COVID cases in Utah kids 250% higher this year, LDS First Presidency urges vaccinations and masking | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | August 13, 2021 Happy Friday the 13th. It's National Filet Mignon Day - date night taken care of. If you have kids/grandkids going back to school next week, enjoy your last weekend of summer vacation. Be in the Know The Salt Lake County Council voted 6-3, along party lines, to overturn the school mask mandate. Anti-mask advocates then sang the National Anthem under a Three Percenters flag. Not everyone agreed that it should be a parental choice issue. "It's not about freedom...it's about science," said a pediatric physician's assistant. "Blood will be on their hands." Utah is already at 250% more COVID-19 cases in children than this time last year, says Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of the division of pediatric infectious disease at University of Utah Health and director of hospital epidemiology at Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital. The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement yesterday urging its members to get vaccinated and to mask up. "We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic," they said. "We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders." The US Supreme Court is allowing Indiana University to require students to be vaccinated. Judge Amy Coney Barrett rejected a suit by students who claimed the requirement violated their constitutional rights. Census information was released yesterday and, as expected, Utah grew at the fastest rate of any state in the nation: 18.37%. We are also the youngest state in the nation and are seeing an increase in diversity. We won't gain a Congressional seat, but where the state grew will impact state legislative districts. By numbers, Salt Lake County added the most new residents. By percentage, Wasatch County grew at a whopping 47.8%, the 7th-fastest growing county in the nation. Wasatch County is followed by Washington (30.5%), Morgan (29.8%), Utah (27.7%) and Tooele (24.9%). | | |
Utah Headlines General Churchâs First Presidency urges vaccination, says vaccines are âsafe and effectiveâ in battle with COVID-19 (Deseret News) Timeline: LDS Church leader actions and statements on wearing masks during pandemic (Deseret News) "I quit!" Welcome to the Great Resignation, where burnout meets opportunity. (Deseret News) Draper residents excited about recreational and commercial opportunities âThe Pointâ will bring to Utah prison site. Developers aim for the 600-acre project to have everything a resident might need within 15 minutes. (Salt Lake Tribune) Census/Redistricting Why are Utah's senators at odds over infrastructure? (Deseret News) New census numbers are staggering. We know Utah is growing. See by how much and where. Minorities now make up a quarter of the stateâs population. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah's breakneck growth kept it the youngest state in U.S. (KUTV) IN FOCUS Discussion: Census data and redistricting (ABC4) Weber County stands to lose representation as redistricting lurches forward (Standard-Examiner) Washington County grew by more than 30% over past decade, per new US Census release (The Spectrum) Utah redistricting: Everything you need to know (KUER) COVID Corner 1243 new cases, 3 new deaths Navajo Nation to return to âOrange Statusâ starting on Monday due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. Delta is bad news for kids. In the last week of July, nearly 72,000 new coronavirus cases were reported in kidsâalmost a fifth of all total known infections in the U.S., and a rough doubling of the previous weekâs stats. âItâs the biggest jump in the pandemic so farâ among children, Lee Beers, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said. Last week, that same statistic climbed to nearly 94,000. (The Atlantic) Doctor: Being called a 'traitor' for advocating for masks at school board meeting 'mind blowing' (The Hill) Rep. Greene waves off concerns of hospital overcrowding: 'We can't live forever' (The