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The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at [email protected].
Situational Analysis | July 3, 2026
It’s Friday and Air Conditioning Appreciation Day.
What you need to know
It’s Independence Day weekend! Festivities abound all weekend. Here is a list of places you can watch (and even set off) fireworks. Wrap up your weekend by participating in America’s Potluck on Sunday, a nationwide initiative led by Utah. Funeral potatoes, anyone?
Rapid relevance
Be safe, have fun and please - don’t burn the state down!
Landscape upgrades Utah needs
Two simple upgrades to lower water bills and save water all summer long. The lawn replacement rebate pays up to $3.00/sq. ft. to swap grass for waterwise landscaping. The smart controller rebate gives you up to $100 back on a device that waters based on soil moisture. Together, they keep your yard beautiful, your bill low and save water. Learn More at SlowTheFlow.org
Utah Headlines
America 250
America 250: How the University of Utah helped shape the American West. (At The U)
What Philadelphia might have looked like in 1776 (Deseret News)
Photo gallery: Freedom Festival Balloon Fest fills the skies with color (Deseret News)
Opinion: As America turns 250, it’s time to strengthen our civic muscles (Deseret News)
The iconic painting that captured America’s spirit (Deseret News)
Opinion: The other anniversary worth remembering this week (Deseret News)
Opinion: Honoring hometown heroes, past and present, as we celebrate our nation’s 250th (Deseret News)
The fragility of the American experiment with ‘American Struggle’ author Jon Meacham (Deseret Voices)
1776 was a turning point in Utah history. But maybe not for the reasons you think. (Salt Lake Tribune)
UVU helped digitize America’s birth certificate, bringing its drafting to life (KUER)
How young people feel about American identity, on the nation's 250th birthday (NPR)
What makes America great? Here’s what 25 Americans told us. (Washington Post)
Political News
America at 3 miles per hour: Why Sen. John Curtis is traversing Utah to rediscover America’s heart (Deseret News)
Utah senator shares picture of graffiti reading 'kill trillionaires,' says he's 'metaphorically speaking' (KSL)
Mike Lee floats constitutional amendment after SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling (KSL)
San Juan County planned to remove ‘unfit’ Assessor before his resignation, documents say (ABC4)
Wildfires
Despite devastation, Cottonwood Fire leaves behind 'islands of hope' on Beaver Mountain (KSL)
How firefighters keep track of new starts to keep the public safe (KSL)
Several major Utah wildfires contained as firefighters gain ground on others (KUTV)
Piute County community rallies around deputy after fire burns through his home (KSL)
Utah
Water levels going down, fishing limits going up in some Utah reservoirs (Deseret News)
Utah reservoir systems reaches middle of 2026 at 11 percentage points below normal (KSL)
Voices: The refugee families I work with are falling through the cracks. Who will catch them? (Salt Lake Tribune)
World Cup
The U.S. World Cup team celebrates its big win Wednesday with a team prayer (Deseret News)
Red card controversy: What can be done about Balogun’s DQ? (Deseret News)
Opinion: America is worth a wholehearted celebration (Deseret News)
Biz/Tech/AI
New partnership touts nuclear-powered AI with minimal water use (Deseret News)
With eyes trained on future, Stadler reminisces on 10 years in Utah (KSL)
Months after Canvas cyberattack, experts warn families to stay alert for scams (KUTV)
Crime/Courts
Tyler Robinson's appeal request denied by Utah Supreme Court (KSL)
Alabama man accused of barricading himself inside Utah jail office now booked into facility (KSL)
Appeals court allows Utah journalist's lawsuit against the Legislature to move forward in part (KSL)
Man who murdered Esperanza Chavez sentenced to no less than 15 years to life in prison (KUTV)
Culture/Community
Utah Rep. Blake Moore pays tribute to 3 firefighters killed in wildfire along Utah-Colorado border (Deseret News)
This ‘American Idol’ winner is headlining the concert at Utah’s biggest event for young adults (Deseret News)
Katherine Heigl just put her Utah home on the market — for $10.6 million (Deseret News)
Traveling this summer? Here’s how to beat travel anxiety (Deseret News)
East High coach hopes to boost nonprofit through new clothing line (KSL)
American Heritage Museum opens at SCERA ahead of Independence Day celebrations (KSL)
With Utah’s largest fire on their doorstep, 2 rural towns rallied around community (KUER)
Economy
U.S. jobs market slips in June as unemployment ticks down (Deseret News)
US job growth slows sharply in June; labor force participation rate at more than 5-year low (Reuters)
Education
Utah State celebrates a new era, as Aggies join the Pac-12 Conference (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Utah schools still need hundreds of teachers ahead of new school year (KUTV)
Family
Opinion: Parents need a real checkpoint before kids download apps (Deseret News)
Faith
Church of Jesus Christ announces 'unified fast' of gratitude for religious liberty (KSL)
Six bishops from an ultra-conservative Catholic group excommunicated after holding unauthorized ceremony (Deseret News)
Watch Andy Reid define the pillars that carry his faith, team and family (Deseret News)
Health
U.S. death rate hit record low in 2025 (Deseret News)
National Headlines
General
A fairytale at MSG: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding set to take place (AP)
A California farmer is giving away tons of nectarines that he’s not allowed to sell (AP)
California man pleads guilty to fake Nancy Guthrie ransom note (News Nation)
Political News
Why is the Trump administration giving a $1,000 ‘holiday gift’ on July 4 to newborns? (Deseret News)
Trump Jr.'s 'Amazon of guns' could make millions under new proposed firearm rule (Reuters)
Democrats accuse Trump-linked fundraisers of fraud over diverted donations for America’s anniversary (AP)
Trump’s Brokerage Accounts Made Big Trades Around ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs (Wall Street Journal)
Hegseth Prepared a Bombshell Plan to Cut Troops in Europe. Then It Got Nixed. (Wall Street Journal)
Immigration
ICE arrests 10,000 in 5 days, a sharp late-June surge in Trump’s deportation push (AP)
Ukraine/Russia
Rescuers scour rubble as Kyiv mourns deadliest Russian attack this year (Reuters)
US/Iran/Middle East
Number of the Day
Guest opinion: Let’s give the U of U’s private sector experiment a chance
by Billy Hesterman
The University of Utah recently finalized a deal with Otro Capital, a private equity firm with a sports, media, and entertainment background. In a nutshell, the deal aims to give the university’s athletic department more cash to use in the new era of college sports, where student athletes are being paid for the services they provide to a school.
The U isn’t alone in looking at new ways to raise revenue in this money focused era of college sports. Many universities are scrambling to figure out how they, too, can compete at the highest levels, pay student-athletes, and still keep prices affordable for fans who attend games.
The fact is, not every school has a $21.2 billion endowment to support its efforts, as the University of Michigan does. Not every school earns $79 million per year in media rights, as Notre Dame does. And not every school has super-fan donors such as Texas Tech University’s Cody Campbell, who has donated tens of millions to the program, or Mark Cuban, who has given millions to Indiana University. So many schools are left to be creative and come up with new ideas to give themselves a fighting chance.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Utah’s flagship university is embracing the ideals of the state and looking at an effort to essentially privatize the athletic department and run it more like a business. This is something that should be applauded by Utahns. (Read More)
News Releases
UVU marks America’s 250th with reading initiative
Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS) is encouraging Utahns to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by reading “1776”by David McCullough. The yearlong effort, UT Together: Reading “1776,” is part of the CCS’s Civic Thought & Leadership Initiative (CTLI). Participants can access a free reading guide and discussion questions to use in book clubs, classrooms, or public reading activities. (Read More)
Tweet of the Day
Upcoming
July 4 — 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Aug 4-6 — One Utah Summit, SUU America First Event Center, Register here
Aug 13 — Titan of Public Service Gala with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, 7:00 pm, Grand America, Get tickets here
Aug 18-20 — August Interim
Nov 3 — General election
On This Day in History
1775 - George Washington takes command of the Continental Army
1863 - Battle of Gettysburg ends on the third day. It became the turning point in the Civil War, costing the Union 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. The Confederates suffered some 25,000 casualties.
1890 - Idaho officially becomes a state
1916 - Henrietta "Hetty" Green, American businesswoman and financier whose wealth and miserliness saw her known as the "Witch of Wall Street", dies of a stroke at 81
1938 - President Franklin Roosevelt dedicates the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and lights the eternal flame at Gettysburg Battlefield
1962 - Jackie Robinson named to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the first Black ball player in the major leagues.
1988 - U.S. warship accidentally shoots down an Iranian passenger jet, killing all 290 on board.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America…do solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States
On the Punny Side
What's the difference between a duck and George Washington?
One has a bill on his face, and the other has his face on a bill!
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