Utah residents who suffered abusive practices from big banks and lost their homes to foreclosure during the mortgage crisis are getting some relief. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, a joint settlement has been made between the nation’s five largest banks and nearly every state over fraudulent and abusive practices that resulted in millions of foreclosures across the nation.
State lawmakers are looking for a silver lining in the Utah Transit Authority’s mounting debt dilemma. A legislative audit revealed in January that it’s uncertain whether the agency can afford to operate its costly new projects. UTA officials say they’re confident they can rein in the debt, but as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, some lawmakers want to know how.
The oil and gas-rich Uinta Basin in eastern Utahis the focus of a new air quality study, one that’s being called the most comprehensive air quality study ever in the state. It’s bringing together Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and oil and gas producers to figure out the region’s wintertime ozone pollution is so bad. KCPW’s Jeff Robinson spoke with Bryce Bird, Director of the Utah Division of Air Quality.
Employers would get rewarded for hiring the homeless, under a bill being proposed this legislative session. Thursday, lawmakers in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted in favor of a bill that Democratic Representative Brian King says would compensate businesses with a $1,000 tax credit.
One new proposed regulation for payday lenders in Utah won’t be passed out of the legislature this year. This morning, lawmakers voted down a bill that would have forced those lenders to change the way they settle debt collections. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on the reason behind the vote, and how the sponsor is reacting.
A new, statewide initiative to improve air quality won’t include any new regulations, but purely voluntary efforts. As Utah Governor Gary Herbert announced Tuesday, the Utah Clean Air Partnership, or U-CAIR, is about getting individual Utahns to examine how they can make improvements.
Property owners in Utah could be forced to sell their land for new energy-related purposes if a proposed bill makes it out of the Utah Legislature this year. Republican Representative Mike Noel is the sponsor of House Bill 74, which would allow for eminent domain actions to be brought against a landowner to build roads that are needed for the development, production or exploration of oil or natural gas.
A new plan from the Utah State Office of Education will likely save local school districts a lot of money when it comes to teaching materials. It’s announced an initiative to develop open textbooks, which can be accessed for free online or printed at a much cheaper cost. Diana Suddreth is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM Coordinator with the state office.
It was 61 years ago today that nuclear testing began on the Nevada Test Site, as many residents of Salt Lake Cityand more rural areas like Kane County know too well. That’s why local leaders are marking a National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Nuclear Weapons Testing, which was designated by the U.S. Senate, to commemorate the lives of downwinders, those who were exposed to the radiation. Local resident Mary Dickson is one of them.
As Chief Deputy Utah Attorney General, Republican John Swallow has battled against the federal government on issues like health care reform and public lands. Now, with incumbent Mark Shurtleff retiring at the end of 2012, he’s running for his boss’s job.
