Utah News

Nearly 2,000 members of the national LDS Democrats met this week during the Democratic National Convention. UPR's Kerry Bringhurst speaks with Utahn Crystal Young-Otterstrom, who was among the first to join the Utah LDS Democrats Caucus.

Preparations are underway for the famously strenuous cycling race known as LOTOJA as it celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this weekend. Over one thousand cyclists are expected to participate. LOTOJA, the 206-mile race (the longest one-day race in the nation) from Logan, Utah, to Jackson, Wyoming, is in its thirtieth year, but co-founder Jeff Keller says the race had humble beginnings. 

15 miles south of Logan you’ll find a relatively unknown place called Avon, population 367. But this weekend the sleepy farming community will be a little more lively as visitors trickle in to attend the Porcupine Music Festival.

Tucked away in the Bear River Mountain Range, the town’s backdrop of sloping yellow fields and scattered red barns seems more suited for a period piece film. But to festival organizers Rich Macatee and Wade Evans the setting complement the event’s eclectic acts – reggae groups, funk bands with horn sections, folk, world music, singer/songwriters, a west African drum troupe, one year they even hosted a belly dancing troupe. In short, the festival is a celebration of music and community.

Utah County is where Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan spent his afternoon Wednesday. The Wisconsin Congressman was in Utah to fundraise for the GOP ticket and although his time in the Beehive state was short, he still had time to squeeze in some time for a chat with some local boy scouts.

Cedar High School in Cedar City was on lock down for the better part of Wednesday after school officials found a suspicious item near the school’s entrance.