Author: Sam Metz
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Can green hydrogen save a coal town and slow climate change?
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DELTA, Utah • The coal plant is closing. In this tiny Utah town surrounded by cattle, alfalfa fields and scrub-lined desert highways, hundreds of workers over the next few years will be laid off — casualties of environmental regulations and competition from cheaper energy sources. Yet across the street from the coal piles and furnace,…
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Sen. Mike Lee fends off 2 opponents to win Utah GOP primary
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SALT LAKE CITY • Sen. Mike Lee won Utah’s Republican primary Tuesday, fending off attacks from two challengers who criticized him for his unwavering loyalty to former President Donald Trump and uncompromising lawmaking style. The second-term Republican and Trump loyalist now advances to the November election, where he’ll face off against independent candidate Evan McMullin…
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Utah governor becomes latest to veto transgender sports ban
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SALT LAKE CITY • Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed a ban on transgender students playing girls’ sports on Tuesday, becoming the second Republican governor this week to overrule state lawmakers taking on youth sports amid broader culture wars as LGBTQ visibility grows. Cox joins Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who vetoed a statewide ban on Monday.…
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Lake Powell hits historic low, raising hydropower concerns
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SALT LAKE CITY • A massive reservoir known as a boating mecca dipped below a critical threshold on Tuesday raising new concerns about a source of power that millions of people in the U.S. West rely on for electricity. Lake Powell’s fall to below 3,525 feet puts it at its lowest level since the lake…
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Utah lawmakers pass new media restrictions for House floor
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SALT LAKE CITY • The Utah House of Representatives approved new rules on Tuesday that limit where members of the press can film and interview lawmakers, following similar action taken by the Utah Senate two weeks ago. The rules extend pandemic-era restrictions on when journalists can report from the floors of state legislative chambers. Journalists…
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Utah senator blocks internment camp designation for Colorado’s Camp Amache, draws ire
On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans at the onset of World War II, Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is getting backlash for holding up the creation of a national historic site at a former internment camp in rural Colorado. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a…
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Cole aims to be 1st trans politician to win a statewide race
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CARSON CITY, Nev. • Nevada Democrat Kimi Cole wants to become the country’s first openly transgender politician elected to a statewide office. Cole, who chairs the Nevada Democratic Rural Caucus, announced plans to run for lieutenant governor in Nevada on Wednesday at an event in the state capital. “I don’t want to make a big…
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High winds threaten to whip up flames approaching Lake Tahoe
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. • A day after an explosive wildfire emptied a resort city at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe, a huge firefighting force braced for strong winds Tuesday as residents in neighboring Nevada were put on notice to be ready to flee. The city of South Lake Tahoe, usually bustling with summer…
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California winds shifting as wildfire battles go on
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. • California weather was heating up and winds were shifting Thursday as more than 14,000 firefighters battled wildfires up and down the state, including a major blaze they hoped to keep out of the Lake Tahoe resort region. Onshore winds from the west and southwest were changing direction to offshore, blowing…
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Pristine Lake Tahoe shrouded in smoke from threatening fire
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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. • Ash rained down on Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and thick yellow smoke blotted out views of the mountains rimming its pristine blue waters as a massive wildfire threatened the alpine vacation spot on the California-Nevada state line. Tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard…