City Watch

After little debate Monday morning but with Democrats voting against, the Utah Legislative Redistricting Committee voted to pick map C—a congressional map that the Utah GOP last week encouraged Republicans to support. 

The map now goes to the full Republican-controlled Legislature to consider during a special session later Monday morning. 

Lawmakers are expected to approve the map and send it to 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson to consider in Utah’s court-ordered redistricting process, after Gibson determined the state’s 2021 congressional map was the product of an unconstitutional process. She ruled the Legislature overstepped when it repealed and replaced a voter-approved ballot initiative known as Proposition 4 that sought to create an independent redistricting process. 

Map C would mix rural and urban parts of Utah, split three cities (Millcreek, North Salt Lake and Pleasant Grove) and split three counties (Davis, Salt Lake and Utah). The state’s Democratic stronghold and capital city of Salt Lake City would remain whole, while Salt Lake County (the state’s most populated county) would be split once. 

Monday marked Utah lawmakers’ deadline to vote on and submit a map to the court for consideration. It’s the same deadline for plaintiffs in the state’s redistricting lawsuit that successfully challenged lawmakers’ override of Proposition 4 to submit their own proposed congressional map. 

Under the 2021 congressional map, Salt Lake County was split four times — which led to a lawsuit from nonpartisan groups including the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and a handful of Salt Lake County voters challenging it as “blatant gerrymandering,” along with claims that lawmakers’ unconstitutionally repealed and replaced Proposition 4. 

Map C would be more competitive for Democrats compared to the 2021 map — but would still result in four congressional districts that would lean in favor of the deep red state’s dominant party, the GOP.

Gibson is expected to ultimately pick a replacement map — either the Legislature’s preferred map or the plaintiffs’ — by her deadline of Nov. 10 in order for it to be put in place in time for the 2026 elections. 

However, one of the Legislative Redistricting Committee’s co-chairs, Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, told reporters if Gibson rejects map C and picks a map not drawn by lawmakers and instead drawn by plaintiffs, the Legislature will likely fight that decision in court as they continue to appeal Gibson’s earlier ruling before the Utah Supreme Court and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court. 

“To be in compliance, to me, with code and the Constitution, the judge only has one option,” Sandall said, though he added she could “either accept this map or come back to the Legislature and say you failed … and you’ve got to develop a map that takes that into account. To me, it’s the Legislature’s responsibility, constitutionally, to do this.” 

The Legislative Redistricting Committee’s only two Democrats — Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, and Rep. Doug Owens, D-Millcreek — didn’t debate against map C during Monday’s committee hearing and cast their no votes without comment. Owens told Utah News Dispatch after the meeting that Democrats already made their case against the committee’s slate of five proposed maps and in favor of Democrats’ preferred map during two committee hearings last month. 

“There was nothing new to say,” Owens said, though he and Escamilla told reporters they don’t believe map C adheres to Proposition 4’s standards because it was drawn using a statistical method that Democrats say unfairly benefits the dominant party, in this case Republicans.

Owens also said if the Republican Party’s preference of map C was taken into account during the legislative committee’s selection process, “that’s improper for the Legislature to take partisan outcome into consideration.”

Owens also said if the Republican Party’s preference of map C was taken into account during the legislative committee’s selection process, “that’s improper for the Legislature to take partisan outcome into consideration.”

Owens, however, added there has been “no evidence” that lawmakers were “swayed” by the party’s preference, “but I think it’s telling that the Republican Party itself publicly was pushing for that map because it was clearly the most damaging to Democrats.” 

When asked whether the Republican Party’s support of map C influenced the Legislative Redistricting Committee’s selection, Sandall indicated he wasn’t aware of the party’s preference. 

“Did the Republican party do that? Because quite honestly I’ve been shielded by all of that,” Sandall said. 

The committee’s House co-chair, Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, said it didn’t. 

“I mean, we can’t control what happens in public comment, but I haven’t read that email. I’ve been asked that question over the past couple of days, but no,” she said, adding that while the party is “entitled to sharing their opinion, that didn’t come into consideration at all.”

This article was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full story here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

While Americans woke up to the news Wednesday that their federal government had shut down due to Congress failing to approve a funding bill before the start of the new fiscal year, Utah state tourism officials said Utah’s “Mighty 5” national parks will remain open — but with limited services. 

It’s not yet clear how many national park workers based in Utah could be furloughed, with uncertainty surrounding how long the funding lapse will last. But according to an updated National Park Service contingency plan, for now federal dollars will fund “health and safety” operations, including fire suppression, drinking water and sewage, and other essential services.

“Our priority has been and continues to be preserving our parks, maintaining the visitor experience, and ensuring Utah communities and businesses that rely on national park visitation are supported,” Natalie Randall, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism and Film, said in a prepared statement. “We are engaged in proactive conversations with public and private partners at all levels, offering strategic support to ensure the parks remain open with necessary resources.” 

Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy, who spoke to reporters at the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday, praised efforts to keep the parks open, albeit with some reduced services, by both federal and Utah agencies, for the time being. 

A former state legislator, he recalled Utah’s past commitments to keep the parks operating during previous “nonsensical government shutdowns.”

“When government shuts down, I know the state legislative leadership, as well as our governor, are motivated and incentivized to make sure that those national parks continue to stay open — and that’s a backstop that shouldn’t have to be used. The federal government should fund those programs,” Kennedy said, among his comments that laid blame for the shutdown on U.S. Senate Democrats. 

Utah’s national parks are an important economic driver, especially in rural and southern parts of Utah. In 2024, national park visitor spending contributed an estimated $3.1 billion to the state’s economy, according to state tourism officials. 

Utah’s five national parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion — are still open to the public, the Utah Office of Tourism said in a news release Wednesday, while also directing Utahns and visitors to VisitUtah.com for more information about how the federal shutdown is impacting Utah’s parks. 

While the parks will remain open, “visitors should expect reduced services and reduced staffing” during the shutdown, state tourism officials said. 

State tourism officials also pointed out that Utah’s 46 state parks will remain open and unaffected by the shutdown. 

“They are fully staffed and ready to welcome visitors,” they said. 

Here’s a breakdown of what to know before visiting each park, as of Wednesday: 

Arches

• The park is accessible. 
• Campgrounds are open but must be reserved online at recreation.gov.
• Available services include trash collection, restrooms, water and emergency services.

Bryce Canyon 

• The park is accessible. 
• The visitor center is open.
• Campgrounds are open, but must be reserved online at recreation.gov.
• Available services include shuttles, trash collection, restrooms, water and emergency services.

Canyonlands

• The park is accessible.
• Campgrounds are open but must be reserved online at recreation.gov.
• Available services include trash collection, restrooms, water and emergency services.

Capitol Reef

• The park is accessible. 
• Campgrounds are open, but must be reserved online at recreation.gov.
• Available services include trash collection, restrooms, water and emergency services. 

Zion

• The park is accessible.
• The visitor center is open. 
• Campgrounds are open but must be reserved online at recreation.gov.
• Available services include shuttles, backcountry permitting, trash collection, restrooms, water and emergency services. 

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

The clock is ticking for Utah lawmakers to draw a new congressional map after the courts tossed out the boundaries last drawn in 2021, deeming them a product of an unconstitutional process. 

To meet their tight deadlines, Utah’s legislative leaders have picked 10 lawmakers — eight Republicans and two Democrats from the House and Senate — to form a new legislative redistricting committee. 

One of the co-chairs of that new committee is Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton. It’s a familiar role for him. He co-chaired the Legislature’s committee back in 2021 (alongside then-Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield) that drew the congressional map that has since been tossed out by 3rd District Judge Dianna Gibson. 

Gibson’s ruling last month came after the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and a handful of Salt Lake County voters sued the Legislature, alleging the 2021 congressional map was unconstitutionally drawn and gerrymandered to favor Republicans. 

Gibson, in her Aug. 25 ruling, agreed on the first claim — that the Utah Legislature violated the Utah Constitution when it repealed and replaced Better Boundaries’ 2018 voter-approved ballot initiative that sought to create an independent redistricting commission. Lawmakers turned that commission into an advisory body that they ultimately ignored. 

In her ruling that voided the 2021 congressional map, Gibson made clear that Proposition 4 is now law, while also ordering a remedial process for the court to adopt a new map in time for the 2026 elections. Nov. 10 is the latest the court can select a new congressional map in order to give county clerks enough time to finalize voting precincts before candidates can begin filing for office in January. 

In her ruling, Gibson gave lawmakers until Sept. 25 to publish their proposed replacement map. She also set Oct. 6 as the deadline for the full Legislature to vote on the final map before it’s submitted to the court for consideration. The judge is also allowing the plaintiffs to submit their proposed maps by Oct. 6. Gibson will then have until Nov. 10 to pick a final map to set Utah’s congressional boundaries for the 2026 election. 

Though he was part of the 2021 process that anti-gerrymandering groups, Democrats and other critics have called “blatant gerrymandering,” Sandall said in a prepared statement Thursday that the new committee’s goal is to comply with Proposition 4’s standards. 

Lawmakers picked to serve on the 2025 Legislative Redistricting Committee

• Co-chair: Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton
• Co-chair: Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman
• Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork
• Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan
• Sen. Don Ipson, R-St. George
• Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City
• Rep. Cal Roberts, R-Draper
• Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George
• Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain
• Rep. Doug Owens, D-Millcreek

“Redrawing congressional districts is a detailed and intricate task that requires careful analysis, broad input and thoughtful decision-making,” Sandall said. “Our committee’s top priority is to create a fair and balanced map that complies with Proposition 4 and reflects Utah’s growth, incorporates the interests of all Utahns and ensures every voice across the state is represented. We are committed to openness and fairness at every step of the process.”

As Sandall’s House counterpart, legislative leaders have also picked Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, to co-chair the new redistricting committee, according to a news release issued Thursday. 

“Redistricting is a complex and important process and a responsibility that the Legislature takes seriously,” Pierucci said. “Just as we did in 2021, our committee will work thoughtfully, considering the needs of all communities across Utah, while meeting the deadlines and criteria we’ve been given.” 

How to get involved

The new Legislative Redistricting Committee will be holding two public meetings ahead of the Sept. 25 publishing deadline, plus another public comment period on the proposed map leading up to the Legislature’s vote on Oct. 6.
Here’s the timeline:

• Sept. 22: Redistricting Committee public meeting
• Sept. 24: Redistricting Committee public meeting
• Sept. 25: Legislature publishes proposed map
• Sept. 25-Oct. 5: Public comment period on proposed map
• Oct. 6: Utah Legislature will hold a special session to vote on the final map and submit it to the court for consideration. 

To view meeting times, agendas and other resources, legislative leaders directed Utahns to visit the Legislature’s website and the 2025 Legislative Redistricting Committee’s website. 

This article was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full story here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

The Glen Canyon Dam controls the flow of water to the lower Colorado River. If the antiquated dam breaks down, the Upper Basin States break their promise to everyone downstream. Is it time to say dammit to the whole dam thing?

The Glen Canyon Dam needs a massive overhaul if it’s going to keep delivering hydroelectric power—or, for that matter, water to the lower Colorado River. 

Amidst contentious negotiations to decide who gets how much after the Colorado River’s current water guidelines expire in 2026, a letter from the Lower Basin states to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior demanded that any decision-making include the necessary infrastructure repairs and improvements to ensure the river keeps flowing beyond Glen Canyon Dam. 

“I think a lot of people, especially in Utah, don’t really realize that Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell were not built for recreation,” says Eric Balken, the Executive Director of the Glen Canyon Institute. 

Millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico depend on water flowing through Glen Canyon Dam. Whether we like it or not, the Upper Basin states have a legal obligation to deliver water downstream to the Lower Basin. 

“The dam was built to deliver water to Lake Mead in an exact amount…to fulfill an accounting obligation under the Colorado River Compact,” says Balken. But that “accounting system” is on the verge of crashing.

Shortsighted Dam Design

In the 1950s, when the engineers who built the Glen Canyon Dam designed its penstocks and outlet works, they must never have imagined the water levels of Lake Powell dropping below full. They certainly would not have imagined the “bathtub ring” we see now, high above the water’s surface. If they had, they might have had the insight to install a drain. They didn’t. 

If the water level ever falls below the penstocks, which send water from the reservoir through the turbines and into the Colorado, the dam can no longer generate electric power. The penstocks, which were installed too high at hundreds of feet above the original river bed, have a failsafe…but it’s failing.

There are lower bypass tubes called “river outlet works” (ROWs) that allow water to continue to flow through to the river when the lake is lower, but a 2023 release damaged the ROWs. Pockets of air and sediment caused cavitation; shock waves that damaged the surface of the tubes. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the dam, repaired the ROWs’ surface lining but acknowledged that even relining the outlets “will not prevent the risk of additional cavitation” when the dam is operating at low reservoir levels. 

The Lower Basin states’ letter shows that recent proposals maintain the levels of Lake Powell by releasing less water to the Lower Colorado, which risks the livelihoods of everyone downstream and does not contend with the dam’s potential crash. 

But there are other options. Maybe the need for the dam has passed?

A big dam mistake?

“We’ve got these huge dams and not very much water behind them,” explains Balken. “These huge reservoirs are mostly empty.” In addition to upstream diversions, climate change has reduced water flows by as much as 20% and is projected to continue decreasing in the decades to come. 

“You’ve got this impending engineering disaster at the dam. We don’t have enough water to fill either Powell or Mead. So, what we’re proposing is what we call ‘Fill Mead First,’” says Balken. The proposal advocates for studying what a full bypass of Glen Canyon Dam would look like. 

 “A lot of people consider Glen Canyon Dam to be one of our country’s greatest environmental mistakes,” says Balken. When it was commissioned in 1956, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act did not yet exist. Now, we better understand the downstream effects of the dam on the Grand Canyon ecosystem, like endangering native fish species. Upstream, when the dam created Lake Powell, it flooded canyons; archaeological sites and native plants and animals disappeared under the water.

The canyon shows what it was like before the dam. “We’re seeing the return of cottonwood and willow forests and beaver and birds and all of this wildlife, and the emergence of cultural sites, waterfalls, grottoes, arches and bridges,” says Balken. “There’s a national park coming back to life in Glen Canyon right now because the reservoir is low. It’s shown us a glimpse of the potential for restoration in Glen Canyon.” 

What is ‘Cavitation?’

The Glen Canyon Dam has had trouble with cavitation in the past. This phenomenon happens when water under extreme pressure forms, and then collapses, vapor-filled bubbles, generating shock waves. This nearly caused a catastrophic failure of the dam in 1983; the tunnel spillways were designed for short-term use, but a flood on the upper Colorado caused cavitation to set in. Emergency efforts narrowly averted a total failure, but cavitation remains a threat to the dam’s integrity.

How this effects Utah

As far as giving up Lake Powell, Balken says, “I can totally appreciate why people love the reservoir. I’m a Utah boy. I know plenty of people who love going to the reservoir to recreate. But it will transition from a reservoir destination to a river destination.” The Glen Canyon Institute believes Glen Canyon should be a national park that might look similar to parts of Canyonlands or the Grand Canyon. 

But in this version of the future, Glen Canyon will not be free of all dams. Balken has made regular trips to Davis Gulch for 15 years, sometimes as many as five times a year. On his most recent trip, “The whole canyon was just full of beaver dams,” he says. “We probably saw eight or ten good-sized beaver dams in Davis Gulch. When the beavers come back and reclaim a canyon, that’s when I was like, okay, we’re back. This is a restoring canyon. Look, we made some mistakes with Glen Canyon Dam, but we don’t have to live with them.” 

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

The week of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a Turning Point USA speaking event at Utah Valley University, a coalition of Utah organizations of different political affiliations appeared side by side to launch Turn Toward Each Other, a toolkit to reduce polarization in communities.

The organizations hope the effort shows the state’s commitment to meet the moment “not with division, but with a promise to build peace together,” Marianne Viray, executive director of the Disagree Better nonprofit, said in a statement. 

“Now is the moment to choose to turn toward each other, for us to come together as a community, a collective pause to help us align our responses to the tragedy,” Viray said during a news conference at the Utah State Capitol on Friday.

The website features a collection of tried resources to have more productive conversations, including a list of “dos and don’ts for communicating in response to violence,” and workshops on how to interact constructively on social media.

“There are courses you can take in how to navigate major conflict, suggestions on how to talk about gun violence with your children, and the list goes on,” she said. “They may not seem like big actions some people are calling for at a time like this, but there are many small things we can each do to turn toward each other more in conversation, in relationship and community.”

Participating organizations include Better Angels, Disagree Better, Living Room Conversations, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Waymakers, Wheatley Institute, and The Dignity Institute.

Among the people at the Utah Capitol were Zac Wilson and Jack Davis, who attended Brigham Young University at about the same time but ended up in opposite political spaces on the Utah County campus. Wilson went on to chair the Utah Young Republicans for a time, while Davis led the Young Democrats of Utah. 

“It’s sad when a tragedy is the catalyst for people coming together and talking through some of these things, but I hope this is a wake-up call,” Wilson said on Friday. “We can root out some of the ideology and the rhetoric and tone that went into what happened two days ago.”

For Davis, the moment was also a reflection of what happens when people get off social media and talk to their neighbors and community members.

“Zac and I would probably have a different relationship if we only communicated on social media,” Davis said. “And I think that this is a time for people to think about what it means to actually have relationships with the people around them.”

Wilson praised Kirk’s debates that, while at times confrontational, he said allowed everyone to have a voice. As a direct result of Kirk’s effort, Wilson said, Gen Z was brought into political processes and standing for freedom of speech. 

“In the coming weeks and months. We need to move beyond the platitudes and figure out what’s going on. What’s the root cause of what killed Charlie. Our country is an inspiring and beautiful place, one that has survived a civil war, one that, in the 1960s, survived rioting, unrest and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy,” Wilson said. “We can and we will overcome this.” 

While Davis may disagree with Wilson most of the time, he said he couldn’t be in a greater agreement at this moment, since everyone in the country has the promise of freedom of speech. 

“The brutal attack that we witnessed this week wasn’t just an attack on a man and a family, though it was,” Davis said. “It was also an attack on that fundamental right of free speech that we enjoy and that lets each of us engage in our communities in the way that we wish.”

Davis also urged all young Utahns to reject violence as a means to try to accomplish something.

“Political violence is a corrosive evil that we cannot allow in our state. It cannot take root here, because that is the destruction of the political system that we know and love,” Davis said.

Now, the two men have plans to meet and discuss how to go from here and turn the idea of encouraging young people to engage in political processes amid turmoil into action.

On Friday the Utah Department of Health and Human Services also reminded that Utahns feeling scared, anxious, or overwhelmed due to traumatic events like this can call or text 988, which will connect them with a crisis worker at the Utah Crisis Line 24/7 for free.

“They can help work through your feelings and make appropriate connections to other mental health resources across the state. Our team is here around the clock to support Utahns in need,” Rachel Lucynski, director of Community Crisis Intervention and Support Services at Huntsman Mental Health Institute said in a statement.

This story was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full article here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Authors

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

Kyle Dunphey covers politics, public safety and the environment for Utah News Dispatch. He was named Best Newspaper Reporter by the Utah Society of Professional Journalists in 2023 for his work on crime and immigration at the Deseret News.

The morning after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Department of Public Safety and FBI officials said the manhunt for his killer continues while investigators recovered what they believe to be the killer’s weapon. 

“It’s a high-powered, bolt-action rifle,” FBI Special Agent In Charge Robert Bohls said in an early morning news conference held at UVU. “That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon.” 

Investigators are also analyzing “footwear impressions, a palm print and forearm imprints,” he said. 

Bohls and Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said their investigation is ongoing, and they declined to release more detailed information about the suspected shooter — other than saying the person “appears to be of college age” and overnight investigators tracked his movement through video camera footage. 

“We are confident in our abilities to track that individual,” Mason said. “If we are unsuccessful in identifying them immediately, we will reach out for the public’s help and the media’s help in pushing those photos.”

Less than three hours later, shortly before 10 a.m., Salt Lake City-based FBI officials posted on X asking the public’s help to identify a “person of interest in connection with” Kirk’s shooting, along with two photos of what appeared to be a man wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt with an American flag graphic, blue jeans, sunglasses and a ball cap.

We are asking for the public's help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
1-800-CALL-FBI
Digital media tips: https://t.co/K7maX81TjJ pic.twitter.com/ALuVkTXuDc

— FBI Salt Lake City (@FBISaltLakeCity) September 11, 2025

In another X post, the FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information “leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.” Officials urged tipsters to call 1-800-CALL-FBI and submit photos and videos on an online portal. As of Thursday morning, Bohls said the FBI had received more than 130 tips and counting.

Starting at 11:52 a.m. on Wednesday, the shooter was spotted heading toward UVU’s campus. Mason said he “blended in well with the college institute,” appearing to be college aged.

“We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to a shooting location,” Mason said. “After the shooting we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building, and fled off of the campus and into a neighborhood.” 

Investigators have contacted neighbors, “anybody they can with doorbell cameras, witnesses and have thoroughly worked through those communities trying to identify any leads,” Mason said. 

“We do have good video footage of this individual,” he said, but “we’re not going to release that at this time. We are working through some technologies and some ways to identify this individual.” 

If they’re unable to identify the suspect, then Mason said they’ll provide more information to the media to ask the public for help, “but we are confident in our abilities right now and would like to move forward in a manner that keeps everyone safe and moves this process appropriately.” 

Bohls said FBI agents have been working “around the clock” in partnership with Utah law enforcement to find Kirk’s killer. 

“We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and find out why they did it,” Bohls said.

Kirk is a founder of Turning Point USA, an organization that advocates for conservative politics in educational institutions, and a close ally of President Donald Trump. He is a widely known and often polarizing internet personality who tours college campuses and engages students with his signature “prove me wrong” debates.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, called Kirk’s killing a “political assassination.” His killing widely prompted horror and condemnation from both Republicans and Democrats. 

J.D. Vance traveling to Utah

Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha are expected to travel to Utah to visit with Kirk’s family, multiple national outlets reported early Thursday. 

Originally scheduled to visit Ground Zero in New York City for a ceremony to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Vances changed plans after Kirk’s killing, Politico reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the vice president’s plans. He’s not expected to hold any public events, according to the outlet. 

Vance, in a lengthy post on X late Wednesday, eulogized Kirk as a “true friend.” 

“I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones,” Vance said. “We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he’d always have their backs. And because he was a true friend, you could instinctively trust the people Charlie introduced you to. So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”

Sen. Mike Lee introduces resolution for Kirk

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced a resolution on Thursday “condemning the assassination of Charlie Kirk and honoring his life and legacy.” 

“Charlie Kirk was an American patriot, an inspiration to countless young people to stand up and defend the timeless truths that make our country great,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “This murder was a cowardly act of violence, an attack on champions of freedom like Charlie, the students who gathered for civil debate, and all Americans who peacefully strive to save our nation. The terrorists will not win. Charlie will.”

Lee also urged Americans to “join me in praying” for Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their children. 

“May justice be swift,” he said. 

This story was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full article here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah, at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, according to reports from the scene. 

Videos circulating on social media show students scattering after a popping sound is heard and Kirk appears to be impacted by something.

In a statement, Utah Valley University confirmed Kirk was shot, and his death was confirmed shortly after.

A suspect is in custody, the university said in an X post.

“Today at about 12:10 a shot was fired at the visiting speaker, Charlie Kirk. He was hit and taken from the location by his security,” the university wrote.

Police are investigating and the campus has been closed for the rest of the day.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”  

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the FBI is “closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.” 

“Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation,” Patel said.

Kirk is a founder of Turning Point USA, an organization that advocates for conservative politics in educational institutions and a close ally of the president. He was speaking at the university as part of his American Comeback tour.

In a statement posted to social media, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he was being briefed by law enforcement “following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk,” and will continue to share updates.

“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life,” Cox wrote. “Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.”

On Capitol Hill, dozens of congressional Republicans offered prayers for Kirk, with whom many GOP members have personal relationships.

U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, paused the panel’s consideration of a bill and held a moment of silence after Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene informed the committee of the shooting.

Vice President JD Vance offered his own statement of support on X.

“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” he wrote.

This breaking story will be updated.

States Newsroom reporter Jacob Fischler contributed to this story.

This story was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full article here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

A judge has ruled the Utah Legislature overstepped when it repealed and replaced a 2018 ballot initiative creating an independent redistricting commission. Now, she’s ordering lawmakers to draw new congressional maps in time for the 2026 election.

Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson handed down the ruling Monday evening — a major development in a complex, yearslong court case that has major implications for the future of Utah’s federal political landscape. 

“Plaintiffs have proven, as a matter of law, that the Legislature unconstitutionally repealed Proposition 4, and enacted SB 200, in violation of the people’s fundamental right to reform redistricting in Utah and to prohibit partisan gerrymandering,” Gibson wrote in the ruling. 

The judge also enjoined the state’s 2021 congressional map and directed the Legislature to “design and enact a remedial congressional redistricting map in conformity” with the 2018 ballot initiative known as Better Boundaries and its mandatory independent requirements. 

The ruling comes during a time when debate over redistricting is at the forefront on the national stage — and it now propels Utah into the fray. While redistricting efforts in Texas, California and other states are playing out mid-decade — fueled by President Donald Trump’s aim to bolster the U.S. House’s slim GOP majority in the 2026 midterm elections — Utah’s effort for an independent and nonpartisan process is court ordered.

The ruling — if allowed to stand — could force the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature to redraw maps for its congressional boundaries that it last set in 2021. Before those maps were adopted, one of Utah’s four U.S. House seats was competitive for Democrats. Today, Republicans consistently dominate all four.

However, that all depends on the final outcome of the case — which isn’t over. Attorneys for the Utah Legislature have indicated that if Gibson didn’t rule in their favor, they’d appeal to the Utah Supreme Court and possibly the U.S. Supreme Court.

Utah’s top Republican legislative leaders left the door open Monday to additional legal or legislative maneuvering.

“While disappointed by the court’s decision, we remain committed to protecting the voices of Utahns and upholding the Legislature’s state and federal constitutional authority to draw congressional districts,” House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said in a joint statement. “We will carefully review the ruling and consider our next steps.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a short statement saying he disagreed with an earlier Utah Supreme Court ruling that sent the redistricting case back to Gibson’s court room last July. In that unanimous opinion, Utah’s highest court ruled Gibson erred when she initially dismissed the claim that the Legislature overstepped when it repealed and replaced Proposition 4.

“Today’s decision is not a surprise after the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer,” Cox said. “While I respect the role of the courts in our system, I continue to disagree with that decision.”

Gibson’s ruling sides with the plaintiffs — which include the groups League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and the Campaign Legal Center — in an anti-gerrymanding lawsuit that’s stretched on for more than two years over an issue that dates back even further. 

Now, with Gibson’s ruling, the court has reinstated the language of Proposition 4, the 2018 ballot initiative that requires redistricting maps to comply with a set of specific standards meant to prevent partisan gerrymandering.

To “remedy” the 2021 congressional map that’s now been deemed unconstitutional, Gibson proposed a timeline to govern additional court proceedings between now and Nov. 1, giving the Legislature 30 days to draw a new congressional map “that complies with the mandatory redistricting standards and requirements originally established under Proposition 4.”

“The Legislative Defendants are ordered to make their chosen remedial map available to Plaintiffs and the Court no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 24, 2025 or within 24 hours of enacting the new congressional map, whichever occurs earlier,” the judge wrote.

The judge said plaintiffs and other third parties “may also submit proposed remedial maps” to the court on Sept. 24 if the Legislature doesn’t enact a map that complies with Proposition 4 by its deadline or if the plaintiffs “contend that the remedial map fails to abide by and conform” to Proposition 4.

‘Watershed moment’

The lawsuit’s plaintiffs and leaders of Better Boundaries were elated by Monday’s ruling. They chatted excitedly and hugged each other as they gathered outside the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City for a news conference as evening fell.

Elizabeth Rasmussen, executive director of Better Boundaries, called the ruling a “major win, not just for the plaintiffs, but for the voters of Utah and for the future of citizen-led reform in this state.” 

“We are thrilled that the court has reaffirmed what we have known all along — that the people have co-equal lawmaking authority with the Legislature. That the Legislature violated the Utah Constitution when they overturned Proposition 4. And that Utahns deserve fair, independent maps they voted for almost seven years ago,” she said. 

The plaintiffs’ attorney David Reymann said the ruling was a “watershed moment in Utah for the voices of Utah voters.” 

