Utah News

Utah’s leading scorer from Alex Jensen’s first season, Terrence Brown, is entering the transfer portal.

Brown, who came to Utah last season after two years at Fairleigh Dickinson, plans to enter the transfer portal while also exploring the NBA draft process, he announced Monday via social media.

The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 19.9 points per game and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors during his junior season in Salt Lake City.

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Brown shot 45.3% from the field during the 2025-26 season, as well as 32.7% from 3-point range and 77.5% from the free-throw line.

There are six reported Utah players who will enter the transfer portal, including another starter, Kenau Dawes, as well as Josh Hayes, Alvin Jackson III, Jahki Howard and Elijah “Choppa” Moore.

The Division I men’s basketball transfer portal officially opens Tuesday and will close through April 21.

Utah has made it nearly impossible for residents to hold fossil fuel companies legally accountable for climate damages in a move one advocacy group described as putting “profits for the biggest polluters over communities”, with other states expected to follow suit.

The new state legislation comes as part of a push from big oil and its political allies – including groups tied to rightwing impresario Leonard Leo – for legal immunity in red statehouses and Congress, with a goal of winning state and federal legal immunity similar to the liability waiver granted to the firearms industry in 2005.

Such policies would shield major fossil fuel companies from a wave of litigation they are facing from states, subnational governments, and individuals who claim the firms knew their products would cause climate damages, but sold them to the public anyway. Four other red states are considering laws similar to Utah’s – with two close to passage – and federal legislation is seemingly in the works.

Signed into law by the state’s Republican governor Spencer Cox late last month, Utah’s new legislation shields any person or entity from civil or criminal liabilities related to planet-warming emissions, unless a court finds that the defendant violated the specific “enforceable limitation” on a greenhouse gas or the “express terms of a valid permit”.

Challengers would also have to provide “clear and convincing evidence that unavoidable and identifiable damage or injury has resulted or will result as a direct cause of the” violation. The language will make it virtually impossible to successfully sue polluters for climate damages, critics say.

“This is a surrender to wealthy special interests and an affront to the public good,” said Delta Merner, lead scientist at the science hub for climate litigation at the science advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists. “Utah’s new law prioritizes profits for the biggest polluters over communities already suffering from climate impacts and constituents should be outraged.”

Set to be enacted next month, Utah’s HB 222 was sponsored by Republican representative Carl Albrecht, who has received some funding from oil and gas interests. He was also formerly the CEO of a rural electric cooperative.

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“That cooperative is substantially powered by fossil fuels,” said Democratic Utah state senator Nate Blouin, who opposed the bill, which he said passed quickly and without much discussion. “He’s got a history in the industry, and continues to draw from that experience to push bills like this forward.”

Albrecht did not respond to a request for comment, but told Bloomberg Law that the policy aims to halt “frivolous” legal challenges from environmental groups and to protect the state’s coal-fired power plants. He also said industry trade groups gave him the idea for the proposal.

“To understand this bill you need to follow the coordination,” said Merner, noting that the Utah legislation closely mirrors a model policy called the Energy Freedom Act, circulated by conservative group Consumers Defense.

Consumers Defense has financial ties to a group linked to Leo, the architect of the far-right takeover of the supreme court who helped select Trump’s supreme court nominees. In recent years, groups tied to Leo have launched an unprecedented campaign to thwart climate accountability litigation.

Asked about Leo’s involvement in the model legislation, Will Hild, president of Consumers Defense, said it is not attributable to “any individual figure”.

“The Energy Freedom Act is intended to clarify that carbon emissions should not automatically carry legal damages and to push back on efforts … to shape national climate policy through litigation rather than through elected lawmakers,” he said. “This ensures decisions remain with accountable representatives, prevents a small number of states from imposing their policies nationwide through judicial fiat, and protects consumers from economically disruptive policies.”

Leo’s group CRC Advisors did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers in Louisiana and Oklahoma are considering similar legislation, and the state legislatures of Iowa and Tennessee have voted to pass climate liability-limiting legislation, though neither has yet been signed into law.

