Month: May 2025

I believe accessible, high-quality child care should be a collective priority, not a source of conflict. Loving children and supporting their families so they can thrive should be non-negotiable. Yet, in Utah, when we raise concerns with lawmakers, we continuously take two steps forward only to take twice as many backward later. Now is the time to demand consistent and meaningful reforms in our child care system. But this time, early childhood educators, families and child care advocates must be at the table. As the saying goes, “Nothing about us without us.”

While legislators have good intentions, historically, their proposed solutions often lack insights from the people directly affected. To create legislation, public officials must understand the complexities of caregiving and its critical role in preparing children for lifelong learning by talking to us and diving into research-based information.

We’ve been fortunate to pique the interest of some lawmakers, but we need them to engage further. Utah still has the highestpopulation of children in the nation, yet we’re not funding and supporting them the way we should.

We fully support a recent Utah Childcare Solutions and Workplace Productivity Plan, released by the Women in the Economy Subcommittee of the Governor’s Unified Economic Opportunity Commission before the legislative session. Solutions include increasing wages for the child care workforce, supporting education models that address child behaviors, making accessibility equitable, investing in programs to make child care affordable and working with employers to expand access.

While some families are fortunate enough to enjoy a lifestyle that allows one parent to stay home to care for their child, that’s not the reality for most Utah families. Today’s society typically requires that both parents contribute financially. To suggest that we shift to single-income households or evoke antiquated ideas without putting systems in place to support them is disingenuous.

Working parents are overwhelmed by the cost of child care — if they can find it. In Utah, licensed programs can sufficientlyserve only 36% of children under 6. It’s more dire in rural communities, where much of the state is deemed achild care desert. It forces parents to miss work, quit their jobs, or leave their children in unsafe or low-quality care.

Child care is becomingmore costly than college tuition. Due to stringent rules, some parents are ineligible for funding assistance. Meanwhile, child care providers face rising operational costs while trying to offer competitive wages. This, unfortunately, drives families toward unlicensed care, shifting away from the very support systems vital for children’s development. It becomes a circular problem. Everyone wants to thrive. Everyone wants to care for children. But without additional funding, the system isn’t sustainable.

Many child care advocates have been in this field for many years. Some of us have touched all facets of this work, from early childhood teachers and child care center directors to home providers and licensing officials. No matter our roles, we’re all being dismissed by policymakers as inconsequential.

Although child care educators are essential, they are the lowest-paid workers in Utah — earning about $15 per hour. Pair that with little funding to help mitigate costs and you’ve got a crisis that affects children’s learning and a family’s survival.

We encourage children’s social, emotional and cognitive growth and lifelong academic achievement. We are not babysitters. We are professionals.

Our work is critical to the survival of families, the state economy and the nation. That is why we are participating in the annual Day Without Child Care on May 12. It is the perfect opportunity to amplify the urgency of these issues. Early childhood centers, providers and families in Utah are joining us in at least 10 locations across the state. We call upon everyone who cares for and loves children toshow up and make their voices heard.

As some business owners close their child care centers and parents step away from their jobs, a Day Without Child Care will provide a glimpse into how our economy could be affected by a lack of child care services. According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report, Utah’s economy loses an annual $1.36 billion in revenue due to a lack of accessible and affordable child care programs. If providers don’t work, people can’t work. If people don’t work, the state can’t work.

Advocating for an equitable early childhood education system might seem daunting and discouraging. Still, we stand firm and advocate for it vigorously.

Kyle Whittingham is busy getting ready for his 21st season.

After leading the Utes to a 5-7 campaign last season, the Utah head coach’s worst season since 2013, rumors of his potential retirement swirled.

Whittingham shut those rumors down with a simple statement.

“We’re back,” the coach announced on Dec. 8.

There were multiple reasons for Whittingham to make his announcement around that time. With the transfer portal opening and signing day approaching, it would be important to let players know the coach’s plans.

But Whittingham also now has an annual deadline to let the U. know whether he intends to keep coaching — and a financial incentive for hitting that deadline.

New contract amendment

On the same day Whittingham made his decision to return for the 2025 season public, the Ute coach also signed an amendment to his contract.

Before that, Whittingham’s contract outlined a five-year role as a special assistant to the university’s athletics director. The position would pay the longtime coach $995,000 per year.

