This is your daily news rundown for Wednesday, Oct. 7. In this edition:
- A vacant House seat in Davis County won't get filled by November's election
- These three cities are getting $1.8 million for emergency winter shelter space
- A new 1-mile trail in Deer Valley connects hikers to a larger trail system
Former Rep. Trevor Lee’s seat won’t get filled until the new term in January
Davis County Republicans decided not to fill former Rep. Trevor Lee’s seat ahead of next month’s election.
Lee stepped down from House District 16 last week after being charged with several counts of fraud and forgery. He had also lost his primary reelection bid in June.
Originally, the county Republican party planned to hold a special convention to replace Lee for the last couple months of the term.
However, they’ve now decided there isn’t enough time for delegates to fully vet candidates before a convention.
That means the House District 16 seat, which covers the area around Layton in northern Utah, will be vacant until early next year.
Three northern Utah cities are getting funding for winter shelter space
Utah’s Homeless Services Board is giving over $1.8 million to three northern Utah cities for winter shelter space.
Over half of that money will go to Salt Lake City, with the rest going to South Salt Lake and Ogden.
Every year, the board awards 10% of funds from the state’s homeless shelter account, as required by state law.
These cities were chosen for hosting temporary shelters that can support at least 50 people each night and are open for at least three months between October and April.
South Salt Lake Mayor Cherie Wood said in a board meeting on Tuesday that while the funding helps, it still doesn’t cover the city’s total cost of hosting emergency shelter space.
A new trail in Park City connects hikers to a larger trail system
There’s a new hiking trail on the Wasatch Back in Park City — one that connects the area to a larger trail system.
The Anchor Trees Hiking Trail is one of just five hiking-only trails on Deer Valley ski resort terrain. It’s short, at about 1 mile long, but has an almost 800-foot elevation gain.
It also links the area around the Montage Deer Valley hotel to the Bloods Lake trail network and beyond.
