Sunrise Stories: New Utah Road Rage Law Goes into Effect July 1

KDXU Sunrise Stories: Volume 225 

Statewide News – 06/07/24 

Mail-In Ballots Sent Out for Utah’s June 25 Primary Election 

The county clerks have begun to distribute mail-in ballots for the June 25 primary election. The ballot must be postmarked by June 24 for it to be counted on election day. 

Federal candidates include John Curtis, Jason J. Walton, Brad Wilson, and Trent Staggs for the Utah senate seat Mitt Romney is leaving behind. 

Spencer Cox and Phil Lyman will run for the position of Utah’s governor. For those in Southern Utah, Colby Jenkins and Celeste Maloy are running for the second congressional district seat for Utah. We’ll provide more reminders as we get closer to the June 25 primary election. 

New Utah Road Rage Law Takes Effect in July 

Utah’s new road rage law will go into effect on July 1. This new law increases the fines one can receive for acts of reckless driving/road rage. 

The law classifies “road ragers” as those with the intent to endanger or intimidate an individual in another vehicle while driving.  

The class B misdemeanor will become a class A misdemeanor and other related charges will become third-degree felonies. The new law will increase fines that start at $750 and can rise into the $1,000 range. Drivers convicted of road rage can have their driver’s license revoked and may also serve up to 15 years in jail. 

Gas Prices Continue a Steady Decline Across the State 

According to this morning’s AAA gas report, the average price for a gallon of unleaded is still on a steady decline across the state. 

Washington County’s average is $3.72 per gallon while Iron County’s average is $3.48 per gallon. While that may sound cheap, it’s not the cheapest in Utah as Sevier County’s average is $3.30 per gallon. 

Most expensive gas in the state goes to Wayne County with an average of $4.06 per gallon. The state average is $3.50 per gallon. 

Southern Utah/St. George News – 06/07/24 

SGPD Begins Spear Program Summer Camps 

The St. George Police Department’s summer begins with their Spear Academy summer camps from June through July.  

The goal of the program is to introduce kids sixth through eighth grade to their resource officers and teach them communication skills, resiliency, proper behavior at school, and show them what it’s like to be a police officer. 

Representatives for the Spear Academy say this is the perfect way to introduce your child to the many officers who patrol the halls of Southern Utah’s intermediate and middle schools. 

Reminder: Fire Hose Frenzy 5K Tonight in St. George 

The Fire Hose Frenzy 5K is scheduled for tonight at 9 p.m. as temperatures begin to soar in Washington County.  

The race will take place in the Desert Color area of St. George with members of the St. George Fire Department spraying off runners as they make their way through the summer heat. 

More details can be found on the St. George city website.  

Other 

Fun fact about Stockton Myers, the writer of Sunrise Stories. 

Stockton has been really into chess lately. He’s not a master by any means, but he loves to dissect a game as all the pieces open countless possibilities. The problem is that Stockton doesn’t have many people to play with, so that means he’s mostly solving problems on various chess apps.  

Happy Weekend!