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Alliance for a Better Utah

@betterutah.bsky.social
577 followers 169 following 1.5K posts

We're a nonprofit that holds politicians accountable and advocates for progressive policies that make Utah an even better place. linktr.ee/betterutah

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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 21h
If you have ANY election question at all, you can contact your county clerk by calling, going in-person during regular office hours, or emailing them. Here is the county clerk directory for the entire state of Utah: buff.ly/pYCYvPj
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🚨 PROTECT THE RIGHT TO BALLOT INITIATIVES! Amendment B would change Utah's constitution so that citizen initiatives that raise taxes need 60% of the vote instead of a simple majority. Lawmakers, meanwhile, could keep raising taxes with a simple majority. Volunteer to help spread the word!
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Volunteer — Vote No on B
By including your phone number and checking the box, you are opting in to receive recurring advocacy text messages from Utahns Protecting Our Constitution. Please see our Terms & Conditions and our…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Credit where it's due: Curtis is saying out loud what too many in his party won't. However, one senator's letter is a start, not accountability. Utahns should watch whether Curtis delivers on his promise that "you'll hear more from me later on."
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GOP senator: Russian oligarch funding Trump Jr.’s party is ‘corruption’
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) on Friday ripped President Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. for letting a Russian oligarch with ties to the Kremlin pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to finance his wedding…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Faith, community, and peer support have carried many Utahns through recovery, and giving people with lived experience a seat at the table is a real strength. But when the first pillar of a recovery plan runs through the criminal justice system, the line between treatment and punishment blurs fast.
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Gov. Cox signs executive order aligning Utah with Trump’s addiction recovery initiative • Utah News Dispatch
Shoulder to shoulder with leaders in the Trump administration, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order making Utah the first state to officially take action to join the White House’s national…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Often described as “the best idea we ever had,” our national parks are treasures and should be treated as such. Needed repairs aren’t going away on their own; they’re only going to get worse.
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Utah national parks have a $350M maintenance backlog. The Trump admin isn’t helping
“At a time when the National Park Service is already stretched — they're stretched in staffing, budgets are low — this is just kind of an additional hit,” one park advocate said.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There’s only less than a month until ballots are mailed to voters and we all need to spread the word of how Constitutional Amendment B would limit our constitutional right to determine our future through the ballot initiative process when the Legislature refuses to act. buff.ly/pVf2eSN
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https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/inside-utah-politics/bar-initiative-taxes-utahns/?link_id=7&can_id=cdb1564d79aa9211f518da7fb0c098d2&source=email-the-beehive-briefingmonday-september-21&email_referrer=email_3423333&email_subject=the-beehive-briefing-monday-september-28&&
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It’s not too surprising that Utahns support their own data privacy, oppose spreading data center construction, and oppose increasing taxes.
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New poll: Americans and Utahns willing to forgo jobs, national security amid opposition to data centers
A new Deseret News-Hinckley Institute poll shows opposition to data centers is strong in Utah and across the country, with many rejecting arguments made by data center supporters.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The fact that residents spoke up about missing ballots, that the investigation was quick, and that charges have been filed are proof that our justice system is working as intended. & that our elections can continue to be safe and secure.
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Utah postal worker accused of throwing away 300 mail-in ballots in church parking lot
A former postal worker allegedly threw away ballots meant to be delivered to registered voters during the June primary election, according to a federal grand jury indictment.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We should continue to push back against the wholesale gathering of our private data for unknown purposes. Even if the original intent is altruistic or beneficent, we have seen throughout history too many examples of mission creep shrouded in secrecy at our expense.
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Police defend Flock cameras as Utah lawmakers mull more regulations
Utah law enforcement officers urged state lawmakers to
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Utah’s elections are safe and secure. Our public servants can and always must be better in performing essential government functions, but we should also recognize that our county clerks are asked to perform gargantuan tasks, often with shoestring budgets.
