Provo council votes to keep city hall downtown
In November, Provo voters will decide whether they want to spend $68.9 million to build a new public safety and city center building in downtown as well as a new fire station. The city council chose the option over two others on Tuesday. The other choices included moving into the old Sears building at Provo […]
UTA won’t be done with UVX construction until fall
By mid-August, Utah Valley Express buses will be rolling through Provo and Orem. They’ll arrive at stops every six minutes during peak times. And stop every 10 minutes in off-peak hours. But they won’t be using most of the platforms or driving down the center lanes. That’s because construction on University Parkway and University Avenue […]
Provo council OKs agreement to sell part of East Bay Golf Course
In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, Provo’s city council OK’d a real estate purchase agreement with Wasatch Educational for the so-called north wedge of East Bay Golf Course. Councilmen Kay Van Buren and Dave Knecht voted against the agreement. Wasatch Educational plans to build the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine on the 21 acres. It […]
Provo won’t give mall $350k to hold old Sears building, for now
Moving the Provo Police Department and city hall to the mall is still on the table. But the Provo City Council decided Tuesday night not to pay the mall owners $350,000 — yet — to take the old Sears property off the market for six months. The council voted unanimously to move the decision to […]
Provo opts to increase police pay instead of adding officers
Instead of hiring four new police officers and a police budget analyst this year, Provo’s going to increase pay for existing and future officers. The city council voted Tuesday night to use the money it would have spent on the new positions to instead increase pay to attract and retain officers. The city also moved […]
Provo, medical school still working on golf course sale
Six months ago, the Provo City Council cleared the way for the mayor to start negotiating the sale of part of East Bay Golf Course. But there still are some sticking points in the deal to sell the 21 acres known as the north wedge. On Tuesday, the council discussed the real estate purchase contract […]
Romney and Curtis clear winners in Republican primary
About 30 minutes after the polls closed Tuesday night, two major races had clear winners: Mitt Romney for U.S. Senate and John Curtis in the 3rd Congressional District. “It looks like our team won the primary, and we understand at this point there were a record number of people who voted in this primary,” Romney […]
It’s time to vote! Do you know what to do with your ballot?
If you’re a registered Republican or live in a district with a school board primary, chances are that you got a primary election ballot in the mail this week. For the first time last year, Utah County did a (mostly) vote-by-mail election. After initially deciding to go back to using voting machines, commissioners voted in […]
Provo council: We don’t have enough info about Bulldog project
Provo city officials started a discussion about redesigning Bulldog Boulevard in 2013, did studies in 2014 and 2017 to see how changes would affect traffic flow, and started the design process. Now the design is nearly done and scheduled to be finalized this month. Funding for the $4.5 million project is set and the city’s […]
Utah County Search and Rescue needs boat for rough-water rescues
One stormy night, a family stranded on Utah Lake called for help. Their boat was swamped and broken down, and they couldn’t make it to shore. It was pitch black and raining cats and dogs. Rescuers went out on their jet skis, with 5-foot swells coming over the water crafts. They got the family out, […]
New Lehi High School coming in June 2021
If you’ve driven down Main Street in Lehi recently, you probably noticed the missing tennis courts and construction project at Lehi High School. It’s all part of the rebuilding of the school, funded by the bond passed by voters in 2016. The total Lehi High School rebuild will happen in phases over the next several […]
Provo mulling future of city parade float
The Miss Provo organization wants Provo City to take over responsibility — and that may mean more liability — for driving the city parade float, which Miss Provo royalty use in parades every summer. And that’s turned into a discussion over whether the city should fund a float. “Miss Provo says they don’t want to […]
Provo planning River Trail improvements this summer
This summer, you can expect to see construction along about 3.5 miles of the Provo River Trail. The $3.2 million project will include upgrades to five bridges and crossings, additional lighting, repaving and widening, Thomas McKenna, project coordinator for Provo Parks and Recreation, told the city council this month. The goals are to increase safety […]
Road work 2018: Expect major projects around Utah County
Snow is melting in the mountains, ski resorts are closing, temperatures are rising. It’s spring, aka the start of road construction season. And this year, Utah Valley residents can expect some major projects. “We always like to remind drivers to be alert and extra cautious in construction zones,” said Eileen Barron, a spokeswoman for the […]
Provo’s Day’s Market planning $1M remodel, asking city for tax incentive
It’s the business that hires teenagers. It’s where you meet your neighbors on Saturday night. It’s the only grocery store in the northeast side of Provo, and it houses a full-service Post Office. Now Day’s Market is remodeling, and would like a tax incentive to do more. The locally owned store does $8.1 million in […]
Provo changing its beer license restrictions to comply with state law
