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Articles by Addy Baird
Distrito 26 de la Cámara de Representantes: Matt MacPherson se enfrenta a Michael Finch
To read this story in English, click here. Nota para los lectores• Presione aquí (enlace en inglés) para ver un mapa interactivo donde puede entrar su dirección y ver todas las carreras que aparecerán en su papeleta y cuentan con una guía de The Salt Lake Tribune. El representante titular del Distrito 26 de la Cámara, Matt MacPherson se ha dado a conocer como un conservador activo de la legislatura desde que asumió su puesto en el 2023 para representar algunas partes de West Valley City y Magna.
Utah Democrats have been out of power for 50 years. As the state changes, here’s how they think they can win.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Sophy Bishop and her husband decided they wanted to be closer to the outdoors after years in Boston. He got a job in Salt Lake City, and they moved to Utah in 2021. “We love to ski and hike and mountain bike and all that stuff,” Bishop said.
‘Neither party represents me': Republican voter registration totals in Utah are falling while unaffiliated voters surge
Elizabeth Harmer was born and raised in Utah, and when she registered to vote at age 18, she declared herself a Republican. At the time, voters could punch out their ballots and vote along a party line. “That just really discouraged me,” Harmer said. “Like without seeing the candidate, knowing who the candidate was, even reading their name, you just vote straight party.” It wasn't how she wanted to vote, and it inspired her to change her party registration.
‘Neither party represents me’: Republican voter registration totals in Utah are falling while unaffiliated voters surge
Elizabeth Harmer was born and raised in Utah, and when she registered to vote at age 18, she declared herself a Republican. At the time, voters could punch out their ballots and vote along a party line. “That just really discouraged me,” Harmer said. “Like without seeing the candidate, knowing who the candidate was, even reading their name, you just vote straight party.” It wasn’t how she wanted to vote, and it inspired her to change her party registration.
Utah House District 7: Ryan Wilcox faces off against Bianca Mittendorf
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah House Rep. Ryan Wilcox, a Republican, has served in the Legislature twice, first from 2008 through 2014 and again representing House District 7 since 2021. This year, he faces a challenge from Democratic nominee Bianca Mittendorf.
Utah House District 37: Ashlee Matthews faces off against Casey Saxton
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. Voters in House District 37 will choose between incumbent Rep. Ashlee Matthews, a Democrat, and Republican nominee Casey Saxton to represent them this November. Matthews has represented the Kearns-area district in the Legislature since 2023, and represented the Holliday area prior to redistricting.
Utah’s 3rd Congressional District: Celeste Maloy faces 5 challengers
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. The race to represent Utah’s newly-drawn 3rd Congressional District is a crowded one, with six candidates vying to represent the district, which covers much of the eastern and southern parts of the state. U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy, who currently represents the state’s 2nd District, is running for reelection.
Utah House District 26: Matt MacPherson faces off against Michael Finch
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. Incumbent Utah House Rep. Matt MacPherson has made his name as a conservative firebrand in the Legislature since he took office in 2023 representing the West Valley City district. This year, he faces Democrat Michael Finch in one of the Legislature’s most closely watched races.
Utah House District 17: Lili Bitner faces off against Eric Last
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. House District 17 will have a new representative in the Legislature, as State Rep. Stewart Barlow did not seek reelection this year. Now, Republican nominee Lili Bitner faces Democrat Eric Last in the Davis County election.
Utah’s 2nd Congressional District: Blake Moore faces off against Peter Crosby and three other candidates
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah’s newly drawn 2nd Congressional District covers much of the northern part of the state, an area currently represented by U.S. Rep. Blake Moore. Moore, who serves as the House Republican Caucus Vice Chair, is Utah’s only member of congressional leadership.
Utah House District 18: Paul Cutler faces off against Scott Troxel
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. Former Centerville Mayor and current state Rep. Paul Cutler is facing community advocate Scott Troxel in the race to represent House District 18.
Utah Senate District 18: Doug Fiefia faces off against A. Dane Anderson
Note to readers • Click here to find an interactive map where you can enter your address to see all the races on your ballot that have a voter guide from The Salt Lake Tribune. The primary election in Utah’s Senate District 18 was one of the most closely watched, as State Rep. Doug Fiefia beat incumbent Sen. Dan McCay. Now, Fiefia is running as the Republican nominee in the Herriman-area district, where he faces Democrat A. Dane Anderson in the November election.
Utah House District 37: Ashlee Matthews faces off against Casey Saxton
1 day ago Trump says Pacific or Atlantic should be renamed ‘Ocean of the Americas’ The Independent - Shabnoor Irshad • 1d Donald Trump has joked about renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean "Trump Ocean" or "Ocean of the Americas”. Speaking at a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday (10 October), the US president suggested adding his name to one of the major landmarks of water. “We've got the gulf. We've got a beautiful lake,” Trump said. “We need an ocean.
