Month: September 2025

Charlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31.

Kirk died doing what made him a potent political force — rallying the right on a college campus, this time Utah Valley University. His shooting is one of an escalating number of attacks on political figures, from the assassination of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota to last summer’s shooting of Trump, that have roiled the nation.

Trump announced Kirk’s death on his social media site, Truth Social: “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote.

A backer of Trump during the president’s initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe.

Trump on Wednesday praised Kirk, who started as an unofficial adviser during Trump’s 2016 campaign and more recently became a confidant. “He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person,” Trump told the New York Post.

Kirk’s evangelical Christian beliefs were intertwined with his political perspective, and he argued that there was no true separation of church and state.

He also referenced the Seven Mountain Mandate, which specifies seven areas where Christians are to lead — politics, religion, media, business, family, education and the arts, and entertainment.

Kirk argued for a new conservatism that advocated for freedom of speech, challenging Big Tech and the media, and centering working-class Americans beyond the nation’s capital.

▶ Read more about Charlie Kirk

OREM, Utah (ABC4) — A youth boys soccer team based in Orem has become just the second team ever to win three consecutive national championships.

On July 27, 2025, the Utah Celtic FC 08 boys won the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship for the third year in a row. The team competed in the 17-and-under division at the USYS national tournament in Orlando, Florida.

Advertisement

Matt Bradley, the head coach of the championship team, spoke to ABC4.com in an exclusive interview Tuesday.

Utah Celtic FC 08 boys take home first in nationals for the third consecutive year. (Courtesy//USYS)

“If you asked the boys what makes this team different, they would all say it’s their love and commitment for each other,” Bradley said. “They show up for each other.”

The boys, all of whom were born in 2007 and 2008, also won the “under 16” national championship last year and the “under 15” national championship the year before.

“We have age groups all the way from six and seven-year-old kids… and it really starts to get competitive around 13U,” Bradley said.

Advertisement

RSL hoping to make playoff push down the stretch

The boy’s program, formerly known as the Utah Rangers, merged with the Utah Celtic just over seven years ago. However, the Utah Celtic FC itself has existed for about 40 years, Bradley said.

The club, based in Orem, plays at fields across Utah county. The 08-team played most of their games at the Lakeside Sports Complex.

Bradley says the team is just the second team in the country to ever win three consecutive titles, and the first club from Utah to win three total championships.

“As you win, and find success, it brings eyeballs,” Bradley told ABC4.com, adding that many of the club’s best players often get picked up by professional academies across the country and even internationally. “It makes it hard to remain competitive because you lose some of your best talent.”

With only two division 1 college boys soccer teams in Utah, many players get recruited to play for programs outside the state.

Advertisement

“Almost all of the boys are talking to coaches and will likely have opportunities to play at some level of college soccer, and a few of them will have opportunities to play in the pros,” Bradley said, adding that five or six boys currently have division 1 offers and most of the boys are in talks with college coaches.

Brooks Barker, the team’s striker, has already received offers to play at Georgetown, Oregon State, Utah Tech, and others.

“I loved playing, and I never thought I would love something as much as I loved playing, and then I started coaching,” Bradley said. “Watching that take place… with kids that I’ve known since they were 7 or 8 years old has been one of the more fulfilling experiences of my life,”

“There are lots of reasons to be motivated, you know, trophies, rewards, fear, duty, but ultimately, the greatest motivator in the world and the one that last is love,” he added.

Advertisement

Latest headlines:

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

For four-time Olympic speedskater Catherine Raney Norman, what’s most important about the more than $200 million in donations just announced for Utah’s next Winter Games is the impact it’ll have on getting kids involved in sports.

“It’s absolutely critical and instrumental,” said Raney Norman, who was key to the massive fundraising effort as the vice president for development and athlete relations for the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Advertisement

“Even back in the bid phase, our big piece was about how we elevate our communities and our youth. This is kind of a culmination, this is the starting point,” she told the Deseret News. “We’re on the starting line and we get to move forward with some of our programs.”

As chair of the bid committee during Utah’s campaign to host a second Olympics and Paralympics, Raney Norman pitched what was being called “Project 29,” a plan to bring Olympic sports opportunities to children in each of the state’s 29 counties during the lead-up to 2034.

Just what programs will be offered now that Utah is hosting again remains to be seen, but they are expected to involve partnering with existing organizations already connecting youth to sports in the state.

“We are still early on,” she said. “We’re still formulating exactly what that’s going to look like. But without the support of our donors, without the support of our community champions, it wouldn’t be possible.”

Advertisement

The long-track speedskater whose career included competing in Utah’s 2002 Winter Games, knows firsthand that early involvement in sports can make a significant difference in a young person’s life.

“One hundred percent,” Raney Norman said. “Whether they’re dreaming (of going) to the Games or they have an opportunity to participate … we know that sport helps kids long term, throughout their entire life.”

