Sean Reyes breaks his silence on Tim Ballard, OUR; Pres. Russell M. Nelson, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland won't attend General Conference | | | 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 | September 29, 2023 It's Friday and World Heart Day. â¤ï¸ What You Need to Know Sen. Dianne Feinstein has died at age 90. The longest-serving woman in the Senate, she was first elected in 1992. Before becoming a U.S. Senator, she was San Francisco's first female mayor, following the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and city Supervisor Harvey Milk, who was the first gay elected official in California. She has suffered ill health and memory lapses in recent months. In February, she announced she would not be seeking reelection.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has made a statement on the Tim Ballard allegations. He says that he is "shocked and deeply saddened" by the allegations against Ballard, "but the women must be heard." Ballard and OUR deserve the "presumption of innocence," just as the women coming forward deserve a presumption of credibility. âI can say that in all my interactions with Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad over many years, I have never seen or experienced anything improper or illegal." Reyes will not be making an endorsement in the 2024 US Senate race. Rapid Relevance President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland will watch General Conference from home; Frida Fiesta, Bryce Canyon Heritage Days, Great Salt Lake Moon Walk, a Halloween cruise and more happening this weekend. | | |
| | Construction Underway, Scheduled Operation: 2025 The Intermountain Power Project's transformational âIPP Renewedâ project is under construction and on track for mid-2025 start-up. The project includes new natural gas-fueled electricity generating units that will also utilize "green" hydrogen for long-term, dispatchable storage of renewable energy. There are currently 600 workers on site in Millard County, with 1200 expected during peak construction. Click here to watch construction unfold. For more information, visit www.ipprenewed.com | | |
Utah Headlines Political news Jean B. Bingham: Separation of church and state is a gift (Deseret News) Perspective: George Washington â the true father of the Constitution (Deseret News) Food benefits for children will continue for now if federal government shuts down, Cox promises (KSL) Election news Rep. John Curtis âa nineâ (on a one-to-ten scale) about Senate run (KSL Newsradio) What Salt Lake Cityâs mayoral candidates have to say about Great Salt Lakeâs future (KSL Newsradio) General Utah news What does El Niño mean for the upcoming ski season? (Deseret News) 'It's finally here': Parley's Trail is now complete with complicated stretch solved (KSL) John Moran, businessman who helped build U.'s renowned eye center, dies at 91 (KSL) Business At Silicon Slopes Summit, Elder David A. Bednar tells Jazz owner Ryan Smith how a global church works (Deseret News) Crime Attorney for former OUR employees says they âaffirmâ allegations of sexual misconduct against Tim Ballard (Deseret News) âThese allegations are true,â say former OUR employees about Tim Ballard (KSL Newsradio) FULL DOCUMENTS: Tim Ballard lied to donors, according to ex-OUR employees (Fox13) Culture Dallas Jenkins says âThe Chosenâ Season 4 will premiere in theaters. Hereâs what we know (Deseret News) Editorial Board: Preparing for General Conference - Are we learning to be peacemakers? (Deseret News) Many in Gen Z hope to be influencers. Thereâs now a degree for it. (Washington Post) Education After years of on-time payments, these Utah educatorsâ student loans have been forgiven (Deseret News) Weber High principal retires as Weber School District finishes investigation into complaints (KSL TV) Rare decision finds Utah school district violated student's rights (Fox13) Environment Nuclear power key to making US a 'powerhouse for clean energy,' Rep. Curtis says (KSL) Utah Lake dredging companyâs bankruptcy reveals owners and funding (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah plans to dramatically boost cloud seeding to help with water woes and the Great Salt Lake (Fox13) Bear River trout conservation aided by federal funding (UPR) Family Is new baby formula shortage coming? (Deseret News) Health What has Utahâs new Alzheimerâs research center learned about the disease? (Deseret News) Housing Salt Lake City faces lawsuit over allegedly allowing homeless camps, violating city ordinances (KUTV) | | |
