| Car insurance will likely go up and how you can save money; and officials ask Utahns to be safer while target shooting to prevent wildfires .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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 | June 19, 2025 It's Thursday and Juneteenth What you need to know - The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, is familiar to most Americans. The day slaves in the United States of America were freed. Except for those who werenât. In Texas, it would be another two-and-a-half years, and after the Civil War was over, before the 250,000 Texas slaves knew they were free. That Second Independence Day was June 19, 1865. We now call it Juneteenth. There are holiday celebrations across Utah to mark this important day.
Rapid Relevance - Find out why your car insurance will likely go up and how you can save money; and officials ask Utahns to be safer while target shooting to prevent wildfires this season
On the Hill | | |
 | Everyone Plays Two in three Americans â over 205 million people â play video games, and more than half are 35+. Everyone plays. Learn more and game on. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - A win for Utah and Oklahoma: Supreme Court tells EPA to back off (Deseret News)
- Who is responsible for stopping political violence? (Deseret News)
- Poll: Almost two-thirds of Utahns support contentious âUtah Fits Allâ school voucher program (Deseret News)
- Some Utah teachers purged books from classroom, in fear of âsensitive materialsâ law, audit finds (Salt Lake Tribune)
- How Sen. Mike Lee proposal could make millions of acres of public land eligible for sale (Deseret News)
- USU UWLP releases research on voting and civic engagement among Utah women (Cache Valley Daily)
Municipal news - Taylorsville City announces last minute changes to Taylorsville Dayzz in wake of WestFest shooting (KSL TV)
Utah - Why U.S. senators criticized anti-doping changes to Utahâs contract to host 2034 Olympics (Deseret News)
- Are Trumpâs tariffs keeping Utahns from making big purchases? Hereâs what a new poll found (Deseret News)
- Family relieved U of U student will be released from Colorado immigration detention (KSL Newsradio)
- Voices: I was at the âNo Kingsâ protest. This is who we are. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Biz/Tech - Trump punts TikTok ban again, frustrating interested buyers (Deseret News)
- 6 homegrown Utah brands at outdoor retailer show (Deseret News)
- A newspaper that has kept up with the latest technologies through the years (Deseret News)
- Transatlantic airfares slump as Western Europeans skip US travel over Trump (Reuters)
Crime/Courts - Parents sue Enbridge Gas over son's death in South Jordan house explosion (KSL)
- Utah woman says Sandy police were too slow to investigate severe case of stalking (KSL)
- No charges filed yet in fatal Salt Lake City âNo Kingsâ protest shooting, prosecutors say (Salt Lake Tribune)
- âTight-lippedâ: SLCPD withholds details on fatal protest shooting as investigation is ongoing (Deseret News)
- Riverton stepfather who shot, killed 18-year-old stepson arrested, facing manslaughter charges (ABC4)
Culture/Community - Utah to celebrate artists of all kinds in largest arts festival yet (KSL)
Economy - The face of Utahâs economic growth (Deseret News)
- Fed holds rates steady, projects two cuts by end of 2025; Powell sees 'meaningful' inflation ahead (Reuters)
Education - Free speech group demands Utah allow students to have personal copies of banned books at school (Salt Lake Tribune)
Environment Family - Jay Evensen: What will a world filled with imaginary friends look like? (Deseret News)
Health - Will U.S. Dietary Guidelines change advice on daily alcohol limits? (Deseret News)
- Baby, itâs hot outside â and thatâs extremely dangerous (Deseret News)
- What to know about the COVID variant that may cause ârazor bladeâ sore throats (AP)
- Screen addiction and suicidal behaviors are linked for teens, a study shows (NPR)
Housing - Permanent supportive housing near fairgrounds for chronically homeless under construction (KSL TV)
- âIn their wordsâ: Utahns with housing insecurity tell their own stories in new exhibition (Salt Lake Tribune)
- âFamily City USAâ: This nearly full Utah town is done with density and wants more single-family homes (Salt Lake Tribune)
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National Headlines General - Erick makes landfall in southern Mexico as a Category 3 storm (AP)
- Baby of brain-dead mother in Georgia delivered via C-section (Deseret News)
- The chilling details of the Minnesota shooting rampage and search for the suspect (Washington Post)
- Karen Read found not guilty of boyfriendâs murder in retrial (Washington Post)
Political news - Trump - Trump faces uproar from MAGA base over possible Iran strike (Reuters)