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As Utah’s elections chief faces federal threats, auditors again find no signs of ‘significant fraud’ in voting
As the DOJ investigates Utah's elections chief, auditors again “did not observe significant fraud” in a review of the state's most recent election.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Lt. Gov. Henderson has been and deserves to be widely commended and defended for standing up to the Trump administration on this issue. 🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/9eGhLIR
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To Utah’s chief election officer’s surprise, the DOJ says it has been investigating her since 2025 • Utah News Dispatch
Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, Utah's chief election official received a new letter from the DOJ pushing her to release private voter data.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It’s not surprising that President Trump and his cronies at the DOJ would seek to end this commonsense policy, but it should be surprising that his anti-immigrant views are permeating to such a degree in a state that historically has been pro-immigrant. 🔗 Salt Lake Tribune: buff.ly/pQrPtXj
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Trump DOJ sues Utah over state law that allows in-state college tuition for some undocumented students
Utah has allowed undocumented high school graduates who have applied for legal residency to pay in-state college rates since 2002, when Utah’s Republican-dominated Legislature passed a law allowing…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Utah now has a seven-member high court, stemming from the Legislature’s temper tantrum thrown in response to a string of losses on hot button issues brought before the state’s judiciary. 🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/csXmJDG
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Senate confirms 2 more Utah Supreme Court justices, capping off era of change for the court • Utah News Dispatch
The Utah Senate has confirmed two more new justices to the Utah Supreme Court, capping off an era of major changes to the state’s highest court.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We need change on housing development across Utah to deal with the ongoing housing crisis in our state, but that shouldn’t come by means of an authoritarian strongman who reacts to policy disagreements by stripping counties of transportation funds or other needed resources. buff.ly/MS9D5vx
kpcw.org
‘Counties who openly declare war’: Gov. threatens to pull funding over Wasatch Back development clash
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has threatened to pull state funding from Summit and Wasatch counties because of local leaders’ pushback against preliminary municipalities.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
In 2022, Utahns asked a simple question: is the air in our state making us sick? 4 years later the answer is still "we're working on it." This sort of delay has real consequences and residents deserve to have the facts. buff.ly/YKmlUgt
utahnewsdispatch.com
After a slow start, Utah is upgrading its system to track Great Salt Lake dust • Utah News Dispatch
As the Great Salt Lake dips down toward historic lows, a new network of air quality monitors is taking shape to help measure dust.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Utah's Truth in Taxation system was designed to make tax hikes visible and deliberate. Data centers completely evade that and make things significantly more complicated, and, as found in this newly published analysis, they often become an automatic increase down the line. buff.ly/W5mWJ47
kslnewsradio.com
https://kslnewsradio.com/utah/data-centers-property-taxes-utah/2316530/?link_id=4&can_id=cdb1564d79aa9211f518da7fb0c098d2&source=email-the-beehive-briefingtuesday-august-11&email_referrer=email_3362651&email_subject=the-beehive-briefing-monday-august-17
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
An audit is the bare minimum of what should be required here. Warrants, hard retention limits, and real consequences for misuse are long overdue. buff.ly/kzz7iP8
utahnewsdispatch.com
Most of this Utah county’s license plate camera data is searched by out-of-state law enforcement   • Utah News Dispatch
The vast majority of searches in the network of Weber County's license plate cameras were made outside Utah, prompting concerns.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Cheaper power, cleaner air, and Utah jobs: proof that the smart-growth path isn't just possible here, it's already winning months on the scoreboard. buff.ly/JdMhCNt
fox13now.com
Solar becomes Utah's top producer of energy
Solar energy became Utah's top source of energy in the month of May, according to the most recent figures from an energy think tank.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Charter schools are public schools, and State Auditor Tina Cannon, who has spent nearly a year in court demanding transparency, is right when she insists "the public has a right to know how its tax dollars are spent." buff.ly/Fz8vDXf
sltrib.com
‘Public has a right to know’: A Utah charter school operator is fighting to keep its top administrators’ salaries a secret
The charter funnels millions in public money to a private company that then cuts paychecks — a process the charter argues should protect its administrators’ salaries from public view.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The mechanism here is worth understanding: the port authority captures a share of the new property taxes a development generates ("tax differential") and routes it into incentives for business instead of the schools, roads, and services those taxes normally fund. buff.ly/G2DGOvS
sltrib.com
A new inland port is coming to southwest Utah. School officials fear students will pay the price.
