This is your daily news rundown for Tuesday, Sept. 15. In this edition:
- The U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Trump's efforts to restrict mail-in voting this year
- Ogden residents can now participate in Weber Basin's waterwise lawn program
- U.S. Army detonations in Tooele County were felt more strongly than usual, residents said
Voting by mail won’t change for Utahns this year despite federal pushback
Voting by mail will proceed as usual for Utahns this year after the Supreme Court rejected President Trump’s efforts to restrict it.
The plan would’ve required states to use a uniform envelope style and submit lists of eligible voters to an online portal. The Postal Service could then refuse to deliver ballots to states that didn’t comply.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday upholds an earlier injunction on those restrictions. That means states can send out mail-in ballots as usual — and some have already started.
In Utah, active registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail automatically. They will be mailed starting October 13, and must be requested by October 27.
Whether mailed back or dropped off, ballots must be received by the clerk’s office on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
You can register to vote and find more information on this year’s midterm elections on the state’s official election website.
Ogden is now part of Weber Basin’s water-efficient landscaping program
Ogden residents can now apply to the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District’s waterwise lawn program.
The Landscape Lawn Exchange program pays residents in that district to switch to water-efficient landscaping.
Participants can get $1.25 per square foot replaced. Residents in cities who adopted ordinances to get matching funds from the state will get twice that.
Ogden joined the program a few weeks ago, though to apply you also have to get a land use permit from the city. That’s because if any future homeowners wanted to switch back to a grass lawn, they would have to pay the full rebate back.
You can find more info on the program and other waterwise incentives at My Water Utah.
US Army detonations shook homes in Tooele County on Monday
If you heard loud explosions in Tooele County on Monday, don’t worry — it was test detonations by the U.S. Army.
These aren’t uncommon events, but residents on social media said it was much more intense than usual, even making walls shake.
Several expressed that in the years they’d lived in the area, they’d never heard or felt the detonations before.
The Army said in a statement that it was indeed conducting open detonations on test ranges in the Rush Valley. It apologized for the disturbance and concern and said it’s reviewing factors that may have caused the sounds and vibrations to travel so far.
