It's Bill of Rights Day; IKEA is giving away turkey-sized meatballs; and McCarthy says a âbittersweetâ goodbye to Congress | | | 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. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news Utah delegation divided as Congress passes annual defense spending bill (Deseret News) What can be done to curb domestic violence? One consistent answer: Believe the victims (Deseret News) Who are the victims of domestic violence in Utah, and how are they dying? (Deseret News) Housing, water, tax cuts among priorities for Utah Senate Republicans next year (KSL) 'Sad day for Orem': City Council approves State Street development project (KSL) After running West Valley City government for two decades, city manager is retiring (Salt Lake Tribune) Judge blasts the office of Attorney General Sean Reyes for âhaphazardâ record keeping (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes faces legal battle over his official calendar (Fox13) Vineyard tables resolution on inland port project during tense 6-hour-long council meeting (Daily Herald) âItâs un-American:â Vineyard residents decry changes made by City Council members during their final days in office (Salt Lake Tribune) Holiday corner 1,000 nativities on display at North Logan church (Cache Valley Daily) Are you playing 'Whamageddon'? It's the Christmas game you've probably already lost (NPR) Utah news Daily opioid prescription rate in Utah is dropping. What needs to happen moving forward? (Deseret News) Teen sick with cancer goes home to a house without heat, hot water or power (KSL TV) Auction canceled that would have allowed Utah company to buy Oklahoma college (Fox13) Noblesse oblige: George Romney and the gift of taking less (Deseret News) The day the governorâs mansion burned (Deseret News) Business/Technology How affordable child care and flexible workspaces would transform the workforce for Utah women (Deseret News) Final resorts preparing to open for Utah ski season (KSL TV) Crime/Courts 'High crimes': KSL investigates inaction after scathing report against Uintah county clerk/auditor (KSL) South Salt Lake mayor, police refuse to answer questions about retirement party for officer w/ DUI conviction (KUTV) He kept getting probation. Now he's suspected of homicide (ABC4) Do you need to give cops your cellphone password? Hereâs what the Utah Supreme Court says. (Salt Lake Tribune) Culture A sweet slice in history: Is Watergate salad making a comeback? (We just call it "green stuff") (Deseret News) Education Tooele School District faces massive funding cut, pleads with legislature not to pull funding (KSL TV) Alpine School District proposing changes for gifted, dual language programs (Daily Herald) Environment Birds, reptiles and small mammals: Nothing is safe from outdoor cats (Deseret News) Over 10 million fish stocked into Utah waterbodies in 2023 (ABC4) Colorado River water conservation deal inked, but fight looms in the future (Fox13) Desalination startup in Southwest Utah addresses worldâs water crisis (KUER) Family Help may be coming for pregnant women with extreme morning sickness (Deseret News) Is it safe to use cannabis during pregnancy? Hereâs what Utah researchers found: No. (Salt Lake Tribune) U of U Health pushing for more care for postpartum depression, anxiety (KUTV) 2023 American Family Survey finds partisan similarities, differences in issues involving family (KSL Newsradio) We asked, you answered: How have 'alloparents' come to your rescue? (NPR) Health Poison control centers see 1,500% increase in calls about weight-loss drugs. People are overdosing on drugs that contain semaglutide, including the popular drug Wegovy (Deseret News) Are you an early riser? Maybe itâs because you have Neanderthal DNA (Deseret News) Housing Mortgage rates fall below 7% for first time since August (Reuters) More Utah areas are offering homeless services. One of the stateâs coldest cities was an early adopter. (Salt Lake Tribune) High interest rates mean Salt Lake City is playing the long game with housing (KUER) Shelter from the storm: The conservative fix to the housing crisis (Deseret News) | | |
National Headlines General Luke Combs helping a fan who almost owed him $250K for selling unauthorized merchandise (AP) Southwestâs plus-sized passenger policy debated on social media (ABC4) 'Shameless': Reporters Without Borders rebukes X for claiming to support it (NPR) Political news Milky way: House passes bill to bring back whole milk to school cafeterias (Deseret News) Election news Americans agree that the 2024 election will be pivotal for democracy, but for different reasons (AP) âUniquely horrible choice:â Few US adults want a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, an AP-NORC poll shows (AP) Ukraine ðºð¦ An emboldened, confident Putin says there will be no peace in Ukraine until Russiaâs goals are met (AP) In a 4-hour press conference, a confident Putin vows the Ukraine war will go on (NPR) The race to defend against drone warfare plays out in Ukraine (Wall Street Journal) Israel ð®ð± Israel-Hamas fighting convulses Gaza as US seeks protection of civilians (Reuters) Israelâs bombardment has pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians up against the closed border with Egypt (New York Times) World news Argentinaâs new president devalues peso, cuts spending as part of economic "shock therapy" (Deseret News) Missing at age 11, found six years later in France: British teenager pops up on a dark, rainy night (AP) Arab fighters killed babies, boys and men in war on Sudan tribe, mothers allege (Reuters) | | |
