Latest news with #BeehiveState
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Where do Utah's ‘Mighty 5' national parks rank in the US? The ‘World's Best Awards' lay it out
SALT LAKE CITY () — Utah is famous for its natural beauty. From snow-capped mountains and forested landscapes in the north to red-rock wildlands and desert country to the south, there is a little something for everyone in the Beehive State. The iconic – Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion – highlight Utah's natural vistas and are often go-to destinations for tourism, both locally and nationwide. But how do they compare with the other 58 national parks nationwide? , an online travel magazine, recently throughout the United States as part of its annual '' taking input from editors' picks and reader votes. $25,000 is up for grabs as 6th annual Utah Treasure Hunt begins with first hint The results found that three of Utah's Mighty 5 rank among the Top 25 National Parks in the nation. It may come as no surprise to Utahns to hear ranked the highest, coming in at No. 7, beating out national parks such as the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. also made the list, ranking at No. 21, while , home to the famous Delicate Arch that , inched into the Top 25 at No. 24. Yellowstone, which spans over Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, ranked as the top U.S. National Park, according to the World's Best Awards. It was followed closely by the Kenai Fjords in Alaska and the Grand Teton in Wyoming. Together, the three Utah-based national parks bring in roughly 9.1 million visitors per year, according to information provided by the , with Zion National Park drawing in more than half that crowd. More than 15 million visitors came to Utah in 2023 to visit the state's national parks, spending an estimated $1.9 million across hotels, restaurants, gas and retail, among others. The National Park Service estimated the national park tourism industry helped support a total of 26,000 jobs and added $1.7 billion in economic value to the state. A pleasant, seasonal close to the work week for Utah's weather Two boys airlifted to Salt Lake City hospital after being tossed from pickup truck in Duchesne County James Gunn's 'Superman' faces conservative criticism over Trump-era reboot 1,000 US counties without full-time local journalist: Report Parents of 18-year-old killed in car crash earlier this week speak out about loss and road safety Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
One specialty license plate earned nearly 30% of Utah's license plate revenue in two years — Can you guess which one?
SALT LAKE CITY () — How much do those specialized license plates earn for the Beehive State? The answer might surprise you, especially when you learn that one license plate earned nearly 30% of the total revenue — can you guess which one? (OSA) put together a report on the earnings from the Special Group License Plate program over a five-year period that ended on June 30, 2024. The OSA found that special license plates' revenue totaled over $15 million during those five years. The majority of the revenue came from state agency license plates, including the black and white historic plate, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) plates, and veteran plates. The total revenue for state agency plates came out to more than $7.7 million. READ NEXT: Over 1K Utah vanity plates were denied in 2024 — Here's why Collegiate license plates weren't too far behind in earnings for the state. Overall, license plates that featured Utah's colleges and universities generated over $5.4 million during a five-year period. The category of license plates that produced the least overall revenue was private non-profit plates. You might recognize the Boy Scouts, Utah Jazz, and Honoring Heroes plates from this category. Just over $2.5 million of revenue was earned by these license plates over five years. Place your guess for the highest-earning plate now, because the answer is revealed below. The highest-earning license plate across every category is the historic black and white license plate, provided by the (CCE), which is over the Utah Historical Society. This license plate was reintroduced in 2023, calling back to the license plate culture of Utah's earliest cars. When Utahns purchase the popular black and white license plate, $2 of the $25 fee goes to the , and the rest to the . The revenue generated over a five-year period by the plate totalled over $4.4 million, 28.51% of the total revenue generated by all special license plates. 'While each plate serves its purpose, it's no surprise that the newest addition — the retro black and white Historic Utah plate — has quickly emerged as the top revenue generator, producing nearly $4.5 million in just two years. This underscores the growing influence and success of these specialty plates, which not only provide Utahns a unique way to demonstrate their interests but also contribute funds to supporting deserving causes and organizations,' Utah State Auditor Tina M. Cannon stated in a press release. The third-highest-grossing set of all specialty license plates is also from a Utah State agency: the (DNR), which is over DWR. Earnings from the four wildlife license plates — elk, kestrel, mule deer, and trout — support the Division of Wildlife Resources. 