Gabby Petito died by strangulation and consumer prices are rising faster than expected. | | | 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 | October 13, 2021 It's a wintry Wednesday and National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Each year, an estimated 271,270 Americans are diagnosed with this destructive cancer and the pandemic has made things worse. It's also the 246th birthday for the US Navy. Anchors aweigh! Finally, don't miss this morning's free virtual Breakfast Briefing on air quality with the Utah Foundation. Be in the Know Gabby Petito was strangled 3-4 weeks before her body was found, says the Wyoming coroner who performed her autopsy. That puts her death within a day or two of her last Instagram post. Prices are up 5.4% in September over last September as the delta variant holds back economic recovery. They're up 0.4% from August. The economy gained only 194,000 jobs last month as ongoing concerns about childcare and fear of COVID kept people from returning to work. The gains came as housing prices firmed, and as food â especially meat and eggs â cost consumers more. | | |
| | FROM OUR SPONSOR The Hinckley Report with Jason Perry "The Hinckley Report" covers the most pressing political issues facing our state. Hosted by Jason Perry, each weekâs guests include Utahâs top journalists, lawmakers and policy experts. "The Hinckley Report" airs on PBS Utah Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and is also available to stream or as a podcast. | | |
Utah Headlines General Whoâs on Utahâs hacked Oath Keeper rolls? Police, veterans and a top government official (Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake County refugee liaison well equipped to help Afghans adjust to life in Utah (KUTV) State leaders, local businesses offer mental health resources to improve workplace (Fox13) Kerry Gibson PD report released, offers more details into controversial probe (Standard-Examiner) Politics A lie detector test in Utahâs 4th Congressional District? One GOP candidate plans to wire up (Deseret News) Utah lawmakers are overwhelmingly white and male. Some people are trying to change that (KUER) An aggressive set of air quality proposals is coming to the Utah Legislature (KUER) COVID Corner Since Friday, there have been 4,366 new cases and 31 new deaths, bringing the total to 3025. Utah surpasses 3,000 COVID-19 deaths as more young patients succumb to the virus (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah reaches âsad and sobering milestoneâ in number of COVID-19 deaths (Deseret News) Coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations surge in southwest Utah as vaccine rates remain low (Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City council extends school mask mandate up to district's winter break (KSL) Environment 'Loved to death.' Arches National Park used to restrict access 8, maybe 12 times every year due to overcrowding. In 2021, the gates have closed over 100 times. (Deseret News) Opinion: Bears Ears is a sacred place for our tribes (Deseret News) Zion National Park chief speaks out against controversial âAbove Zionâ glamping proposal (The Spectrum) Local Communities Provo seeks hole-in-one with cityâs first economic summit (Daily Herald) PHOTO GALLERY: Early season snow storm causes tree damage throughout Cache Valley (Cache Valley Daily) National Headlines General William Shatner is preparing to be beamed up Wednesday for his first real-life space flight. At 90, he'll be the oldest person ever to enter the final frontier. (AP) The Navy recovers the remains of 5 sailors and helicopter wreckage off the coast of San Diego (NPR) US will re-open Canadian and Mexican borders to fully vaccinated visitors (CNN) The global supply chain nightmare is about to get worse (CNN) The White House announces steps to try to ease backlogs at U.S. ports (NPR) White House scrambles to address looming Christmas crisis. The congested supply chain is disrupting the holiday season and creating a political and economic headache that could undermine Bidenâs economic recovery plans. (Politico) Delta Air Lines reports a $1.2 billion quarterly profit, as demand recovers. (New York Times) Politics Trump National Security Adviser OâBrien starts consulting firm (Bloomberg) White House says 'politics' is behind Texas governor's executive order banning vaccine mandates (Yahoo News) All 206 House Republicans voted against raising the US debt ceiling (Business Insider) McConnell gets GOP wake-up call (The Hill) Courts Boston Marathon bomber case reaches the Supreme Court (NPR) Divided Supreme Court considers who can defend abortion restrictions (Politico) | | |
Policy News Lake Ridge Elementary to practice major reunification drill with allied agencies Lake Ridge Elementary, in conjunction with Granite School District and multiple first responder agencies, will be conducting a school-wide reunification drill Wednesday. Reunification is the process by which parents/guardians pick up their students from the school or a designated evacuation site due to an emergency situation preventing normal dismissal. The drill will help the school, Granite School District, and allied agencies evaluate the reunification process and make improvements if necessary. (Read More) | | |
Paid leave for mental health treatment and education for executive branch employees Gov. Spencer J. Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson issued an executive order granting all state executive branch employees four (4) hours of administrative leave to address mental health issues. A recent CDC survey found that nearly 41 percent of respondents reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition, such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, or increased substance use. In addition, a Society for Human Resource Management survey found that work-related concerns left more than 40 percent of employees feeling hopeless, burned out or exhausted as they grapple with lives altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, 37 percent of employees said they havenât done anything to cope with depression-related symptoms. âAs leaders, it is our responsibility to transform the ways we think about, talk about and address all forms of mental health challenges,â Gov. Cox said in a video message to state employees. âWe all need to do better at taking care of ourselves and those around us. We need to shift the way we talk about mental health and make the appropriate care more accessible. Together we can reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.â âThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought the importance of mental health to the fore,â Lt. Gov. Henderson said. âWe hope this order will give employees permission to take time to take care of their mental health without question.â The mental health leave benefit will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2022. In addition, state employees may use existing sick leave for preventive health care, which includes mental health care. Read the Executive Order here. | | |
Upcoming Utah Foundation Breakfast Briefing: Can Utah step up its game on air quality. â Oct 13 @ 9:00 am. Online only. Register here Utah Business Economic Summit â Nov 5, 8:00 am - 4 pm Register here Growth, Grit and Grace - SLC Chamber's Women & Business Conference and ATHENA awards â Nov 19, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Register here | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1754 - Mary Hays McCauley, aka âMolly Pitcherâ is born. She was the legendary water-carrying heroine of the American Revolution. 1775 - The Continental Navy is created, with two ships and 80 men. It became the US Navy and today has some 580 ships in service or in process and 347,044 active duty personnel. 1792 - White House cornerstone laid 1872 - Leon Leonwood Bean is born. In 1912, he founded L.L. Bean to sell âMaine Boots.â 1884 - The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London is established as the prime meridian. 1897 - Edith Sampson is born. An attorney, she became the first Black American to be appointed as a UN delegate and the first Black woman to be elected a US circuit judge. 1925 - Margaret Thatcher is born. She served as the Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990 and was the first woman to lead a Western democracy. 1945 - Milton S. Hershey, American chocolate tycoon, dies at 86 1972 - Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes. After 72 days, 16 of the 45 who were on the flight were rescued alive. 2010 - 33 Chilean miners rescued after 69 days underground. Wise Words âIf you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.â -Margaret Thatcher Lighter Side âLast night, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned after old emails came out showing his use of homophobic, racist and misogynistic language...Do you know how bad itâs got to be to get kicked out of Las Vegas? Theyâve got no rules there.â â JIMMY FALLON | | |
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