A defeated GOP effort to effectively legalize gerrymandering in Utah has missed another petition requirement.

Why it matters: Republican lawmakers may have flummoxed themselves by making citizen initiatives harder to enact in recent years — an effort that the GOP has undertaken nationwide.

The latest: As more voters have removed their names from a ballot measure to repeal Prop 4, the signature count has fallen below the required threshold in a fifth state Senate district.

How it works: To be placed on a statewide ballot, a proposal must meet specific signature thresholds in 26 of Utah's 29 Senate districts — and state law gives voters 45 days to remove their signatures.

Catch up quick: The GOP-controlled Legislature set those thresholds in 2019, after voters passed three politically progressive measures — including the one this year's failed proposal sought to repeal.

• The others legalized medical cannabis and expanded Medicaid.
• Further changes made it easier for initiative opponents to identify petition signers in removal campaigns, limited how signature gatherers may be paid and added other requirements.

The intrigue: Without those changes, the effort to repeal Prop 4 could have had a better chance of survival.

State of play: Name counts had already missed the thresholds in three districts when county clerks first certified the petitions last month.

• After a campaign by anti-gerrymandering groups to persuade signers to remove their names, a fourth district fell below the signature threshold two weeks ago, killing the proposal.

Driving the news: As of Wednesday morning, Senate District 12, which includes parts of West Valley City and Kearns, also was three signatures short of the threshold.

The bottom line: The ballot measure was the most direct way for the GOP to undo Utah's new congressional map, which created a Democratic-leaning district.

• Instead, candidates are now trying to outflank each other on the left in the coming Democratic primary while Republicans fume.

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🇮🇷 Demonstrators at the Utah State Capitol were protesting the war in Iran when Trump announced a ceasefire Tuesday — and their skepticism foreshadowed the confusion seen yesterday as the nations involved shared contradictory details of the terms. (FOX 13)

• Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz due to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the AP reported.

💧 Northern Utah water districts are implementing drought restrictions. The Weber Basin Conservancy has announced 20% reductions in water allocations and, alongside Layton, is pushing back irrigation season to May 15. (Standard Examiner)

📜 Ancient scrolls, preserved by heat in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, are on display until Friday at UVU. Scholars can't open them without destroying them, so they're using AI to detect ink in 3-D scans. (KSL)

🚨 A Saratoga Springs man was arrested this week on suspicion of using AI to create explicit images of his 13-year-old stepdaughter. (ABC 4)

🕯️ The leader of Utah's Krishnas, Christopher Caru Warden, died in a car wreck Monday in Springville. (Daily Herald)

✈️ Hill Air Force Base's "Rude Rams" of the 388th Fighter Wing's 34th Fighter Squadron have been named winners of the military's annual Raytheon Award, which recognizes the nation's top fighter squadron. (U.S. Air Force)

🦫 The pikas of the La Sal Mountains are showing stress related to warm weather, according to a study from Colorado Mesa University. (KUER)

🎶 Ziggy Marley, Winton Marsalis, Wynona Judd and Men at Work are some of the acts coming to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre this summer, per the concert lineup announced this week. (Red Butte Garden)

Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday that it's raising its checked bag fees by $10.

Why it matters: SLC is a Delta hub.

The big picture: It's the third major carrier to hike fees for flyers as fuel costs soar amid the Iran war.

• Jet fuel prices have risen by nearly 88% in major U.S. cities since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, per CNBC.

What to expect: Passengers on domestic and select short-haul international routes will pay $45 for their first checked bag and $55 for the second.

• The cost of checking a third bag will increase from $150 to $200.

What they're saying: A company spokesperson said the changes "are part of Delta's ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics."

• It's the first time in two years that the airline has increased baggage fees for domestic flights.

Worth noting: Baggage prices for long-haul international routes aren't changing.

Plus: Delta SkyMiles Medallion members, active-duty military members and travelers with eligible Delta credit cards will continue to receive their previously allotted free bags.

• Those purchasing first class, premium select or Delta One tickets will also receive complimentary checked luggage.

The bottom line: Travelers who stick to carry-on luggage may also find themselves paying more to fly in the coming weeks and months.

• That's because ticket prices are rising, too: Advance purchase fares more than doubled for transcontinental flights in the week after the war began.

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