After a heartbreaking incident of vandalism, the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf near Salt Lake City kicked off the new school year by opening up its new playground to students this morning. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the school spent two years raising money for the project and finally, with help from the community and a state lawmaker, the children now have a place to play.
eBay is bringing more than 2,000 new jobs to Utah. The online auction giant just announced plans to build a new facility in Draper, saying it will create 2,200 jobs in the state over the next 20 years. Spokesman Michael Frandsen says eBay has been happy with its Utah employees, which is one of the reasons it chose to expand here.
It’s time for most students across Utah to go back to school, and in keeping up with the state’s rapid growth, some of the largest school districts continue to grow as well. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, for the first time in several years, the legislature was able to appropriate funding to help ease some of that load.
An inventory conducted this past winter shows Salt Lake City parks could use millions of dollars worth of updates to infrastructure. Parks and Public Lands Director Emy Maloutas says it’s needed for things like restrooms and ball fields, many of which she says are outdated. But she says most of the parks are up to standard, and there aren’t any concerns related to public or environmental safety.
Utah’s legislative redistricting committee took another look at citizen maps today at the State Capitol. Residents continue to urge the committee to keep communities of interest intact, while lawmakers say that’s harder than it looks. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the committee heard from several communities, including the Navajo Nation.
Utah politicians have fought for years against No Child Left Behind. And the end of the much-criticized law may be in sight as the Department of Education relaxes the rules. What does this mean for Utah public schools and education reform? We talked with State Superintendent Dr. Larry Shumway.
We’ve seen our fair shares of red air quality days this summer in the Salt Lake Valley, not to mention the winter inversions that trap smog to the valley floor several days a year. Now, the Salt Lake City Council will consider an ordinance aimed at stopping residents from idling their cars and sending more pollutants into the air.
The southern part of the Salt Lake Valley is growing and with that growth comes the need for expanded roads and highways, which is exactly what UDOT has been working on for the last 16 months. The Mountain View Corridor, a freeway planned to help meet the projected transportation demands in the area, is now a third of the way done. And as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, people living nearby say it’s long overdue.
Salt Lake City’s new natural gas-powered garbage trucks were unveiled today as part of an ongoing effort program to “green” the city’s fleet of service vehicles. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the new trucks will replace the city’s diesel-powered sanitation trucks, which the city says will be a cheaper, quieter, and cleaner alternative.
The entrance of Texas Governor Rick Perry into the presidential race provides another candidate to stack up against former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. And Huntsman’s team is already taking some shots. Every Friday, we talk with Thomas Burr, Washington Correspondent for the Salt Lake Tribune, and author of Political Cornflakes, a daily, online round-up of Utah politics.
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