The federal government is scaling back data collection used to calculate the inflation rate. Economists warn that could make for less accurate cost-of-living measures.
The federal government is scaling back data collection used to calculate the inflation rate. Economists warn that could make for less accurate cost-of-living measures.
Utah Valley, which is leaving the WAC, will compete in 13 Big West-sponsored sport. The Big West says it remains open to adding a 12th member but anticipates being an 11-school league when Utah …
OREM, Utah — Utah Valley is joining the Big West Conference for the 2026-27 athletic year, giving the league a presence in that state for the first time since Utah State ended a 27-year run in 2005.
The conference said Wednesday it remained open to the possibility of adding a 12th member but anticipated being an 11-school league when Utah Valley and Cal Baptist officially join July 1, 2026.
The Big West doesn’t have football, and Hawaii and UC Davis are leaving to join the Mountain West Conference in 2026-27. Hawaii has been a football-only member of the Mountain West since 2012. UC Davis has been a football-only member of the Big Sky Conference.
Utah Valley is leaving the Western Athletic Conference, and the Wolverines will compete in 13 Big West-sponsored sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball.
“Their addition expands our geographic footprint into a vibrant and strategically significant region, while elevating the level of competition across the board,” Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said.
Utah Valley will be the largest school in the Big West with an enrollment of 47,000. Barring further realignment, Utah Valley will replace Hawaii as the only school in the conference outside California.
On May 29, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision overhauling the National Environmental Protection Act. Here’s what the decision could mean for SC.
The U.S. Supreme Court has altered the standards for federal reviews of large-scale infrastructure projects, possibly weakening a rigorous review process that many environmentalists consider essential.
So what could the decision mean for projects across South Carolina? It’s complicated, but it helps to start with the basics.
The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to create Environmental Impact Statements for certain large-scale infrastructure and construction projects.
The project at the center of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado was a planned, roughly 88-mile rail line which would have tied oil wells in Utah to the interstate rail system, thus connecting them to refineries along the Gulf Coast. Plaintiffs in the case argued the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) failed to adequately consider the indirect effects of how increased oil production might impact areas in Louisiana — or how a new rail line might stimulate more oil production in Utah.
That argument was supported by a lower court. But in an 8-0 opinion (Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself) on May 29, justices reversed the decision of the lower court, endorsing the limited scope of the EIS that was conducted.
“Today’s ruling relieves federal agencies of the obligation to review all foreseeable environmental harms and grants them more leeway to decide what potential environmental harms to analyze, despite what communities may think is important,” the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, one of the parties in the case, wrote in a press release. “It tells agencies that they can ignore certain foreseeable impacts just because they are too remote in time or space. And even if the agency makes the wrong call about how to draw that line, the court has now said that the agency gets deference.”
The Center noted that this decision comes as President Donald Trump is rolling back NEPA protections, “setting the process for project approvals back half a century.”
Business and development groups praised the court’s decision. They contend that the NEPA review process was lengthy, expensive and a deterrent to critical infrastructure projects.
“Our broken permitting system has long been a national embarrassment,” Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, wrote in a statement about the decision. “A better permitting process will benefit the public by ensuring timely upgrades to essential infrastructure like roads, bridges, and energy systems, and will benefit businesses by reducing delays and uncertainties, allowing them to plan and invest with confidence.”
What does this decision mean for South Carolina?
“The facts of this case are very unique and specific to the situation in Utah,” said Faith Rivers James, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League and an attorney with expertise on administrative laws such as NEPA. “This case is just so unique that I think it is too early to tell if it really will turn into a narrowing of NEPA.”
Ben Cunningham, a senior managing attorney at the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, noted that the court’s majority held that environmental effects of a project could still fall within NEPA, even if those effects extend outside the geographical area of a project or might “materialize later in time.”
“For example, runoff into a river that flows many miles from the project and effects fish populations elsewhere, or emissions that travel downwind and predictably pollute other areas,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the court’s opinion.
