Utah News

How many birds do you see in a given day? How many sparrows or hawks or owls do you think live in your neighborhood? Jennifer Pemberton spent an entire day with Logan's Bridgerland Audubon Society compiling their annual bird census.

Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz is speaking out about mental health in the wake of Friday’s shooting in Newton, Connecticut. The Republican Representative told Jessica Gail he’s open to gun control for those with mental illness.

"I particularly worry about those with mental illness, there capability of making rash decisions. I really worry that we’re getting them the care, and the diagnoses that they need and making those kind of diagnoses available."

It’s a sound that can lift anyone’s spirit and one Brigham Young University student is hoping to cash in on people’s love for puppies.

"Puppies for Rent is a company I started in August. And the purpose of the company is to help puppies to find homes. Basically we take puppies that would otherwise be in a pound, or basically puppies that people are trying to get rid of.  We rent them out to families and to students."

Jenna Miller is the founder of Puppies for Rent, and for $15 per hour she will deliver a puppy to your home to play with.

There are two reasons a Congressional watchdog group opposes oil shale development in eastern Utah and neighboring states. In the report Taxpayers for Common Sense says the government should stop making loan and price guarantees to oil companies to explore an energy source that it says so far hasn't paid off.

When the state legislature reconvenes in January they’ll be given a report outlining the cost/benefit analysis of expanding Utah’s Medicaid program. Last week, the Utah Department of Heath held a public forum to gather comments on what should be considered as the study gets underway, but as Jessica Gail reports, the report could have little influence on some lawmakers.

32 -year-old Christina Osborn relies on Medicaid. "When I was 11 years old I was diagnosed with a brain tumor but yet no health insurance would insure me because of the epilepsy that was created."

Utah Governor Gary Herbert rolled out his budget proposal for fiscal year 2014 this week. At the top of his list: education. Herbert’s plan calls for $298 million in new funds be allocated to schools, but as Jessica Gail reports, the Governor's plan could be short lived due to the looming fiscal cliff.

Governor Gary Herbert is planning for the future. Wednesday he unveiled a $12.8 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2014, which will begin in July. His top priority is education.

The new zipline will be on the estate of Charley Steen, the famed uranium king who put Moab on the map in the 1950s. It’s the same property that includes the Sunset Grill, high on the hillside, which used to be the Steen residence overlooking the town. Mark Steen, Charley’s son, has teamed up with locals Mike Bynum and his son Casey to build the zipline. It was Casey’s idea.  

Giving local artists a chance to showcase their work, the Main Street Gallery Walk in Logan is known for bringing a little more culture to the valley. Now with the recent RAPZ tax approval, the Gallery Walk is about to change. Brianna Bodily tells us what Cache Valley residents can and cannot expect in 2013.

Federal officials say rising demand and failing supply pose a risk of water shortages over the next 50 years for some 40 million people, including Native Americans, businesses, ranchers, and farmers in seven western states dependent on the Colorado River.

A two-year study on western water use was released Wednesday by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar during a Colorado River Water Users Association conference.

Kerry Bringhurst tells us a related study encourages conservation and re-use programs as ways to meet western water demands.

I-15 in Southern Utah is finally back to normal after closures in both directions most of Wednesday morning.

At around 3:00 a.m. a tanker truck filled with fuel overturned on Interstate 15 near mile marker 40, about 20 miles south of Cedar City.

Both lanes of southbound traffic were halted as responders dealt with the volatile situation. Southbound motorists were directed through Enterprise and on to St. George to rejoin the interstate.