In addition to previously proposed methods to save the dwindling Great Salt Lake, a new proposition has emerged — active forest management.

With the support of other elected leaders, Salt Lake County Council member Dea Theodore penned a letter to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox asserting that water flow to the Great Salt Lake could increase by as much as 10% if forest management in the Wasatch was implemented.

“Many of our forests are already in desperate need of tree thinning due to high and extreme fire danger. Many of these forest areas are in the central Wasatch Mountain in my council district. The thinning of those same trees would restore over 1.5 million acre-feet of water per year to the Great Salt Lake; enough to have the lake on its way to restored water levels over the next five years," says her letter and fact sheet.

The group's position mainly focuses on overgrown forests within the Great Salt Lake Basin’s watershed. Theodore and her supporters' aim to get the proposal before the Utah State Legislature within a month and a half, with the ultimate goal of convincing them that this is a viable way to increase water levels in the ailing lake.

What will 2023 bring to the housing market? Predictions include price drops and ‘terrible consolidation,’ but better buyer balance

Experts are predicting that housing prices will fall in 2023, though this drop won't erase the sheer gains made during the pandemic, which fueled the housing crisis.

This year's "difficult correction" is helped in part by the Fed's efforts to raise borrowing rates, a move that scared manny potential home buyers out of purchasing a home.

These rates are predicted to continue affecting the housing market and make it more difficult for prospective homeowners to buy a house. This correction is intended to strike a better balance between home buyers and sellers.

“Hang in there. 2024 will be better,” Jim Wood, one of Utah’s leading housing experts, told the Salt Lake Board of Realtors on Friday.

Read more about this year's housing predictions.

The Latest In Local Politics:

• Education, water are big issues in 2023 Utah Legislative Session, expert says (KSL NewsRadio)

• What does fiscal responsibility mean to you? And to Utah? (KUER)

• Utah Lt. Gov.’s office considers penalizing Gene Davis for using campaign funds to fight sexual misconduct allegations (The Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)

Health:

• Kindergarten vaccination rates dropped again (Deseret News)

• CDC, FDA finds possible safety concern in updated Pfizer COVID shot (Deseret News)

Faith:

• First five years: Memorable quotes and teachings from President Russell M. Nelson (Deseret News)

• Can you be forced to work on the Sabbath? The Supreme Court will soon weigh in (Deseret News)

Culture:

• In 2022, we watched real suffering and called it entertainment (Deseret News)

• What you can do in Utah to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Deseret News)

Northern Utah:

• Body found in South Ogden may have gone unnoticed for months, police say (KSL.com)

• In ‘knead’ of help: Ogden community rallies around pizza shop (ABC4)

Wasatch Front:

• Utah Jazz to once again play at the Delta Center (Deseret News)

• Want to keep your Dry January? A Salt Lake City dry bar might be the ticket (KUER)

Southern Utah:

• St. George officials consider requiring free speech zones for protesters as part of special events (St. George News)

• 17-year-old boyfriend of Piute High student charged as an adult with killing her (KSL.com)

The Nation:

• These are the cities where inflation is rising most, survey says (Deseret News)

• Six more classified documents found in Biden’s Delaware home (Deseret News)

The World:

• Protesters across country demand return of Navy lieutenant held in Japanese prison (KUTV)
• Peru president not resigning despite violent protests (BBC News)

Sports:

• BYU men's basketball bounces back from Gonzaga loss to beat Pepperdine (Deseret News)

• Perspective: On tennis, the Australian Open and the ‘widowhood effect’ (Deseret News)
• Shorthanded Jazz rally from 20 down but lose to 76ers by one (Deseret News)