Ammon Bundy says he has an ‘inalienable right’ to drive without registration. The Utah authorities who arrested him disagree.
Longtime anti-government figure Ammon Bundy was arrested in Iron County on Wednesday for driving an unregistered vehicle — a requirement he argues violates his “inalienable right” to travel freely. In protest, Bundy later walked 8 miles down Interstate 15. He told The Tribune that he will not register his vehicle, but will appear in court.
Celeste Maloy, Kent Udell debate monument downsizing, divvying up Colorado River water, regulating AI in first matchup ahead of midterm elections
The top contenders in Utah’s newly drawn 3rd Congressional District debated artificial intelligence and data center regulations, water, the boundaries of national monuments and of the district itself in their first pre-election matchup Friday evening, Oct. 2. Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy, left, and Democratic challenger Kent Udell shake hands at the conclusion of their 3rd Congressional District debate at Utah Tech University in St. George, Friday, Oct. 2.
The midterms are coming. Here’s when you can expect your ballot in Utah, and how to vote.
With the midterm elections just weeks away, it is time to make a voting plan. Every “active”registered Utah voter — meaning they have registered recently or voted in at least one of the past two regular general elections — will receive a ballot in the mail by late October. In-person early and day-of voting is available to all voters, whether or notthey are currently registered.
Celeste Maloy, Kent Udell debate monument downsizing, divvying up Colorado River water, regulating AI in first matchup ahead of midterm elections
The top contenders in Utah’s newly drawn 3rd Congressional District debated artificial intelligence and data center regulations, water, the boundaries national monuments and of the district itself in their first pre-election matchup Friday evening. U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy, the Republican nominee, currently represents the state’s 2nd Congressional District, but she is running for reelection in the 3rd District after new maps were put in place ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Breaking: State Rep. Trevor Lee charged with four felonies related to alleged mortgage fraud
The Utah Attorney General's Office has charged state Rep. Trevor Lee with two counts of fraud and two forgery-related counts stemming from allegedly falsified documents related to the mortgage on his Layton home. Lee, a 35-year-old Republican who lost his reelection bid in the June primary, promptly resigned his House seat after the charges were filed in 3rd District Court. The Salt Lake Tribune confirmed in July that the attorney general's office was investigating Lee.
Utah’s oldest school is selling its 9th & 9th campus. Will the historic building remain?
A property developer is buying the Rowland Hall school building near Salt Lake City’s 9th and 9th neighborhood. According to a real estate broker, the new owners plan to turn it into off-campus student housing and appear likely to keep the historic building. The private school entered into an agreement with Landmark Properties and 843 Place, LLC, in May, according to a memorandum from the Salt Lake County recorder’s office.
A Utah state agency made $677,000 in unnecessary payments after an employee’s contract fraud
A Utah state agency made nearly $700,000 in unnecessary payments after a former employee made fraudulent contract changes and was unable to recover almost $300,000 of the funds, according to a new audit released this week. The overpayment was included in an audit of the state’s Division of Facilities Construction and Management, which oversees thousands of state-owned and state-leased buildings and construction projects.
A Utah student joked on a cake about the killing of Charlie Kirk. Rudy Giuliani and others publicized her identity and now the U. is investigating.
A University of Utah student photographed last week with a cake that declared “Happy Kirkiversary” in red frosting has apologized for joking about the assassination a year agoof conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. But the fallout from outrage and debate online remains serious enough to involve campus police and prompted a response from the school Monday.
Utah among top 10 states for rate of ICE arrests
Utah had the ninth-highest immigrant arrest rate in the country from the fall of 2022 to this spring, ranking above New York and California in a new study. From October 2022 through March 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 7,817 arrests in Utah and averaged six arrests per day, according to the study done by a group of immigration lawyers and based on data from the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox goes toe to toe — civilly — with Jon Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was pressed on his decision to stop dedicating June as Pride Month and questioned about divisive political attacks by Sen. Mike Lee during an appearance on “The Daily Show” to promote his new book about healing political chasms in the nation. Jon Stewart hosted the Tuesday night episode, introducing the interview with the Republican governor and his new book, “Off Ramp: How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt,” at the top of the long-running comedic news show.
Utah cattle ranchers — and Sen. John Curtis — beef with Trump over import plan
U.S. Sen. John Curtis, a Republican, broke with President Donald Trump over a controversial plan to import foreign beef, siding with a leading council of Utah ranchers who say the move could put their livelihoods at stake.
Enes Kanter was tossed from a WNBA game. Mike Lee says the former Jazz player wasn’t ‘‘harassing’ anyone.’
After former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was removed from a WNBA game Sunday night, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee repeatedly posted in support of the former Utah Jazz player and made a series of derisive comments about transgender people and the WNBA.
