SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Legislature has appropriated $2 million to be used in a statewide “War on Weeds.”

According to the Utah Department of Agriculture, many counties in Utah are affected by non-native weeds that interfere with recreation, poison wildlife and livestock, displace productive farmland and contribute to wildfires.

In Wasatch County, weed control program workers are spraying for evasive weeds from a specially fitted rail car at the back of a train on the Heber Valley Railroad.

Invasive weeds cost Utahns millions of dollars in lost economic production and in firefighting costs, the Dept. of Agriculture said in a press release.

Citizens are encouraged to report sightings of invasive weeds at: http://www.eddmaps.org/mrwc/report/index.cfm

SALT LAKE CITY — Zions Bank released the results of its March Utah Consumer Attitude Index Tuesday, showing Utah has a consumer confidence index rating of 78.9, about 19 points higher than a national rate, also released Tuesday, by a New York group called The Conference Board.

The Zions Bank report compiles the results of a survey of 500 Utah households regarding opinions and expectations related to the economy.

Economic topics such as business conditions, employment, income, home prices, gas prices, federal economy, state economy, inflation, investments and living standards are addressed in the survey.

“We have definitely seen an improvement in terms of spending habits,” said Andre Tsalpatouros, who owns a local bakery. “Last year, we could say that people were extremely price conscious and price driven. We have now a new trend where people are more looking for better value altogether.”

SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah lawmaker has proposed a bill that would reduce lower-grade class sizes in schools.

House Bill 318 would put a limit on the number of students per classroom in kindergarten through third grade, but the legislation doesn’t provide more funding to hire more teachers and qualified classroom assistants.

This isn’t the first time this legislation has been proposed. It passed through the Senate last year, but never made it out of the House.

Supporters say studies have shown that lower class sizes improve literacy and help promote better learning later on.

“Study after study have just confirmed what parents and teachers have known for a long time, which is class size matter for early literacy and also creating a foundation for additional learning through the years,” said Rebecca Edwards, R-North Salt Lake.