Utah Headlines

Political news

• GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Lee, renew threats to take over D.C. after DOGE staffer assault (Deseret News)
• FBI, state investigators probe data breach at Box Elder County government (KUTV)

Municipal

• Half of Rich County’s deputies quit over pay, staffing issues ahead of Raspberry Days (KSL TV)
• Spring City residents, Utah nonprofit file lawsuit against City Council for endangering historic designation (KSL TV)
• Tooele residents voice outrage in emotional meeting regarding proposed tax increase (KSL Newsradio)
• Burrville residents return home after evacuation order lifted (KSL)
• Lehi could get new bike park as city, state, county split $900K cost (KUTV)
• Candidates vying for at-large Ogden City Council seats discuss priorities as primary election nears (Standard-Examiner)
• Campaign sign theft adds tension to Sandy mayoral race (KUTV)

Utah

• How one Utah neighborhood became the epicenter of Trump’s deportation debate (Deseret News)
• Utah attorney general co-leads call on DOJ to crack down on illegal offshore gaming (Deseret News)
• Family trying to bring man recovering from 'killer bee' attack to Utah (FOX 13)
• Photo gallery: A day on the lake, adaptive style (Deseret News)
• As grocery prices rise, Utahns are cutting back, gardening or looking for help (KUER)

Biz/Tech

• Opinion: Utah’s AI innovation ecosystem can serve as a model for implementing America’s AI Action Plan (Deseret News)
• AI system could help spot Utah wildfires early (KSL)
• Buckle up. AI is ready to help you edit photos (Deseret News)
• Manish Parashar: Utah’s AI innovation ecosystem can serve as a model for implementing America’s AI Action Plan (Deseret News)
• New study sheds light on ChatGPT’s alarming interactions with teens (AP)
• How Utah figures into Apple’s latest investment in U.S. chip making (Deseret News)
• Cedar City inland port project to bring jobs in desperate moment of need (Fox13)
• Claire’s, once a mall destination for tweens, files for bankruptcy (Washington Post)

Crime/Courts

• Utah AG asks potential rape victims of 22-year-old Logan man to come forward (KSL Newsradio)
• Navy sailor charged in federal court with enticing teen via social media (KSL)
  
• 2 sentenced to federal prison for trafficking 40K fentanyl pills into Utah (KSL)
• Man arrested, accused of ramming 8 police cars (KSL)

Culture/Community

• 'Women of the World' charity empowers, educates displaced women for fresh start in Utah (KUTV)

Economy

• Editorial Board: It's crucial to have confidence in the jobs report (Deseret News)
• Analysis: American households and businesses lose when economic data becomes political (Deseret News)

Education

• How you can protect kids on the roads as Utah schools go back to class (Fox13)
• University of Utah sells off 2 downtown student apartment buildings (Salt Lake Tribune)
• School Guardian Program: State security chief explains Utah’s newest approach to security and safety (ABC4)
• Tooele County School District adopts 8% property tax increase despite outcries (KSL)
• Canyons School District’s board votes for a property tax increase, because of inflation (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Construction delays force Sandy middle school to start the school year online (ABC4)
• No phone policy at Granger High School still in place for new school year following encouraging results (KSL TV)

Environment/Energy

• Garkane Energy has been hustling to repair power lines burnt by the Monroe Canyon fire (KUER)
• Mining is big business in Utah — to the tune of billions of dollars per year (Deseret News)
• Dry summer raises concerns about Utah's water levels as reservoirs dip, soil dries out (KUTV)

Health

• RFK Jr. pulls major funding for vaccine development. Kennedy said he is prioritizing universal vaccine platforms over mRNA technology (Deseret News)
• Officials warn of E. coli at Salem Pond (KSL TV)
• UK scientists find genes linked with chronic fatigue syndrome (Reuters)
• Research on reversing Alzheimer’s reveals lithium as potential key (Washington Post)
• How much ultra-processed food do Americans eat? It's a lot (Deseret News)

Housing

• Home buying improves in US cities, but Utah prices still rise 1.5% year over year (KUTV)

National Headlines

General

• 5 soldiers injured in shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia (Deseret News)
• Scientists say they have solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars (AP)
• United Airlines flights grounded nationwide because of computer problems (NPR)

Political news 

• Trump says US will levy 100% tariff on some chip imports (Reuters)
• Trump to put additional 25% import taxes on India, bringing combined tariffs to 50% (AP)
• Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health (AP)
• U.S. plans to ease human rights criticism of El Salvador, Israel, Russia (Washington Post)

Immigration/deportation

• Trump officials are reopening old immigration cases, even for dead people. ‘They don’t do their homework,’ lawyers say (LA Times)
• 'Speedway Slammer' immigration jail set to be Trump's next 'Alligator Alcatraz' (USA Today)

Ukraine/Russia

• Trump could meet Putin over Ukraine as soon as next week, official says (Reuters)
• Family and colleagues mourn beloved Kyiv teacher killed in a Russian strike (AP)

Middle East

• Israeli military chief opposes Gaza war expansion, raising pressure on Netanyahu (Reuters)

World news

• Flash flood engulfs Indian village, several dead and dozens missing (Deseret News)
• Great Barrier Reef records largest annual coral loss in 39 years (AP)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Aug 7 —  Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
• Aug 12 — Municipal primary
• Aug 18-20 — Interim Days
• Sept 11-12 — Women in the Money Conference, Sheraton Hotel and online, Register here
• Sept 15-17 — Interim Days
• Oct 6-8 — One Utah Summit, Cedar City, More information here
• Oct 13-15 — Interim Days
• Nov 4 — General election
• Nov 17-19 — Interim Days
• February 4-7, 2026 — Summit, with Silicon Slopes and Visit Salt Lake

On This Day In History

• 1782 - George Washington creates the Purple Heart. It was awarded to three soldiers, then largely forgotten. On Feb 22, 1932, Washington’s 200th birthday, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the “Order of the Purple Heart.”
• 1789 - The first U.S. Congress created the United States Lighthouse Establishment bringing all lighthouses under the responsibility of the federal government. It was the first public works law passed.
• 1882 - An election day battle between the Hatfields and McCoys leads to the death of Ellison McCoy.
• 1932 - Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia is born. He won the 1960 Olympic marathon. Running barefoot. 
• 1947 - Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl completes 4300-mile ocean voyage in a balsa wood raft.
• 1948 - Alice Coachman was born today. She was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, in the high jump during the 1948 Olympic Games.
• 1959 - The first US satellite to photograph the Earth is launched.
• 1964 - US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution granting US President Lyndon Johnson authority to assist any Southeast Asian facing "communist aggression"; he uses it to bring the US into the Vietnam conflict
• 1990 - President George HW Bush orders Operation Desert Shield in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2. 
• 1993 - Ada Deer is sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of the Interior and the first woman to hold the position of head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The day of her swearing-in was also her birthday.
• 1998 - Two US embassies bombed in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and injuring more than 4500.

Quote of the Day

"Your life evolves. You create your own way as you go along. You can, and I did." 

— Ada Deer

On the Punny Side

To the guy who invented zero, thanks for nothing.

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