Cunningham said there is one project in South Carolina that could be impacted by the decision: A factory expansion along the Savannah River in Aiken where the federal government plans to produce plutonium pit cores for nuclear bombs. The Law Project successfully argued in court that the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration didn’t adequately assess the environmental impacts of the Savannah River Site and a sister site in New Mexico that also would produce plutonium pits.
In September 2024, a judge ruled in the Law Project’s favor, and compelled the feds to conduct a new environmental assessment. Cunningham said the National Nuclear Security Administration likely will examine the Supreme Court’s recent decision to determine how the Savannah River Site project’s ongoing environmental reviews could be affected.
“The scope of that project is immense,” he said. “This involves facilities all over the country. This involves waste that gets transported all over the country. This involves radioactive, hazardous products that get transported all over the country.”
The Herriman athlete who appeared in a Super Bowl commercial with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes returns to Utah after playing soccer at Columbia.
Remember that 2019 Super Bowl commercial celebrating the NFL’s 100th season?
For pro football fans, it was a two-minute fever dream of gridiron greatness.
The commercial featured:
A tuxedo-clad Joe Montana firing a spiral to, who else, Jerry Rice.
An aging Peyton Manning throwing out his arm.
Tom Brady joining the fun — but not before handing a fistful of title rings to Baker Mayfield.
Patrick Mahomes side-arming the ball to Odell Beckham Jr.
And the patriarch of NFL football, the late Jim Brown, exclaiming: “Boy, this is a great party.”
But perhaps the commercial’s most memorable moment occurs when an errant football falls into the hands of a teenage girl dressed in her Sunday best.
“Can I have the ball, please?” All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman asks the girl.
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“You want this? Come and get it,” she taunts, before spinning past Sherman and lateraling the ball to Saquon Barkley, this year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Football fans in Utah immediately recognized Sam Gordon — the tackle football-loving girl from Herriman whose viral videos of her juking the boys, dashing up sidelines and scoring Little League touchdown after touchdown after touchdown made her a YouTube sensation.
When the Super Bowl commercial aired, the pony-tailed tailback had already become a global advocate/ambassador for girls tackle football.
There was a “Good Morning America” appearance. Her image was featured on a one-of-a-kind Wheaties cereal box. And the NFL presented her with its inaugural “Game Changer” award.
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And, perhaps most importantly, Gordon helped start the Utah Girls Tackle Football League — offering girls in the Beehive State an opportunity to play the same sport as their dads, granddads and brothers.
Salt Lake Wildcats running back Sam Gordon, center, checks a cut on her leg at halftime during a Women’s Football Alliance game against the Wasatch Warriors at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
So what’s Sam Gordon up to today?
Gordon’s grown a few inches since those initial YouTube videos.
And she has an Ivy League diploma now sharing wall space with her football pictures. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City to play DI college soccer at Columbia University and study film and psychology.
But now Gordon’s back in Utah, and back doing what she loves: Playing tackle football and, yes, scoring a lot of touchdowns.
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Gordon is a two-way player — halfback and middle linebacker — for the Salt Lake Wildcats.
It’s a first-year squad competing in the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) — a national organization that bills itself as “the largest, longest running, and most competitive women’s tackle football league in the world.”
Salt Lake Wildcats quarterback Laura Goetz (7) passes the ball against the Wasatch Warriors during a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
One of Gordon’s longtime friends, Wildcats quarterback Laura Goetz, was pivotal in organizing the team, which is competing in the WFA’s Division 2 for its maiden season.
The pro-am Wildcats have yet to lose a game (5-0) — and they’re averaging over 60 points a match. So a promotion to the league’s premier division seems a logical move in the team’s future.
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And it helps that the Wildcats boast a celebrated star such as Gordon who hasn’t forgotten how to slip tackles, find the end zone and draw media attention.
For Gordon, transitioning from college “fútbol” to tackle football, “has been so fun.”
“I had forgotten how much I missed playing football. There’s just nothing like putting those pads on and getting to hit again. … I loved playing soccer — but football is where my heart’s always been.”
