This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A spate of national coverage of what's news in Utah.
It makes us look bad.
No, good.
No, bad.
Aaaaargh!
In The New York Times:
— Saving What's Left of Utah's Lost World — David Roberts | For The New York Times
"ST. GEORGE, Utah — Cedar Mesa is one of the most sublime and culturally evocative landscapes on Earth. ...
" ... Last month, Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a Republican, signed a resolution passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature opposing additional protections for Cedar Mesa and another area, the equally pristine San Rafael Swell, and asserting that livestock grazing and energy and mineral extraction could be done in a way that would preserve the area's 'scenic and recreational values.' Before it was amended, the measure had declared livestock grazing and 'environmentally sensitive energy and mineral development' as the 'highest and best use' for those two areas. ...
" ... Congress should designate Cedar Mesa a National Conservation Area, which would provide enhanced protections to the area's natural and cultural treasures, but without the fanfare and throngs of visitors that often accompany the creation of new monuments or parks.
"But it seems highly unlikely that the Republican-controlled House and Senate would take such a step. President Obama remains the best hope. He should use his authority to set aside Cedar Mesa as a national monument. Doing so would mean more visitors and new regulations, as happened at Grand Staircase-Escalante. But it would also protect the wonders of the ancients and the environment itself for future generations to explore."
In The Washington Post:
— Gay rights, religious rights and a compromise in an unlikely place: Utah — Niraj Chokshi | The Washington Post
" ... But the two sides, drawing on an unlikely trust nurtured during years of quiet rapprochement, were able that night to reach a breakthrough. ..."
In Slate:
— Same-Sex Attracted Men and Their Wives Ask SCOTUS to Rule Against Marriage Equality — Mark Joseph Stern | Slate
"There are a lot of terrible arguments against same-sex marriage, but this may be the worst: The Supreme Court must not protect gay couples' marriages, because doing so would demean marriages between gay men and their wives. ..."
The word "Utah" does not actually appear in Stern's take-down. But the link reveals the brief was filed by a law firm from American Fork.