SALT LAKE CITY -- Some Utah cities say recent Census population estimates are not accurate.

Independence day has come and gone and along with it all of the fireworks, at least for now. Inevitably after every Fourth of July or similar firework-infested holiday, local animal shelters see a large increase in the number of dogs picked up running at large through the community. It is a known fact -- dogs and fireworks don't mix.

The slowing economy may have a hidden benefit; school districts are finding it easier to fill teaching positions.

Network buyout getting off to a rocky start

Things haven't exactly been smooth for Broadweave as it takes over the iProvo fiber system.

For a few months each summer, Winifred Durrant's west-Provo property is turned from verdant pasture to knee-deep swamp.

They got double and triple looks wherever they went.

Thousands lined up for bagpipes, Scotch  eggs and family crests in Payson on Saturday.

• IN ONE RESPECT, this fountain differed from most others; it sported electric lights. This electrified wonder likely had no peer in Utah and existed as one of the few electric fountains found in the western United States.

Johnny Revill and his daughter Shelby inspect the world record winning fingernails of Lee Redmond at a fundraiser on Friday, July 11, 2008. The fundraiser at the Lehi Legacy Center charged $5 to have your photo take with Redmond an her 35.2 inch fingernails to raise money for Lehi's Capt. Harold Terry.

He doesn't have corporate sponsors. He's not protesting a war. He doesn't have cancer.

Army Reservists John Pyne (left) and Blaine Holdaway (right) toss 10-year-old Jessica Dees down a slip and slide at the Army Reserve Center in Provo on Friday, July 11, 2008.

"We are having a carnival here for returning soldiers on August 9th," said Pyne. "So we decided today that we need to test everything out and make sure the slip and slide works."

Summer is for free time, barbecues and family vacations, but school officials warn that summer is for anything but doing nothing. Children out of school for the summer can be at risk for losing a chunk of what they learned during the school year and falling further behind if they don’t get away from the television and pick up some books.

"Reading is the most important because along with the reading it also challenges their mind to daydream and have fun that way instead of just being in front of the television," said Greg Hudnall, student services director for Provo School District.