Utah girls tackle football sensation Sam Gordon stepped away from the gridiron for a few years to play soccer at Columbia University in New York. | Stockton Photo, Columbia Athleti
Playing football once again is also a welcome surprise.
When Gordon graduated from Herriman High School and headed east to Columbia, she assumed her tackle football career belonged to YouTube and the past.
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She admits battling butterflies when she pulled on shoulder pads and a helmet for the first time in years to train with the Wildcats.
“I was definitely shaking out those nerves,” she said. “I didn’t feel as aggressive on defense and was hesitating to make my cuts — but now I feel like I’ve gotten back into the swing of things.”
As a Wildcat, Gordon has emerged as one of the division’s leading scorers and remains a touchdown threat every time Goetz hands her the ball.
Salt Lake Wildcats running back Sam Gordon listens to coaches speak to the team before a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Becoming a YouTube pigskin hero
Anyone who has followed Sam Gordon’s tackle football adventures for more than a decade is familiar with her story.
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She grew up in the southwest end of the Salt Lake Valley, passing the football with her family in the backyard and terrorizing recess pickup football games.
Nine-year-old Sam would tag along to her older brother’s youth league football practices and run wind sprints with the guys.
“And I’d beat most of the players on the team,” she said, still relishing the memory.
Soon Sam was a full-fledged team member of the boy’s tackle team — and soon her highlight videos began appearing online. It looked like she had hacked her games with cheat codes, dodging and dashing past players almost double her size — and then delivering big hits on defense.
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“I just fell in love with it,” she said.
Salt Lake Wildcats running back Sam Gordon (6) cheers with her teammates as they break before a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
By the time she was 12, Gordon was playing in the newly organized Utah Girls Tackle Football League. She was already a household name for many football fans and a seasoned media personality in front of the camera.
“Looking back, I can’t believe that it happened,” she said. “It still feels a little surreal that I was able to meet so many people and have all those experiences. But it was a lot of fun.”
Her unique experiences paid dividends beyond football.
“It helped a lot with my public speaking ability and things that carried over into college, like having the confidence to speak up in classrooms,” said Gordon.
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Her decision to study film in college was prompted by witnessing the reach and influence of today’s evolving communication platforms. “The power of the media to change my life — and the entire course of girls football in Utah — was incredible.”
Salt Lake Wildcats players prepare for the national anthem before a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Gordon’s media exposure allowed her to be more than an athlete. She became an advocate for something larger than herself: developing tackle football opportunities for females.
No surprise, advocacy triggers a few trolls.
Sandwiched between the wide support of Gordon’s athletic development were the mean-spirited comments.
“It was always funny to see grown men commenting on my 9-year-old’s post and telling me that I could never make it in the NFL. Or boys my age telling me that they would crush me on the field. Or the typical ‘Go get me a sandwich’ comments; that type of thing.”
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At those moments, young Sam fell back on the support of her family and friends — and then kept scoring touchdowns.
And she adopted a strategy that is still serving her well: “When you’re trying to make a change, look for like-minded people — and don’t struggle against the people who think you’re wrong.”
Salt Lake Wildcats running back Sam Gordon (6) talks with tight end Bridgette Howell before a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Filming a classic Super Bowl commercial
People often ask Gordon if she was able to meet all of the “Who’s Who in the NFL” players featured in the 100th season Super Bowl commercial.
Actually, no.
Most of the folks captured in the Sam Gordon clip were background extras — but she was still able to work for several hours in Los Angeles with Richard Sherman and Saquon Barkley.
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“That was super fun, and they were both really cool to talk with and were very supportive,” she said.
And here’s a few fun bits of Super Bowl commercial trivia: The directors had to put glue on Gordon’s hand because it was too small to palm an NFL-size football.
And early in the filming, Barkley split his pants jumping over a player — so they had to halt production for a few moments to deal with a wardrobe malfunction.
Most of Gordon’s friends and fans knew nothing about her Super Bowl commercial cameo prior to the Big Game. “So when it (aired), everyone freaked out. It was incredible.”
When Gordon moved to New York City, her new Columbia classmates were largely unaware of her former life scoring touchdowns and shooting commercials with NFL stars.