12.19% of the total revenue generated by special license plates was earned by the four DWR plates featuring wildlife. Just under $2 million was earned over five years, making it the third-most popular type of license plate one can get in Utah. (UDMVA) currently has 10 license plates that support veterans. A specialty license plate is available for the Air Force, American Legion, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, Air Force Combat Action Medal, Army Combat Action Badge, Army Combat Infantry Badge, and Marine and Navy Combat Action Ribbon. Proceeds generated by license plates from the UDMVA directly support the department and the veterans that it assists. Over a five-year period, just over $1 million was earned by the several license plates that the UDMVA has available through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Other state agency license plates also generated some revenue, but were not nearly as popular. The Department of Commerce's realtor license plate earned $153,570. The Utah Department of Transportation's 'Share the Road' plate earned $135,925 over five years. Lastly, the 'Donate Life' license plate from the Department of Health and Human Services generated $32,650 in revenue. Where do Utah`s 'Mighty 5' national parks rank in the US? The 'World's Best Awards' lay it out The second-highest earning specialty license plate and most popular collegiate plate in the Beehive State is actually a set of two plates that are provided by the University of Utah. Over a five-year period ending in June 2024, the U's license plates generated nearly $3 million. According to , the has the third-highest enrollment in the state. Although it's not the school with the most students, the connection to the University of Utah Hospital and other large employers in the state provides a great reason for plenty of Utahns to invest in a U license plate. The next most popular collegiate license plates are plates. This university earned just over $1 million over five years. USU has the sixth-highest enrollment in the state, and CollegeRaptor says that it has roughly 28,000 enrolled students currently. takes third place for the most popular collegiate license plate and earned more than $812,000 during the five-year period. CollegeRaptor says it is the fourth-highest enrolled college in the state. Due to its high enrollment numbers and popularity among football fans, it's not surprising that BYU has popular plates. A few of Utah's collegiate license plates surpassed $100,000 in earnings. Southern Utah University earned $281,872. Utah Valley University generated $113,850 in revenue. Weber State University earned a total of $101,575. If your alma mater hasn't been listed yet, here's how much revenue the rest of Utah's colleges generated. If your school still isn't listed, it likely did not earn enough to be part of the report. Westminster University earned $80,250. Utah Tech University earned $19,225. Salt Lake Community College generated $2,900. Ensign College earned $2,378, and Western Governors University earned $,1925. Best Friends to fly 150 pets out of flood-impacted areas in Texas, 75 coming to Utah Out of all types of specialty license plates, private non-profits generate the least revenue, and all proceeds must go to charitable purposes. According to the OSA, three of the non-profits that sponsor specialty license plates generate so little income from them that they do not track them separately from general funds, which means they are not included in the report. The most popular private non-profit license plate in the Beehive State is the Utah Firefighters' Association license plate. This license plate is only available to current or retired firefighters in Utah, according to the DMV's website. $840,337 was earned by this license plate over five years. The Honoring Heroes Foundation provides a license plate that shows the Utah Highway Patrol trooper badge with a black line through it and has earned roughly $700,000. It's available to anyone who makes the required contribution, and earnings go directly to support the families of fallen UHP and Department of Public Safety employees. The Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake license plates were relatively popular and supported Utah's national sports teams. The Utah Jazz plates earned $380,427 over five years and support NBA programs for women and children. Real Salt Lake earned about $202,050, and those funds go to youth soccer and environmental sustainability charities from the National Men's Soccer organization. Other private non-profit license plates also generated some revenue. The Utah Autism Council's awareness license plates earned $167,025. The Utah Law Enforcement Memorial's license plates earned roughly $125,000 over the five years. The Huntsman Cancer Institute's license plates for cancer research earned $50,985. License plates supporting public education earned $39,075. Lastly, the Boy Scouts of America plates generated $15,945 for their non-profit. Woman found dead in Cedar Canyon identified France Canyon Fire 'still active despite no growth' as crews observe multiple flareups Schumer presses RFK Jr. to declare measles emergency DOJ subpoenas clinics that provide trans care to minors Poor Utah air quality may be even more dangerous than previously believed, research shows Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Record-breaking 1,750 anglers complete ‘Utah Cutthroat Slam' competition
SALT LAKE CITY () — In 2016, the Department of Wildlife Resources issued a challenge to local anglers across the Beehive state: to catch each of Utah's four native cutthroat species. Now, almost a decade later, over 1,750 anglers have completed the Utah Cutthroat Slam challenge, qualifying them to receive the coveted 'Bonneville cutthroat trout medallion.' The new medallion marks the fourth in the series. 'The Bonneville cutthroat trout medallion is the fourth and final medallion to be released in this new collectable series,' said Trina Hedrick, Utah DWR's sportfish coordinator. The first medallion, known as the Colorado River cutthroat trout medallion, was released when 1,000 completions were reached. Next came the Yellowstone cutthroat trout medallion after Utah anglers reached 1,250 completions. By November 2024, anglers reached 1,500 completions, leading to the release of the Bear River cutthroat trout medallion. 'Magic mushrooms' and over 10 firearms seized from house in Iron County The slam was created as a way to protect native cutthroat trout in Utah. Entry into the competition is $20, and the money goes towards funding trout conservation projects across the state. Officials with DWR say the program has already raised almost $119,000 since its inception, with anglers from 48 states in the U.S. participating in the slam. One angler from outside the U.S. has event participated. For information on how to join the competition, you can visit their website . Threats against public officials persist in year after Trump assassination attempt Butler assassination attempt proved to be turning point for Trump RSL runs unbeaten streak to four with 1-0 victory Unified Police standoff in Magna ends with surrender, suspect in custody Good news: Florida animal shelter's longest resident finds forever home Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
