Mindy Benson named 17th president of SUU, Biden's visit to the Middle East, Uvalde report details systemic failuresâ | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | July 18, 2022 It's Monday and Nelson Mandela International Day. Condolences to Lt. Governor Henderson on the passing of her father. His death was held on Saturday. And, a big congrats to Mindy Benson, who was named the 17th president of Southern Utah University on Friday! Be in the Know Governor Spencer Cox was was elected vice chair of the National Governors Association at the annual summer meeting in Portland. As vice chair, Gov. Cox will oversee the NGA Center for Best Practices, the only research and development office directly serving the nationâs governors. He will serve for one year with chair Gov. Phil Murphy from New Jersey. A Texas House committee investigating the police response to the Uvalde shooting released a report Sunday that concluded âsystemic failuresâ left the school vulnerable, and âegregiously poor decision-makingâ by law enforcement could have led to a higher death count. Nearly 400 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies waited more than an hour to confront the gunman. Most of the 21 victims would likely have died even if police had responded well, the report said, but âit is plausible that some victims could have survived if they had not had to waitâ for help. Lt. Mariano PargasâUvaldeâs acting police chiefâwas suspended. President Joe Bidenâs Middle East trip ended this weekend with several announcements: Saudi Arabia will open its airspace to civilian flights from Israel, a group of Arab financial development institutions will spend $10 billion to relieve regional food insecurity alongside a $1 billion commitment from the U.S., and the U.S. will withdraw peacekeeping forces from a Red Sea island itâs occupied for decadesâallowing Saudi Arabia to develop the land. Saudi Arabia also agreed to support extending the ceasefire in Yemen. After meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Biden announced $100 million in aid for Palestinian hospitals and stated his support for a two-state solution with agreed-upon land swaps, returning the U.S. to an Obama-era stance. However, Biden did not secure a concrete commitment from the Saudis to increase oil production, a major goal of the trip. Rapid Roundup Steve Bannon goes on trial today for defying a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck married Saturday in a late-night Las Vegas drive-through chapel, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sidelined his childhood friend as head of Ukraine's security service, and another close ally as top prosecutor, in the biggest internal purge of the war, citing their failure to root out Russian spies, and Britain is on course for hottest day on record at 104°F. Meanwhile, Salt Lake City hit 107° yesterday. | | |
| | | FROM OUR SPONSOR, DESERET NEWS MARATHON This is the race! Join us for this year's Deseret News Marathon on July 23. First run in 1970, the Deseret News Marathon is the oldest road race in Utah and the 4th oldest marathon west of the continental divide. The marathon follows the path the Utah pioneers traveled when they first entered the valley. This event is truly a part of Utahâs heritage! Register today! | | |
Utah Headlines General Days of â47 Rodeoâs success? His fingerprints are all over it. Meet Tommy Joe Lucia, general manager of Utahâs star-studded million-dollar Days of â47 Rodeo, started rodeoing alongside his father when he was 3. (Deseret News) Celebrating Pioneer Day? Hereâs what to eat (Deseret News) âWe all have a pioneer heritageâ: 4 stories to help you appreciate Pioneer Dayâs 175th anniversary (Deseret News) Where do kids get their news these days? It's not Google...Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram in place of Google (Deseret News) Waterskiing helps Utahns with disabilities rediscover outdoors thrill (KSL) Nationally, only 20% of businesses are women-owned. Where does Utah rank? Not great. We come in at #45, with 16%. (KSL) Politics Why confusion between registering as independent vs. unaffiliated might be causing this third party to grow (Deseret News) Michael Taylor, a former CIA colleague of Evan McMullin, is endorsing him for Senate. This is why. (Deseret News) What Mitt Romney says about Donald Trumpâs alleged call to Jan. 6 witness: It's very serious (Deseret News)
The IUP Panel on abortion access and the presidentâs approval rating (ABC4) McDonald talks health care in 4th Congressional District race (Daily Herald) How Jen Plumb plans to help her progressive district in a GOP supermajority world (KUER) Environment New Utah wildfire spreads from Summit County building blaze, prompts evacuations (Salt Lake Tribune) Archaeologists, fire crews protect hieroglyphs from Halfway Hill Fire (KUTV) Utah Division of Water Quality testing reservoirs for harmful algal blooms, waterborne pathogens (Fox13) Romney, Stewart and Owens pitch Congress on a Great Salt Lake rescue bill (KUER) Uranium mill in San Juan County is getting a boost from DOE (UPR) Family Cache County officials say reports of domestic violence, abuse, sex assault on the rise (Herald Journal) Health Which states have the most infections from brain-eating amoebas? (Utah is not on the list - yay!) (Deseret News) Hereâs where the CDC says you should mask up in Utah: Salt Lake, Summit, Wasatch, Tooele, San Juan and Piute counties. (Deseret News) Utahns can now dial 988 to reach suicide prevention counselors, as part of new national hotline that has been years in the making (Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune) After new abortion laws, some patients have trouble obtaining miscarriage treatment (New York Times) No exception for life of mother included in Idaho GOPâs abortion platform language (Idaho Capital Sun)