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But whenever the Lions played a soccer game on TV, the commentators inevitably brought up Gordon’s exciting football past. And even students with no interest in sports realized something was different about Gordon when they would swap Instagram accounts and discover their new Utah friend had tens of thousands of followers.
Salt Lake Wildcats quarterback Laura Goetz, right, celebrates a touchdown against the Wasatch Warriors with wide receiver Victoria Archuleta, left, and running back Brielle Lampright, center, during a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
What’s the future for female tackle football in Utah?
Goetz is a year younger than her Wildcat backfield mate, Sam Gordon.
The two were both rivals and good friends growing up. And, like Gordon, Goetz grew up loving tackle football and seizing any opportunity to play.
The West Jordan native played in the local girls tackle football league and, after high school graduation, eventually started playing women’s flag football.
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Women’s flag football is a growing global sport that will be part of the Olympic Games for the first time at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Goetz enjoys flag football. But the modified version of the sport, she added, can’t match the joy of playing tackle football.
“So I thought, ‘Let’s create a team and make something where these girls who are graduating (from high school) have an opportunity to continue their football careers.”
Salt Lake Wildcats quarterback Laura Goetz (7) runs the ball against the Wasatch Warriors during a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Forming a tackle football team such as the Salt Lake Wildcats is, well, a noseguard-sized endeavor. Besides curating a team roster, organizers have to secure facilities, equipment, coaches, trainers and media promotion.
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But for Goetz and others associated with the upstart Wildcats, it’s been an exhausting labor of love.
The existing Utah Girls Tackle Football League has been a key resource to get started. “And we are intertwined with the girls league in every way,” said Goetz.
Goetz pauses for a moment when asked about the future of women’s tackle football in Utah. Like any good quarterback, she’s both hopeful and cautious.
Over the past several years, she said, women’s tackle football has grown — but not dramatically.
Salt Lake Wildcats players prepare for the national anthem before a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Meanwhile, added Goetz, teams such as the Wildcats are classified as “semi-pro” — but it really functions as a club. Players pick up the tab for many of the expenses, including travel.
But despite obstacles, Goetz remains motivated to help create a future for local women’s tackle football “where players don’t have to decide whether they’re going to make their car payment or football payment.”
And, she added, Utah is a “football hotbed.” She is certain tackle football for females can work here.
“I want to see tackle football provided to these women with equal opportunity.”
Salt Lake Wildcats running back Sam Gordon (6) tosses the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Wasatch Warriors during a Women’s Football Alliance game at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
So what’s next for No. 6: Sam Gordon?
Even as Sam Gordon relishes her return to tackle football, she knows that every athlete has a competition expiration date. But her desire to advocate for her sport won’t end when she plays her final game.
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“I’m planning to go to law school somewhere on the West Coast,” said Gordon, the daughter of an attorney.
While the Title IX lawsuit pushing for girls tackle football in Utah high schools did not end as Gordon and others had hoped, the process sparked her interest in the legal profession.
Having skilled attorneys join the legal cause for girls tackle football in Utah added another level of legitimacy to the effort.
“That experience is something that I want to replicate going forward,” Gordon said. “I can be an advocate for others.”
There’s still more work to be done, as people are responsible for more than half of the wildfires in the state …
KEY POINTS
Gov. Spencer Cox released a report that gave suggestions for how the state can further mitigate the year-round risk of wildfire.
Though Utah has seen a 67% reduction in human-caused wildfires over the last three years, more than half of the state’s 1,000-plus fires are caused by humans.
The report addresses many federal, state, interagency and individual ways that Utah can continue several years of success living with the threat of wildfire.
Wildfires in Utah now demand constant attention. Even with “catastrophic fires” representing a small percentage of burns in the state, fire season is now a year-round reality.
Being prepared on a statewide and personal level for when fires start is the best way to safely coexist with the reality of wildfire, according to a new report released Wednesday by Gov. Spencer Cox.
