EnergySolutions will have a hand in cleaning up radioactively contaminated seawater at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan that was used to cool nuclear reactors after an earthquake and tsunami severely damaged the plant last year. The company will now work with Toshiba to decontaminate about 40 million gallons of water.
Democrats turned out in large numbers last night to get involved in the political process, as precinct caucuses elected delegates and precinct chairs to represent the party in the upcoming county and state conventions. KCPW’s Whittney Evans spoke with Democrats in House District 24 about their thoughts on the process and the high profile race for Salt Lake County Mayor.
The Utah Parent Teacher Association says Utahns are being misinformed about the controversial sex education bill that state lawmakers passed during the 2012 legislative session. HB 363 requires that schools teach abstinence-only sex education, or none at all.
Weber County Attorney Dee Smith became the first Democrat to enter the race for Utah Attorney General this morning . As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, Smith has the support of prominent Democrats, but they say he’s a candidate for the people, not politics.
Misdemeanor charges have been filed against Genwal Resources, operator of the Crandall Canyon mine that collapsed in 2007, killing nine people. U.S. Attorney for Utah David Barlow says after a lengthy investigation, Genwal has been charged for failing to timely report to the Mining Safety and Health Administration a coal outburst that occurred months before the mine collapsed, and violating health and safety standards by mining in an area that MSHA prohibited.
While the Utah legislature made no gains this year in passing legislation mandating businesses use E-Verify, the Salt Lake County Council approved a resolution this week (last week) to make sure businesses in its unincorporated areas are using the system.
The 2012 legislative session concluded with lawmakers finalizing the details for the state’s $13 billion dollar budget Thursday. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, several programs were saved and public employees got raises with the help of increased revenues.
The Utah Senate approved a bill this morning that requires some welfare recipients in the state to be drug tested if they want to continue to receive benefits. Under House Bill 155, anyone applying for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF will have to complete a questionnaire designed to determine the likelihood that they’re using drugs. If it suggests they are, they’ll be asked to submit to a drug test.
The Utah Senate has passed a bill that was initially intended to thwart Salt Lake City’s anti-idling ordinance. But as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, the city will get to keep its clean air initiative after all.
A divisive bill that would only allow Utah public schools to teach strictly abstinence-only sexual education is heading to the governor’s desk. House Bill 363 would also allow school districts to drop sex education altogether. Republican Senator Margaret Dayton sponsored the bill in the Senate. In a rare move, she refused to yield to questions from other lawmakers Tuesday on the Senate floor.
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