This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, April 8. In this edition:
- The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is seeking input on priorities for a grant program
- The Huntsman Cancer Institute broke ground on a new Utah County campus
- Utahns can learn boating safety for free with a new online course
UDAF is seeking input on spending priorities for grant program
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is asking Utahns to weigh in on priorities for an agricultural grant program.
Lawmakers allocated $1 million this legislative session for the Utah Food Security Processing Grant Program, which aims to improve access and production capacity for agricultural products in the state.
Program funds will go to Utah-based businesses, covering mainly operational costs like processing equipment and contractor costs.
Grant applications are expected to open in May, but before then, the department is asking Utahns to weigh in on priorities and eligibility criteria by filling out an online survey, available until April 14.
Huntsman Cancer Institute breaks ground on new Utah County campus
The University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute broke ground on a new campus in Utah County on Tuesday.
Located in Vineyard near Utah Lake, the approximately 272,000 square foot cancer center will reduce travel time for thousands of patients from the Utah County area — the institute’s Salt Lake City location had over 40,000 visits from Utah County patients last year.
The total cost of the project is currently estimated at $400 million, but only about 75% of the funding has been secured so far.
Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2028.
Utahns can learn boating safety with a free online course
The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation is launching a free online boating safety course for kids and adults alike.
Utah requires all youth 12 to 17 to complete an approved boating safety education course before operating a personal watercraft, such as a jet ski.
However, Utahns of all ages interested in boating are encouraged to complete the course — according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, most boating-related fatalities involve operators who haven’t received boating safety instruction.
This is the first free course recognized by the state’s Boating Program, and it also meets national education requirements.
The course typically takes four to eight hours to complete and allows users to start, pause, and resume at their own pace.
You can enroll in the course on the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation’s website.
