Utah may be the next state to sue the Biden administration over revisions to Title IX regulations that protect LGBTQ+ students who attend schools that receive federal money. House Speaker Mike Schultz said Thursday that the state plans to challenge the protections put in place last week. Six states have already filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education because of the changes. We're not going to let the Biden administration and the Democrats destroy women's sports in the state of Utah," said Schultz in a statement. "We plan to ask for an injunction from the courts and will do everythi ..read more

A judge will decide whether to put Phil Lyman's choice for his Lt. Governor on the upcoming June primary ballot. During an emergency hearing on Thursday, 3rd District Court Judge Matthew Bates said he would entertain arguments from Lyman's attorney, who is seeking an injunction to force Layne Bangerter onto the ballot. An independent election advisor overseeing the governor's race (Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson is herself on the ballot and has recused herself) determined Bangerter did not meet the residency requirement. That prompted Lyman and Bangerter to sue. Lyman's lawyer has argued that B ..read more

The new commissioner appointed to oversee Utah's higher education system faced questions about campus protests, tuition hikes and academic freedom at a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Geoffrey Landward, currently the interim commissioner for the Utah System of Higher Education, appeared before the Senate Education Confirmation Committee as more pro-Palestine demonstrations took place on Utah college campuses. Asked by committee chair Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, about protests at the University of Utah that resulted in arrests this week, Landward defended the school. "We need to protect ..read more

The Utah Attorney General's Office has filed a warrant, seeking to have death row inmate Taberon Honie executed. Honie, who was convicted and sentenced to die for the 1998 murder of Claudia Benn, has exhausted his appeals, lawyers for the state wrote in a death warrant application filed in Cedar City's 5th District Court on Tuesday night. The U.S. Supreme Court last year refused to hear an appeal by Honie, setting the stage for his execution. "Honie has no pending action challenging either his capital murder conviction or death sentence. He has exhausted state and federal remedies challenging ..read more

Despite being booed and bounced as his own party's nominee, Governor Spencer Cox is massively popular in the state. The survey, released Monday by Noble Predictive Insights, finds the incumbent Republican governor enjoying 81% of support among GOP voters. Blanding Rep. Phil Lyman, who won the GOP convention on Saturday, sits at 6%. "Being just a couple months out from the primary, Cox already has the majority of Republicans in his court, and no other candidate is even close to double-digit support. Based on the data, Id say this race is practically called," said Mike Noble, the CEO of Noble P ..read more

New polling data released ahead of this weekend's Utah Republican Party convention finds "not sure" as the winner of the Senate race. The survey, conducted among Republican voters earlier this month by Noble Predictive Insights, finds Congressman John Curtis in the lead over Brent Orrin Hatch, former House Speaker Brad Wilson and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs. But 41% of Republican voters said they were "not sure" who they would vote for. Still, among the candidates? Curtis has a 2-1 lead over everyone else in the field. The Noble Predictive Insights survey found some other interesting data poi ..read more

Members of Utah's powerful Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission didn't complain when they were asked to show ID before they entered the Boneyard Saloon. As the group that regularly disciplines bars that fail to perform ID checks, it was only fair. The DABS Commission visited the licensed bar establishment on Thursday as part of a new effort to get off the Wasatch Front and hear from hospitality industry representatives and liquor licensees directly. Commissioners and DABS staffers also met with restaurateurs like Seth and Casey Adams, who own the popular Riverhorse on Main. "We ..read more

With the arrival of the new professional hockey team in Utah, city leaders are working quickly to enact plans for the downtown entertainment district surrounding them. The Utah State Legislature passed a bill to create a special district for an NHL arena and authorized the Salt Lake City Council to levy a .5% sales tax to help pay for the infrastructure and development around it. So far, team owners Ryan and Ashley Smith have signaled a desire to remodel the Delta Center to host both the Utah Jazz and the team formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes. Ryan Smith suggested as much in a recent inte ..read more

A federal jury has found Daggett County liable for abuses some former inmates say they suffered while incarcerated there. After deliberating several days, the jury handed down a split verdict. It found that three former inmates Steven Drollette, Joshua Asay and Joshua Olsen had their constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment violated. The jury did not find the county liable for Dustin Porter. Altogether, the jury awarded them $352,300 for the harms. "I think the jury has sent a strong message that violations of the Eighth Amendment are serious and that counties will be held ac ..read more

Legislative leaders have approved a list of items they will study over the next year that could become bills in the 2025 session. The Legislative Management Committee, made up of Republican and Democratic leadership on Utah's Capitol Hill, approved the list that will tackle some interesting issues. They include: Artificial intelligence, including regulation to use in voting systems Medicaid and any budget impacts to the state Affordable housing and homelessness Maintaining Utah's tourism economy, including marketing the state and visitor mitigation If students' grades ought to be tied to atten ..read more