Titled “Strengthening the State’s Wildfire Preparedness,” the report is the result of an executive order the governor signed in April to study and then bolster Utah’s wildfire preparations and “improve coordination among state, local, and federal partners ahead of the 2025 fire season.”
That order formed a working group made up of a number of state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources and the State Fire Marshall, who are responsible for firefighting.
The report shows the state has successfully reduced the number of human-caused fires in recent years, but people are still responsible for about half of the fires that start in the state.
Cox wrote on X that the report “outlines how we’re building on that success with improved coordination, faster response times, and proactive fuel reduction efforts across Utah.”
Fire Sense is Utah’s call to take personal responsibility for preventing wildfires. And it’s working: human-caused wildfires in our state are significantly below the national average.
In response to my executive order from April, the state is releasing the Strengthening the… pic.twitter.com/05ndXm2lra
There were over 1,200 wildfires in Utah last year, burning 90,660 acres across the state. Of those fires, people caused 57%, according to the newly released report, which is significantly lower than the national average of 85% cited by the National Park Service. The vast majority of those wildfires were small — 10 acres or less — but larger burns still represent a “significant concern.”
Over the last three years, the state had a 67% reduction in human-triggered wildfires, which the governor credits to Utah’s wildfire prevention program, “Fire Sense.” The program, a collaborative effort of state and federal agencies, educates the public about the causes and danger of wildfires.
That being said, the report was clear that “despite ‘Fire Sense’ campaign successes, continued education is needed to reduce human-caused wildfires.”
Plan of action
There were several key suggestions the report made to bolster the state’s preparedness, including improving interagency coordination, greater community planning to mitigate risks, detailed contingency planning for things like evacuations, hiring and then retaining more firefighters, and providing more prevention education.
Among the challenges noted, the fact that Utah is heavily reliant on federal funding for a number of wildfire related costs — local fire departments and WUI mitigation among them — came up several times.
“Potential federal budget cuts, particularly to the U.S. Forest Service programs, jeopardize critical efforts and personnel,” the report said. The working group suggested Utah become less reliant on federal wildfire funding.
Then there is the fact that due to decades of fire suppression and drought, a vast amount of “fuel” — flammable vegetation like underbrush and grasses — have accumulated all over the state, creating excellent conditions for wildfires. Minimizing the risk this tinder poses requires expensive and specific mitigation processes called “fuel treatments.”
The report suggested that the state and local municipalities lead the charge on creating “defensible space” around their buildings. These are buffer zones where flammable materials and vegetation — fences, grasses or other shrubs — are kept a safe distance away from structures — a practice the report suggests private homeowners should also institute.
For each of 14 areas areas reviewed, there were a series of detailed recommendations that followed. Those included providing benefits for seasonal firefighters, increasing “state and partner resources for public awareness campaigns,” and advocating for a greater voice for state forestry agencies at the federal level.
With a unified commitment, the report reads, there is the potential to protect Utah’s communities, resources and vital infrastructure, even if the threat of wildfires continues to escalate as it has.
“By fostering a culture of preparedness … Utah can build greater resilience and navigate the complex challenges of a future with more frequent and intense wildfires.”
Per Martinez’s agent, Matt Slan of Slan Sports Management, Martinez worked out for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Martinez confirmed it himself on Instagram, posting a picture of a Jazz practice jersey at …
Ian Martinez spent the majority of his college basketball career in the state of Utah, first at the University of Utah and later at Utah State. So it is only fitting that as Martinez attempts to carve out a career playing professional basketball, Utah would be one of his stops.
Martinez confirmed it himself on Instagram, posting a picture of a Jazz practice jersey at Zions Bank Basketball Center.
The workout with the Jazz was the second one thus far for Martinez during the pre-draft cycle. He also worked out for the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 27.
A four-star prospect coming out of JSerra Catholic in 2020, Martinez was a notable signee for the Runnin’ Utes, under then-head coach Larry Krystkowiak.
Martinez’s time with Utah was short-lived, though. He played just one season with the Utes before transferring to Maryland.
After a couple of seasons with the Terrapins, Martinez was on the move again this time to Utah State.