Under the new deal, Whittingham will be paid $3.45 million annually for a two-year term as special assistant.

Whittingham would be obligated to provide consulting advice, attend speaking engagements, fundraising events, and meetings with donors and other prospective donors, according to the contract.

The new amendment also increased the amount Whittingham would receive if he were fired without cause from $3 million for each year left on his deal to $4 million.

In return, Whittingham now has a deadline to inform the university about his retirement plans.

If the Utes are in the Big 12 Championship game, the 65-year-old coach will have to provide a written notification to the university on his retirement decision by Dec. 12, 2025.

If Utah isn’t competing in the conference championship game, Whittingham will have to make a decision by Dec. 8, 2025.

If the coach doesn’t meet the decision deadline, the changes in his contract would revert to their original language.

Incentives for the 2025 season

Utah’s head coach is set to receive a base salary of $5.4 million this season, with an added $500,000 bonus from the university’s Under Armour agreement and another $1 million from Utah’s multi-media rights sponsor, JMI Sports.

That means Whittingham’s fully guaranteed 2025 salary will be $6.9 million this season.

The coach will have the chance for incentive-based compensation, too.

According to the language provided in his new contract, Whittingham would earn a $100,000 bonus if the Utes partake in the Big 12 Championship game in the fall.

If Utah participates in a non-College Football Playoff bowl game, Whittingham would earn $150,000 and another $100,000 for a non-CFP bowl game win.

Utah’s head coach would earn one of the following bonuses for getting the Utes to the 12-team College Football Playoff and advancing through each of its rounds:

Other incentives in Whittingham’s deal include a max $75,000 bonus if Utah’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) is at least 980. He’ll receive the same max bonus amount of $75,000 if the Utes achieve at least an 80% graduation success rate at the end of the year.

The Ute head coach would also be entitled to a $150,000 bonus if Utah is in the final year-end AP Top 25 poll. He could also earn another $25,000 if the team is ranked inside the top 25 of the CFP rankings and $15,000 if the team is listed in the Top 25 of the AP Poll or the Coaches Poll at any point of the season.

Whittingham could also earn a $250,000 bonus for winning the National Coach of the Year award. He’d also be entitled to a $100,000 bonus if named as the Big 12 Coach of the Year or co-coach of the year.

The final bonuses listed in Whittingham’s contract include a “budget bonus,” which would allow the Ute coach to earn $25,000 if costs for the football program are under budget for the year by $50,000. Whittingham would earn an additional $5,000 bonus for each additional $50,000 increment that the Football Program costs are under budget.

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A new greenhouse at Perennial Favorites, a wholesale plant nursery in Layton, is the last waiting place for thousands of lilies, petunias, geraniums and other plants before they’re shipped out to buyers across the Intermountain West.

A warehouse would have been cheaper to build and operate, said Perennial CEO Cort Cox. But the greenhouse keeps both plants and employees cool in the hot summer months, and protects them from the elements in harsher weather.

Cox was willing to opt for the more functional but more expensive choice, he said, in part because of the money he’s saved since installing a 64 kilowatt solar array at his facility last year.

The energy generated by the panels powers the new greenhouse and roughly 30% of Perennial’s operations, Cox said — and has cut his energy bill in half, even as energy use has grown.

“Energy is a huge concern for us, especially [with] the greenhouses,” Cox recently said at his farm. “When we can bring down our operating costs, we can invest in new technologies that let us produce faster, and save money while doing it.”

The nursery installed the solar panels using money from a Rural Energy for American Program (REAP) grant and Investment Tax Credit. Both are federal programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, and designed to help rural Americans tap into renewable energy. Their future is in question under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Cox invited a coalition of stakeholders, including fellow tax credit beneficiaries, energy advocates and journalists, to his nursery Thursday to demonstrate the federal funding in action.

“We’re a family-owned business; we started small in 1992 and have slowly grown, making smart investments in our production capacity,” he said. “Now, we’ve cut our [energy] usage pretty much in half with this solar array.”

Trump froze federal funding to climate-related, IRA-funded programs earlier this year. The freeze was lifted in March, but recipients were encouraged to “voluntarily revise their project plans to align with President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“This process gives rural electric providers and small businesses the opportunity to refocus their projects on expanding American energy production while eliminating Biden-era DEIA and climate mandates embedded in previous proposals,” the release said.