National Headlines General The majority of all school book challenges in the 2021-2022 school year came from just 11 people. Meet Jennifer Petersen. She challenges one school book a week and says she'll never stop (Washington Post) Politics Sen. Mitt Romney polls other senators about possible deal as shutdown deadline looms (Deseret News) Hard-liners plot to replace McCarthy with a deputy as shutdown looms (Washington Post) Michael Strain, of AEI, says the US is headed "for the first-ever shutdown about nothing." (Washington Post) The IRS thought it was shutdown-proof. Now most staff would go home (Washington Post) Lawmakers say government shutdown appears inevitable (The Hill) Election news A unified front. The GOPâs warring factions must make peace on economic policy or face defeat at the ballot box. (Deseret News) Nikki Haley is turning her biggest criticism into a campaign strategy (Politico) Poll: Slim majority of voters believe Trump could be disqualified under 14th Amendment (Politico) Ukraine ðºð¦ Ukraine is updating its military industry to build precision weaponry and armaments. (New York Times) World Twenty years ago, a Republican president, George W. Bush, created the most successful, life-giving global-health program in history. This year, House Republicans appear determined to undermine it: The Republican betrayal of PEPFAR (The Atlantic) | | |
| | News Releases Gov. Spencer Cox pledges to keep WIC, national parks open if federal government shuts down Utah has a contingency plan in place to continue the WIC federal nutrition program for women, infants and children as well as keep national parks in the state open if the federal government shuts down next week. WIC benefits will be available through the month of October using funds from the USDA. WIC currently serves more than 44,000 Utah moms and children. The state has identified short-term funding options to keep national parks and federal recreation areas open with limited operations, similar to how the state kept open the national parks during the 2013 and 2018-19 federal shutdowns. As with past shutdowns, this plan still requires permission from the Secretary of Interior. (Read More) Utah students continue to demonstrate upward trends on advanced placement exams According to data released this week by the College Board, more Utah high school students participated in and earned college credit for Advanced Placement (AP) tests than in years prior. In 2023, Utah students in secondary schools took 45,308 AP exams, which is 3,559 more exams than in 2022. Of the exams taken, 68% qualified students to earn college credit with a score of three or higher. The exam with the highest rate of passage was English Literature and Composition, with nearly 92% of students passing, according to the College Board data. This marks a third consecutive year of improvement with respect to AP exams in Utah. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Understanding Sexism in Utah with the Utah Women and Leadership Projectâ Oct. 10, 12:00-1:15 pm, Register here Civics Educator Conference with "Sharon Says So" â Oct. 10, UVU, More information and registration here Interim Day â Oct 10-11, le.utah.gov Martha Hughes Cannon Award with Utah Women Run â Nov 2, 6:00-8:00 pm, Nominate someone here Interim Day â Nov 14-15, le.utah.gov General election â Nov. 21 | | |
On This Day In History 1789 - US War Department establishes a regular army 1839 - Francis Willard is born. As president of the Womanâs Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), the largest organization of women in the U.S. in the 19th century, she turned the organization into a political force working on a broad array of social reforms including womenâs rights, social justice, and world peace. 1913 - Inventor Rudolf Diesel vanishes from a steamship traveling from Belgium to England. His body is found Oct. 10. While his death is officially ruled a suicide, many believed then and now that he was murdered. 1914 - U.S. patent No. 1111999 is granted to Thomas Edison for the phonograph record. 1916 - American oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller becomes the world's first billionaire 1941 - The Babi Yar massacre of nearly 34,000 Jewish men, women and children begins on the outskirts of Kiev in the Nazi-occupied Ukraine. 1962 - JFK authorized use of federal troops to integrate U of Mississippi 1982 - Cyanide-laced Tylenol kills seven 1983 - US Congress authorizes President Reagan to keep 1,600 US Marines in Lebanon 1988 - Stacy Allison becomes the first American woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. 2006 - US Representative Mark Foley resigns after allegations of inappropriate emails to house pages were introduced 2021 - Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears suspended as her conservator by a judge in Los Angeles Quote of the Day "America is still the land of opportunity, and hard work is still a pathway to success."
âDianne Feinstein On the Punny Side I put my phone under my pillow last night. When I woke up it was gone and there was a $1 coin in it's place. It was the Bluetooth Fairy! | | |
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