- Trump says supporters âmore in loveâ with him than ever, as MAGA world splits over Iran (AP)
- Trump administration removing 988 hotline service tailored to LGBTQ+ youth in July (AP)
Other political news - US Social Security, Medicare to run short of funds in 2033, trustees say (Reuters)
- Senate Republicans hold hearing on Bidenâs mental fitness as Democrats boycott (AP)
Immigration/deportation - ICE raids and their uncertainty scare off workers and baffle businesses (AP)
Ukraine/Russia - This Oregon native went to Kyiv as a volunteer. He died in a Russian attack (New York Times)
Middle East - Israelâs military warns people to evacuate the area around Iranâs Arak heavy water reactor (AP)
- US starts evacuating some diplomats from its embassy in Israel as Iran conflict intensifies (AP)
- The U.S. could use 'bunker buster' bombs in Iran. Here's what to know about them (NPR)
- Trump Privately Approved of Attack Plans for Iran but Has Withheld Final Order (Wall Street Journal)
- Israel vows to intensify attacks after Iranian missile hits major hospital (NPR)
World news - New Zealand halts millions of funds to Cook Islands over its China ties (AP)
- Utility workers uncover 1,000-year-old pre-Inca mummy in Peruâs capital (AP)
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 | News Releases Cool Zones available in Salt Lake County Salt Lake County is helping residents stay safe during extreme heat by offering Cool Zones throughout the summerâair-conditioned public spaces open throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Locations include: - Salt Lake County Libraries and Senior Centers
- Salt Lake City Public Libraries
- Homeless service providers
Find a Cool Zone near you at slco.to/zones. (Read More)
UVU appoints Savannah Eccles Johnston as Center for Constitutional Studies M.A. program director Utah Valley Universityâs (UVU) Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS) announced today the appointment of Savannah Eccles Johnston, Ph.D., as program director of the Master of Arts in Constitutional Government, Civics, and Law (MACGCL) program. Johnston will begin her new position on July 1. (Read More)
Utah conducts fact-finding mission to the UK Utahâs Lieutenant Governor Deidre M. Henderson will lead a delegation of business development, policy, and energy experts to the United Kingdom (U.K.) to discuss nuclear power generation. Organized by the Utah Governorâs Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) and the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR), this trip will be a key step in furthering Operation Gigawatt, the stateâs plan to double energy production in the next decade and build our energy ecosystem. (Read More)
Nominees announced for two Third District Court vacancies The Third District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for two vacancies on the Third District Court. These positions result from the retirement of Judge Paul Parker on Aug. 1, 2025, and Judge Keith Kelly on Sept. 16, 2025. The nominees for the vacancies are Andrew Choate; Joel Ferre; Todd Hilbig; Amanda Montague; Todd Olsen; and Derek Williams. Written comments can be submitted to the Third District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon, June 29, 2025. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day 
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Upcoming - June 17-19 â Interim Days
- Aug 7 â Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
- Aug 12 â Municipal primary
- Aug 19-21 â Interim Days
- Nov 4 â General election
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On This Day In History - 1778 - George Washington's Continental Army troops finally leave Valley Forge, their winter encampment
- 1846 - The first modern baseball game is played between the New York Knickerbockers and the New York Nine. Using an established set of rules to define the game, the Nine defeated the Knickerbockers 23-1.
- 1865 - The first âJuneteenthâ as the abolition of slavery is announced in Texas as Union soldiers arrive in Galveston with the news that the Civil War is over and slavery is abolished, even though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued 2 ½ years earlier.
- 1898 - A fire turns Park City into a âfiery furnace,â burning 119 buildings and almost completely destroying the city.
- 1941 - US President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act - increases the size of US Navy by 70%
- 1953 - Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are executed for treason.
- 1964 - The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes 73-27.
- 2013 - Jerry Sloan returns to the Utah Jazz as an adviser and scouting consultant
Quote of the Day "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." â Franklin Roosevelt
On the Punny Side Why didn't the chef season the chicken? He didn't have enough thyme. | | |
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