REAP grants have helped fund 140 projects in Utah, said Max Becker, a senior associate with Utah Clean Energy.

Energy tax credits have also created jobs for electricians across the state, said Codey Lindsay, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 345, because they have helped fund projects in Utah’s more rural corners.

It took time to get IRA-funded projects up and running, he said. But now that they’re underway, Lindsay’s 3,200-member union is busy.

“We’re starting to see projects made possible by these credits take off across the state, including in rural areas,” Lindsay said. “Energy tax credits work. That is how we get investment here, and we’re ready to build it when [Utahns] get those projects.”

It’s unclear what Congress will do with IRA-funded energy tax credits.

“They’re being discussed,” Becker said when asked whether such credits were under threat under Trump’s administration. “I think threatened might be a strong term.”

Trump has called for eliminating some IRA tax incentives, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith called the Biden Administration’s “green new tax scam” a “bad tax policy” in an in a recent interview with Fox News.

Northern Utah’s U.S. Congressman Blake Moore serves on the Ways and Means Committee.

Shannon Sollitt is a Report for America corps member covering business accountability and sustainability for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.

Big tight end Carsen Ryan has one season to make a splash for BYU, and he’s determined to make it count in more ways than one.

In his heart, Ryan hopes his ailing grandpa, Steve Downey of Orem, will be able to see him play this fall. Also, he’s got only one season of eligibility left. Every practice, every game, every play has to count.

That’s why Ryan traveled to Southern California this past week with quarterbacks Jake Retzlaff, McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and receivers Parker Kingston and Chase Roberts. They got in four sessions with John Beck at 3DQB and worked on timing and chemistry.

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“But just as important, the trip was about bonding with each other, building relationships and friendships by hanging out, hitting some malls, going to the beach, and eating together,” said Ryan.

At 6-feet-4 and 250 pounds, Ryan is a monster blocker. But he also has surprising speed and agility. His strength is setting up defenders, executing crisp routes, and deploying deceptive tactics to get up and make plays. He’s hungry to play with Retzlaff and the other BYU receivers.

“We’ve got a great offensive line and I‘m excited for the season,” he said.

BYU landed Ryan out of the transfer portal with the promise of returning to its tight-end roots.

“We have been making a point of getting the ball to Carsen every day in practice, because he is (good),” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said during spring camp. “I always say the ball goes to the best players on the team, and he is one of them.”

Has Ryan got speed?

“I wouldn’t say I‘m some sort of speed demon, but I feel like I can move really well for my size, and I know how to manipulate guys while running routes to kind of adjust for the speed difference, which helps me get creative separation,” he says. “I feel like I can catch people off guard too, which really helps me.

“Hopefully this year, I can show it a little more and hopefully surprise people.”

Ryan predicts Retzlaff is due for a great senior season.

“He’s improved every year. Our offense has potential to be good this year with the O-line, some great running backs that go well with our pass game,” he explained. “We can do it with a lot of guys, which creates versatility on offense. It gets me excited to go out and show what I can do, too.”

Ryan wants his grandpa to see it. “He’s lasted a lot longer than a lot of people thought he would.”

Prayer for grandpa

As long as Carsen can remember, his grandpa has been there for him. Throughout the years, they’ve shared Sunday dinners every other week. He’s lived with him off and on when his parents have been between moves and houses.

“I‘ve been able to spend a lot of time with my grandpa, doing a lot of different stuff,” Ryan said. “He’d take me golfing. We’d do yard work together and we grew very close. He’s one of the biggest role models in my life and I‘ve always looked up to Grandpa.

“He’s a man I want to grow up and be like,” Ryan said. “He’s just such a good example of a Christ-like person. He’s always served others and given what time he can to others. It’s hard to find people like him these days.

“He makes me want to give back to others. When he was a bishop, he’d go out in the street and always give a helping hand. Everyone knows my grandpa.”

Carsen remembers people coming up to talk to his grandpa and turning and telling him and his family how much they love him and how much of an impact he had on them. He values every day he can see his grandpa. His apartment is close and he’s often called upon to be a minuteman to help and serve him.

Will Grandpa survive the next few months?

He just has to.