The new president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, has also addressed the need to ensure young people benefit from Utah’s upcoming Games, especially since they were awarded earlier than the usual seven years out.

“With the earlier election more than nine years ahead of your Games, you have a tremendous opportunity. We encourage you to use the full power of the (Olympic) rings to nurture your youth,” Coventry said in a video message played Monday at a reception for Utah donors.

Advertisement

She also urged organizers to “develop winter sport even further and radiate beyond your borders across the nation and the world.” Utah’s bid committee heard a similar message about expanding their reach from the IOC inspection team that visited the state last year.

Fraser Bullock, the organizing committee’s president and executive chair, said early on that much of the donor revenue will be used to cover the cost of what’s now fewer than a dozen employees as well as making annual rental payments on Olympic facilities operated by a nonprofit.

The contributions, which are spread out through 2034, are the organizing committee’s only source of revenue until after the next Olympics in the U.S., the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, to avoid competing for sponsors.

The $4 billion budget for staging the 2034 Games does not include any state or local tax dollars, although federal assistance is anticipated for security as well as some transportation costs. Earlier this year, the amount expected from donors was nearly doubled, to $300 million.

Bullock said there are “pockets of money” budgeted for youth sports and education programs.

Advertisement

Raney Norman said there are also some early programs set to be launched soon, including a service initiative with the Granite School District’s education foundation set to be announced at the 2025 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly being held in Salt Lake City later this month.

She said educational programs are still in the planning phases, but organizers are “chomping at the bit to get those launched,” although that likely won’t be until 2027.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Although the Beehive State has been shifting around in the rankings over the last several years, Utah is still among the top ten happiest states in the U.S., according to an annual study.

An annual study from WalletHub ranked the 50 U.S. states based on happiness. This happiness rating was determined based on factors like each state’s work conditions, community, environment, and emotional and physical well-being of its residents. Below are the ten happiest states, according to the study.

4. New Jersey

5. Connecticut

7. California

8. New Hampshire

9. Massachusetts

In 2021 and 2023, Utah was the happiest state, according to each year’s respective study. Last year, Utah was the fourth-happiest state in the U.S., below only Hawaii, Maryland, and New Jersey. This year, Connecticut and Nebraska have moved ahead of the Beehive State, lowering it to sixth place.

2024: Utah ranks as one of the happiest states in the country, study says

This year, Utah ranked first in two out of three key dimensions, but it landed 26th place for the third category.

The first of the key dimensions was work environment, in which Utah took the number one spot. This dimension was based on a multitude of factors, including work hours, commute time, unemployment rate, and economic security. The Beehive State has the fewest work hours nationwide, according to the study, which aided in bagging this ranking.

The next key dimension was community and environment, where Utah also took first place. The weight of this dimension was based on metrics like volunteer rate, ideal weather, average leisure time per day, divorce rate, and safety. According to the study, Utah was first in the lowest divorce rate and the highest volunteer rate. The Beehive State also ranked fifth when it came to safety.

The final dimension, and the one where Utah placed the lowest, was emotional and physical well-being. Utah placed 26th in the dimension, which was based on factors like physical health index, share of adult depression, suicide rate, and life expectancy. While Utah was first in one of the metrics, sports participation, it ranked much lower in other deciding factors. Utah ranks among the states with the highest suicide rates, which was likely a contributing factor.

Weighing all of these dimensions together landed Utah as the sixth-happiest state in the U.S. this year. Although we’ve dropped out of the top five, the list changes every year, and Utah has a chance to reclaim its place as the happiest state in America next year.

To learn more about the methodology of this study and see how other states ranked, visit WalletHub’s website.

Latest headlines:

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Utah football will get national exposure Sept. 20 as Fox rolls into Salt Lake City to broadcast the Utes’ matchup against Texas Tech on “Big Noon Saturday.”

“Big Noon” is Fox’s premier time slot and averaged 6.74 million viewers last year. Fox’s broadcast of a top-three matchup between Texas and Ohio State two weeks ago became the most-watched Week 1 game in college football history with 16.6 million viewers.

Advertisement

The last time the Utes were broadcast during the “Big Noon” slot on Fox was last year against Colorado, a 49-24 Buffalo blowout win that drew 4 million viewers.

“We have no problem playing early in the day; just tell us what time kickoff is and we will be there. Our fans are awesome and will show the country the home-field advantage that Rice-Eccles Stadium is known for.”

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham

Play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, analyst Joel Klatt and sideline reporter Jenny Taft will broadcast Utah’s Big 12 opener live from Rice-Eccles Stadium at 10 a.m. MDT.

If the No. 20 Utes (at Wyoming Saturday) and No. 21 Red Raiders (vs. Oregon State) both win this week, the game will likely be a top-20 matchup.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has long been a proponent of early games so players and coaches don’t have to wait around all day, as is the case during late kickoffs.