“In Tennessee they literally called the bill the Tennessee Energy Freedom Act,” said Iyla Shornstein, political director at the Center for Climate Integrity, which tracks and supports climate accountability litigation. “It’s a direct borrowing from the Consumers Defense language.”

A national push for immunity

The Utah bill’s passage comes as climate lawsuits against big oil companies inch closer to trial, and as states adopt climate accountability legislation.

In recent years, 70 cities, states, and individuals have sued energy majors for allegedly deceiving the public about the climate crisis. New York and Vermont have also passed climate “superfund” laws requiring major polluters to pay for damages caused by their past planet-heating pollution, with other states considering similar policies.

“The oil companies clearly see these as an existential threat to their business model,” said Shornstein. “Their lobbying makes that clear.”

Earlier this year, the top US oil lobby group the American Petroleum Institute (API) said one of its top priorities for 2026 will be blocking “abusive” climate lawsuits targeting big oil. Months earlier, 16 Republican state attorneys general also called on the justice department to provide a “liability shield” for oil companies.

Lawmakers have also pursued narrower efforts, including a failed attempt to block Washington DC from the deployment of some legal theories against oil companies, and a 2025 Maryland bill that would have barred state and local climate lawsuits but never reached a vote. And last year, both API and energy giant ConocoPhillips also pressed Congress on draft legislation to limit climate liability.

Such a federal policy appears to be in the works: during a House committee hearing last month, Wyoming representative Harriet Hageman, a Republican, said “Congress has a role to play” in defeating climate accountability lawsuits.

“To that end, I’m working with my colleagues in both the House and Senate to craft legislation tackling both these state laws and the lawsuits that could destroy energy affordability for consumers,” she said.

Hageman did not provide specific details about the legislation. She did not respond to a request for comment.

The API declined to comment on the state of a federal liability waiver proposal.

Other industries have lobbied for liability waivers before. Since the firearms sector successfully pushed for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005, “not a single negligence case against a gun manufacturer has gone to trial”, noted Merner.

The pesticide sector is also currently pursuing state-level immunity bills, while its allies have unsuccessfully pursued a federal waiver. And the tobacco industry, facing widespread litigation, also pushed for such immunity in the 1990s but failed, ending up paying $260bn in settlements.

“It seems that the fossil fuel industry has learned from these precedents. If they can secure blanket immunity now, they can avoid the fate of tobacco, but if they fail, they face tobacco-level accountability,” said Merner.

Lawmakers, advocates, and journalists have amassed mountains of evidence in recent years that oil companies intentionally covered up the climate harms of their products. Climate science, meanwhile, continues to warn that fossil fuels are the primary cause of dangerous global warming.

“I don’t see why industry would be pushing for immunity if they thought they could win on the merits of their case,” said Merner. “The evidence shows they knew about climate risks for decades and lied about it, so they’re trying to change the rules of the game entirely.”

• Hilary Reiter Azzaretti started investing more in beauty when she moved to Park City from NYC.

• She spends over $5,000 annually on wardrobe updates to maintain her appearance.

• She also gets Botox every three months as well as regular manicures, pedicures, and facials.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Hilary Reiter Azzaretti, a 50-year-old PR agency owner in Utah. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was 16, I landed my first internship at a music PR agency in New York City. I continued doing PR at major record labels during college and after I graduated.

My life and career took a twist in 2002, when I had the opportunity to do PR for the Sundance Film Festival. I was planning to move back to NYC after the three-month stint in Park City, but I found tourism PR roles and decided to move permanently.

I didn’t know much about Utah before that first visit, but I fell in love with the mountain lifestyle, sense of community, and outdoor activities.

In 2010, I launched my own PR and marketing agency. Having worked and lived in Utah for nearly 25 years now, I do my best to keep up with the beauty standards.

Here’s why I feel that pressure and how much I spend a month.

There are a lot of differences between working and living in NYC and Utah

Utah has a slower pace, less diversity, and a more conservative culture, but one of the biggest challenges is the pressure to maintain a youthful, fresh appearance. Even though NYC is very focused on appearance, it’s not as bad as Utah.

Here, people tend to be far more superficial and conscious of their appearance. Utah immediately gave me the impression that it was very beauty-centric and that a lot of people here cared about longevity, wellness, and appearance.