Athletic genes

Carsen’s father, Chas, played football at Granger High, Snow College and William Penn in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Later, Chas returned to Snow College as a coach, where he coached Denver Broncos offensive lineman and former University of Utah great Garett Bolles.

The day Carsen was born, his dad played football at William Penn. When just 10 days old, Carsen witnessed his first football game. He spent the first two years of his life traveling around watching Chas play football for the Statesmen.

Most of Chas’ records (tackles for loss, sacks for a season and career) still stand at William Penn.

Carsen’s mother, Danielle, was a multisport high school star and her father, Carsen’s grandfather, Steve Downey, was also a multisport high school star. He is a retired high school athletic director and football coach, whose career spanned 42 years. Steve, some say, is the best athlete to ever compete at Spanish Fork High.

Ryan’s athletic genes are science.

Carsen went to UCLA after playing at Timpview High and American Fork High. He was a four-star recruit and rated the No. 3 tight end by ESPN. After playing 17 games at UCLA, he transferred to Utah and then to BYU. The first college game Steve Downey ever saw his grandson play was when his UCLA team played at Colorado.

Said Danielle, “It was a very hard day for him (Steve) and after the game we all were going down to meet Carsen. My dad said he was going to stay in his seat because the thought of walking down the bleachers sounded too hard and exhausting, but I guess Dad just couldn’t sit back.

“The next thing we knew, he had made it down to congratulate Carsen. It was a really cool moment.

“The only other time he’s been able to watch Carsen play in college was his sophomore year, when UCLA played at Utah.” Steve was unable to see Carsen play a game in a Utah uniform. He was, however, able to make it to two BYU spring practices in March. The hope is that Steve will be able to see Carsen play for BYU this fall.

Carsen is home.

His grandfather needs him. He needs his family and his family needs him.

Who is Steve Downey?

If you don’t know Steve Downey, here’s an introduction.

You can‘t talk to anybody involved in high school or college sports in Utah County who doesn’t know him.

These days, Steve is in a fight for his life. He has myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. There is no cure.

“Carsen is very committed and a hard worker. He worked out all around the year. I don’t think I‘ve ever seen a young man work as hard as he has. And he’s very smart.”

—  Steve Downey on his grandson Carsen Ryan

The day I visited Steve, he’d just returned from getting X-rays and an infusion of fluids. Across the street from his front doorstep stands the Orem First Ward chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Steve served as a beloved bishop of that ward for most of a decade.

Among former Orem High athletes who passed through during Downey’s regime are Bryan Rowley, Chad and Mike Lewis, Ben Bradshaw, John MacKay, Jonny Harline, Tyler and Justin Anderson, Ed Chatterly, Chris McMullin, and Richard Lameroux.

Steve‘s wife, the former Michele Miner, was Miss Utah in 1977.

Carsen lives just a few blocks from his grandpa in an apartment just off Center Street in Orem. He and his father have spent time working on Steve‘s yard, bringing it back after some neglect because of Steve‘s illness.

The yard was once an award winner in Orem City. Carsen has routinely answered the call from his mother to bring Steve lunch or help him. That includes administering priesthood blessings.

“Carsen is very committed and a hard worker,” said Steve when asked about watching his grandson growing up playing baseball, basketball and his first love, football.

“He worked out all around the year. I don’t think I‘ve ever seen a young man work as hard as he has,” said Steve. “And he’s very smart.”

Once an active golfer, Steve doesn’t think he can play again because of his balance, so Carsen now has his grandpa‘s golf clubs. This is kind of a sacred rite of passage for a golfer.

He’s not heavy, he’s my brother

Gary Downey struggles to understand why his older brother, Steve, is fighting for his life right now. Many people have let themselves go, never worked out, or taken care as to what they ate, and they are fine, but his brother is not.

“It doesn’t seem fair,” said Gary, who lives in Vineyard. “But things happen for a reason and maybe what he is going through will impact others who know him.”

“I was always known as Steve Downey’s brother,” said Gary. “He was my hero and I looked up to him and still do.”

Gary remembers the last track meet of the season his sophomore year, where he only needed to place to earn his letter. His brother came in and competed in the shot put, took his throws and placed, bumping Gary down in the standings. “I didn’t letter.”

