Sen. Mike Lee would have voted in favor of the failed House GOP funding bill to avoid a government shutdown, he told the Deseret News.

“I don’t think deep down anyone in Congress would choose a shutdown,” he said. “That is not a good thing for anyone.”

Lee did say that he respects those who voted against the resolution. But how did we get to the point of a shutdown?

“What’s happened is that the debt, and the interest on the debt, has finally caught up to us to the point where people in both houses of Congress are starting to be really worried and they’ve seen the cycle repeat itself so many times,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of people wanting it to be different. The question is just how much they’re willing to stand up to leadership and say ‘No.’”

The senator said he “wholeheartedly” supports the rule change secured by House Freedom Caucus members and the efforts of Sen. Ron Johnson to reinstitute the norm of voting on spending bills separately.

Lee believes Americans and Utahns want a Congress that's “in a position where each member can have adequate time to review and debate and discuss and confer with their constituents about spending levels and the contents of a spending bill.”

A new travel plan in Moab could close hundreds of miles of off-roading roads. Is it needed conservation, or government overreach?

On Friday, Deseret News journalists surveyed the Gemini Bridges and Labyrinth Canyon region in southern Utah in a flight hosted by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Ecoflight, a nonprofit that uses small aircraft to advocate for conservation.

The Bureau of Land Management is gearing up to release its new travel plan for the area. It's looking at four options — one of which could close hundreds of off-roading routes to the public in the coming days.

That would be a loss for off-roading enthusiasts and a win for environmental advocates. SUWA is in favor of the BLM option to keep 606 miles open, limit 84 miles and close 437 miles of road. 

“... It’s not about restricting people’s access, it’s about managing and controlling land so that it’s here for others in the future,” John Weisheit, an environmental activist and co-founder of Living Rivers said. 

BlueRibbon Coalition, a motorized recreation advocacy group, and Utah Rep. Phil Lyman are in favor of the option to keep the current plan in place. 

Will the decision be needed conservation or government overreach?

Read more about the impact of the BLM's upcoming decision.

More in Environment

• Snow returns to mountains, as fall-like temperatures reach Utah ahead of official season (KSL)
• Video: Thousands of long-beaked dolphins form ‘megapod’ in California (Deseret News)

FROM UTAH BUSINESS

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Health

• Here’s why getting the new COVID-19 booster shot is being called ‘frustrating’ (Deseret News)
• 5 superfoods that can help with depression and boost your mood (Deseret News)
• Pickling vegetables or making salsa at home? Read this product’s label (Deseret News)
  

Entertainment  

• PG-13 movies are taking over the box office. Have they been impacted by ‘ratings creep’? (Deseret News)
• ‘The Blind Side’ actor Quinton Aaron says he makes good memories when he visits Utah (Deseret News)
• The ‘majority of the country’ wants more family-friendly, faith-based entertainment, media executive says (Deseret News)

Faith

• Young service missionaries to be integrated into teaching missions, Church announces (Church News)
• Emphasizing religious liberty, church asks Ninth Circuit to review Huntsman lawsuit decision (Deseret News)
• What to expect at the first-ever ‘Chosen’ fan convention (Deseret News)
  

Politics

• Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife indicted on bribery charges, they deny wrongdoing (Deseret News)
• Sen. Mitt Romney and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema offer alternative to student loan forgiveness (Deseret News)
• Jay Evensen: A government shutdown won’t solve the nation’s real fiscal problems (Deseret News)
• Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: What will Mitt Romney’s legacy be? (Deseret News)

Police and Courts

• New ‘Dateline’ episode explores case of Kouri Richins, a Utah mom accused of fatally poisoning her husband (Deseret News)
• 8 officers 'justified' in shooting, killing gunman who killed police dog (KSL)
  

The West 

• 5 drives to see fall leaves in Utah (Deseret News)
  

The U.S. and World

• Number of migrants crossing the border is on the rise again. What’s next? (Deseret News)
• How to Watch Osiris-Rex return: Asteroid sample headed to Utah could shed new light on 4.5 billion-year-old mysteries (Deseret News)
• Ukraine hits HQ of Russia's symbolic Black Sea navy (BBC)

It’s no fantasy — players with Utah ties are having big impact in NFL this season

With week three of the NFL season now underway, a few players with Utah ties have been thrust into the spotlight.

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Packers quarterback Jordan Love are shaking up the league and have become popular waiver wire additions to fantasy football teams.

My colleague Brandon Judd took a deep dive into five of those players:

• Nacua
• Love
• Zach Wilson
• Dalton Kincaid
• Zack Moss

Read what he wrote about these players' impacts as well as other NFL standouts with Utah ties.

More in Sports

• BYU has ‘huge sense of urgency’ against Kansas in inaugural Big 12 football game (Deseret News)
• When Utah, BYU, Utah State hit the field, all eyes will be on the QBs (Deseret News)
• You’ve heard of Boise State’s ‘Smurf Turf.’ But what about this potential trademark battle? (Deseret News)
• Pat McAfee describes ‘massive respect’ for people of faith while hosting Kyle Van Noy and Manti Te’o on Thursday (Deseret News)
• What UCLA coach Chip Kelly is saying about Utah (Deseret News)