“We have maintained from the start that the Legislature in this state is not king, that their power derives from the people,” Reymann said. “Today, the voice of Utah voters was vindicated by the district court, which held that the Legislature cannot ignore what the Utah voters enact without consequence.” 

Reymann said the judge has also set up a process “that will allow us to give to voters what they voted for so many years ago, which is a map that is not stacked in favor of one party.” 

Emma Petty Addams, co-executive director of Mormon Women for Ethical Government and one of the plaintiffs, called the ruling “a significant and meaningful victory … for every Utahn who believes that government should serve the people.” 

“The court today reaffirmed that citizens have both the right and the responsibility to reform unjust systems. That this right cannot be discarded by elected officials for their own political convenience,” Addams said. 

To Utah’s state leaders, Addams issued a call to work together rather than continue to fight. 

“Let’s work together to create a more representative government. The people have spoken. The courts have spoken. Now is the time to move forward with cooperation and respect for the rule of law,” she said. 

This article was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full story here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

President Donald Trump this week vowed to “lead a movement to get rid of” voting by mail ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

“WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections,” the president said in a post on Truth Social Monday. 

Trump, who has long opposed voting by mail, continued to claim, without evidence, that it’s fraught with fraud. 

Utah has been the only red state among eight that have conducted universal by-mail elections, including six Democratic strongholds and one swing state — a fact that some conservatives here have balked at, while others have defended the state’s by-mail system as a popular, convenient and safe voting method. 

After Trump’s post, Utah’s top election official, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican, issued a short statement on social media without addressing the president directly. 

“The constitutional right of individual states to choose the manner in which they conduct secure elections is a fundamental strength of our system,” Henderson said. 

The president, however, asserted that states should do what the federal government wants. 

“Remember, the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes,” Trump said. “They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do.”

Another high-ranking Republican and member of GOP legislative leadership — Senate Majority Assistant Whip Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork — disagrees. 

McKell told Utah News Dispatch in an interview Tuesday that, like Henderson said, states have the right to choose how to administer their elections, and that he’d push back on an effort to completely undo voting by mail. 

“In Utah, we’re in a good place. I think there’s strong support for vote by mail. There’s also strong support for security,” McKell said.

He added that’s “the needle we tried to thread” earlier this year when the 2025 Utah Legislature passed a bill that he sponsored to require voter ID and eventually phase out automatic voting by mail in this state by 2029. The aim of that bill, he said, was to preserve voting by mail as an option for Utah voters while also adding a new layer of security. 

Even though local polls have shown a vast majority of Utahns remain confident in their elections, Gallup polling shows trust nationally has decreased especially among a faction of Republican voters since 2006 as elections have become more polarized. After Trump lost the 2020 election, he ramped up rhetoric to cast doubt on election security and voting by mail. 

Asked about Trump’s comments this week, McKell reiterated it’s a matter of states rights. 

“It is a federalism issue,” he said. “If it’s not enumerated in the (U.S.) Constitution, it’s reserved for the states. That’s article 10. I think states have the right to dictate how they run their elections.” 

McKell also defended Utah’s track record as a state that has used voting by mail for years, starting with optional pilot programs that counties opted into before moving to universal voting by mail. 

“In the state of Utah, Republicans have done really well with vote by mail. We elect Republicans,” he said, also noting that Trump in 2024 won the red state handily. “There’s generally broad support for vote by mail, especially among rural voters and elderly voters in Utah.” 

He added that “it’s OK if there’s some tension between the federal government and state government,” but he argued the Constitution clearly reserves elections for states to control and administer. 

Pressed on how he’d respond to pressure from the Trump administration to get rid of voting by mail, McKell said, “I would resist a movement that didn’t originate in the state,” adding that he responds to his constituents, not the federal government. 

“If there’s a movement to change vote by mail, it needs to come from — it must come from — the state,” he said. “It’s a state issue. The states need to be in control of their own elections. Right now, I don’t feel like there’s a reason to eliminate vote by mail. I think we do a good job.” 

Not all Republicans in Utah embrace voting by mail, however, Earlier this year, McKell’s bill was the result of a compromise between the House and Senate to more drastically restrict the state’s universal vote-by-mail system. 

Asked whether Trump’s comments could further inflame skepticism around the security of voting by mail in Utah, McKell said it’s nothing new. “We saw these comments before, and even going into the last legislative session, there were folks that opposed vote by mail.” 

But McKell said multiple state audits “have shown that our elections are safe and secure,” while legislators have also made efforts to continually improve the system where issues have cropped up, like in voter roll maintenance. 

It remains to be seen whether Trump’s comments could fan some Republican lawmakers’ appetite to go after voting by mail during their next general session in January, but McKell said typically every year there’s a slew of election bills for legislators to sort through. 

Asked whether he plans to make any tweaks to his 2025 bill, McKell said he’s still talking with clerks about any possible changes. 