Many people in Utah have hair and eyelash extensions, Botox, plastic surgery, laser treatments, and a long list of other things to enhance their appearance.

I had never done Botox or regular facials before living here. I wore makeup and got manicures, but not as often. Within the first few years, I found myself investing more in how I looked from head to toe.

The PR industry already has high appearance standards

In public relations, there’s an unspoken emphasis on youthfulness and appearance. When I started my agency at 34, I was in front of more people than ever. I’m the face of the brand I created. It started to weigh on me even more.

Half the pressure is self-induced. Outsiders might perceive younger PR people as more on top of trends, especially with social media. That’s not always true, since PR is a relationship-driven business, but because it feels that way, trying to hide your age soothes your ego.

The other half comes from what you see on the job. There are a lot of influencers in Utah, so I’m inundated with images of beautiful people every day. It feels inevitable that you’ll place greater emphasis on your appearance based on what you’re seeing.

I’ve become acutely aware that many of my clients are younger than I am. I’ve heard some say, ‘I can’t believe you’re 50!’

I update my wardrobe on a quarterly basis and spend over $5,000 a year on clothing

I work with people across a range of industries, and I’m compelled to dress the part so that they respect me and consider me a peer.

I wear the latest trendy brands and shop at places like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and more niche but popular brands, like Krimson Klover, where a base layer top can cost a few hundred dollars.

Because I’m public-facing and create a lot of content, I don’t want to be seen wearing the same outfit twice, so variety’s important to me.

I get Botox every three months and spend close to $2,000 a year on it

I resisted getting Botox for years because I have a medical phobia, but when I was 40, I noticed forehead lines that horrified me. I figured I’d try it once, knowing how many friends were doing it, and see the outcome.

After the first time, it became part of my beauty routine because I liked the results, and the injections weren’t as painful as I anticipated.

I typically do it every three months to keep up and avoid any new wrinkles. I got Botox in Thailand once because it was a quarter of the price. Every time I travel to a new country, I hunt for Botox deals.

I spend over $1,500 a year on manicures and pedicures

Getting bi-monthly manicures and pedicures is a must for me. People are constantly seeing my nails at in-person events, in meetings, and on social media.

I get dip powder on my nails because it lasts about three weeks, and I pick a color or pattern that’s on trend but not too wild.

I do antiaging treatments a few times a year

The air is very dry here in Utah, and it can wreak havoc on your skin, accentuating fine lines, while the high-altitude sun can cause further damage, like skin cancer. I get antiaging treatments like hydrofacials and eye treatments four times a year.

These treatments are expensive and can cost a couple of hundred dollars each, but it’s important to me that my skin stays in good shape to maintain a healthy glow and a youthful, refreshed appearance.

I also visit the dermatologist every year to treat any pre-cancerous areas.

I think I’d care less about my appearance and aging if I still lived in NYC

I’m not sure if I’d be doing all these beauty treatments if I still lived in NYC. There’s less of a focus there on obsessing about keeping such a youthful appearance, and the more humid climate is gentle on the skin.

A big factor for me is that I don’t feel my age, so I don’t want to look my age. I don’t even think I behave my age because I can relate really well to people in their 20s, just as I can to people in their 60s.

I’m always researching and exploring new beauty treatments. Next on my list is red light therapy because of the restorative benefits for your recovery after working out and antiaging benefits for your skin.

While I haven’t had plastic surgery yet, at times it’s tempting. I just don’t think I could do it, but never say never, especially if I live in Utah forever.

Read the original article on Business Insider

The Utah Jazz lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a final score of 111-146 in a game that was never particularly close.

In a matchup of the Williams brothers, the older, more All-Star of the two, won handily. Jalen Williams finished with 15 points and 7 assists in only 26 minutes, whereas the younger Cody Williams finished with 8 points on 3-11 shooting.

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The Thunder’s offensive onslaught featured a balanced attack from its scorers. Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Cason Wallace led the bench with 16 points. And the thunder received double-digit scoring from four others, including 11 from former Utah Ute Brandon Carlson.

