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Utah Senate passes legislation to restrict kratom sales
Caitlin Keith, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 19 - 3:22 p.m. | Save Story
One debate in Utah's Legislature this year is how to handle kratom, a drug that has been nicknamed "gas station heroin." Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, may have the solution.
King Charles' brother Andrew released after arrest over misconduct relating to Epstein
Phil Noble, Marissa Davison and Michael Holden, Reuters | Updated Feb. 19 - 2:39 p.m. | Save Story
King Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was released from police custody on Thursday evening after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

FDA will drop 2-study requirement for new drug approvals, aiming to speed access
Matthew Perrone, Associated Press | Updated Feb. 19 - 2:32 p.m. | Save Story
The Food and Drug Administration plans to drop its longtime standard of requiring two studies to win approval for new drugs, the latest change to speed up the availability of medical products.

Cox, other governors address disagreement with Trump ahead of governors event
Lauren Irwin, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 19 - 1:30 p.m. | Save Story
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and governors from Oklahoma and Maryland focused on unity and civility at a Disagree Better event Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Utah lawmakers advance bill to boost number of firms checking workers' migratory status
Tim Vandenack, KSL | Posted Feb. 19 - 10:00 a.m. | Save Story
Utah lawmakers advanced a bill to boost the number of firms checking the migratory status of their workers, one of several measures targeting illegal immigration.

Lawmakers are proposing a path to help more Utahns save for retirement
Caitlin Keith, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 19 - 9:00 a.m. | Save Story
Hundreds of thousands of Utahns aren't saving for retirement, according to state estimators, and one reason is because many small business employees don't have access to plans.

Utah lawmakers reshape the state's courts. Here's what voters think
Emma Pitts, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 19 - 8:40 a.m. | Save Story
Utah lawmakers continue to quickly move legislation overhauling the state's court system through the state Legislature — even as attorneys and judges say it's too much too fast.

Will Trump attend the Milan Cortina Olympics after all?
Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 19 - 7:15 a.m. | Save Story
There's increasing speculation President Donald Trump will be in Milan if the U.S. men's hockey team makes it to the gold-medal round on Sunday. The question is: Will he?

Unsupervised 15-year-old Utahns won't be hitting the roads anytime soon
Caitlin Keith, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 18 - 10:35 p.m. | Save Story
Utahns worried about more teen drivers on the roads can breathe a sigh of relief. A bill that would have lowered the driver's license age in Utah has been amended.

The unanswered questions at the center of Utah's unprecedented redistricting case
Brigham Tomco, Deseret News | Posted Feb. 18 - 10:02 p.m. | Save Story
Federal judges heard arguments on Wednesday in the case brought by Reps. Burgess Owens and Celeste Maloy to restore a congressional district map approved by Utah lawmakers.

Utah House OKs bill expanding tax credit for businesses that provide child care
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL | Posted Feb. 18 - 9:01 p.m. | Save Story
The House passed a bill expanding tax credits for Utah employers who provide child care services.

Utah bill seeks to close tax loophole for streaming services
Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL | Posted Feb. 18 - 8:02 p.m. | Save Story
Utah lawmakers are advancing a bill to close a sales tax loophole that has allowed some video streaming services to avoid paying taxes on certain video rentals.

Ogden officials pause moves to craft measure meant to quell immigration jitters
Tim Vandenack, KSL | Updated Feb. 18 - 7:28 p.m. | Save Story
Ogden officials have paused moves to craft a measure meant to quell immigration jitters, for now, due to worries it could run afoul of a state legislative proposal.

Environmental groups clash with Utah Inland Port Authority, Legislature over water use
Logan Stefanich and Daniel Woodruff, KSL | Posted Feb. 18 - 6:36 p.m. | Save Story
Environmental groups released a report criticizing water use tied with Utah Inland Port projects, calling for the Legislature to limit the amount of water those developments can use.
NIH director Bhattacharya to temporarily run CDC
Ahmed Aboulenein, Julie Steenhuysen and Bo Erickson, Reuters | Updated Feb. 18 - 5:33 p.m. | Save Story
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya was named acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Trump administration official said Wednesday.
New paint scheme for Trump's Air Force One includes gold, red, white and blue
David Shepardson and Mike Stone, Reuters | Posted Feb. 18 - 5:20 p.m. | Save Story
The Air Force is rolling out a new paint scheme across its executive airlift fleet, including Air Force One, in a color palette of red, white, dark blue, and gold, the service announced Tuesday.

Committee tables bill to shift Utah prep sports control from century-old association
Amy Donaldson, KSL | Posted Feb. 18 - 4:07 p.m. | Save Story
A bill seeking to shift control of high school sports from the nonprofit Utah High School Activities Association to the State School was put on hold Wednesday.
Ukraine dissatisfied with 'difficult' talks; US sees 'meaningful progress'
John Revill and Olivia Le Poidevin, Reuters | Updated Feb. 18 - 2:49 p.m. | Save Story
Peace talks in Geneva between Ukraine and Russia ended Wednesday with no breakthrough, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was dissatisfied, though Washington reported "meaningful progress."