Hill) A 45-year-old Kansas mayor - a biker and a runner - needs a pacemaker after a long-haul covid fight: âI thought I was going to beat itâ (Washington Post) Mississippi braces for âfailureâ of hospital system due to covid-19 surge and lack of ICU beds (Washington Post) Schools become COVID-19 battleground (The Hill) Education Mask order veto has some students switching to online learning (KUTV) Nebo, Alpine School Districts vote to increase taxes in 2021 (Daily Herald) Built Bar enters into landmark agreement to pay tuition for BYU football walk-ons (Daily Herald) Health A "pivotal" new study challenges the assumptions that metabolism slows at middle age and that women have slower metabolisms than men. The findings from the research are likely to reshape the science of human physiology. (New York Times) Housing Utah County home prices surge faster than nearly everywhere in the country (KUTV) National Headlines General This World War II veteran thought he had seen everything. Then he saw Nazi flags waving in America. (Washington Post) A stranger helped a Jamaican athlete get to his Olympic race. He won gold and tracked her down. (Washington Post) Fearing the fall of Kabul in just weeks, the U.S. is sending troops to evacuate Americans. (New York Times) The U.S. asked the Taliban to spare its embassy in the coming fight for Kabul. (New York Times) Politics 9 Dems threaten mutiny over Pelosi's budget plan. Pelosi can afford to lose only three votes in the House and will need near unanimity among Democrats to pass the budget resolution, which is slated for a vote when the House returns the week of Aug. 23. (Politico) Vote-a-rama drama and the national debt (Politico) A tale of two chambers: Trump's power holds in House, wanes in Senate (The Hill) DeSantis backs off threat to slash school officials' salaries (The Hill) Elections Colorado Republican official accused after voting system passwords are leaked to right-wing site (Washington Post) Four Senate Republicans wait on reelection bids as majority hangs in balance (Politico) International Taliban sweep across Afghanistanâs south; take 4 more cities (AP) EXPLAINER: Why Ethiopiaâs war crisis is deepening by the day (AP) | | |
Policy News Utah Independent Redistricting Commission and Coalition of Utah Mayors and political leaders plead for publicâs involvement in redistricting process On the heels of the 2020 census data release, the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission (UIRC) and a coalition of Utah Mayors, as well as the Chairs of both Utah Republican and Democratic Parties will gather Monday to highlight the importance of the publicâs participation in Utahâs ongoing redistricting process. At the event, the UIRC will demonstrate its new interactive website, including how Utahns can explore the 2020 census data, submit formal comments and ideas on redistricting and even create and submit their own recommended maps. (Read More) Utah higher education leaders reveal new data on barriers for adult learners returning to workforce Western Governors University (WGU) unveiled new research on adult learners in Utah at the Salt Lake Chamberâs Workforce Summit: Removing Barriers and Building Skills Together Thursday morning. âThere will be disruptions to the workforce moving forward, and we have to be able upskill and reskill more quickly with the skills that are in demand at that time,â said Wesley Smith, Senior Vice President Policy and Government Affairs, WGU. âI think we can all agree planning for disruption and anti-fragility is going to be something that great workforce policy will have to revolve around.â (Read More) RizeNext announces 501(c)(3) nonprofit status of Tech-Moms to train more Utah mothers across the Wasatch Front Tech-Moms, which has operated under RizeNext, is in the process of becoming an independent 501(c)(3) organization to respond to the increasing demand of enrollment for tech training for Utah mothers. The 9-week training program has successfully completed six cohorts within the last year, including a sister program called Tech-Moms Latina.
