By McKenzie Romero | Editor
Tens of thousands of acres are burning in tinder-dry Utah as July 4 approaches, an alarming scenario that has Gov. Spencer Cox handing down a rare restriction on Independence Day celebrations.
Utahns are prohibited from from lighting fireworks statewide under an executive order the governor revealed during a news conference with a burn scar as the background. Local leaders, however, still have an option to allow fireworks, if they choose.
In today’s Dispatch we break down Cox’s fireworks restrictions, a plan to use funds from hunting and fishing license sales to restore habitats, and a judge’s ruling on President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting by-mail ballots.
“If on July 3, 4, or 5 we have multiple starts in this valley, we’re screwed, OK? That’s it. Nobody to respond.” — Gov. Spencer Cox on the state’s wildfire risks and overburdened firefighting resources.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a news conference announcing a fireworks ban on June 25, 2026. (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch)
By Alixel Cabrera
Facing unprecedented fire conditions ahead of the July 4 holiday, fireworks will be restricted across Utah through July 5 under an executive order the governor has signed granting the state forester special powers. The restrictions will be reassessed before Pioneer Day.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason also warned that as fire danger is this high, offenses including “everything from reckless burning, to illegal encampments, to illegal firework usage” will be enforced.
A buck and a doe are seen in a wildlife area in the northeastern region of Utah in November 2022. (Photo courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources)
By Katie McKellar
Utah wildlife officials are set to use about $3.4 million from hunting and fishing license sales for 71 habitat restoration projects, including some to improve community fishing and help mule deer populations.
Alison Whittaker, habitat conservation coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, expressed appreciation for hunters and anglers, calling them “the backbone of wildlife conservation.”
Ballots await processing at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City as votes are cast in Utah’s primary election on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
DC BUREAU
By Jonathan Shorman
A federal judge has blocked major portions of President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail, finding he had exceeded his constitutional authority.
The decision halts, at least until a nearly certain appeal is heard, efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to require states to submit the names of likely mail voters before it delivers ballots. It also stops the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from compiling lists of voting-age citizens in each state.
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