How a Provo boy became one of the youngest chiefs of staff in U.S. Senate history
The youngest chief of staff in the U.S. Senate says he rocketed from Utah to Washington, D.C., relying on the principle, 'Say yes to everything.' But when the office of Sen. Mike Lee first offered the then-22-year-old Mark Wait a fast-track to his dream Capitol career, he said 'no.' Wait had already committed to finish the year as an intern for the chief of staff to the president of Utah Valley University, and he wouldn't waver, not even at the request of a sitting senator. The senator's office, which had welcomed Wait as an intern the summer before, followed up with Wait's boss, who proceeded to ask the young aspiring politico, 'Are you nuts?' Wait took the message — and started packing his bags. Soon after he arrived in Washington, Lee led out in promoting his freshest staffer from office assistant to scheduler, then to deputy chief. And, in 2023, Lee asked Wait to be his chief of staff at age 26. 'He had political skills and instincts that reflect a maturity one doesn't expect out of somebody still in his 20s,' Lee said. 'He could see the forest for the trees.' Despite his youth, Wait inherited a complex task: coordinating the senator's public persona, policy shop and Capitol Hill connections, in a position previously held by some of the biggest names in Beehive State politics. In biweekly meetings with Senate chiefs of staff, Wait often hears that he is the youngest to ever get the job. But he doesn't 'really get caught up in that,' he says. If anything, his perceived inexperience has pushed him to outwork everyone in the room. 'It's actually a blessing in disguise,' Wait said. 'It's more motivation to learn more about an issue than anybody else.' Wait's appointment to run the behind-the-scenes for one of the Senate's most outspoken conservative crusaders could have hardly come at a more notable moment for Utah's senior senator. As chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Lee stands at the crossroads between one of Utah's most pressing needs as a rapidly growing state and the Trump administration's priority to supercharge U.S. energy production. Lee's work on these issues drew a wave of attention when he stole headlines across the country last month for his proposal to sell a small percentage of public lands for development, which he ultimately pulled after he received pushback. This comes at a time when Lee's lawyerly temperament has been accompanied by an increasingly prolific, and occasionally insensitive, 'BasedMikeLee' social media account on X where he posts dozens of times a day for his more than 600,000 followers. In recent weeks, Lee's reputation as a committed fiscal hawk and stickler for proper budget process was tested when faced with President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which some believe flouted both concerns. But Wait has taken the challenge of helping the senator navigate these competing pressures in stride. Lee's goal has remained the same, according to Wait: to help Utahns by tackling burdensome regulations and bureaucratic overreach. 'There's not another member of the Senate or the House, for that matter, or, politically across the spectrum, whether that's federally or in state government, who I'd rather work for than Senator Lee,' Wait said. Those who have worked the closest with both the senator and his Gen Z chief say the sentiment is mutual; after working with Wait, it became clear to Lee, they say, that there wasn't another congressional staffer he trusted as much to run his operations. Growing up in Bountiful and Provo, politics was far from Wait's mind. Wait, the youngest child of a banker and a stay-at-home mother of four, wanted to be a sports broadcaster. The dream was short-lived. Following a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Houston, Texas, Wait shifted his attention to detail from memorizing sports stats to understanding the world of politics. After his interest was piqued by attending Lee campaign events in the run-up to the 2016 election, Wait got involved with UVU's Center for Constitutional Studies and secured an internship with Justin Jones, the university president's chief of staff. Even as a student, Wait 'exhibited all the qualities of a good chief of staff' by holding employees accountable while paying deference to his principal, according to Jones, who now directs the Herbert Institute for Public Policy at UVU. But more than being a good manager, Wait managed to demonstrate integrity in his interactions, Jones said. Jones will never forget the day Lee's office called to say Wait had turned them down because he had accepted Jones' internship first. 'That speaks to Mark Wait's character,' Jones said. 'He commits to something, and it doesn't matter, he's going to find a way.' It wasn't long after Wait left UVU for Washington that Lee saw fit to make him his scheduler, which Lee considers one of the most difficult jobs in Congress because it involves constant judgement about how a senator should use his or her time. The new role placed Wait at a desk directly outside Lee's office, and required him to get there an hour before the senator, to leave long after he was gone and to spend many long nights figuring out how to fit conflicting hearings, votes and meetings into a daily agenda. Wait's self-described talent as 'an organizational freak' contributed to Lee's decision to elevate him to deputy chief of staff, in addition to his role as scheduler, to prepare him to take the spot of Lee's then-chief, Allyson Bell, who was planning to retire. While her initial reaction was 'Well, he's really young,' Bell said Wait's forward-looking mentality and strategic approach to being a 'traffic cop' for Lee's schedule proved his 'aptitude' for leadership. 