SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 9 -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints issued the following news release: * * * The First Presidency Offers a Message of Goodwill to Pope Leo XIV The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement on Thursday, May 8, 2025: "On behalf of the leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we extend heartfelt prayers and greetings to Pope Leo XIV. This significant moment in time   more

DENVER, Colorado, May 9 -- The Western Governors' Association issued the following news: * * * Help Utah Governor Spencer Cox scope his new WGA Chair initiative The Western Governors' Association (WGA) represents the Governors of the 22 westernmost states and territories. WGA is an instrument of the Governors for bipartisan policy development, information exchange, and collective action on issues of critical importance to the West. The 2026 WGA Chair initiative of Utah Governor Spencer Cox   more

WASHINGTON, May 7 [Category: Science] -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release: * * * House Republicans' Move to Sell Off Federal Lands is Betrayal of Public Trust "Fossil fuel corporations have been chomping at the bit to exploit federal protected lands for oil and gas drilling -- House Republicans appear all too willing to pave the way" Washington - Early this morning, Republicans in the House Natural Resources Committee passed an amendment to a spending bill that wou  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 [Category: Environment] -- The Wilderness Society posted the following news release: * * * Late-night amendment adds public lands sell-offs to drilling and mining giveaways in budget bill WASHINGTON D.C. (May 7, 2025) -- A budget reconciliation bill was passed by the House Natural Resources Committee with a last-minute amendment that sells off public lands in Nevada and Utah, adding to a host of giveaways to drilling and mining interests. The bill includes forced leasing i  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- The National Parks Conservation Association issued the following news release on May 9, 2025: * * * Backdoor public land deal advances, putting Zion and Utah public lands at risk Washington D.C.--In a split vote this week, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced a controversial amendment to the budget reconciliation bill that could force the disposal of thousands of acres of public land in Nevada and Utah, including those directly adjacent to Zion National Park. R  more

PLANO, Texas, May 8 [Category: Sociological] -- The First Liberty Institute, an organization that says it is dedicated to defending liberty for all Americans, issued the following news release: * * * Religious Liberty Firm Applauds U.S. Senate Bill Protecting Servicemembers Religious Liberty Rights Washington, D.C. --U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) have introduced the Reaffirming Every Servicemember's Trust Over Religious Exempti  more

NEW YORK, May 7 [Category: Media] -- PEN America, an organization that says it stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression, posted the following news release: * * * South Carolina Replaces Utah as the State with the Most Mandated Banned Books for All Public Schools (NEW YORK)-- South Carolina has voted to ban 10 more books in public schools statewide, raising the total to 22. This makes it the leading state for mandated book bans in every K-12 public s  more

PLANO, Texas, May 5 [Category: Sociological] -- The First Liberty Institute, an organization that says it is dedicated to defending liberty for all Americans, issued the following news release: * * * Utah School District Will Now Allow First Grade Teacher to Post Prayer Chain Invitation in Faculty Lounge Heber City, UT --First Liberty Institute and the law firm Mayer Brown LLP announced that the Wasatch County (UT) School District will now allow first grade teacher Taryn Israelson to post a v  more

HAILEY, Idaho, May 8 [Category: Environment] -- The Western Watersheds Project posted the following news release: * * * WWP Condemns Public Lands Sale Provisions in House Budget Package Western Watersheds Project Condemns Public Lands Sale Provisions in House Budget Package  Amodei-Maloy amendment could force sale of nearly half a million acres without environmental review In a late-night maneuver Tuesday, Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) introduced a last-minute amendment  more