Housing Christian mortgage companies offer faith-based financial services. Is that a good thing? (Deseret News) Over 60% of home sellers in Boise, Idaho, slash asking prices, the most in the nation. Utah is close behind (Deseret News) Utahns face an incoming wave of proposed property tax increases (KUER) National Headlines General Wilson!! Man survives 19 hours at sea by clinging to a volleyball ð (Deseret News) Oil prices fall below $100. What does this mean for gas prices? (Deseret News) This app compares Hubble and Webb images â the differences are astronomical (clever, eh?) (NPR) 3 dead in Indiana mall shooting; witness kills gunman (AP) Ivana Trump died from blunt force trauma; NYC examiner rules it an accident (AP) Decades of progress in maternal and neonatal healthcare in Afghanistan are eroding under the Taliban due to hunger, fleeing hospital staff and curbs on womenâs freedom, doctors and international organizations say. (Wall Street Journal) Fed officials preparing to lift interest rates by another 0.75 percentage point (Wall Street Journal) The Parkland school shooter faces the death penalty as his trial begins (NPR) Politics No major problems with ballot drop boxes in 2020, AP investigation finds (AP) Pence endorses in Arizona governorâs race, putting him at odds with Trump (Washington Post) Ukraine ðºð¦ Heartbreaking ð. âEvil cannot winâ: Killed by Russian missile, 4-yr-old Liza is buried (AP) âBang, bangâ: Children live and play near Ukraine front line (AP) Russia targets Ukraine's missiles as Western-supplied weapons bite (Reuters) | | |
News Releases Gov. Spencer Cox elected vice chair of the National Governors Association Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was elected vice chair of the National Governors Association, a bipartisan association which works alongside governors to collaborate on economic recovery, infrastructure investment, health care, education, cybersecurity, workforce development, and other pressing priorities. As vice chair, Gov. Cox will oversee the NGA Center for Best Practices, the only research and development office directly serving the nationâs governors. âIâm honored to serve as NGA vice chair, and I look forward to working closely with governors from every state and territory,â said Gov. Cox. âStates are where the most creative problem solving happens, and Iâm eager to help our federal partners learn from governors and states to find common sense solutions for the nationâs biggest challenges.â (Read More) New president at Utah Education Association: Renée Pinkney Park City social studies teacher Renée Pinkney will be leaving her classroom to serve a three-year term as president of the 18,000-member Utah Education Association. She was elected to the office by her fellow educators in a statewide vote earlier this year. Her term began July 15. Pinkney has taught in Utah public schools for 27 years. She served as UEA vice president from 2019 to 2022 and as a member of the UEA Board of Directors representing the Eastern Utah UniServ from 2016 to 2019. (Read More) Zions Bancorp opens sustainable technology center Zions Bancorporation hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration at its new 400,000-square-foot technology campus in Midvale, Utah. Located on the former Sharon Steel Mill Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site, the sustainably built campus will be the companyâs primary technology and operations center, serving Zionsâ affiliate banks in 11 western states, in addition to several national lines of business. As one of Utahâs largest technology employers, Zions welcomes approximately 1,500 technology, operations and other employees to the Platinum LEED-certified building. Employee amenities include workspaces that maximize natural light and views, a large café featuring a healthy menu, bike lockers, adjacent community park with pickleball courts, sharable e-bikes, a community garden, and proximity to the Historic Gardner Village light rail station. (Read More) Bipartisan FORMULA Act passes House Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) applauds the passage of the bipartisan Formula Act in the US House of Representatives. The Formula Act was introduced in the House by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, Representative Earl Blumenaur (D-OR) along with the subcommitteeâs Ranking Member, Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and a growing list of additional cosponsors. NOTE: Negotiations resulting in the lengthening of the tariff waiver timeline as well as certain economic implications require the Formula Act be presented anew to the US Senate. (Read More) Rep. Blake Moore on House passage of the NDAA for FY 2023 Thursday night, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 passed the House of Representatives. Many of Congressman Blake Mooreâs provisions advocating for Hill Air Force Base and Utahâs defense community were included in the passed legislation.
âPutting forth a defense bill that serves the needs of both the warfighter and military families continues to be one of my top priorities in Congress,â said Congressman Blake Moore. (Read More) Number of the Day | | |
Upcoming Monument dedication to Black pioneers â July 22, 10:00 am, This is the Place Heritage Park Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office â Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here ULCT Annual Convention â Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here General election â Nov 8 | | |
On This Day In History 64 - Neroâs Rome burns 1817 - Jane Austen, English novelist (Pride and Prejudice), dies at 41 1863 - Kelly Miller is born. He was the first Black graduate student admitted to John Hopkins University but civil rights barriers prevented him from attaining his Masterâs degree there. He returned to Howard University and earned a masterâs and a law degree. 1892 - Doris Fleischman Bernays is born. She became the first married woman to gain a U.S. passport in her maiden name (1925), was a writer and editor for the âNew York Tribune,â and a publicist. 1908 - Mildred Ryder is born. She adopted the name âPeace Pilgrimâ in 1953. A peace activist, she was the first woman to walk the Appalachian Trail in one season. She walked more than 25,000 miles promoting peace for 28 years. 1918 - Nelson Mandela is born 1925 - Hitlerâs âMein Kampfâ is published. Itâs original title was original title was the catchy "Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice.â It was a blueprint of his agenda for a Third Reich and a clear exposition of the nightmare that will envelope Europe from 1939 to 1945. 1940 - FDR nominated for unprecedented third term 1968 - Gordon E. Moore and Robert Noyce founded the Intel Corporation. 1969 - Senator Ted Kennedy drives car off bridge at Chappaquiddick Island. He makes it out. His passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, did not. 1976 - 14-yr-old Nadia Comaneci scores a perfect 10.0, the first gymnast to do so. 1986 - Video of Titanic wreckage is released 1992 - Tim Berners posts the first photograph on the World Wide Web. The image was of the band Les Horribles Cernettes at a CERN event. 2012 - Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army Wise Words âI learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.â
â Nelson Mandela | | |
| â Advertise With Us â Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
|
|