But that only added to the mystique that was the legend of his brother. Gary said Steve would never claim he was the greatest athlete ever at Spanish Fork High.

“He’d tell you that would be Jack Sheen, who was older than he was and competed in the ’60s.”

Steve competed for Snow College out of high school before going on a church mission in Mexico City. Upon his return, he planned on playing for BYU‘s baseball team before being injured in a freak accident.

“I was always known as Steve Downey’s brother. He was my hero and I looked up to him — and still do.”

—  Gary Downey

Steve worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a firefighter. Returning from an assignment fighting a forest fire, the helicopter he was riding in with half a dozen firemen crashed into a power line near Grantsville. Steve and other passengers suffered broken backs. “That pretty much ended his college athletic career,” said Gary.

Steve always pushed Gary to be better. “I don’t know where I‘d be if it wasn’t for him. The only thing I was better at than he was, was football. I worshiped him. I still do. I get mad that he’s going through this, a guy who never slacked off, never moped around or abused his body.”

A competitor for all seasons

The first-ever head basketball coach at Orem‘s Mountain View High was Joel Gardner. He has known Downey most of his life. While doing his student teaching at Spanish Fork High in 1970, he helped his cousin Mike Gardner with the varsity squad.

“I did my student teaching at Spanish Fork High School. Steve was a junior,” Gardner said. “I became the head coach the next year, and Steve became our best player on a team that was supposed to be in a total rebuilding year.

“We had a great year and opened the state tournament with a big upset win over Logan High School. Steve also played football and baseball, and might have been the best athlete to have ever played at Spanish Fork. He was also a great student and most importantly, an outstanding young man.

“Steve later joined us at Orem High School and helped in so many areas, including work as head football coach and athletic director. As a former coach, I have a lot of outstanding former players, but Steve Downey is one at the top of my list.”

Steve Watts, former director of golf at TalonsCove in Saratoga Springs, remembers traveling across the country playing softball on club teams with Downey, as well as playing in the Central Utah Basketball League in the 1980s.

Downey and Chris Dowling were among the 30-point-a-game scorers, as were Veryl and Vance Law. “He was a tremendous athlete, a great player. In basketball, he was a scorer, a go-to guy,” said Watts.

Dave Boyak (Spanish Fork Class of 1971), retired athletic director at Maple Mountain High, was a sophomore when Downey (Class of 1969) starred for the Dons. “Steve was the guy everyone looked up to, a star, an athlete, handsome with those movie actor looks, everything he played, he did well. Everyone wanted to be like him.

“The thing is,” said Boyak, “a lot of people don’t know Steve‘s situation right now.”

Former BYU, SUU and Snow College coach Roger Reid remembers Downey as an outstanding athlete at Spanish Fork. His sons, Randy and Robbie, are considered by many to be the best athletes produced at Spanish Fork High.

“When I learned Steve retired from coaching to be athletic director, I asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ He was a great coach and should have kept going at it.”

Paul Clark replaced Downey as Orem High football coach. He grew up with Steve in Benjamin before playing with him at Spanish Fork High (Class of 1970). Clark said Downey was the kind of coach who could rip into a player, and that player would thank him afterward. “He had that kind of relationship and impact on his players.”

Downey wasn’t a big guy in high school, but after serving a mission to Mexico City, he came back 6-foot-2, 210 pounds. “He was very competitive, he was competitive in everything he did.”

Greg Sheide, brother of former BYU All-American quarterback Gary Sheide, said Downey gave him his first break after his student teaching, hiring him to be part of the Orem High football coaching staff. Perched in a cart as a starter at Sleepy Ridge Golf Course now that he is retired, Sheide says Downey changed his life. “Steve has been a mentor and friend to me. You talk about heroes, he’s been one for me.”

Returning to the nest

In December 2023, Chas and Danielle Ryan moved into Steve and Michele‘s Orem home. Danielle remembers how they gathered their family around and made a decision to move from American Fork to her childhood home to help with her father.

It was a big decision, but everyone agreed to move. It was a no-brainer.

Carsen is their oldest at 21, followed by Gabi, 16, Collyns, 13, and Rockwell, 11.

With tears, Danielle explained that because of her love for her father and all he has done for them, it was an easy decision. “It made sense we be here for him,” said Danielle.

