Today is George Washington's birthday, except he wasn't actually born on Feb. 22. It's also Col. Gail Halvorsen's funeral. | | | 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 | February 22, 2022 Happy TWOs-day - 2-22-22! ð I'll show myself out..... Also - if you don't have to drive this morning, don't. UHP is reporting dozens of crashes, slide-offs and rollover accidents. Be in the Know It's George Washington's birthday, except not quite. On February 11, 1750, he celebrated his 19th birthday. 365 days later, he turned 20 - on February 22, 1752. That was when the colonies were switching from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Now you know. Russia moves "peacekeeping" troops into Ukraine, after announcing that Russia recognized the "independence and sovereignty" of two "republics" in eastern Ukraine: Donetsk and Luhansk, after years of skirmishes that have left 14,000 dead and more than a million displaced. This came in his hour-long speech that included statements that Ukraine was never really a state, but instead was a "geopolitical fiction" created entirely by Russia. This morning, Germany announced it halted the certification of Nord Stream 2, a key Russian natural gas pipeline. Britain has announced sanctions on five Russian banks. Today is Colonel Gail Halvorsen's funeral. It will be live on YouTube at 11 am if you want to tune in. | | |
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2022 Legislative Session 34 days done, 11 days to go General The Inside Utah Politics Panel on the death penalty, vote by mail and the 2022 Senate race (ABC4) Week 5 Legislative Recap: Affordable housing, the death penalty, the Inland Port (KUER) Week 5: Which controversial bills are running out of steam and which are speeding toward the finish line? (Hinckley Report) A reader had a question about HB60. It's currently circled in the House. Today Committee Meetings 8:00 am: House Government Operations, House Political Subdivisions, House Rev and Tax, Senate Business and Labor, Senate Education, Senate Health and Human Services 9:00 am: House Economic Development and Workforce Services 12:00 pm: Senate Rules 4:00 pm: House Business and Labor, House Health and Human Services, House Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology, Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice, Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment, Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Floor Time House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 3:50 Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - 3:50 Tomorrow Committee Meetings 8:00 am: House Judiciary, House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, House Transportation, Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services 9:00 am: Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions, Senate Rev and Tax Floor Time House - 10:00 - 12:00, 2:00 - 3:50 Senate - 10:00 - 11:50, 2:00 - 3:50 Education Bill would give all Utah kids access to full-day kindergarten within three years (KUER) Utah teachers could get COVID bonuses under $10 million proposal (KUER) Government Operations Candidate filings to start earlier this year under new law (St. George News) Health and Human Services A new bill would force Salt Lake officials to come up with a plan for a winter homeless overflow shelter (KUER) Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice âGood to seeâ: Utah bill to help police, firefighters musters unanimous support (Standard-Examiner) Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Legislature expands the State Parks Veterans with Disabilities Honor Pass (St. George News) Why the era of cheap water may be about to end in Utah (Salt Lake Tribune) Political Subdivisions Controversial county council bill now changes just one word in Utah law (KUTV) Utah Headlines General Oops. BYU student making homemade rocket fuel (you read that right) in a dormitory kitchen started a fire which has now displaced dorm residents. (Fox13) Are Utah elk outsmarting hunters? BYU study says yes â and it's a bad thing (KSL) Susan Cox Powell's father 'cautiously optimistic' her remains have been found (Fox13) Rising inflation hitting city projects as well as wallets, food prices (Daily Herald) Richard Snelgrove: Why the Salt Lake County West Bench General Plan matters to you (Salt Lake Tribune) A final salute: Funeral for âBerlin Candy Bomberâ will be Tuesday in Provo (Salt Lake Tribune) Yikes! Father allegedly told 4-year-old to shoot at officers at McDonaldâs in Midvale (ABC4) Environment Frackers push into once-dead shale patches as oil nears $100 a barrel (Wall Street Journal) âIrreversibleâ: No easy fix for water fouled by gas driller (AP) Can the Glen Canyon Dam be modified to continue producing power if drought continues? A $2 million study by the Bureau of Reclamation hopes to find out. (Salt Lake Tribune) Housing A growing chorus of experts say middle housing is a vital instrument in the fight against unaffordable housing. But middle housing has a problem: Zoning in most residential areas doesn't allow it. (KSL) Newly renovated affordable units to house 90 Utah families (ABC4) Utahâs housing