Utah News

Tonight at the Republican National Convention, it will be Utah’s turn in the sun, even if there’s not much sun to be had in Tampa, Florida, with a storm making its way through the region. And it’s an especially meaningful year for the Utah GOP, as Mitt Romney, a longtime popular figure in the Beehive State and representative of the state’s dominant religion, will accept the party’s nomination for president. Jeff Robinson spoke with Utah Republican Party Chairman Thomas Wright, who joined him from the convention.

A new school year just got underway, but higher education experts say high school students should already be planning for next year. For the next six weeks, the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority will be traveling to high schools across the state, talking to students and parents about planning and paying for college.

If you or your children are in high school, Pamela Silberman, Director of Communications at the Utah System of Higher Education says it’s time to plan.

It’s a hot summer day in Salt Lake City and Amanda Baldwin is looking for some shade. The 21 year old and dozens of others have endured the noon day sun to walk around the track at Valley View State Park. They’re all participants in the Williams Syndrome Walk, an event designed to raise money for the Williams Syndrome Association, but most importantly it gives people like Amanda and their families a chance to connect.

Amanda's friend explains, "I think Amanda is the best, and kids with Williams syndrome are always generous and loving. Yeah, Williams syndrome is pretty tight."

Groups working to stop SkiLink, a proposed gondola from Canyons Resort in Park City to Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon are hoping to educate the public on what it could mean for Utah’s backcountry. Saturday, opponents invited the public on a hike to the site of the controversial project.

At 9:30 on Saturday morning a group of hikers is meeting at a trailhead just below the Solitude parking lot.

All but a handful of the nation's Fortune 500 companies now voluntarily include protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. That makes most major companies more inclusive than Utah. Here in the Beehive State a person can still lose his/her job for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.