Top Utah news stories of 2023: Never-ending snow, tragic family violence, a presidential visit
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Snow fell and fell and fell in Utah in 2023. Record amounts, in fact, at Utah ski resorts. That bodes well in the ongoing battle against drought and for preserving the dwindling Great Salt Lake.
And the mountains will need more of it a decade from now with Salt Lake City well-positioned to host the Winter Olympics in 2034.
While those events were cause for celebration in the past year, tragedy also filled the news. A father killing his family and himself brought domestic violence front and center. The year also wasn’t without various controversies, including free speech and diversity, equity and inclusion on college campuses as well as library books in public schools.
In sports, BYU played its first football season in the Big 12, and Utah will join the conference next year with the demise of the Pac-12.
Looking back at 2023, Deseret News editors identified some of the most important Utah stories/issues for the past 12 months. Here’s a list of 10 in no particular order:
Winter snow, spring water
The Great Salt Lake reached its historic low last year. Then winter happened. The southern end rose by more than five feet and the drought is cautiously in the rearview mirror.
If you were to compare Utah’s Delicate Arch with the amount of snow that fell at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, it would be buried — by nearly 280 inches. At 903 inches, Alta recorded more snow than any resort, and 12 of the state’s 15 ski areas had more snow than ever.
While it may have been a record snowpack year, water managers are still looking to the future.
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It has been a year of water as Utah residents grow increasingly aware of the value of the Great Salt Lake and the need to conserve water. Reservoirs currently stand at 78% full statewide. That is around 20% higher than normal reservoir levels for this time of year. For the most part, reservoirs will likely stay near those levels until spring runoff.
Welcome back, Olympics (probably)
Salt Lake City became the International Olympic Committee’s preferred host of the 2034 Winter Games this year, after more than a decade of bidding to bring one of the world’s largest sporting events back to Utah.
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The final vote won’t come until next July, but many Utah leaders are confident another Olympics is coming now that the IOC has advanced Salt Lake City to the next stage of the new selection process. That’s because the IOC praised Utah’s bid team for submitting an “incredibly strong” bid for a “superb” follow-up to the 2002 Winter Games — and for their patience.
Utah congressional delegation
Utahns elected Republican Celeste Maloy to replace GOP Rep. Chris Stewart, who resigned his 2nd District seat to take care of his ill wife. Maloy is the first Utah woman elected to Congress since 2016. She will have to run for the seat again in 2024.
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The state’s six-member, all-Republican delegation will change again after the 2024 election, with first-term Sen. Mitt Romney announcing he will not seek reelection. Romney also was the subject of a revealing biography, “Romney: A Reckoning,” that garnered national media attention. Others have already launched campaigns to replace him.
Rise of the Big 12, fall of the Pac-12
USC and UCLA announced their intentions to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, starting a domino effect that left the self-proclaimed “Conference of Champions” with two members, — Oregon State and Washington State. Oregon and Washington will join the two Southern California schools in the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah bolted for the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford are headed to the ACC.
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As Utes prepare for final regular-season game of Pac-12 era, a look back — and forward
The most memorable moments from BYU’s debut season in the Big 12
BYU finished its first football season in the Big 12 with a 2-7 league record and 5-7 record overall, failing to qualify for a bowl game. Utah, which won back-to-back Pac-12 titles in 2021 and 2022, didn’t make it to the championship game in 2023. Utah finished its last Pac-12 season at 5-4 in the conference and 8-4 overall and lost to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl. Utah and BYU will renew their rivalry as conference opponents in the Big 12 next season.
Book challenges and free speech
From school library book challenges, including one that wanted the Bible removed from one school district (it wasn’t), free speech issues on college campuses and Utah’s foray into a voucher-like scholarship program, several education issues dominated headlines during the year.
The Utah Legislature passed legislation that will provide $8,000 annual scholarships to qualifying families for private school tuitions. The legislation also gave licensed educators a $6,000 pay raise, which some educators called a “bribe” to support the Utah Fits All Scholarship program.
In higher education, debate swirled around issues of free speech. One lawmaker introduced a bill that would have banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices and officers on state-supported colleges and universities. The bill didn’t pass but the issue is expected to reemerge next year.
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Recently, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox criticized DEI programs, asserting that they foster divisiveness and that the size of the programs have proliferated without demonstrating their effectiveness.
Utah housing market
After the COVID-19 pandemic stirred unprecedented volatility in the Utah housing market — joining the Great Recession as one of those unique moments in the state’s history — the aftereffects spell trouble for the real estate market and home affordability, according to the “State of the State’s Housing Market.”
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Although market fundamentals are generally strong, housing experts predict the housing shortage is likely to increase in 2024. High interest rates spurred a market contraction and a price correction, but not enough to make homes more affordable for many priced-out Utahns. Mortgage rates are expected to taper slightly but remain relatively high. Meanwhile, home prices are also expected to increase next year.
Enoch murders
In January, 42-year-old Michael Haight shot and killed Tausha Haight, his wife of 20 years, their five children and Gail Earl, his mother-in-law, before turning the gun on himself. Tausha had filed for divorce two weeks earlier. The family, which included a 17-year-old girl, 12-year-old girl, 7-year-old girl, 7-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy, were found deceased in their home in Enoch, about 250 miles south of Salt Lake City.
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The shooting brought domestic violence issues to the forefront. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, whose cousin, Amanda Mayne was shot and killed by her ex-husband after he spent years stalking her and threatening her family, advocated for a law requiring police agencies to conduct a lethality assessment when responding to intimate partner violence. The Legislature passed the bill and it took effect in July.
New temples and a new apostle
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced 35 new temples, had eight groundbreakings, 11 dedications, including three in one day for the first time ever, and two rededications during the year. That brought the total to 335 temples dedicated, under construction or announced worldwide.
President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died on Nov. 12 at the age of 95. At the time of his death, he was the longest-tenured general authority in the church.
On Dec. 7, the 14 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ordained Elder Patrick Kearon as an apostle. From England, he became the third member of the current Twelve born and raised outside the United States.
Gov. Spencer Cox takes national stage
Gov. Spencer Cox started a yearlong term as chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association in July. As the voice of the leaders of 55 states, territories, and commonwealths, he launched an initiative called “Disagree Better.” The effort is designed to help Americans bridge the partisan divide and adopt a more positive approach to political and social discourse.
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As part of his 2024-25 budget proposal, Cox unveiled an ambitious plan for the state to build 35,000 starter homes by 2028. It calls for a $150 million investment, including an additional $50 million for the First-time Homebuyer Assistance Program launched last year that subsidizes the purchase of newly built starter homes.
President Joe Biden visits Utah
In August, President Joe Biden made his first trip to Utah since winning the White House. Air Force One touched down in Salt Lake City just hours after a Provo man who had made repeated violent threats against the president was killed by FBI agents. In the weeks and months before Biden’s arrival, Craig Robertson, a 75-year-old Provo man, posted violent threats toward the president and other elected officials on Facebook.
During his time in Utah, Biden, who is seeking reelection, spoke about the PACT Act at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Other presidential candidates, including GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., made campaign stops in Utah.
Contributing: Amy Joi O’Donoghue, Lisa Riley Roche, Marjorie Cortez