'Once you get to know Mark, you don't look at his age,' Bell said. When the job offer came for Wait to serve as Lee's chief of staff, he was so 'caught off guard' he thought he 'was being pranked' and looked to both sides to make sure the senator wasn't talking to somebody else. Now that the shock has faded, Wait says he finds a sports-like thrill in trying to balance all the demands on Lee while endeavoring to enact the senator's agenda and supervise a team of 30-40 employees. 'It's kind of like playing Tetris,' Wait said. Before taking on the responsibility of a U.S. Senate chief of staff, Wait reached out to Jones to talk about how he could live up to the 'legacy' of his predecessors, Jones said. Wait made a point of reaching out to each of Lee's former chiefs of staff for advice, according to Matt Holton, who worked as Bell's deputy when Wait was scheduler. Before Bell, the position was held by Boyd Matheson, the well-known former radio host of KSL's 'Inside Sources'; and, before him, it was held by Spencer Stokes, president of the GOP consulting firm Stokes Strategies. 'It is a never-ending, grueling job,' Holton said. 'Nobody becomes chief of staff in the United States Senate without being really dang good and really trusted by the member; no one becomes a chief of staff at a younger age without being even that much better.' While, according to Bell, Wait likely has little input in Lee's daily social media exploits, the senator said that before he accepts an invitation for a meeting or introduces a piece of legislation, he always looks to Wait 'and very often he sees something in there that I haven't seen.' Wait, in turn, has had the opportunity to look to Lee for mentorship in the political sphere and beyond. On Feb. 4, 2021, Wait consulted Lee about his plans to propose to his then-girlfriend at the Capitol, which was still on COVID-19 lockdown. Realizing that a busy legislative schedule would make this impossible for the next few weeks, Lee arranged for Wait to bring her in that day, just before a marathon voting session was about to begin. Wait brought the flowers and popped the question while Lee was there to take the photos. Wait and his wife are now the parents of a nearly 1-year-old baby. Watching Wait grow into his role has left Lee feeling certain that the same characteristics that brought him to this point will carry him far beyond his Senate office. 'I think the sky's the limit for Mark Wait,' Lee said.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report: Utah experiences steady employment growth amid a national downturn
Utah's employment numbers continue to steadily grow despite national trend downward, according to the latest employment summary from the Department of Workforce Services. In May, the Beehive State reported a 2.5% increase in employment over the year, while the unemployment rate stood at 3.2%, according to the report. These numbers represented a net addition of 42,900 jobs since May 2024, accounting for both job gains and losses. Approximately 58,220 Utahns are unemployed, which is about 700 more than last month. 'While the unemployment rate saw a slight increase, the state's economy remains robust,' Ben Crabb, chief economist with the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said in the report. Utah's private sector employment increased by 2.3% from the previous year, with notable job gains in education and health services, construction and manufacturing. However, trade, transportation and utilities, along with other services, saw job losses. Eight of ten industry groups experienced net job growth. In comparison, the U.S. added 139,000 nonfarm jobs, just shy of two thousand from the most recent modest estimate for the current quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. While the federal government experienced ongoing job losses, the health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance sectors continued to show upward employment trends. Down from the previous estimate of 145,000, and the previous 12 months average monthly gain of 149,000, the current job growth casts a dimmer outlook in the U.S. economy. On the other hand, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2%, the U.S. Labor report stated. Although forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said it could raise to 4.5% in the first quarter of 2026. Wednesday, the Federal Reserve left the federal funds rate unchanged, awaiting to see the impact that tariffs will have in the economy this year. 'Increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity,' Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference, per AP news. 'This is something we know is coming, we just don't know the size of it.' Economic growth will slow down, according to these projections, which could translate into an increase in unemployment. Even though inflation has remained steady, the Federal Reserve still expects to cut rates twice this year, per AP news, to counter the projected effects of the higher inflation in the upcoming months. The state's labor market saw a 15% decrease in job openings over the year, according to Crabb. Despite the cooling trend, Crabb said there still are 1.3 jobs for every unemployed worker in the state. Crabb also noted there's a hesitance among workers to try switching jobs, which could be due to the time it takes to find suitable reemployment. With a median duration of 7.7 weeks currently, it takes job seekers about a week longer than the previous year. But Crabb remains optimistic. 'Going into the summer, the state's economy is exhibiting health and expansion across industries,' he said in his analysis of May's employment report.
