More than 1,200 protest to save the Great Salt Lake
More than 1,200 people protested at the Utah State Capitol on Saturday to save Great Salt Lake.
The demonstration, organized by a coalition of environmental groups, was designed to pressure Utah’s political leaders to do more to save Great Salt Lake.
Over the last two years, lawmakers have passed a series of bills, spent more than $1 billion on water conservation measures and appointed a commissioner to oversee lake recovery efforts.
However, activists expressed frustration over what they say is a lack of action to get water back into the lake. An investigation by the Great Salt Lake Collaborative found that though the state convinced some agricultural producers to switch to water-saving technologies, the state can’t guarantee conserved water is getting to the lake.
Some bills are being considered this legislative session to fix that issue and to generally help the lake, though not all specifically commit to using conserved water for the lake. House Speaker Mike Schultz told FOX-13 on Friday saving Great Salt Lake remains a top priority for the Utah State Legislature.
Great Salt Lake dropped to its lowest level in recorded history in 2022 due to issues like drought, water diversion and climate change. The health of the lake affects wildlife and the ecosystem, public health and Utah’s economy.
Gov. Cox signs bill delaying controversial social media law
Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill delaying Utah’s controversial social media law from going into effect.
The law, which would regulate social media platforms on age-verification, parental consent, algorithms, advertising and data collection, was passed last year. Senate leaders indicated last week the law would get a rewrite after multiple lawsuits from social media users and a trade group representing apps and platforms.
By signing S.B. 89 on Friday night, Gov. Cox delayed implementation of the social media law from March until October to allow more time to incorporate feedback.
Utah’s political leaders have been highly critical of social media platforms, which they accuse of harming youth’s mental health while targeting them for data and advertising. The state has its own lawsuit against TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Cedar City middle school closing for two days for carbon monoxide testing
A middle school in Cedar City is holding two days of remote classes for carbon monoxide detectors testing after small amounts of the toxic gas were detected in the building.
The school was evacuated and tested Thursday afternoon after some students and teachers reported having headaches and feeling dizzy and nauseous.
The Cedar City Fire Department found small amounts of carbon monoxide, though exact levels at the time of the incident couldn’t be recorded since doors and windows were opened before first responders arrived. Students in the area were found to have normal levels and allowed to return inside.
Several more tests were done in the building on Friday and Saturday, all with no dangerous levels.
The Iron County School District announced on Sunday they will hold classes remotely Monday and Tuesday while an independent party tests the schools’ carbon monoxide detectors, which are in every classroom, hallway and public area of the school.
