🌱 University Receives $15M Donation + A New Solar Project

Happy Friday, neighbors! Let's get you all caught up on what's happening locally to start today off on an informed note.

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First, today's weather:

Breezy in the afternoon. High: 70 Low: 46.

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Here are the top stories in Salt Lake City today:

1. The College of Engineering at the University of Utah received a $15 million gift to build a new home for computing. Philanthropists John and Marcia Price gifted the school the generous donation to build a new computer science building. The future six-story, 209,000 square feet building is set to support future growth for the School of Computing. This building is going to be the hub for computer science students and help feed new graduates into the growing Utah tech sector. (ABC 4)
2. Leaders of multiple municipalities joined energy companies Tuesday in breaking ground on a new solar farm that will help in the growing quest to move to clean energy sources in the near future. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Park City Mayor Andy Beerman were among the leaders who helped ceremonially break ground on the Elektron Solar project, an 80-megawatt solar farm northwest of Grantsville in Tooele County. Salt Lake City and Park City are two of the six customers that have invested in the project. The solar farm represents a monumental step for Salt Lake City and Park City because both have goals to switch to renewable resources to run city operations in the near future. (KSL.com)
3. Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints issued a statement following a fire that sparked at the historic Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City citing that "the most likely cause of the fire is from combustible construction materials that ignited on their own." (KUTV 2News)
4. An information technology employee for Salt Lake City who investigators say had access to restricted information intended only for police officers, has been arrested and accused of assisting a Bountiful man recently charged with human trafficking. (KSL.com)
5. The First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City will be celebrating 150 years with their annual Scottish Festival and Kirkin O'th Tartan. (KUTV 2News)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new update. If you're into these newsletters, consider bringing some friends and neighbors along for the ride. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.