“I feel like we did strike a really appropriate balance, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look at ways to make it better,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have any specific proposals yet, “but that could change as we get closer to the legislative session.” 

This story was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full article here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has issued yet another call to the Utah Legislature to more seriously consider funding requests to bolster the state’s homeless system. 

The mayor held a news conference on Wednesday hours after the Utah Office of Homeless Services released its annual report — which showed an 18% increase in the number of Utahns experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, according to the 2025 Point-in-Time Count. 

That number “should be heard as a battle cry,” Mendenhall said outside City Hall, “to bring more energy, focus and leadership to this issue by our state Legislature.” 

“I want to be clear that I’m standing here before you today because I’m deeply concerned about the trajectory of homelessness in the state of Utah and in our capital city,” she said. “And once more, I’m extremely concerned by the lack of forward momentum from legislative leaders to address this growing statewide crisis.”

On Wednesday, Mendenhall pointed to the state’s newly released homelessness data as evidence that the state’s homeless system is facing growing needs. That report also showed the number of Utah children experiencing homelessness increased by 22% and the number of unhoused Utahns over the age of 64 rose 42%.

“To our state leaders, your partners are here. We are ready and willing to work with you. And the changes that are needed are clear,” Mendenahall said, noting that city leaders have made a proposal to increase homeless shelter capacity, but it lacks state funding. 

“As your partners, we have a plan for 1,300 more shelter beds. We have made land available, yet as of today, we have only one-third of the capital funding needed to build the first phase, and not a penny of operational capital.”

‘Our citizens expect results, not finger-pointing,’ governor and legislative leaders say

In response to Mendenhall’s call, however, Utah’s top Republican leaders — Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper — issued a joint statement saying the state has invested hundreds of millions in homeless services in recent years. And they urged Mendenhall to “turn down the politics.”

“Over the past five years, the state has made the largest investment in homeless services in our state’s history, spending more than $266 million on addressing homelessness. That includes setting aside $25 million to build a transformative campus,” Cox, Adams and Schultz said.

They added that across the nation, “addressing homelessness is primarily a city and county responsibility, but in Utah, the state has stepped up as a committed partner, working alongside local governments and the private sector to find real solutions.”

“The state remains committed to enhancing public safety and maintaining order, but lasting solutions require collaboration and partnership from the city, county and private sector leaders,” they added. 

While Cox, Adams and Schultz said they’ve been “encouraged” by newly-appointed Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd’s efforts to improve safety in Salt Lake City, “it’s frustrating to continuously take one step forward and two steps back with Salt Lake City.”

“The city needs to stay focused on its core responsibility of protecting its citizens, keeping streets safe and clean and making our capital a place Utahns can be proud of and visitors want to experience,” they said. “We urge Mayor Mendenhall to turn down the politics and keep working with us to find practical and lasting solutions to this complex issue. Our citizens expect results, not finger-pointing.”

‘Salt Lake City is making good on our part’

This marks the second time in less than a month that the mayor of Utah’s capital city has called on the Republican-controlled Legislature to take city requests more seriously for more funding to more holistically address crime, substance abuse, affordable housing and homeless services.

Last month, Mendenhall said she was “disappointed” in the lack of progress from the Legislature to adhere to a list of recommendations she included the public safety plan she presented in response to demands from state leaders, who had grown frustrated with crime, drugs and illegal camping in Salt Lake City ahead of the 2025 Legislature. 

The mayor on Wednesday again pointed to her public safety plan and the actions the Salt Lake City Police Department took to increase enforcement and address homelessness.

“Salt Lake City is making good on our part,” she said. “But the reality is, this is a humanitarian crisis. This is not something we can police our way out of. … Salt Lake City is taking enforcement as far as we can, and to little avail.”

The mayor said Salt Lake City police are on pace to set records for total arrests this year, “thanks in part to increased proactive policing by our officers.” She also noted that overall citywide crime remains at or below a 16-year low.

“We are enforcing our laws,” she said, “but the sad reality is that without more mental health treatment, more shelter beds, more permanent supportive housing and more capacity in our jails, too many people remain on our streets.” 

Mendenhall said it should come as no surprise that the state’s homeless population is increasing “due to financial and economic pressures” along with a longstanding housing shortage and home and rental prices that have skyrocketed over the past five years.

“There are simply not enough options for housing, shelter beds, treatment centers or social services to meet the demand in this state,” she said.

The 2026 Utah Legislature’s general session is scheduled to convene on Jan. 20. Acknowledging that’s months away, Mendenhall said the need is “startling,” so she’s issuing the call now. 

“I’m telling you now, in the middle of our warmest months, that the situation is dire,” she said. 

This story was originally published by Utah News Dispatch, read the full article here.

---

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

About the Author

Katie McKellar covers Utah government as a senior reporter for Utah News Dispatch. She specializes in political reporting, covering the governor and the Utah Legislature, with expertise in beats including growth, housing and homelessness.