This is your daily news rundown for Friday, June 12. In this edition:
- More Utah counties announced fire restrictions on Friday
- The University of Utah finalized a historic private equity deal
- Gov. Cox declared June 12 as Karen Huntsman Day
Almost half of Utah counties have fire restrictions
Almost half of Utah counties are now under stage one fire restrictions.
Juab, Sanpete, Sevier, Wayne, Millard, and Piute counties all announced the restrictions for unincorporated areas on Friday.
That means no open fires except in established public facilities, and no smoking unless inside or at a developed recreation site.
Fireworks, exploding targets, and grinding metal in areas with dry vegetation are all also prohibited.
Small internal combustion engines, such as for a motorcycle, chainsaw, or ATV, must have an approved and working spark arrestor.
Other counties have already implemented these restrictions in the last week. That includes Washington, Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Summit, and Utah.
There are also fire restrictions for public land in some areas.
The University of Utah finalized a historic private equity deal
The University of Utah finalized a first-of-its-kind deal with a private equity firm for its athletics program.
Otro Capital and the university will form Crimson Brand Partners, with Athletics Director Mark Harlan chairing the board.
It’s a first not just for Utah, but for any college athletics department.
The venture is reportedly expected to generate $50,000 in capital and will begin operations within the athletics department on July 1.
When the university first announced the partnership in December, lawmakers across the country expressed concern. Two lawmakers even called for Congress to re-examine the school’s tax-exempt status.
Gov. Cox declared June 12 as Karen Huntsman Day
Gov. Spencer Cox declared June 12 as Karen Huntsman Day in honor of the longtime Utah philanthropist.
Huntsman and her late husband established a family foundation to support cancer research, mental health, and education.
The Huntsman family name has already been honored across the state, including with the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University and the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah.
And now, over a week after Huntsman died at the age of 88, Cox personally honored her for her lifetime of service to the beehive state.