Utah, down 43 at one point, was led by Brice Sensabaugh’s 34 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Interestingly, Svi Mykhailiuk, who was unshackled from the bench for the second time in nearly 20 games, took the opportunity to put up 16 shots, 14 of which were threes. Unfortunately for Mykhailiuk, only six of those attempts went in. Kyle Filipowski pitched in 20 points and 14 rebounds, albeit on 10-15 shooting from the field.

With this loss, the Jazz remain tied for fourth in the draft rankings. Utah continues their road-trip in New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Tuesday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made easy work of the Utah Jazz in their 146-111 win on Sunday. They led by as many as 43 points in their last gimme game of the regular season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a calm 20 points and seven assists. Chet Holmgren finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Jalen Williams had 15 points and seven assists. Lu Dort tallied 13 points and four rebounds.

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Meanwhile, Brice Sensabaugh dropped 34 points and five assists. Kyle Filipowski tallied 20 points and 14 rebounds. Ace Bailey had 14 points and four rebounds.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from the Thunder’s 35-point win over the Jazz:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Photos: Best images from Thunder’s 146-111 win over Jazz

My significant other suggested that I ask each of you to “tuna in” to the Utah Jazz’s upcoming contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. I don’t know what could have possibly possessed her to ask this of me, nor have I figured out what tuna could have to do with a basketball game of any scale (no pun intended), but now we are both cursed with the knowledge of a heinous maritime pun.

May this article smite us both.

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Assuming you, the reader, possess the fortitude to withstand such a gut-wrenching play on words, perhaps you’ll likewise brave the Utah Jazz’s (21-57, 14th in West) impending struggle against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (61-16, 1st in West) with similar grace. You are stronger than most, and it’ll take a titanium digestive track to bear the disparity between basketball’s strongest record (OKC) and one of its weakest (Utah).

May I turn your attention to Brice Sensabaugh, who has averaged just shy of 20 points in his last 30 games in the absence of Utah’s veterans. Maybe even Ace Bailey, the Jazz rookie who has erased any buzz that he isn’t happy in the Beehive State and has blossomed into one of the most promising young players in his class? Could I interest you in Cody Williams — who is not terrible — the once-deemed ‘lost cause’ who has scored 20 or more points in seven of his last 10 appearances leading up to Oklahoma City?

The Utah Jazz seemed directionless and empty just a season ago, but with another calendar year of sample size and time in the incubator, Utah’s youngsters are among basketball’s most promising, and could make the Jazz one of the deepest and most dangerous teams in 2026 with a healthy Markkanen, JJJ, Kessler, and George leading the charge (and also AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson would be nice, lottery gods, but I’m not picky).

Sure, OKC is the basketball equivalent of a buzzsaw, essentially disintegrating every team it comes in contact with, and sure, they’ll be the favorites to hoist the NBA Finals trophy for the second consecutive season. Sure, they’ll likely make quick work of the visiting Jazz like a sniffling dog sneezing the powdered sugar off a donut. But something is manifesting in Utah. Don’t take this upcoming result as an indicator of these teams’ true value in the coming years.

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Will Hardy and his intrepid group of Boy Scouts embarked on an excursion back in October that has lasted 78 games and taken the functionality of the troop’s most veteran members. Now, as Troop 801 comes across the Paycom Center and its native Oklahoma City Thunder. A storm of epic proportions forced the youth to fall under temporary shelter, shivering and frightened as lightning tore the sky, and the thunderous voice of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed.

Rain formed puddles, which formed ponds, which turned into lakes. The remaining scouts clung to floating debris like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. Those who honored their parent’s age restriction wishes and hadn’t seen James Cameron’s nautical masterpiece were lost to the storm, but the Thunder’s wrath was withstood by the naughty boys who understand what it means to “paint me like one of your French girls”. Is that irony? Doesn’t matter. The waters are rising, and the Thunder is encroaching.

Suddenly, like a fountain, something shot swiftly from beneath the surface and took to the sky. If just for a moment, it seemed as though the storm… flinched? A sign of weakness? A fleeting glance of possibility for the young and chipper Jazz? The shape shed all ambiguity, revealing its head, tail, and… is that a tuna? Perhaps the task of conquering the Thunder is not impossible — perhaps the undermanned Jazz have a fighting chance after all. With a mighty sploosh, the rallier returned to his origin, having struck a match of hope in these fumbling scouts’ hearts.

