Jennifer Pemberton

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says it’s sticking with its friends this election, and Democratic Utah Congressman Jim Matheson is one of them. Matheson received the chamber’s endorsement at the Grand America Hotel Tuesday morning.

Rob Engstrom, its national political director, says endorsements are based on voting records: “If you’re an incumbent member and you vote with the U.S. Chamber 70% of the time at a minimum, you’re automatically endorsed. In this case Matheson is nearly 80% with us.”

Jennifer is determined to escape Utah's bad air through a good old-fashioned health holiday -- if only in her mind.

When President Obama flew over Western Colorado yesterday on his way to Grand Junction in Air Force One, he was greeted by a giant message carved into a nearby field.

The message was designed by world-renowned crop artist Stan Herd and is a project of Protect the Flows, a coalition of more than 500 Western businesses that depend on the river. It occupies about one acre, each letter is 30 feet from top to bottom and the entire message is about 360 feet long, equal to the height of a 36 story building.

Even though Jennifer's ancestors came to Ellis Island from Greece and England, then West in a station wagon in the 1960s, she shares how Utah's history of pioneers is one that resonates. 

"The story of the settling of Utah by the Mormons, though, is one of the greatest stories in American history. Really. It's mind blowing. It is an amazing immigration, a diaspora, a vision, an epic adventure."

State Forester Dick Buehler  says a ban on target shooting to take effect on Wednesday is the first-ever of its kind.
The ban covers specific target shooting sites on public or private land in Cache, Davis, Summit, and Utah Counties.

Clear skies over Utah this summer have meant hot days and little rainfall, but on the bright side, summer stargazing has been especially delightful.

After receiving numerous requests for help from livestock owners, Governor Herbert and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food have announced a emergency program called "Feed the Animals."

Donations made to the program will be used to purchase food and other animals needs for livestock whose rangeland has been destroyed by the unprecedented string of wildfires burning in the state. UDAF Commissioner, Leonard Blackham, estimates that 20,000 head of sheep and cattle have lost their food source in the past week.

Last week, Governor Herbert announced a ban on fireworks in unincorporated areas of Utah and left it up to cities to regulate their communities.

In Cache Valley, authorities have declared restrictions on specific areas in the cities of Logan, Providence, North Logan, Hyde Park, River Heights, Smithfield, Richmond, Hyrum, Millville, Nibley, Wellsville, Paradise, and Lewiston. The boundaries of these restricted areas are described here.

Besides dominating the news over the past 2 weeks, the wildfires that are consuming thousands of acres across the state are taking their toll on Utahns' mental health. When confronted with natural disaster and personal tragedy, a range of stress, anxiety, and depression are common.

The national Disaster Distress Helpline is available to provide counseling to anyone who needs help in dealing with the wildfires in Utah.