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Dozens of resorts with permits to operate on national forests have bought or acquired rights to use nearby bodies of water for snowmaking. The Forest Service had adopted a clause that said those resorts had to transfer their water rights to the federal government ... After the National Ski Areas Association sued, a judge ruled last year that the agency violated procedure in not seeking public comment before adopting the clause. The agency now plans open houses April 16 in Lakewood, Colo., on April 17 in Salt Lake City, and April 18 in Lake Tahoe, Calif., to get input.

Mandatory registration coming to state’s largest wilderness area . Visitors to the Weminuche Wilderness are going to be required to register before entering the almost 500,000 acres that stretch from Silverton to Wolf Creek Pass. Use and abuse of the pristine mountains, valleys and waterways through the years now require switching from voluntary to mandatory registration at trailheads, the San Juan National Forest said in a news release. “During the first two to three years of the new requirement, we’re going to educate the public on the reasons,” Forest Service spokeswoman Ann Bond said Saturday. “After that, rangers can issue...

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s threat to filibuster any new gun restrictions is gathering steam, as a dozen of his Republican colleagues have now signed onto his plan. The Kentucky Republican and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) first wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late last month to warn him of their intention to try to tie up the Senate if, as planned, Reid moved forward with legislation that would expand background checks and attempt to crack down on interstate gun trafficking. Reid is expected to bring a gun-control bill to the floor as early as next...

SALT LAKE CITY — Mormon Democrats announced a new national organization Thursday with chapters in eight states joining the Utah State Democratic Party's year-old LDS Dems Caucus. The Florida-based head of LDS Democrats of America, Robert Taber, said the organization is intended to counter the perception that "there's only one way to be involved in political life as a good Mormon and that's as a Republican." The LDS Church itself has a long-standing policy of political neutrality. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral in matters of party politics,” church spokesman Scott Trotter said. Taber, who also...

Republican Mike Lee of Utah on Wednesday became the 34th senator to oppose an international treaty that would regulate the $60 billion global small arms trade, giving the opposition enough votes in the U.S. Senate to block its ratification. … “I have great concerns that this treaty can be used to violate the Second Amendment rights of American citizens, and do not believe we should sign any treaty that infringes on the sovereignty of our country,” Lee said. “I am pleased to join 34 of my colleagues in signaling to this administration that the UN-ATT is a non-starter in the...

MANTI -- For six years Troy James Knapp eluded authorities, moving from cabin to cabin across the Utah mountains, taking food and weapons and leaving notes to brag about it. It all ended Tuesday as lawmen made what they called a surprisingly easy capture outside a remote cabin after the suspect fired off a few harmless shots. "He was laughing with our guys. He said, `Boy, you really snuck up on me,'" said Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis. "He threw his rifle down in the snow and said, `You got me.'"The 45-year-old survivalist is suspected of burglarizing dozens of Utah...

The Boy Scouts of America said Monday that the Utah Pride Center — a LGBT advocacy group — could not charter a troop, even though the group said it would comply with the youth organization's controversial policy banning gay Scouts and leaders. The Utah Pride Center submitted its application in late February to sponsor a troop with heterosexual leaders and middle-school age boys several weeks ago, said Valerie Larabee, the center's executive director. She said the bid, which comes ahead of the BSA vote in May on whether it should keep the ban, was not a stunt. "We feel great...

“I’m in bed sleeping, I get up, I retrieve my sidearm, I chase him out the front door. I’ve got him pinned on the ground. It’s 4:55 in the morning and I don’t have a stitch of clothing on. I’m basically telling him at this point, ‘Stay on the ground, don’t move, because if you do move, I will shoot you.’” When the times comes to protect your house, you do what you got to do. This is what happend to Eric Martin, a Utah homeowner who woke up to an intruder in his house this past Thursday. The suspect,...

Provo-Orem, Utah, is the most religious of 189 U.S. metropolitan areas Gallup surveyed in 2012, with 77% of its residents classified as very religious. Burlington, Vt., and Boulder, Colo., are the least religious, with 17% meeting that threshold. Most of the top religious cities are in the South -- the exceptions are Provo; Ogden-Clearfield, Utah; and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich. The least religious cities are clustered in the Northeast and on the Pacific Coast, with the exception of Boulder and Madison, Wis. The cities referred to in this article are based on the Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) as defined by the...

A few weeks ago, Rand Paul revived the talking filibuster in a scene reminiscent of the Frank Capra classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He highlighted the Obama administration’s odd reluctance to state that it wouldn’t assassinate Americans on American soil with CIA-controlled drones for a full day, helped by fellow Senate Republicans such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, among others, and also by Senate Democrat Ron Wyden. The White House finally gave a more specific answer to the question, and Paul raised public awareness on the drone issue, although it’s arguable what effect that actually had. If you...

Sally Jewell on Thursday breezed through a committee vote to lead the Interior Department but the agency’s proposal to list the sage grouse as an endangered species threatens to block her nomination from reaching the full Senate. ... some Republican lawmakers were not satisfied with Jewell’s responses to written and oral questions about her past association with the National Park Association’s lawsuits against the government and future plans to list the sage grouse as an endangered species. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) threatened to put a hold on Jewell’s nomination before it goes to a floor vote unless the agency commits...

The governor said Friday he had vetoed a bill that would have allowed Utah residents to carry a hidden, unloaded gun without a permit. It was one of the most hotly contested measures to come out of the Utah Legislature this year.

US House Energy and Commerce Committee members released a discussion draft of legislation designed to jump-start approval of the proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline project. The draft bill by Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) would eliminate the need for a presidential permit and find that the Aug. 26, 2011, final environmental impact statement issued by Sec. of State Hillary Clinton satisfied all National Environmental Policy Act requirements. Reps. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and John Barrow (D-Ga.) cosponsored the proposal, which also would limit legal challenges to the project so it would not be delayed further. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred...

Chipotle Mexican Grill has pulled its sponsorship of Utah's "Scout-O-Rama" because of the Boy Scouts of America's long-standing ban on gays. The popular Colorado-based restaurant chain initially signed on to provide about $4,200 worth of coupons to the Utah Boy Scouts' annual event, scheduled for May 4 in a Salt Lake City suburb. The Boy Scouts' Great Salt Lake Council is one of the largest in the country, with the majority of troops sponsored by Mormon churches.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Catholic leader is urging Gov. Gary Herbert to veto a measure eliminating the need for a permit to carry a concealed gun in the state. Bishop John C. Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City wrote to Herbert that the bill "establishes a culture in Utah that prioritizes deadly weapons over human life." . . . . Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Alissa Parker, whose daughter was among 20 students killed in December's school shooting in Newton, Connecticut, joined Wester in pressing for a veto.

Mapleton, UT --(Ammoland.com)-GunFreeZoneApp.com, a mobile phone app company, today announced the release of its new mobile phone app, GunFreeZone. The app will identify the nearest 20 commercial locations, including businesses, churches and schools, as either firearm friendly or gun free. In some states, a gun free zone sign on the front door of a business has the effect of law. The GunFreeZone app can clearly identify these gun free zones on a map to alert people with concealed weapons, helping avoid those locations to shop elsewhere and avoid an unintentional offense. At the same time, people concerned about the proliferation...

Iron County, Utah is making a preemptive strike against the Federal government’s attempts to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of its citizens. According to a press release,“Laws that violate 2nd Amendment are null and void and have no effect in Iron County, Utah.” Today in Southwest Utah, the Iron County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously in passing an Iron County Second Amendment Protection Resolution. This is the second Resolution passed in the county, the first being the Cedar City Second Amendment Resolution passed by the City Council. In that resolution, passed by Cedar City on February 13th, 2013, the...

Crescent Point Energy Corp., an intermediate producer with capacity to move half of its total oil production by rail, said Thursday it hopes to add a “rail option” later this year to transport newly acquired output in Utah. Using railway cars to get around bottlenecks in pipelines is now considered a price protection strategy akin to forward selling oil, the company said on a conference call with analysts following release of its fourth quarter 2012 results. “In 2012 we improved operational flexibility by adding 50,000 barrels per day of rail capacity,” said president and chief executive Scott Saxberg on the...

SALT LAKE CITY — A showdown between Gov. Gary Herbert and state lawmakers could be coming now that the Utah Legislature has passed a so-called "constitutional carry" gun law. The Senate passed HB76 Wednesday by a vote of 22-7, with all five Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. Although Herbert has stopped short of saying he would veto HB76, he reiterated several times that Utah's gun laws aren't broken and don't need changing. But should he reject the bill, the Legislature could override his veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The measure passed by more than a two-thirds majority...

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert was asked Monday to veto a bill that would allow concealed weapons to be carried without a permit. In a letter delivered to the governor's office, the recently formed Utah Parents Against Gun Violence and six other groups warned HB76 "is not only a giant step backward, it will also increase the unnecessarily high rate of homicide, suicide and domestic violence." The bill, which has passed the House and is expected to be heard by the Senate Tuesday, would allow gun owners wanting to cover up their weapons to bypass the permit process,...