âWe were thrilled to support Tech-Moms over the past year as it tested and proved its market and client base during its early stages. Tech-Moms had a stellar first year and is now ready to move into this space as an independent entity,â said RizeNext CEO and Founder Trina Limpert. âRizeNext will continue to sponsor the mission of Tech-Moms, which is to help women transition into tech careers and to diversify the overall tech talent landscape.â (Read More) Curtis on $5T infrastructure bills: âNot the Utah wayâ âThe Nation is in desperate need of a fiscal diet. Spending nearly $5,000,000,000,000 on the combined infrastructure bills is no way to temper run-away inflation, a worker shortage, and worst of all: massive debt, incurred while increasing taxes on small businesses while giving high-earners in blue states tax cuts, decreasing health care innovation to the detriment of our most vulnerable patients, and stripping U.S. companies of their competitive edge internationally. While I applaud the bipartisan work in the Senate to deal with critical infrastructure, the insistence of Speaker Pelosi to link the two bills only adds to a government that is infatuated with itself and the mistaken idea that the federal government is the answer to all our problems. These bills may be attractive to the many who see money coming their way, but it is not the Utah wayâ nor is it the way I vote.â (Read More) Congressman Blake Moore to host townhall in Duchesne County on Friday Congressman Blake Moore will host an in-person townhall event in Duchesne County today to discuss several topics including immigration, federal spending, national security, housing affordability, updates from Washington, and more. All are welcome to attend and participate, and media are permitted to cover the event. Date: Friday, August 13th, 2021 Time: 5pm MT Location: Duchesne County Commission Chambers 734 North Center Street Duchesne, Utah 84021 | | |
Commentary: County Council did its duty deciding mask mandate policy By LaVarr Webb With Thursdayâs highly-contentious vote by the Salt Lake County Council to overturn the county school mask mandate, we saw a vivid example of elected leaders making a consequential policy decision instead of allowing unelected experts to make policy affecting tens of thousands of children and families. It was a difficult decision, a very close call, and reasonable people can disagree and make strong arguments on both sides. And I have the utmost respect for Dr. Angela Dunn, the Salt Lake County Health director, and donât fault her at all for imposing the mandate. From a purely health perspective, not taking into account all other factors, it was the right call. Also, I hope parents across the state will choose to have their children wear masks in school, at least those who can. Do it willingly because it will protect your children, your family and the rest of the community. But I think the County Council made the right decision, all things considered, to let parents decide whatâs best for their children. I believe parents should be strongly encouraged to have their children wear masks. There are many persuasive reasons to do so. But, ultimately, I would not want to take that right away from parents and allow government to force children to wear masks against their parentsâ wishes. The County Council looked at the issue more broadly than simply the way a health expert would view it. One key issue is whether the mandate would be accepted and followed by most parents and families. There is hardly a more emotional or contentious issue than forcing children to wear masks. Policymakers ought to think twice about imposing a law that is virulently hated, that creates a civil war. I believe had the council upheld the mandate weâd see an enormous uproar with thousands of families pulling their children from public schools to either home school them or try find a private alternative. I think the result would be more children suffering another lost school year and that would be worse than going to school without a mask. Iâm also aware that many parents favor mask mandates and view the anti-maskers as anti-science troglodytes who donât know whatâs best for their children and will endanger all children in a school. But these parents can send their children to school in masks and the science says they should be protected. It is the role of elected policymakers to take a broad view, including constituent desires, to oversee the experts throughout government. We donât allow health experts to make all the policy decisions about health, just as we donât allow generals to decide whether to go to war. We donât allow highway safety experts to establish all the driving rules based only on safety concerns. If we did, weâd all be driving 20 mph and our vehicles would be built like tanks. Having elected leaders make the ultimate policy is why society allows alcohol, nicotine, gluttony, skydiving and building homes in floodplains, despite clear evidence about the health consequences. So I hope we donât have a civil war over this issue. Itâs a tough one. The majority on the County Council took a broad view, stepped up, and did what they think is best for a majority of their constituents. They did the right thing. | | |
Upcoming Utah Foundation Breakfast Briefing: Mental health in anxious times â Aug 26 @ 9 am. Register here Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett â Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1521 - The Aztec capital falls to Cortés. 1818 - Lucy Stone is born. She was a suffragist and supporter of rights for women and African Americans and boldly kept her own name when she married. 1893 - Eva Dykes is born. She was the first African-American woman to earn a doctoral degree (in English from Radcliffe College in 1921), was a professor at Howard University, and Chair of the English Dept. at Oakwood College. 1899 - Alfred Hitchcock is born 1910 - Florence Nightingale, British pioneering nurse (Crimean War), dies at 90 1914 - First ship passes through the Panama Canal 1942 - The 'Manhattan Project' commences, under the direction of US General Leslie Groves: its aim - to deliver an atomic bomb 1961 - Berlin is divided. Shortly after midnight, the first version of the wall went up, trapping Berlin residents and cutting them off from friends and family in the other half. 1981 - Reagan signs the Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA), a package of tax and budget reductions that set the tone for his administrationâs trickle-down economic policy. Wise Words "I believe that the influence of woman will save the country before every other power."
-Lucy Stone Lighter Side Text here | | |
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