearly every district, according to Deputy Director of First Lady Initiatives Sarah Allred.
Harvard professor and bestselling author Arthur Brooks and educator Michael Bonner were the convention’s two keynote speakers.
Show Up has partnered with the Deseret News and Utah Business this year to host a gala to honor educators on Thursday night at the Grand America Hotel.
Four Teacher of the Year awards will be announced and select businesses and administrators will also receive recognition.
The heatwave washing over the American southwest is having a toll on the electric grid.
St. George residents were asked Monday and again on Tuesday to limit their energy use after some sectors of the city experienced power outages on Sunday afternoon caused by an overburdened power grid.
Nuclear power could help avoid potentially dangerous heatwave blackouts, according to Rep. John Curtis of Utah’s 3rd Congressional District.
“Increased nuclear power generation can give Utahns the assurance that the lights will stay on during extreme weather events through the baseload power it can provide,” Curtis told the Deseret News.
Curtis discussed the importance of nuclear power and his bill that would incentivize innovation in the industry, including making it easier for the technology to expand in Utah, at a hearing on Tuesday for the House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security, which he vice chairs.
During the hearing, Curtis said there are obstacles — like regulations and high costs — that keep nuclear power from becoming more commonplace.
Curtis referred to the efforts of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems to license 12 small modular reactors from Nuscale Power Corp to provide energy to several Utah municipalities and some neighboring states. After 10 years and $100 million, the licensing process is only halfway done, Curtis said.
“This is clearly not acceptable if we’re going to make nuclear a major part of what we’re doing,” he said.
To address the difficulty in obtaining permits and funds for a new generation of smaller, safer nuclear reactors, Curtis is working on a bill that would authorize the Secretary of Energy to award grants to cover regulatory costs for non-federal entities that are engaged in licensing “first-of-a-kind advanced nuclear reactors.”
Read more about how Curtis' bill could speed up the process of bringing nuclear power to Utah.
FROM OUR SPONSOR UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Comedy, Magic, and Music: Unmissable Trio of Plays Sparkles at the Festival
Utah Shakespeare Festival presents three season stand-out shows: a comedic catastrophe in The Play That Goes Wrong, magic in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and musical romance in Jane Austen’s Emma. Enjoy familiar actors and stunning visuals. For $10 off select tickets, use code DesNews23.
Utah PTA, pediatricians speak out against rule that would allow more nicotine in e-cigarettes (KSL)
Faith
Taking charge of technology as a disciple of Christ (Church News)
Ancient Chinese Sacrificial Rituals Resemble Those of the Israelites. Does This Matter? (Christianity Today)
Politics
GOP candidate who lost at convention sues winner Celeste Maloy (Deseret News)
What Manchin and Huntsman said about running for president for a third party (Deseret News)
Cliff Smith: How aid for Ukraine could influence the GOP primary (Deseret News)
Entertainment
Is ‘Barbie’ a family-friendly movie? A look at why the upcoming movie is rated PG-13 (Deseret News)
What records has Taylor Swift and The Eras Tour broken in the last year? (Deseret News)
Business
Here’s why In-N-Out banned employees in Utah and other states from wearing masks (Deseret News)
Logan Paul’s Prime Energy drinks are being recalled in Canada because they exceed caffeine limits — how much caffeine do the drinks have? (Deseret News)
Salt Lake County
These Utah housing markets most ‘at-risk’ for price correction due to affordability problems, low sales, firm says (Deseret News)
Two men broke into this prominent Utahn’s home. They spent more time there than in jail, he says. (Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)
The West
A proposed national monument in Arizona impacts Utah ranchers, energy (Deseret News)
Idaho ends 2023 fiscal year with $99 million surplus (Idaho Capital Sun)
The Nation
Russia sent a wave of attacks into Ukraine targeting grain infrastructure (Deseret News)
Homeowners Don’t Want to Sell, So the Market for Brand-New Homes Is Booming (Wall Street Journal 🔒)
The World
Israeli president addresses Congress, condemns antisemitic comments from U.S. lawmakers (Deseret News)
Mystery object that washed up on Australian shore suspected to be space junk (Deseret News)
The winds of change in the Middle East (Deseret News)
Sports
The good, the bad and the ugly from the Utah Jazz’s Summer League run (Deseret News)
How and when to watch the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Deseret News)
Good news, bad news for Pac-12 football (Deseret News)
‘Chance to do something big:’ Mitch Mathews relives historic catch, shares why being big in Big 12 is vital (Deseret News)
Here’s where Utah State is predicted to finish in the Mountain West standings (Deseret News)
Family members of Davis County sheriff's deputy Jennifer Turner, including her three children, June, Bryce and Ashlyn, watch as their mother's urn is placed into a hearse following the memorial service for Turner and Cpl. Steven Lewis at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Friday. Lewis and Turner were killed in a motorcycle crash July 3, three days after they were married. (Laura Seitz, Deseret News)