needs are actually growing faster than the state. Hereâs why and one solution. (Salt Lake Tribune) COVID Corner UDOH shutting down these COVID testing sites amid declining demand (ABC4) Utah to transition to âsteady stateâ model as omicron fades (ABC4) Utah will stop releasing daily COVID-19 case data and close testing sites as the state's GOP governor says some people should 'take this disease less seriously' (Business Insider) More contagious version of omicron spreads in U.S., fueling worries (NPR) Mysterious conditions are afflicting Americans after covid. It could signal a looming cardiac crisis. (Washington Post) Staying home during the pandemic has affected our bodies in more ways than we think (Deseret News) National Headlines General Rents reach âinsaneâ levels across US with no end in sight (AP) Student loan scams are on the rise as the pause on payments is due to expire (NPR) Yaleâs Happiness Professor says anxiety is destroying her students (New York Times) Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and other members of the U.S. womenâs national team reached a $24 million settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation, over claims that they had been systematically underpaid for years compared with the menâs team. (Washington Post) University of Alabama vice president steps down after he and 14 other men were busted in a prostitution sting, authorities say. (NBC News) Paul Farmer, a physician who worked to bring high-quality health care to some of the worldâs poorest people, is dead at 62. (New York Times) âWar, destruction and deathâ: U.N. Security Council members slam Russiaâs Ukraine escalation. Ambassadors met in an extraordinary session to condemn Russia, but Moscow pushed back, blaming the U.S. and the West for âcramming weaponsâ into Ukraine. (Politico) Business Worried about inflation and supply constraints? Try being a small business. Larger companies have used their heft to turn higher demand into increased earnings, but smaller firms are adding debt and burning cash. (Wall Street Journal) Thanks to remote work, many in Gen Z may never work in an office. Will it matter? (Wall Street Journal) Politics The National Archives and Record Administration confirmed that some of the Trump White House documents recently recovered from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate were marked classified, and that they had referred the matter to the Justice Department. (ABC News) EXPLAINER: How fake electors tried to throw result to Trump (AP) Trumpâs social media app launches year after Twitter ban (AP) | | |
News Releases Talk radio personality Jay Mcfarland announces run for U.S. House of Representatives with United Utah Party Well-known podcaster and former KSL talk radio personality Jay Mcfarland announced today that he will run for U.S. House of Representatives in the 2nd Congressional District with the United Utah Party. Jay has spent his career in radio fighting for principled politics, most notably as the host of the JayMac News Show on KSL News Radio in Salt Lake City. Jay announced that he had joined the United Utah Party on his January 6th podcast. "I believe that the United Utah Party is the best place moving forward, where we can create an opportunity to take back the power from the majority parties and return to a place where elected officials have to come to us for our vote, instead of knowing how we're going to vote," said Jay in his announcement. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Campaign filing period: Feb 28-March 4 (early this year!) State of the Union address â Mar 1, 7 pm MST Utah legislative session ends â Mar 4, 2022, midnight Fireside chat with Justice Clarence Thomas hosted by the Hatch Foundation â Mar 11, 2022, 7 pm. Register here. Campaign Management Training with Utah Farm Bureau â Mar 24-25, registration deadline March 1. Register here Last day for a registered voter to change voter affiliation before the regular primary election. - Mar 31 Ballots are mailed - June 7 Primary election day - June 28 General election - Nov 8 | | |
On This Day In History 1732 - George Washington is born in Virginia. 1819 - The U.S. acquires Spanish Florida. 1876 - Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkála-Šá) is born. A writer and Sioux Indian activist, she spent much of her adult life in Utah. She was instrumental in lobbying for citizenship rights for Native Americans and founded the National Council of American Indians. She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. 1898 - Frazier Baker was a Black teacher who was appointed postmaster of Lake City, South Carolina in 1897. On Feb. 22, an angry mob set his house on fire and when Frazier opened the door, he was gunned down. His youngest daughter also died. 1980 - U.S. hockey team beats the Soviets in the âMiracle on Ice.â 1997 - Dolly the Sheep is cloned. 2014 - âEl Chapo,â the worldâs most-wanted drug kingpin, is captured in Mexico. 2021 - The US hits 500,000 lives lost to COVID-19. Today, it's 936,000 Wise Words âHuman happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.â
â George Washington | | |
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