What big races are on Utahns' ballots in the 2026 midterm elections?
After a yearslong fight over who gets to draw Utah's congressional districts, and how they get to draw them, voters in crimson Utah are only months away from potentially sending a Democrat to Congress for the first time since 2020. In November's general midterm elections, Utahns will also consider the reelection of three incumbent U.S. representatives in three solid Republican districts.
What big races are on Utahns’ ballots in the 2026 midterm elections?
After a yearslong fight over who gets to draw Utah’s congressional districts, and how they get to draw them, voters in crimson Utah are only months away from potentially sending a Democrat to Congress for the first time since 2020. In November’s general midterm elections, Utahns will also consider the reelection of three incumbent U.S. representatives in three solid Republican districts.
What counts as a large data center? Utah wants to make it clear in state law.
Amid rising sentiment against data centers , Utah is rethinking its approach to the large facilities that mostly help train and run artificial intelligence models. Utah has dozens of data centers that operate in the state today with a combined energy draw of less than a gigawatt, according to an analysis by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Most of them are small and older, said Rep.
Box Elder data center process was ‘not good,’ Gov. Cox says — and calls for MIDA reforms
The process for approving the controversial Stratos data center in Box Elder County was ”not good” and the state board that approved the hyperscale center should be reformed, Gov. Spencer Cox said at a PBS Utah news conference Thursday.
‘It wasn’t a little war’: John Curtis warns Iran war mistakes resemble Vietnam
U.S. Sen. John Curtis was a teenager during the Vietnam War and still remembers seeing neighbors, just a few years older than he was, drafted. And once, Curtis said, he attended a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting where a group of seven young men drew straws to decide who would serve an LDS mission while the others were sent to Vietnam.
What counts as a large data center? Utah wants to make it clear in state law.
Amid rising sentiment against data centers, Utah is rethinking its approach to the large facilities that mostly help train and run artificial intelligence models. Utah has dozens of data centers that operate in the state today with a combined energy draw of less than a gigawatt, according to an analysis by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Most of them are small and older, said Rep.
Report: Trump appointee asked aircraft to fight 7-acre wildfire near his Idaho ranch as Utah burned
A Trump administration official asked for aircraft firefighting support for a small fire near his Idaho ranch as massive fires raged across Utah and other western states, The Washington Post’s Bianna Sacks and Andrew Ba Tran reported Friday. The official, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Michael Boren, oversees the U.S. Forest Service.
What we know about the dangerous fight against the Widemouth 2 Fire, where 2 pilots fighting the blaze died
An influx of resource requests and reports from fire crews paint a picture of the dangerous and rapidly escalating Widemouth 2 Fire in south-central Utah, where two helicopter pilots helping to fight the blaze were killed in a crash last week. Fire officials say the blaze was caused by lightning and started July 27. It was initially a smaller fire but spread quickly and suddenly: As of Aug. 2, the fire had burned 36,000 acres.
Have an idea on how AI can make Utah better? The state may fund your research.
Utah is making another investment in artificial intelligence, as the state prepares to divvy out $5 million in funding for “pro-human” AI projects over the coming months. The state officially launched the project last week and began accepting applications over the weekend. The window for applications will be open until October 15, and the winners will be announced in December. The goal, the program’s administrators say, is to find ways to use AI to benefit the people of Utah.
She was set to get married. The night before, she used a tampon to set fire to the Utah church, police say.
A woman was arrested and accusedof setting fire to a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kaysville this month while setting up her own wedding. Police say the 25-year-old stole a lighter and used a tampon to start a fire under a chair inside the meetinghouse late July 10, the night before she was set to be married in the church.
A Colorado River deal is expected this week. How will it impact Utah?
Three of the seven states who rely on the Colorado River for water are expected to announce a key deal this week to reduce usage, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Potash Road runs along the Colorado River in Moab on Friday, April 10. About 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of cropland depend on the Colorado for drinking water and irrigation.
A Colorado River deal is expected this week. How will it impact Utah?
Three of the sevenstates who rely on the Colorado River for water are expected to announce a key deal this week to reduce usage, according to a Los Angeles Times report. For Utah, the reported deal could take negotiating pressure off the state and others in the upper Colorado River basin — Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado — for now, some water experts here say. The reported deal only involves lower basin states California, Nevada and Arizona.
‘The conqueror writes the history’: What a Ute elder wants Utahns to remember about Pioneer Day
On July 24, 1847, the first Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. This, their prophet and leader Brigham Young said, was the place. At least, that’s the story of Pioneer Day many Utahns are familiar with. The history of the holiday is more complicated, and speaks to the tensions between religious and non-religious communities in the state, the impact of the pioneers on Indigenous people in the area and the early Latter-day Saint relationship with celebrating the United States.
