SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 17 (TNSPer) -- Gov. Spencer J. Cox, R-Utah, issued the following news: Gov. Spencer J. Cox announced the appointment of Jack Szczepanowski as the state's new Medicaid Director. The appointment is subject to approval by the Utah Senate. "I'm very pleased to welcome Jack to Team Utah," Gov. Cox said. "His experience in analyzing financial data and understanding this important program will serve Utahns well. His perspective will also be helpful as we establish the Utah  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 17 (TNSPer) -- Gov. Spencer J. Cox, R-Utah, issued the following news on Dec. 16, 2021: Gov. Spencer Cox made appointments to the following boards upon advice and consent of the Senate. Increasing diversity on Utah's boards and commissions is a key part of the Equality and Opportunity section of the One Utah Roadmap, the 500-day plan of the Cox-Henderson administration. To learn more about how to get involved on a board or commission, visit https://boards.governor.ut  more

PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 14 -- The Arizona Democratic Party issued the following news release: And so the GOP Senate primary in-fighting continues... Over the weekend, Silicon Valley-sponsored Blake Masters learned that Utah-residing Jim Lamon is poll-testing the most effective hits to use against the Thiel acolyte in a primary that's already been nasty, expensive, and chaotic. Naturally, Masters took to Twitter - attacking Lamon for planning to attack him and highlighting Lamon's poll-tested c  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 15 (TNSRes) -- Utah State University issued the following news: A new institute at Utah State University that focuses on sharing evidence-based research with state decisionmakers released its 2021 Report to the Governor on Utah's Land, Water, and Air on Dec. 14. A lead gift of $7 million from the Janet Quinney Lawson Foundation in October 2021 enables the institute to provide this annual interdisciplinary summary on land, water and air issues in Utah. This partnership between  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 15 -- The Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development issued the following news: The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity's Utah Innovation Center announces its annual call for nominations for the Governor's Science Medal in conjunction with Gov. Cox's biannual One Utah Summit. Since 1987, the Governor's Science Medal has recognized the distinguished service, significant achievement, and positive economic impact of individuals and companies to the state of Ut  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 14 (TNSRes) -- Utah State University issued the following news: Social interactions are critical to nearly every aspect of human health, which has become readily apparent to many after more than a year and half of lockdowns, social distancing, cancelled travel and curtailed gatherings. "We're social beings who crave social connections," said Utah State University neurobiologist Sara Freeman. "Loss of this contact leads to loneliness, grief and increases our risk of mental and  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 15 (TNSRes) -- Utah State University issued the following news: As all of Utah continues to face significant drought conditions, residents are repeatedly asked to conserve water. But general conservation messaging that lacks suggested actions can leave individuals unsure of what steps would be the most impactful for them to take. Utah State University professor David Rosenberg and graduate student Mahmud Aveek are working to bridge that gap by researching what types of messag  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 15 (TNSRes) -- Utah State University issued the following news: The artificial intelligence revolution is coming, and there is nowhere to hide -- at least, not for weeds. Third-year computer science major Andrew Jouffray is working with assistant professor Rakesh Kaundal of Utah State University to develop software that will allow machines to identify and remove weeds without human involvement. Instead of a programmer specifying exactly what a weed looks like, Jouffray and Ka  more

LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 18 (TNSRes) -- Utah State University issued the following news: By Lael Gilbert Research from the Quinney College of Natural Resources deciphering the surprisingly complex and high-impact lives of forests' largest residents hit the headlines recently on National Public Radio's popular program Science Friday. The featured work comes from a team led by Jim Lutz, associate professor of Wildland Resources, and was carried by 400 public radio stations reaching an audience of more   more