A Sticky Situation In The Gorge: KSUB News Summary

A semi-tractor-trailer caught fire on northbound I-15 late Thursday afternoon and traffic was choked off throughout the evening. The big rig hauling syrup went up in flames around 4 p.m. near the exit to Cedar Pocket Road, about 19 miles southwest of St. George. It took Beaver Dam-Littlefield, Arizona Fire Department crews two hours to put out the flames, then spent hours working to clear sticky syrup from the driving lanes. The truck driver and a man who was riding with her did not appear to be injured.

A new study find Utah is a highly dangerous place to drive. The study by business litigation and personal injury lawyers Heninger Garrison Davis found Utah has the second-highest rate of fatal high-speed crashes, trailing only Wyoming. High speed was a factor in more than 26-point-six percent of fatal crashes in Utah. That's more than 53-percent above the national average. According to the Utah Highway Patrol, the state has seen a rising trend of high-speed crashes since 2020.

Utah's new black and white license plate is so popular, there's a six-to-eight-week wait to get one. The plate that was standard in the 1960s has been available for years for vehicles classified as "vintage." But earlier this year a new law made it available to cars, trucks, and motorcycles as a specialty plate with proceeds going to the Utah Historical Society. Just this month, the Department of Motor Vehicles has gotten more than ten-thousand-600 requests for black and white plates.

Utah gas prices are edging down. Triple-A reports the statewide average price for regular is four-21 a gallon today, one cent lower than on Thursday. Washington and Iron counties are among the least expensive places to fill up. The average price in Washington County is four-15 a gallon and it's four-19 in Iron County. Gas is no bargain in Kane County, where the average price is four-32 a gallon.

Environmental officials are finding high levels of mercury in Utah fish. The Department of Environmental Quality said two lakes and four reservoirs have been added to the state's Mercury Fish Consumption Advisory list. Officials say young children and those who are pregnant or may become pregnant are most vulnerable to the effects of mercury toxicity. Officials say repeated exposure to mercury may have neurological effects in developing fetus and children.