It was in Logan that he really found himself, became a key player for an Aggies team that made it to back-to-back NCAA tournaments (USU has now been to the NCAA tournament three consecutive seasons).
This past season, Martinez was arguably the best he’d ever been as a college basketball player, with season averages of 16.4 points and 2.7 assists per game.
Martinez isn’t considered a sure-fire NBA prospect. NBA Scouting Live projects him as a late second round selection at best. Listed at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Martinez is probably best suited as a combo guard in the NBA, though his athleticism could help him overcome a lack of height to play the shooting guard position.
“He is a high motor player that can score in a variety of ways,” Alan Lu writes. “… He will need to show NBA teams that he can reliably run the point but his vast athleticism and considerable upside could enable him to compete for a roster spot in the NBA in the future.”
Utah State guard Ian Martinez (4) attempts to dunk the ball as San Jose State guard Jermaine Washington defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal via AP) | AP
The Big West Conference announced Wednesday morning that the Wolverines will officially join the conference in 2026-27, leaving behind the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). UVU will join the Big West …
Conference realignment has reared itself again in Utah. This time, it is Utah Valley University that is on the move.
The Big West Conference announced Wednesday morning that the Wolverines will officially join the conference in 2026-27, leaving behind the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). UVU will join the Big West as a full member. It is a reunion of sorts, as UVU was a member of the Big West from 1978 to 2005.
“We are thrilled to welcome Utah Valley University to The Big West,” Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said in a statement. “UVU brings a tradition of competitive excellence and a rapidly growing athletic program that aligns perfectly with our membership and vision for the future. Their addition expands our geographic footprint into a vibrant and strategically significant region, while elevating the level of competition across the board. We look forward to the energy and excitement the Wolverines will bring to The Big West.”
UVU, which sponsors 14 Division 1 sports, will compete in the Big West in:
Baseball.
Men’s basketball.
Women’s basketball.
Men’s cross country.
Women’s cross country.
Men’s golf.
Women’s golf.
Men’s soccer.
Women’s soccer.
Softball.
Men’s track and field.
Women’s track & field.
Women’s volleyball.
Wrestling will continue to be a part of the Big 12 conference.
“Utah Valley University is proud to be part of The Big West. This marks an important milestone for the university, our 47,000 students, 125,000 alumni, and nearly 400 student-athletes,” UVU president Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez said in a statement “We look forward to competing and growing in a new and dynamic environment, and learning from our peers in The Big West.”
Added UVU athletic director Dr. Jared Sumsion: “The Big West is an outstanding conference with a proud history of success at the highest levels of Division I competition. We are excited to take on this new challenge and appreciate The Big West’s confidence in our university and athletic program.”
The addition of UVU brings Big West membership up to 11. UVU rejoining the league can be traced back directly to the decisions of Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.
Here’s the turn of the events that led to UVU’s return to the Big West:
Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12 for the SEC.
USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the Big 12 (the latter three defecting from the American Athletic Conference).
Oregon and Washington leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12.
Cal and Stanford leave the Pac-12 and join the ACC.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announce that they are leaving the Mountain West Conference to remake the Pac-12 alongside Oregon State and Washington State.
The Mountain West adds Hawaii and UC-Davis (previously Big West Conference schools) as full-time members in wake of defections to the Pac-12.
UVU joins the Big West.
Washington County native Carston Herman delivers a pitch during Utah Valley University’s 2025 baseball season. | Utah Valley University
Lauri Markkanen could be one of the top names on the NBA trade market this summer, as the 28-year-old no longer fits a Utah Jazz team that just finished with the worst record in the league (17-65) …
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Lauri Markkanen
Utah Jazz Receive: F Rui Hachimura, G/F Dalton Knecht, PG Gabe Vincent, F Maxi Kleber, 2031 first-round pick (unprotected)
Why Los Angeles Does It:
The Lakers will always be on the hunt for stars yet are limited in trade assets after acquiring Luka Dončić at the deadline. Markkanen is probably the best level of player Los Angeles can reasonably acquire and would be a strong third option behind Dončić and LeBron James.
