Kaysville makes changes to Fourth of July parade after girl's death last year
Kaysville is making several safety changes to their Fourth of July parade this year after the death of an eight-year-old girl in last year’s event.
Macie Hill, who was in the parade with her dance team, died after being pulled under the tires of a trailer while trying to get candy from it.
City staff said they’ve conducted an extensive review of their safety policies and made a number of changes ahead of this year’s event to ensure everyone’s safety. One of those changes is to prohibit exchanging items from any floats to any walking participants.
According to the city’s website, this year’s parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. on July Fourth.
Utah Senate committee unanimously confirms Great Salt Lake Commissioner
Brian Steed began his confirmation process for the position of Great Salt Lake Commissionerwith a unanimous vote in his favor.
In this new role, he is expected to help come up with a plan to save the lake, which hit its lowest point in recorded history last year. He also will have authority to override state agencies if they make decisions that are deemed harmful to the lake.
At Monday’s hearing, Steed said he would collaborate with the many groups with interests in the lake, from environmentalists to agriculture. He currently directs Utah State University’s Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air, and has served in directorial positions for both the Utah Department of Natural Resources and the Utah Bureau of Land Management.
He won a unanimous vote from the Senate Natural Resources Confirmation Committee, and his nomination will go before the full Utah State Senate as soon as next week. He’s expected to be easily confirmed.
Utah Attorney General pushes for HALT Fentanyl Act
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes is joining law enforcement officials across the country who are pushing for the U.S. Senate to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act.
HALT, which stands for Halt All Lethal Trafficking, would make fentanyl permanently a Schedule I drug, which means it’s considered a high potential for abuse with no currently accepted medical use, like heroin. Currently, fentanyl is only temporarily classified as Schedule I.
Fentanyl deaths in Utah doubled between 2019 and 2020, and the number of seized fentanyl pills is went from nearly 11,000 in 2018 to over 85,000 in 2021. Utah has, however, managed to keep their overall number of overdose deaths from having a similar sharp increase.
Some medical professionals have raised concerns about the act, saying there are some fentanyl products that have medical use. Dr. Jennifer Plumb, medical director with Utah Naloxone, says HALT’s increased punishment angle isn’t the right tool.
The HALT Fentanyl Act has already made it through the U.S. House of Representatives.
