Economy

A new report says Utah's oil and gas drilling activity has made a strong recovery since hitting a recession-induced low in 2009, but the state isn't collecting enough tax from the industry.

The report was prepared by Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit, independent research group based in Montana that aims to improve community development and land-management decisions in the West.

According to the report, natural gas production in Utah is at pre¬­-recession highs, and oil production in the state is at its highest point in 20 years.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah has the skills, the people and the know-how to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games again, two Top of Utah lawmakers said Wednesday, the same day Gov. Gary Herbert and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker announced the formation of an exploratory committee to consider a bid for the 2022 or 2026 Winter Games.

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Salt Lake and Provo metropolitan areas have been added to a national list tracking housing markets that are on the upswing.

OGDEN -- A major centerpiece in the Ogden River Project is on schedule to be completed before the year is out.

A new study by Michigan State University shows that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the top national park in the U.S. for visitor spending.

The "Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll" estimates that in 2010 the park's 9 million visitors spent more than $818 million in neighboring communities -- double the $415 million generated by Grand Canyon National Park, the second-ranked park in the study.

Will a consumer-managed health plan really provide incentive for you to be healthier or more conscientious about what you pay for health care? It could. But with the ever-spiraling premiums of prepaid health care, that question might not matter going forward.

WASHINGTON -- Declaring the American dream under siege, President Barack Obama delivered a populist challenge Tuesday night to shrink the gap between rich and poor, promising to tax the wealthy more and help jobless Americans get work and hang onto their homes. Seeking re-election and needing results, the president invited Republicans to join him but warned, "I intend to fight."

In an emphatic State of the Union address, Obama said ensuring a fair shot for all Americans is "the defining issue of our time." He said the economy is finally recovering from a deep and painful recession and he will fight any effort to return to policies that brought it low.