‘Motivated by love’: Utahns find strength in numbers during protest of Trump’s monument slashing
Nearly a thousand people gathered across the state Monday afternoon and evening to protest the loss of monument protections for nearly three million acres of federal land across southern Utah. Hundreds gather in front of the Governor’s Mansion to protest the shrinking of two national monuments, in Salt Lake City on Monday, July 20.
‘Motivated by love’: Utahns find strength in numbers during protest of Trump’s monument slashing
Nearly a thousand people gathered across the state Monday afternoon and evening to protest the loss of monument protections for nearly three million acres of federal land across southern Utah. The goal, protesters said, was to raise awareness about the loss of the public lands, to be in solidarity with others who shared their concerns and to pressure state and local representatives to take their concerns to Washington.
Trump pushes false claims of foreign election interference as a reason to pass Mike Lee’s SAVE Act
President Donald Trump used false claims of fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election to call for the passage of U.S. Sen. Mike Lee’s SAVE America Act, a bill Lee says is a priority over all other Senate business. The bill would require people to provide evidence of citizenship when registering to vote. but experts say it could make it harder for people who are eligible to vote to do so and it reinforces conspiracy theories about the security of U.S. elections.
Would Utah swap voters’ private data for federal disaster aid? Here’s what Lt. Gov. Henderson says.
Locked in a battle with President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice over releasing the state’s voter rolls, Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson was recently asked, hypothetically, if she would hand over Utahns’ voter data if federal disaster assistance was conditioned on releasing those records. The answer, she said, was no. “If we don’t have the rule of law, we don’t have anything,” she said.
Trump’s shrinking of Utah monuments leave state’s lawsuit against federal government in limbo. Here’s why.
A lawsuit Utah filed against the federal government is in limbo after President Donald Trump issued a pair of executive orders — again — downsizing two Utah monuments. Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, called Trump’s orders a “major step in the right direction,” but did not go so far as to say the state’s case was now settled.
Utah wildfires rank 1 and 2 as largest in the nation. Here’s the latest on big blazes.
Many Utahns are celebrating July Fourth differently this year after Gov. Spencer Cox announced a ban on personal fireworks, part of a sweeping safety effort as wildfires scar vast swaths of the state. Crews are battling 10 large fires, according to the state’s official wildfire information website. Those blazes are burning more than 320,000 acres. Officials say at least 74,000 of that is human-caused, while just over 13,000 is due to natural causes.
Two groups of spectators sue Stadium of Fire after fireworks malfunction at the 2024 show
About a dozen people who say they were injured by stray fireworks during the Stadium of Fire’s 2024 show are suing America’s Freedom Festival, the state of Utah, Provo City, Utah County, Brigham Young University and several other groups and companies, according to court documents filed this week.
After Supreme Court defeat, Sen. Mike Lee pushes to end birthright citizenship
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee is pushing to end birthright citizenship in the United States after a Supreme Court ruling this week. “We’re going to need a constitutional amendment,” the Utah Republican wrote Tuesday on social media after the decision came down. “In today’s world, unrestricted, automatic birthright citizenship is suicidal,” he added. “The Supreme Court could and should have read the Fourteenth Amendment as something other than a suicide pact.
If you see or hear illegal fireworks — and you will — who you gonna call? Not 911. Report them here instead.
Law enforcement agencies in and around Salt Lake City are asking people not to call 911 to report violations of the ban on personal fireworks this holiday weekend as Utahns celebrate the Fourth of July. Instead, they are asked to call nonemergency dispatch numbers. The Salt Lake City Police Department said residents of Salt Lake City and Sandy should call 801-799-3000. Other Salt Lake County residents should call the nonemergency number for the county sheriff: 801-840-4000.
1776 was a turning point in Utah history. But maybe not for the reasons you think.
On July 4, Utahns across the state will celebrate Independence Day. This year, it will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the country’s founding document signed by the delegates at the Second Continental Congress in 1776. The story of the American Revolution is often focused on the original thirteen colonies, but the story of the United States at the time of the revolution is not a monolithic one.
Utah voters have felt ignored for years. On Tuesday, lawmakers heard them at the polls.
Like he’s done after every election, state Sen. Dan McCay spent Wednesday morning driving around his district pulling up yard signs and loading them into his car. But unlike every previous election, McCay pulled signs this year contemplating why Riverton Republican voters chose his primary opponent, state Rep. Doug Fiefia, over him.
Celeste Maloy beats GOP challenger Phil Lyman in Utah’s new 3rd Congressional District primary
U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy fended off Phil Lyman in the Republican primary in Utah’s newly drawn 3rd Congressional District, leading the former state lawmaker by a 67% to 33% margin as of Wednesday morning. Celeste Maloy answers questions from the media after the 3rd Congressional District GOP debate with Phil Lyman in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 1, 2026.
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