| | Guest opinion: Utah deserves more flight options by Mayor Troy Walker Every year, millions of visitors come to Utah for our natural beauty, national parks, outdoor adventures, and diverse attractions. While we know visitors will have an incredible experience once they arrive, we also want the journey to Utah to be an easy one. A key part of the trip for many is the flight they take to get here, and the pending merger between JetBlue and Spirit will go a long way towards making that part fun and painless. By joining forces, JetBlue and Spirit will ensure that visitors have an exceptional journey from start to finish, starting with their flights to our great state. As an elected official, a pilot, and a traveler I know the impact a comfortable and stress-free flight can have on the overall travel experience. We believe that the journey should be as enjoyable as the destination. This is why we want visitors to our great state to arrive excited, and ready to explore, and for our residents to return home feeling relaxed and refreshed... The JetBlue/Spirit merger will result in an expanded, low-fare route network, flying more people to Utah than ever before and strengthening our stateâs economy. Bringing more affordable flights to Utah is important â Salt Lake City is one of the most expensive airports to depart in the US â and so is the quality of the flights themselves. JetBlue is well-known as a disrupter in the industry, offering low fares without sacrificing great customer service. Itâs time to challenge the âBig Fourâ airlines â Delta, American, United and Southwest â and their grip on 80% of domestic flights. Allowing a low-cost JetBlue to grow and build capacity helps every consumer and every Utahn. As we continue to promote Utah as a must-visit travel destination, we understand the importance of offering cost-conscious travelers greater flexibility and affordability when it comes to flight options... (Read More) News Releases Most likely voters in Utah support teaching âsuccess sequenceâ in schools, new Sutherland survey finds Sutherland Institute partnered with Y2 Analytics to measure the attitudes of likely voters in Utah toward a series of life milestones known as the âsuccess sequenceâ: completing high school education, working full time, and waiting until marriage to have children Highlights from the survey: 73% of Utahâs likely voters support inclusion of the economic outcomes of the success sequence in school curriculum. Strong majorities of Utahâs likely voters agree that graduating from high school (89%), working full time (86%), and marrying prior to having children (68%) are important steps to securing a successful and happy life. Teaching the economic outcomes of the success sequence in schools has bipartisan support in Utah (80% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats). (Read More) Utah students perform above average in math Compared with students internationally and across the United States, Utah students performed well above average in math, and were the least impacted by projected loss in lifetime income from pandemic-related learning losses, according to recent results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). This worldwide study, conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science to evaluate how well students are prepared to meet the challenges of the future. 81 countries participated in 2022, and the United States has been participating since 2003. (Read More) Utah Senate Majority Caucus announces 2024 General Session priorities The 2024 Utah Senate Majority priorities will focus on what can be done today to create long-lasting and enduring prosperity. Priorities include: Progressing toward energy independence Expanding and optimizing water supply and infrastructure Increasing options for affordable housing Addressing the cycle of homelessness Improving roads and transportation Strengthening public safety through criminal justice reform Enhancing innovative education outcomes and programs Maintaining Utahâs strong economy Providing more financial freedom to Utahns through fiscally responsible tax cuts Empowering parents with resources to protect their children against the harms of social media (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Jan. 2 â Candidate filing period opens Jan. 16 â Legislative session begins Mar. 1 â Legislative session ends | | |
On This Day In History 1791 - Bill of Rights ratified with 10 amendments. (12 were proposed.) 1832 - Gustave Eiffel is born. 1836 - The temporary home of the U.S. Patent Office, the Blodget Hotel in Washington, D.C., goes up in flames. The office held approximately 10,000 patent documents from 1790-1836 and the fire destroyed nearly all of them. 1913 - Muriel Rukeyser is born. A poet who won the Yale Younger Poets award in 1935 for her first book, âTheory of Flight,â she also wrote 13 other books of poetry 1944 - US Congress gives General Eisenhower his 5th star 1961 - Architect of the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann, sentenced to die by an Israeli war crimes tribunal 1966 - Walt Disney dies of lung cancer at age 65 1978 - US announces it will recognize communist China 1988 - U.S. House of Representatives recommends impeaching President Clinton 2011 - US declares an official end to the War in Iraq 2020 - MacKenzie Scott announces she has given away more than $4 billion to 384 nonprofit organizations across the US 2021 - bell hooks dies at age 69 Quote of the Day âWhat would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?
The world would split open.â
â Muriel Rukeyser On the Punny Side Whatâs Tarzanâs favorite Christmas song? Jungle bells. | | |
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