Provo is going to change its law on restaurants that serve beer, since it recently discovered that it was in conflict with state law. And that’s good news for downtown Provo restaurant owners. Current city law says that businesses can’t have a beer retailer license if they’re within a certain distance of a church, library, […]
Provo and Utah County negotiating future of Peaks Ice Arena
Provo and Utah County are negotiating a deal to keep the Peaks Ice Arena from being sold at a public auction. A year ago, Utah County decided it wanted out of the Peaks Ice Arena, which it owns and operates with Provo City. That decision triggered a clause that required the ice rink to be […]
Vote by mail, early, or on Election Day — it’s up to you
This year Utah County voters will have more choices on election days. “We want to do whatever we can to protect the integrity of the election and give everybody the opportunity to get involved and vote,” said Utah County Clerk Auditor Bryan Thompson. Last year the county conducted a vote-by-mail election, with some polling places […]
Provo, Utah County announce new parking and development, end legal actions
Utah County is dropping a lawsuit and eminent domain action over parking for the convention center in Provo. In May last year, Utah County filed a lawsuit against Provo alleging that it hadn’t provided 350 parking stalls for convention center visitors, as required in an interlocal agreement. The lawsuit asked for $4 million to pay […]
Session 2018: Funding for UVU building, protections for breastfeeding moms
Utah lawmakers survived another 45-day session of the Legislature. They considered hundreds of bills, from a new abortion ban if babies have Down syndrome to funding for a UVU business building — and everything in between. “I think this has been the best session I’ve been involved in,” Gov. Gary Herbert told the Salt Lake […]
Bill would ban abortions based on Down syndrome diagnosis
A bill that would ban doctors from performing abortions because a baby may have Down syndrome is headed to the Senate floor. The Utah Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee approved the bill Monday evening in a 3-2 vote. It already passed the House, despite a warning from the legislative general counsel that […]
Bill would allow for islands on Utah Lake in exchange for restoration
In the last several years, the state Department of Natural Resources has made some big changes at Utah Lake — the third-largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. “We’ve removed about 80 percent of the carp in the lake,” Mike Styler, director of the Department of Natural Resources, told the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and […]
Provo spotlights women with 3rd annual Women’s Day plus Girls Summit
Provo resident Becca Jensen Ogden wants Provo to be known as a place that supports all women, no matter their life stage, marital or professional status. And she hopes that the annual Women’s Day events and Girls Summit will help build that foundation. “Provo is such a wonderful city, with so much economic development on […]
UVU asks Legislature for money for new business building
For the second year, Utah Valley University is asking the state for money for a new building for the Woodbury School of Business. But unlike last year, the school only is asking for funding for design and programming, not construction. The construction project is ranked third on the state Board of Regents’s capital facilities priorities […]
Good Samaritan bill gives civil immunity to people who rescue kids from hot cars
A bill that would give Good Samaritans civil immunity if they rescue children locked in cars quickly passed through a House committee on Tuesday afternoon. House Bill 152, sponsored by Rep. Tim Quinn, R-Heber City, would protect people who rescue children locked in cars. Members of the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee unanimously […]
BRT won’t have big impact on property values, rents in Provo
A new study shows that the Bus Rapid Transit system through Orem and Provo probably won’t make a big economic impact. Zions Public Finance conducted the study in partnership with Provo, Orem, the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Transit Authority and Mountainland Association of Governments. The Provo council got a preview of the report on […]
Snow — finally! — expected this weekend
Winter is making at least a short-term comeback in Utah this weekend, with a storm expected to hit Friday and more snow next week. “Basically we’ll see accumulating snow along the entire I-15 corridor” with rain in the St. George area, said Eric Schoening, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. […]
Provo closer to getting medical school
Unless Wasatch Educational and Provo can’t meet the deal points they’ve already discussed, Provo likely will be getting a medical school on part of what’s now the East Bay Golf Course. The city council on Tuesday cleared the way for the mayor to start negotiating a contract with the school to sell about 21 acres […]
Provo rental contract law won’t be enforced until March 1
A new Provo ordinance requiring landlords to have signed contracts with all adult tenants became law in mid-December. It had an effective date of Jan. 1. But it’s not being enforced and likely won’t be until March 1, and it may be amended before then. The law, passed in a 5-2 vote, requires landlords and […]
More than 70 families need Sub for Santa sponsors
With less than a week before Christmas, there still are 78 Sub for Santa families who need sponsors. “It seems like a lot, but we’ve already helped more than a thousand families,” said Michaelann Bradley, communications manager for United Way of Utah County. For more than 35 years, United Way of Utah County has connected […]