This is your daily news rundown for Friday, Aug. 14. In this edition:
- The massive Widemouth 2 Fire is now about two-thirds contained
- Dolly Parton wants to give Utah kids free books to improve literacy
Crews made a big stride on containing the Widemouth 2 Fire
Fire crews have made progress containing the massive Widemouth 2 Fire.
Over the last day, they managed to contain 15% more of the perimeter. That brings it to roughly two-thirds contained.
Precipitation over much of the fire area supported containment efforts. However, those rains also mean firefighters are on alert for flash flooding and debris flow.
The Widemouth Two Fire has burned almost 130,000 acres and resulted in the death of two pilots, Chris Andersen and Miles Elliott.
A procession for both men was held Friday morning, from the state medical examiner’s office to the Salt Lake City International Airport. They will now be returned to their families and final resting places.
Dolly Parton and a Utah nonprofit want to give kids free books
Dolly Parton and a Utah-based nonprofit are working together to improve children’s literacy with free books.
The beloved country star created Imagination Library over 30 years ago. Now, the nonprofit has agreed to make Utah-based Operation Literacy its official partner in the state.
Together, they’re starting an initiative that calls on Utah lawmakers to provide funding for free books and literary resources across the Beehive State.
Literacy is a big issue in Utah. According to the latest report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, about half of students from kindergarten through third grade aren’t reading at grade level.
Funding for the initiative hasn’t been approved yet, but Operation Literacy has already launched a large-scale pilot to show its impact.
