News Release

SALT LAKE CITY -- According to the Autumn 2010 issue of Zions Bank's Insight -- Economic News of Utah and the Nation released today, Utah's lengthy transition to modest economic growth mode is complete after the most severe recession since the Great Depression.

SALT LAKE CITY - A magnitude-8.1 earthquake and tsunami that killed 192 people last year in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga actually was a triple whammy: The 8.1 "great earthquake" concealed and triggered two major quakes of magnitude 7.8, seismologists report in the Thursday, Aug. 19, issue of the journal Nature.

WASHINGTON - HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the award of $1 million to Utah to help crack down on health insurance premium increases. Utah will use this Affordable Care Act funding to help improve the oversight of proposed health insurance premium increases, take action against insurers seeking unreasonable rate hikes, and ensure Utahns receive value for their premium dollars.

SALT LAKE CITY - KUTV has announced Sterling Poulson has accepted the position of Chief Meteorologist. Sterling brings an incredible amount of experience to the post, and is poised to lead 2News into the future. Sterling has been a main meteorologist with the 2News Weather Team since he joined KUTV in 1989.

SALT LAKE CITY - For the first time in nine years, NASA and other federal agencies will use aircraft and satellites this summer to mount an intensive, U.S.-based study of how hurricanes are born and rapidly intensify, and a University of Utah meteorologist is one of three project scientists leading the study.

LOGAN - The Utah Farm Bureau Federation will be holding its annual Midyear Conference July 15 -16 at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan. The theme for this year's conference, "Securing a Better Tomorrow", illustrates the priorities of Utah's farmers and ranchers in making preparations for a changing agricultural economy.