This act of returning home and uprooting school and friends in American Fork wasn’t just a simple act of a daughter.

It was also a professional move. Danielle is a nurse at Orem Rehab. She brings her skills and knowledge of caring for the elderly and bed-bound patients to the home of her youth.

“She has been wonderful. Having her here, well, I believe it’s extended Steve‘s life,” said Michele.

Carsen sees all of this and wants his grandpa‘s influence to continue.

“It’s just so easy to see how much of a difference he makes in people’s lives,” said Carsen. “And it’s even in just little stuff that makes an impact that others may not see. It’s just something I‘ve always looked up to.

“I‘m so grateful I‘ve been able to have him in my life to kind of guide me through things and be that example in my life. He’s the greatest grandpa, and I love him a lot.”

Carsen’s decision to transfer to BYU came after a frustrating time at Utah, where star quarterback Cam Rising was injured in a season he was counting on playing with him.

His transfer last December came on the heels of discovering more about BYU that he did not know out of high school when there was little communication.

He was impressed with both the fit and the opportunities with alumni and resources this time around. The NIL money at BYU and Utah for Carsen was the same, and it was not the deciding factor, said his mother Danielle.

“We went to the Oklahoma State game because my brother-in-law Beni Tonga coaches for Oklahoma State.

“We were impressed with the fans, the setting, and my husband and I looked at the BYU roster. There were at least 20 to 25 BYU players Carsen knew, many of them were his friends at American Fork and Timpview, and guys like Cody Hagen, who Carsen knew from seven-on-seven camps and worked out with under receiver guru and coach Ross Apo with current LA Ram Puka Nacua.”

Carsen‘s mother said that BYU membership in the Big 12 was a game changer.

In short, since transferring to BYU, his mom says “football is fun again” for Carsen.

And for Steve? He just has to stay healthy enough to see Carsen play in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

As the lyrics to that Beach Boy song go, “Wouldn’t it be nice.”

When people hear “foreign aid,” too often, they picture wasteful spending or endless checks to corrupt governments. But here in Utah, international assistance isn’t about charity. It’s about strategy. It’s about building global markets for our products, creating jobs for hardworking Utahns and ensuring that America, not our adversaries, sets the rules in a fast-changing world.

For Utah’s economy and for America’s future, targeted international assistance isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do.

Utah isn’t just a landlocked state with sprawling mountains and a strong emphasis on family values. It’s also a hub of international business. In 2024 alone, Utah exported $18.2 billion worth of goods, supporting an estimated 45,000 jobs in our state.

Companies like Adobe, Texas Instruments and Northrop Grumman, which have major offices in Utah, depend on access to stable markets abroad. International assistance helps keep these markets open and growing. When America supports global health, critical infrastructure and education programs abroad, it’s not a handout. It’s a strategic investment.

For example, U.S. assistance programs in Latin America help stabilize local economies and can stem the flood of illegal immigrants flowing to the U.S. This is good for America’s borders and for Utah businesses looking for new markets and reliable trading partners.

Every well-spent dollar in America’s global footprint helps to generate long-term demand for American-made products, including the ones produced right here in Utah. Again, that’s not charity — that’s economic strategy.

Take our agricultural industry: Utah’s farmers and ranchers shipped $512 million worth of exports in 2023. When we help developing countries build stronger economies, we are not just providing aid; we are creating future customers for Utah beef, alfalfa and dairy products.

The same goes for tech. Utah’s growing tech industry thrives in global markets. As middle classes grow in regions once reliant on aid initiatives, they become new markets for cloud-based software, cybersecurity tools and digital services, many of which are developed by Utah companies.

Global competition is not taking a break. China is pouring billions of dollars into Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative, which is all about control, not building goodwill.

Every time America withdraws from international engagement, we leave a vacuum that China and Russia are more than happy to fill. That’s why it is crucial to ensure that international assistance programs align with our national interests. These initiatives not only help build alliances and promote American values, but also serve as strategic countermeasures to the rising power of authoritarian influence around the globe.

Utah’s own Sen. John Curtis has argued that U.S. leadership abroad is essential to keeping America and Utah safe and competitive. He’s right. By investing in smart programs that support our international partners, we are creating relationships that benefit our state’s businesses and help us outpace our rivals.