The board of the Utah Inland Port Authority voted to create its newest project area in southwest Utah, adding a 16th location to its network of inland ports across the state.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Cox is right that reform is decades overdue. But a visa pilot doesn't help the DACA recipient or asylum seeker losing status right now, and letting states manage work permits only works if it's paired with due process and real protections, not just labor on demand. buff.ly/hRP5Xtx
deseret.com
Why Utah governor says ‘now’s the time’ for U.S. immigration reform
Cox to lead bipartisan task force requesting state-led migrant work visas.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
When leaders shrink shared land for the public and misstate the basic facts to do it, the loss isn't only acreage, it's trust. 🔗 The New York Times: buff.ly/xBH2ErH
nytimes.com
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/climate/trump-bears-ears-monument-recreation.html?link_id=7&can_id=cdb1564d79aa9211f518da7fb0c098d2&source=email-the-beehive-briefingmonday-august-3&email_referrer=email_3355540&email_subject=the-beehive-briefing-tuesday-august-11&&
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Here's the contradiction Utah keeps living with: our economy is short of workers (roughly 96 available for every 100 job openings) yet federal policy is making it harder to work legally while pouring resources into enforcement that spreads fear through neighborhoods and workplaces. buff.ly/XAy9GAZ
kuer.org
From DACA to asylum, it’s becoming harder for immigrants to work legally in Utah
DACA renewals are taking months longer than usual, costing some recipients their jobs. Temporary Protected Status and asylum are also harder to come by as the Trump administration continues to…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Cox gets to reshape the court... again. Once he makes his picks to fill these two Utah Supreme Court vacancies, he will have appointed 6 of the court's 7 justices. 🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune: buff.ly/dquIPgg
sltrib.com
The new Utah Supreme Court candidate list is out. Here’s whom Cox can pick for two open justice seats.
Here's the list of attorneys Gov. Spencer Cox will pick from to nominate two new Utah Supreme Court justices.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla is drafting a bill to let Utahns sue ICE agents who violate their constitutional rights, which gets at the deeper issue: power without oversight is a danger to citizens and noncitizens alike. 🔗 Axios SLC: buff.ly/5xniWVZ
axios.com
Utah Democrat eyes bill to hold ICE agents accountable
ICE arrests in Utah have jumped significantly since President Trump began his second term.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Every quarter, we track how Utah’s members of Congress are representing you in Washington—what they’re voting for, what they’re saying, and how their work aligns with Utah values. Our focus for this quarter? The cost of the Iran War. Read the full report here: buff.ly/USNdbff
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Enforcement is quietly expanding into parts of Utah that never used to see it, and the numbers puncture the "worst of the worst" talking point: most of those detained have no convictions at all. -> 🔗 KUER: buff.ly/PA3FXZe
kuer.org
St. George ICE flights signal increased southern Utah enforcement activity
Activists in Salt Lake City are tracking flights so people know where their loved ones are headed, and a group in St. George is working on doing the same.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Utah budgeted $16.5 million just to administer these hurdles; that money could keep people covered instead of building a maze designed to make them fall out. 🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
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New federal Medicaid rule threatens more coverage on top of Congress’ cuts, Utah advocates say • Utah News Dispatch
Medicaid advocates called on Utah leaders to stand against looming federal cuts and new requirements for Medicaid coverage.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
This is Utah's growth-at-all-costs reflex meeting its most fragile resource. We're told the lake is a top priority, yet project after project asks the public to absorb the water, the waste, and the risk while the details stay fuzzy and the benefits accrue elsewhere.