Advertisement

“We have no problem playing early in the day; just tell us what time kickoff is and we will be there,” Whittingham said in a school press release. “Our fans are awesome and will show the country the home-field advantage that Rice-Eccles Stadium is known for. Obviously, we’ll have a big TV audience in that time slot, so that’s great exposure for our program.”

The prime-time slot will put the Utes in the national spotlight. Utah’s game against UCLA was on the main Fox channel, but had a 9 p.m. MDT start, drawing an average of 1.5 million viewers. Next Saturday’s top-25 clash between Utah and Texas Tech in a prime window for the East Coast and central time zones should triple that number.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our football program to play in front of a large TV audience in the ”Big Noon Saturday” time slot on Fox and showcase the energy and atmosphere of Rice-Eccles Stadium,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a press release. “Thanks to Fox and the Big 12 for giving us this stage to amplify our incredible football program and this great university.

“Our awesome fans will be firing up their grills bright and early — they’ll just be mixing in some omelets and pancakes on their tailgate menus. We look forward to a fantastic day on campus.”

Advertisement

Though the selection won’t be officially announced until this Saturday, the Sept. 20 contest between the Utes and Red Raiders is a prime candidate for Fox’s national “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show. The “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show — Fox’s version of “College GameDay” — broadcasts live from the campus of a selected school each Saturday from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. MDT.

“Our awesome fans will be firing up their grills bright and early — they’ll just be mixing in some omelets and pancakes on their tailgate menus. We look forward to a fantastic day on campus.”

Utah AD Mark Harlan

The panel includes former Utah coach Urban Meyer alongside former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, former Alabama running back Mark Ingram II and host Rob Stone.

The last time the show was in the state of Utah was for then-No. 14 BYU’s matchup against Arizona. The University of Utah has never hosted Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show, which originated in 2019, but has hosted ESPN’s long-running “College GameDay” show five times (2004 vs. BYU; 2010 vs. TCU; 2015 vs. Cal; 2016 vs. Washington; and 2023 vs. Oregon).

The Utah State Fair is back for another year, and KSL.com has all the details you’ll need to know.

Whether it’s for funnel cake or giant Ferris wheels, rodeos or live music, Utahns flock to the annual funfair. Check out the specifics below.

Where and when is the Utah State Fair?

The Utah State Fair 2025 is taking place at the Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West in Salt Lake City. It runs for 11 days, from Sept. 4-14.

While some folks may want to go on fair rides until the cows come home, there are only so many hours left in the final seven days of the event to squeeze in all that fun.

Utah State Fair hours

• Monday, Sept. 8: noon to 10 p.m.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9: noon to 10 p.m.

• Wednesday, Sept. 10: noon to 10 p.m.

• Thursday, Sept. 11: noon to 10 p.m.

• Friday, Sept. 12: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

• Saturday, Sept. 13: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

• Sunday, Sept. 14: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Utah State Fair pricing

Prices vary by event, but all arena tickets will include Utah State Fair 2025 admission. No fees will be added.

Admission prices:

• Adults (13-61): $15

• Seniors (62 and up): $10

• Youth (6-12): $10

• Kids (0-5): free admission

• Season passes: $60

Ride ticket prices

• Unlimited ride wristbands (one day): $40

• Single ride: $1.50

• 40 ticket sheet: $50

Utah State Fair parking

Planning to drive to the fair? Here’s where to go and how much it costs.

• Lot B: North Temple entrance, $15

• Lot C: 1000 West entrance, $15

• VIP parking: 300 North entrance

• Shuttle parking: Utah State Tax Commission, Redwood Road, $10

Utah State Fair schedule: Arena events

Barrel races and demolition? Don’t miss the chance to yeehaw at these crowd favorites.

Utah’s Own Rodeo, Monday, Sept. 8

Saddle up to watch buckin’ broncos and the bravest riders on the rodeo’s final night, Monday at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $14 to $33 per seat, depending on location.

Monsters Are Real Monster Truck Rally, Friday, Sept. 12

The monster truck rally starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, and ticket prices range from $14 to $75 apiece. Sales have ended for this one, but you may be able to find secondhand tickets on KSL Classifieds.

Day of “Wreck”oning Demolition Derby, Saturday, Sept. 13

Chaos and daredevils and destruction? Yes, please! But keep in mind that this one sells quickly. Ticket prices range from $25 to $47 apiece.

Reminder: Arena tickets include general fair admission, so you’ll get all the excitement with one purchase.

Use KSL to find events

Curious about concert lineups, new rides or fair vendors for the Utah State Fair 2025? KSL.com has all the details and more, so you don’t miss out on any of the entertainment.

For more Utah State Fair info, or to see even more events planned this year, head over to the KSL Events page.