Evening Brief: Aug. 12, 2026

From KUER News in Salt Lake City, I'm Pamela McCall. Crews have stopped growth of the Rocky Canyon fire along a quarter of its border. Utah Fire Info says humidity plus wet conditions on the south end helped. The northern Utah blaze has burned more than 15,000 acres. The town of Hennifer remains evacuated. Nearby, the fire is pushing up. into rocky areas. Trees at higher elevations can burn hotter and faster. Firefighters will be working up there to keep the fire from moving. Commuter rail is set to get a facelift, a project to double-track miles of the frontrunner across the Wasatch Front. As entered a new phase, KUBR's Sean Higgins, has more in its future. The Frontrunner 2X project will add over 26 miles of track between Ogden and Provo. That will allow for more frequent trains and fewer delays for commuters. The design process is entering its final stage. And $1.3 billion in federal funding is on the table. Frontrunner is getting new hybrid electric trains too. Brian Allen is the project director for the Utah Department of Transportation. Instead of having like a locomotive at the front pulling cars. They're a lot more like a light rail train. They're a lot more fuel efficient and agile. Transit advocates also see the project as a stepping stone for further advancement for commuter rail. Christian Linehart is one of the original co-authors of the Rio Grande Plan. It's a community-led proposal to reimagine Salt Lake Central Station underground. He thinks as more people ride the train, it'll be more obvious that there's a need for an improved hub in Salt Lake City. It solves so many issues that if they all arise simultaneously, then I think the Rio Grande Plan will stand out as the clearest. most obvious practical solution for the next phase of front-runner growth. Pre-construction could get underway later this fall with the bulk of work beginning in one to two years. Sean Higgins, KUER News. A federal grand jury indicted a Utah man today on a hate crime charge. It follows the stabbing of a Muslim man in West Valley City last month. KUER's Elaine Clark has more. Paul Larson allegedly attacked the man at the Valley Fair Mall on July 13th. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds. According to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, Larson said in a post-Miranda interview that he wanted to kill Muslims and rid the country of them. He's already facing two first-degree felony counts of attempted aggravated murder in Salt Lake County. The district attorney's office told KUER it intends to proceed with its case. The federal hate crime charge is for willfully causing injury because of the victim's religion. Melissa Holyoke is the U.S. attorney for the district of Utah. In a press release, she says anti-Muslim violence is a crime. And quote, it will be met with the full force of federal law to ensure justice for the victim and the broader Muslim community.

If convicted, Larson could face life in prison. Elaine Clark, KUERN News. Larson is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in U.S. District Court. Utah has a big Medicaid budget shortfall between $100 and $200 million. For now, the coverage program for low-income people is operating as usual. But the state may need to dip into rainy day funds to make up the difference. Tracy Gruber is Commissioner of the Utah Department Health and Human Services. She told Fox 13 that after the pandemic, the state actually lost about 200,000 people from Medicaid rolls. If you lose that number of people, why has it cost so much? The people who remained on Medicaid are what we would consider high utilizers. There's also been a rise in health care costs and a budget forecasting tool the state uses didn't catch the shortfall. A Utah legislative committee will discuss the budget shortfall in a hearing next week. You are listening to KUER News.