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Concern about data center impacts on Great Salt Lake grows, now for Tooele project’s wastewater • Utah News Dispatch
Concern about data center development in Utah and how it could affect the drying Great Salt Lake is migrating south.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Recusal rules exist precisely so no one has to wonder whether a judge decided the case before hearing it. Nielsen recused when the conflict involved gerrymandering; consistency should mean recusing when it involves abortion, too.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
As we leave July behind, make sure to check out this Op-Ed by our Senior Policy Advisor Chase Thomas! In this piece, he expresses his wish for America's next 250 years and the Utah that we can choose to become
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Voices: America at 250 could use a little more Utah
“My wish for America as she moves into her next 250 years is that she becomes a little more like Utah,” Chase Thomas writes in an op-ed. “Not only the Utah that we are today, but the Utah that we can…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Transit is a choice about what kind of Utah we're building. Cleaner air, less traffic, and room to grow all run down the same track. The catch is the timeline and a price tag that leans on federal dollars that are anything but guaranteed. 🔗 The Salt Lake Tribune:
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Utah’s next FrontRunner trains will offer a ‘higher-quality passenger environment.’ Here’s what they might look like.
Utah transportation officials are looking to buy new trains for FrontRunner. It looks like they'll partner with a Salt Lake City factory for them.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Utahns don't need another round of optimism—they need water in the lake, and a commissioner willing to hold the state's biggest users accountable. 🔗 Utah News Dispatch:
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Utah governor appoints new Great Salt Lake commissioner • Utah News Dispatch
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has picked a new leader tasked with helping save the shrinking Great Salt Lake: Hannah Freeze.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
When coverage vanishes, the costs don't, instead shifting to emergency rooms, delayed diagnoses, and families one illness away from ruin. A state that prides itself on self-reliance should be furious that Washington made being insured unaffordable.
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Utah lost more than 63,000 ACA health insurance enrollees after subsidies expired
Utah health advocates warn that higher insurance premiums following the end of Affordable Care Act subsidies have led thousands of residents to lose coverage, and enrollment could decline even…
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Reposted by Alliance for a Better Utah
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance @protectwildutah.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
"SUWA, @earthjustice.org, and other organizations have publicly stated that they will challenge these reductions in court. "Congress did not give the president the authority to undo national monuments. It was the power to create, not destroy," - Steve Bloch." www.sierraclub.org/sierra/new-f...
sierraclub.org
A New Fight Over National Monuments Emerges in Utah
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are once again threatened by a major downsizing
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Adams blames "dark money" and "personality attacks" for his defeat, but his record—shutting down senators’ speeches on the floor, the Prop 4 end-run around voters—tells a fuller story about a leadership style former colleagues called controlling.
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Outgoing Senate president reflects on his loss and the future — for himself and the Legislature • Utah News Dispatch
After eight years as serving as one of Utah’s most powerful Republican state leaders, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams unexpectedly lost his primary. In an interview, he reflected on his loss, his…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Send a message to Sen. Curtis and ask him to Reject the SAVE Act Backdoor in the Reconciliation Bill: buff.ly/sdlghyU What happened, and why it matters in Utah ->
actionnetwork.org
Contact Your State Senator
Enter your personal information in the form to automatically find your elected officials and write them regarding an issue that concerns you and deserves action. You can use this form to contact your…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Utahns showed up "motivated by love" because they understand what Washington keeps forgetting: you cannot extract your way to a legacy.
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‘Motivated by love’: Utahns find strength in numbers during protest of Trump’s monument slashing
Nearly a thousand people Utahns gathered across the state to protest the loss of protections for nearly three million acres of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.
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Reposted by Alliance for a Better Utah
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance @protectwildutah.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
From @sltrib.com, on the removal of the seals of five tribal nations from the remaining Bears Ears National Monument signage. Davina Smith–Idjesa, co-chair of the Bears Ears Coalition is quoted in the piece: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
sltrib.com
Days after slashing Bears Ears, Trump administration removes tribal seals from monument signs
President Donald Trump shrank Bears Ears by 91% and disbanded a tribal-led commission. Now, the BLM is removing tribal seals from remaining monument signs.