[Did I stretch too far for the tuna thing? I feel like I might have.]

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

The Utah Jazz have a matchup set with the reigning champion OKC Thunder on Easter Sunday, where they’ll be tasked with a tall task to overcome if they want to claim a late-season win..

Not just because of the talent that lies in front of them with the buzzsaw that is the best record in the NBA, but also due to the outlook of their injury report compared to what the Thunder are dealing with rolling into the weekend.

Here’s what to expect on the injury front for the Jazz’s final matchup of the year against Oklahoma City:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Elijah Harkless (hamstring)

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

It’s the same look as what the Jazz had been dealing with on their injury report for the last matchup they had on tap against the Houston Rockets, one that ended in a 106-140 blowout loss, and their eighth loss in a row.

This one will certainly pose a similar challenge for this young Jazz group that will be without several key pieces in their rotation, headlined by Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen’s extended absence, paired with their trio of season-ending injuries in the frontcourt of Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, and Jusuf Nurkic.

Isaiah Collier will also miss another game due to his hamstring injury, as will Elijah Harkless with his own respective hamstring issue that’s bound to leave this backcourt without a good chunk of its typical depth.

Another surprising name who continues to miss out of the Jazz’s regular seasion action: two-way signee Blake Hinson, who’s performed well in his limited opportunities, yet continues to be assigned on with the Salt Lake City Stars, rather than on the main roster.

In the 11 games Hinson has played with the Jazz, he’s averaged 11.6 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 51.9% from the field and 50.9% from three.

Perhaps he’ll get another shot to suit up for the Jazz in the final three games that remain before their outing against OKC, but don’t expect to see him on the floor Sunday despite the several injuries to ravage their rotation.

OKC Thunder Injury Report

OUT – Thomas Sorber (knee)

It’s a far different story on the Thunder’s side of the equation headed into their matchup with Utah, as their only injury absence will be the name they’ve been without all season long in rookie big man Thomas Sorber with a torn ACL.

That means all of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams will all be healthy and ready to go for tip-off against a Jazz team without four of five projected starters for next season.

Will Hardy was bound to have his hands full already, like any head coach would against the Thunder, but the lopsided outlook on the injury report definitely won’t help his case to put an end to Utah’s lingering losing streak.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Thunder lands at 5 p.m. MT in the Paycom Center, where OKC will be eager to add to their own streak with what might make for their fifth consecutive win to further their lead as the top seed in the West.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah (ABC4) — The Eagle Mountain Division of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help finding a runaway juvenile.

The runaway, identified as Jaylianna Glines, was last seen leaving her home in the area of Nolan Park in Eagle Mountain Friday night, April 3. She was reportedly wearing jeans, a white jacket, and black shoes.

Jaylianna Glines was last seen leaving her home in the area of Nolan Park in Eagle Mountain Friday night, April 3. (Courtesy: Utah County Sheriff’s Office)

Glines is described as 5’8″, 120 lbs.

“We believe she may have gone to a friend’s house but we don’t know what house she could be at,” the sheriff’s office posted on social media. “If you’ve seen her or may know where she is, please call into dispatch and ask to speak to a deputy.”

What should you do if someone goes missing?

The first thing to do is call local law enforcement and report the case. Utah officials say there is no required waiting period to report a missing person. In an emergency, call 911.

When working with local law enforcement, it is recommended one shares as much information as possible about the missing person, including but not limited to:

• Full name or nicknames.

• Recent photos.

• Date of birth and age at the time they disappeared.

• Gender/sex.

• Detailed physical description (including unique scars or tattoos).

• Date of disappearance.

• Medical conditions.

• Last known location.

• Social media accounts.

Utah officials also suggest taking notes on interactions with law enforcement to keep track of details such as officer names, dates and times of interactions, the case number and what the officers say.

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“Orchids are big into moving their pollen, and so they will give a reward like a nectar. They will put out a fragrance to bring in a different type of pollinator. They have a different shape. There’s actually an orchid that looks like a bee,” said Bruce Hugo, President of Utah Orchid Society.