UTA will extend its commuter rail service to Pleasant View today.

The smog trapped in the Salt Lake Valley last week contained nearly twice the unhealthy amount of particles and is similar to the air pollution that occurred before the 1970 Clean Air Act was passed, according to experts.

U neighbors, alumni and students questioned the overall impact of new campus development projects on the environment, global warming and the flow of traffic in the neighborhoods surrounding the university at a community forum held Thursday night.

The U will hold three community workshops with Inland American Communities to discuss how to develop the mixed-use development project, which will be built adjacent to Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the parking lot is located.

As the economy has fallen into a state of recession, budget cuts from the Utah Legislature are starting to hit home for smaller departments such as UCard services at the U.

The U received a $5 million grant to study environmental and genetic factors that cause birth defects, despite the fact that other institutions participating in the study lost funding.

In an effort to make use of resources right in the heart of the LDS religion's headquarters, the U is now offering a fellowship for graduate or postgraduate students to research aspects of the LDS Church and its impact on society.

With environmental crime on the rise, offenders still get off easier than other criminals. This trend, which was discussed Thursday at a symposium held by the S.J. Quinney College of Law, is unsettling to environmentalists and prosecutors alike.

In a special forum Thursday at the Hinckley Institute of Politics, local newspaper reporters said Utah can expect more budget cuts to go through the Utah Legislature this session, while ethics, health care reform, liquor laws and gay rights take the backseat.

Leaders of the Independent Party said they have decided to discontinue their campaign for ASUU elections.