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Center for Western Priorities @westernpriorities.org · 21/07/2026
Over 1000 people turned out around the state yesterday to protest Trump's reduction of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase national monuments.  When UT Gov Cox and Senator Mike Lee say locals don't support the monuments, think of these images.
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Reposted by Alliance for a Better Utah
Center for Western Priorities @westernpriorities.org · 22/07/2026
From Ogden to Bluff, Utahns all over the state showed up to stand with Tribes and support Bears Ears and Grand Staircase national monuments on Monday. Check out photos from the rallies in our photo essay below. 
westwise.substack.com
"We're powered by love": Utahns gather across the state to show support for national monuments
Rallies held from Ogden to Bluff illustrate broad support for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase in Utah
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Public debate is healthy. False accusations are not. We brought this case because our names, our organizations, and our work matter. Expressing concerns about an issue affecting our communities should never result in being falsely accused of acting on behalf of a foreign government.
nytimes.com
‘Shark Tank’ Star Is Sued by Opponents He Claimed Were Foreign Agents
Kevin O’Leary, the celebrity investor, accused opponents of his proposed data center near the Great Salt Lake of being agents of China. Now they want compensation.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Power changing hands is an opening—Utahns should use it to demand better.
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Utah News Dispatch @utahnewsdispatch.com · 17/07/2026
Hunters and anglers expected that President Donald Trump would shrink two Utah national monuments again, but they didn't expect fact-checking him on whether hunting and fishing is allowed in the monuments.
utahnewsdispatch.com
Hunting and fishing group blasts ‘blatant misinformation’ in monument debate   • Utah News Dispatch
A hunter and angler group is blasting ‘blatant misinformation’ in the downsizing of two Utah national monuments.
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Bryan Schott @schotthappens.com · 23/07/2026
The man who killed a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband last year was sentenced to life in prison. That tragedy happened more than 400 days ago, and Utah Sen. Mike Lee still hasn't apologized for making jokes about the violence on social media.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
An F on air quality, child care, health care access, and a minimum wage still frozen at the federal floor is not an image problem to be spun away. It is a set of choices the Legislature makes and remakes every session. 🔗 Deseret News:
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How Utah ranked on a list of worst places to live
New report finds Beehive State earns high rankings for business environment but not so much on quality of life metrics
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The theory that building at the high end eventually trickles down to everyone else is the same bet Utah has been placing for a decade, while prices climbed out of reach. buff.ly/nBYekJI
sltrib.com
As Utah’s largest public development takes shape, The Point makes a major push for housing — but don’t plan on it being affordable
In a pivot from the project's original plan, The Point is Draper is looking to build lots of new housing.
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This letter is one of 50 sent nationwide as part of a broader effort to pull state voter files into federal hands, and Utah is right to treat a threat of criminal charges against its own election officials as coercion rather than help. 🔗 KSL: buff.ly/0V70cGN
ksl.com
Utah asks DOJ not to interfere with state elections after it threatened Lt. Gov. Henderson
Top Utah officials asked the U.S. Department of Justice not to interfere with state elections after the agency threatened Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson with prosecution over election administration last…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Utah's delegation has spent years insisting the monuments were too big and locked people out. That claim fell apart at the signing table, where officials told the president you cannot hunt, fish, or even walk on the land. That is false. -> 🔗 Utah News Dispatch: buff.ly/WncOmXA
utahnewsdispatch.com
President Trump shrinks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — again • Utah News Dispatch
President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders on Monday to again shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah — this time more dramatically, by about 3…
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Alliance for a Better Utah @betterutah.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
No one setting American foreign policy should be able to personally profit from the foreign governments on the other side of the table. buff.ly/zUs29hb
buff.ly
Contact Your State Senator
Enter your personal information in the form to automatically find your elected officials and write them regarding an issue that concerns you and deserves action. You can use this form to contact your...
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