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State lawmakers looking to form Utah Lake Authority to restore polluted waters
Sponsor says the bill has nothing to do with an artificial island city proposed for the lake thatâs still in the works.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) Utah Lake is plagued with invasive species, a nutrient overload and toxic algal blooms, as seen in this file photo from 2019.
  | Feb. 15, 2021, 1:00 p.m.
A Utah lawmaker is considering legislation to create a new Utah Lake Authority that would have broad authority over the management, cleanup and future use of the stateâs largest freshwater lake.
Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, is sponsoring the legislation, which has not yet been numbered or made public. But a recent draft obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune shows it would create a 13-member Utah Lake Authority Board, with members appointed by the governor, Legislature, Utah County, the local Chamber of Commerce and numerous cities that border the lake. The lake autho
Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY Week two of the 2021 Utah Legislature began with news that one Utah lawmaker is hospitalized with COVID-19 and two others tested positive for the disease.
Rep. Jon Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, has been hospitalized with the novel coronavirus after becoming ill before the session started Jan. 19. On Monday, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, and Senate Budget Vice Chairman Don Ipson, R-St. George, both tested positive during rapid testing that is available to lawmakers and Capitol Hill staff.
Ipson tested negative Jan. 22 and remained in Salt Lake City over the weekend, but after testing positive on Monday, he returned to St. George.
| Updated: 5:11 p.m.
Two Utah lawmakers tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday while a third, Utah Rep. Jon Hawkins, 42, was battling COVID-19 from a hospital bed.
Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, has been unable to participate in the legislative session so far, according to a Sunday post on his official Facebook page that requested Utahns of all political stripes “come together in prayer for Jon and his family.”
In a statement Monday evening, House Speaker Brad Wilson said he’s been in regular contact with Hawkins’ family for updates.
“Representative Hawkins is known for his jovial nature and we have certainly felt his absence during these opening days of the session,” the Kaysville Republican said, adding that Hawkins is a “well-respected and esteemed member of our body and we hope to have him back at the Capitol, representing his constituents as soon as he is back to health.”