Adding a 7-footer who can play either forward position and fill short bursts as a stretch-5 gives the Lakers a ton of versatility with their lineups and helps an offense that ranked 12th out of 16 teams this postseason.
This trade would leave the Lakers with a core of Dončić, Austin Reaves, Markkanen, James, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt. Los Angeles would still have the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.7 million to try to sign a veteran like Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, Steven Adams or Al Horford to fill their hole at center and complete a loaded starting five.
A future unprotected pick from the Lakers in 2031 when James has (probably??) retired is valuable. Adding Knecht as a young core piece to a team that finished 22nd overall in three-point shooting is attractive as well.
Hachimura (13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 41.3 percent shooting from three) has value and would likely be flipped to a contender, and the Jazz should be happy to add Vincent’s championship experience to a young point guard rotation that features Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier.
Sick children underperform and miss more days of school than their peers. Without Medicaid, Utah students could suffer …
Federal and local funding cuts to the Medicaid program, as well as unnecessary eligibility requirements, could cost thousands of Utahns access to continual and preventative healthcare. On the surface, it appears that Medicaid is sometimes viewed as a line item on the budget and a candidate for cutting back to save pennies and offset tax cuts. However, I caution our federal and local representatives to not underestimate the benefits of our social programs, like Medicaid, beyond their budgetary justification.
My mother enrolled in Medicaid for her three children. When I fell sick, she could afford to take me to a doctor and get the medication I needed. Because she had access to the program, I was able to return to school and I was ready to continue my educational success. Without this public health service, it is likely I would have missed more days of school, and my mind would have often been foggy, interfering with my concentration in school. No school resource, excellent teacher, textbook or private school voucher could have overcome these health-related speed bumps. Not only did having access to healthcare through Medicaid benefit my health, but it also facilitated my academic achievement.
My experience with Medicaid is not unique. Any parent knows that children frequently get sick. In addition, the proportion of children enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) range from 8% to 43% across school districts in Utah including 27% and 23% of students within Granite and Salt Lake City School Districts, respectively, and 43% within San Juan School District. While these numbers sound like a health-related budgetary challenge, they also play a significant role in our educational system.
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Although logical on face value, substantial data show that sick children underperform and miss more days of school compared to their peers. For example, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that, in 2022, nearly 6% of students nationwide missed 15 or more days of school because of health-related issues; among those students, around 29% had fair to poor health compared to only 5% among healthy students. Additionally, acute and chronic health conditions, as well as risky health behaviors, have been associated with lower school grades. Children have a greater opportunity at succeeding in school when they can take care of their health.
Considering that reading comprehension has dipped, on average, and about 20% of Utah students are considered chronically absent, it is crucial for our decision makers to consider all of the holistic factors that contribute to or impede educational success.
So why is public health insurance important for education?
In 2023, over 50,000 Utahns under 19 years old were uninsured, a figure that will likely increase with cuts to Medicaid. Children without insurance coverage are less likely to receive preventative care and have access to prescriptions compared to their insured peers, even when insured for part of the year. In fact, prior expansions of Medicaid were associated with increases in healthcare utilization and decreases in preventable hospital visits and mortality, as well as increased reading test scores, greater rates of graduating high school and upward economic mobility. Restricting eligibility to Medicaid will have negative consequences, not only on children’s health, but also on their educational journey, undermining our state’s investment in public education.
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The relation between Medicaid eligibility, educational attainment, future health and economic success creates an inter-related cycle; one that can lead to more successful and healthier Utah families. In other words, families eligible for Medicaid can care for their children’s health needs and, in turn, these children will have a greater chance of graduating from high school, having higher earnings and being more productive, therefore potentially offsetting the costs of the program.
In Utah, we spend billions of dollars on public education. We should be focused on strengthening all social services that get the most out of our constitutional investment. Medicaid is one of those programs. I encourage our federal and state representatives to see Medicaid as more than a budgetary line item. Instead, view it as an investment in Utah’s education and an investment in our future.
