From DACA to asylum, it’s becoming harder for immigrants to work legally in Utah

DACA renewals are taking months longer than usual, costing some recipients their jobs. Temporary Protected Status and asylum are also harder to come by as the Trump administration continues to overhau...

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Utah is cracking down on scofflaws using the Montana car registration loophole

The Utah State Tax Commission found about 1,500 people it thinks have illegitimate out-of-state registrations. That number could double once the system has been running for a year.

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St. George ICE flights signal increased southern Utah enforcement activity

Activists in Salt Lake City are tracking flights so people know where their loved ones are headed, and a group in St. George is working on doing the same.

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Ogden’s mini indie bookstore boom comes with good reads and good hangs

More independent bookstores have opened than closed in Utah. It’s part of a national indie bookstore boom, even though reading for fun is on the decline.

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Cyclospora needs a specific test. For one Utah family, it was unexpectedly hard to get

The cyclosporiasis outbreak in five states hasn’t been detected in Utah. But one Ogdenite who’s had symptoms for weeks went to the doctor three times before getting an order for the proper test for th...

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Can the humble swamp cooler still contend with Utah’s heat?

Swamp coolers use less electricity and are more often found in older homes. But they can only cool the air so much when the mercury climbs to triple digits.

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Trump slashes Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%

Flanked by Utah’s delegation, Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Speaker Mike Schultz, the president again reduced the boundaries and protections of the two monuments. Conservationists and tribal leaders worry...

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In viral video, ICE appears to make warrantless arrest inside a Salt Lake home

Regardless of whether the man in the video was evading arrest, courts have ruled that ICE can only enter homes without a warrant in a justifiable circumstance, such as a risk of public danger.

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Utah’s immigration court is speeding up hearings — and deportations

KUER spent an afternoon in the courtroom to observe larger hearings and gauge when immigrants were ordered deported for not showing up to court.

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Utah’s specialty license plates are getting a fancy, full-color makeover

Beyond looking cool, the new designs share a common theme to make them easily identifiable as Utah plates.

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How fast Pineview Reservoir refills after pipeline repair is up to Mother Nature

There’s no good time to lower a reservoir, said one researcher, but this is “probably the least bad time.”

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Wildfires are expensive. If you start one, Utah and feds will want their money back

Getting a payout is tricky, but investigations and enforcement are a priority because of the high costs.

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Are Americans ‘footing the bill’ for illegal immigration, as Mike Lee says?

Sen. Lee’s office cited a report from an anti-immigration nonprofit that’s been criticized for its methodology. A clear-cut number is a tug-of-war between who’s counted, the taxes paid and the costs o...

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Report says ICE will ditch its Salt Lake City warehouse

According to the New York Times, Salt Lake City is reportedly one of seven warehouses the agency plans to sell or give away. ICE paid $145 million for the building in March.

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Big data centers caught Utah flat-footed. Tiny Nephi is one step ahead

The city set up rules for data centers months before Box Elder’s Stratos Project sparked outrage. Washington County also has a zoning update in the works.

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Utah took a 11% federal workforce cut, but now the IRS is hiring in Ogden again

Since early 2025, the Department of the Treasury in Utah has had 1,660 fewer employees. Other industries have expanded enough to swallow the impacts of federal cuts.

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A second lawsuit is coming for ICE’s Salt Lake City detention center plan

Other lawsuits using the National Environmental Policy Act are playing out across the country. One in Maryland compelled the Department of Homeland Security to begin an environmental review.

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Box Elder County rejects data center referendums, but opponents aren’t giving up

Box Elder County rejected two referendum applications seeking to put the commissioners’ decision on the massive Stratos Project data center to a vote. Opponents have vowed to appeal.

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Even with EPA more testing cash incoming, Utah’s in a ‘good spot’ for PFAS

So far, PFAS testing has found levels below the EPA limit in the vast majority of Utah systems. But more money for testing could be on the way.

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Ogden’s Marshall White Center is hopping, but affordability questions linger

It’s been a year since the new Marshall White Center opened in Ogden. Many families have qualified for reduced-cost memberships, but what exactly is free is still in question.

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Utah’s Library for the Blind and Disabled leaves no reader or book behind

There’s a ton of braille, and patrons can borrow popular audiobooks or request specific ones be recorded. It’s not just about reading, but connection and training the ear.

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Will a new judge help Utah’s immigration court cut a 49,000-case backlog?

Doubling the number of judges could cut the wait time in half, depending on how quickly they work, but a speedier process is a double-edged sword.

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Utah’s newest cities can’t charge taxes this year because of a calendar snafu

The mayor of Ogden Valley City says they’re stuck — they can’t raise taxes or cut services, but need to balance their budget. Spring Lake is in a similar conundrum.

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Water rights paperwork tied to Box Elder data center withdrawn after heavy protest

The owner of the water rights indicated that they will refile at a future date. Protesters who paid the $15 fee will not get their money back, and comments will not carry over to any future applicatio...

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More than 3,700 protests lodged over water rights for the Box Elder data center

Opponents are filing grievances with the Division of Water Rights. The state engineer will consider those and might hold a hearing before deciding whether to approve the water right’s change of use.

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Box Elder signs off on contentious data center, citing property rights and zoning

“We will ensure that the development is done responsibly and in a manner that protects the best interest of the Box Elder County and its residents,” the commission said in a statement.

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Ogden group helps parents plan for the worst: ICE separating them from their kids

The stated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy is to ask people if they have kids and let them make arrangements. But advocates say planning is still a good idea.

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The Great Salt Lake has already reached its max height for the year • Utah News Dispatch

Utah water managers are previewing a grim outlook for the months ahead, with most of the state already in severe drought.

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A year after Utah’s fluoride ban, education and awareness are the biggest changes

Utah stopped public water fluoridation in May 2025. While the health effects aren’t immediate, dentists and oral health advocates aren’t waiting for the cavities to pile up.

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