This is your rundown of the daily news for Thursday, July 25. In this edition:
- A fireworks malfunction at a Pioneer Day event in Layton minorly injured two people
- Sen. Mitt Romney is co-sponsoring a bill that encourages schools to prohibit smartphones in classrooms
- A new fire in Summit County has slowed, but remains 0% contained
Fireworks malfunction in Layton injures two people
4:07 p.m.
A fireworks malfunction at a Pioneer Day event in Layton shot a firework into the crowd, minorly injuring two people.
According to the Layton battalion chief, a consumer-grade firework at the event malfunctioned and ignited at ground level. Most of the crowd was reportedly a good distance away from the fireworks, but two people suffered minor burns and were treated on scene.
The incident came just weeks after fireworks malfunctioned at Provo’s Stadium of Fire show on July 4, flying into the stadium stands.
Thursday, July 25 is the final day to legally set off fireworks in Utah in July.
Sen. Romney co-sponsors bill to keep smartphones out of classrooms
4:07 p.m.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is co-sponsoring a new bill in Washington, D.C. aimed at keeping smartphones out of public school classrooms.
The Smart Kids Not Smartphones Act, also sponsored by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CN), was introduced in Congress on Thursday.
It doesn’t outright ban smartphones, instead creating a reward system that recognizes and highlights schools who prohibit students from using smartphones during class time.
Recognition and awards would be non-monetary, coming as a banner or website badge on a school webpage.
Summit County fire slows overnight but remains uncontained
4:07 p.m.
A fire burning just east of Echo in Summit County slowed down overnight but remains uncontained.
The fire sparked Wednesday afternoon and has burned an estimated 360 acres so far. According to Utah Fire Info officials, the fire is threatening structures, power lines, and underground gas lines in the area.
Despite initial rapid growth, Summit County authorities said fire activity began decreasing around 1 a.m. Thursday, with only pockets of oak brush burning throughout the night.
Air and ground crews fighting the fire aim to establish barriers from which they can start constructing fire lines to contain the fire.