Reform is certainly necessary to ensure that every dollar we spend on international assistance delivers a clear return for the American people. I applaud the efforts of President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio to refocus strategic American aid and development. Ending wasteful spending on programs lacking strategic focus or outdated priorities of previous administrations was long overdue.

For Utahns who believe in American exceptionalism, self-reliance and free enterprise, international assistance is a bold assertion of leadership. It’s how we shape the global economy to our advantage and protect our values from authoritarian threats.

Now is the time to recognize that what happens abroad matters here at home. To protect our workers, farmers and families, we must invest wisely in international assistance programs that put America and Utah first.

Angel City defender Savy King is “responsive” and with family in hospital after “a medical event on the field” during her side’s NWSL game against Utah Royals on Friday night.

King, 20, went down around 74 minutes into the match at the BMO Stadium, Los Angeles. She received medical attention on the field before being taken off on a cart and then transported by emergency medical services to hospital.

After the game, Angel City and Utah players and staff gathered in a circle on the field with heads bowed. Utah defender Alex Loera, who played with King at Bay FC in 2024, appeared to lead the group in a prayer.

Eleri Earnshaw, Angel City’s senior assistant who was leading the team due to the suspension of interim head coach Sam Laity, gave an update on King in her post-game news conference.

“She was transported to hospital, she was evaluated,” Earnshaw said. “She is responsive and her family are with her, as are our medical staff. She’s in good hands.”

Savy King Update: Savy was transported by EMS to the hospital following a medical event on the field. She is responsive and undergoing further evaluation. We thank everyone for their concern and support.

— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) May 10, 2025

On the two teams gathering after the full-time whistle, Earnshaw added: “It was one of the Utah players that suggested it, that we get together. Some people prayed, some people shared their energy. Just to show unity in that moment in support of Savy without knowing the update at that time.

“It was obviously a scary situation to be in and, at that point, it was much bigger than football. Really grateful to the Utah player that did that, I can’t remember off the top of my head who it was but really grateful for it.”

Earnshaw also praised Angel City defender Megan Reid, who previously trained as an emergency medical technician.

“I just gave a shoutout in our locker room to Meg Reid, (who) as you know, is a trained paramedic,” Earnshaw said. “While Christen (Press) and her teammates were instrumental in getting the group together and making contact and just being with one another, Meg saw out of the corner of her eye that they were starting to move Savy onto a stretcher and reiterated to the group that that was a really good sign.

“She just stepped into paramedic mode and helped calm the group, which was massive. It was still scary, you still don’t know how the team’s going to respond after that. My ask was that we were together, we stayed communicative throughout the rest of the game, keep each other concentrated and that we give our energy to Savy.”

Both Angel City and Utah Royals came together for Savy King, who exited Friday night’s match on a stretcher following a medical event on the field.

Alex Loera, who was teammates with King at Bay FC, led the group. pic.twitter.com/cJC3fJymZu

— espnW (@espnW) May 10, 2025

The game resumed on 85 minutes, with 12 minutes of stoppage time played. Press, on as a substitute, had opened the scoring in the 66th minute before Alyssa Thompson added a second in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Utah head coach Jimmy Coenraets suggested that the match should not have continued after King went down.

“In those moments, I’m not sure if we should have continued the game,” Coenrates told reporters. “You’re emotionally — not only them but also our players were just scared. That’s not the right situation to be in but in the end, we played on. That’s the decision other people have taken, which is fine. It was a really tough moment.

“It’s the same after the game. Like, what do you want to focus on after the game? Yes, you have the result of the game but you want to make sure people feel safe, healthy and good and I think that was the focus after the game for us.”

An NWSL rulebook from last year states that “NWSL recognizes that emergencies may arise which make the start or progression of a game inadvisable or dangerous for participants and spectators. Certain event categories automatically trigger the league office into an evaluation of whether delay or postponement is necessary, including … serious incident, injury or fatality to a player, coach, official, team representative or spectator or other medical concern.” The rules add that no game should be postponed without permission from the league office, unless one is required by law enforcement. The Athletic has contacted NWSL for comment on whether the league was consulted on the decision to continue the game and who made that call.

King joined Angel City in the postseason from Bay FC and has started all eight of the team’s NWSL matches in 2025. She has also played for the United States Under-19s and Under-20s.

(Photo: Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images)