Kalani Sitake named to Polynesian Football Hall of Fame; Kanab police chief hit pedestrian in crosswalk; SLC has worst air quality in US | | | 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 | Dec. 5, 2024 It's Thursday and International Volunteer Day. Get out there and do some good. What you need to know Sen. Mitt Romney gave his farewell address on the Senate floor yesterday. He thanked his family, his staff and colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their friendship and willingness to work together. He also expressed his disappointment that partisan bickering prevented curbing the national debt and warned that the "national credit card is almost maxed out." He also pledged to be âvoice of unity and virtueâ as he returns to private life. Rapid Relevance Kalani Sitake named to Polynesian Football Hall of Fame; Kanab police chief hit pedestrian in crosswalk, UHP says; and Salt Lake City has the worst air quality in the U.S. | | |
| | How do we help more Utah families achieve the American Dream? Utah has the best upward mobility in the nation, but some families still feel stuck â hungry for opportunities to work and earn their way out of poverty. On Thursday, December 12, from 9 am-3 pm, join a group of policymakers, practitioners, and state and national experts to examine challenges these families face and explore how to improve the social safety net in ways that strengthen the American Dream. Get more info and register here. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona touts Utahâs students, educators during visit (Deseret News) âWhat would Mitt Romney do?â: Senators praise outgoing colleagueâs character, wit (Deseret News) Gov. Cox says 2024 election results werenât just about inflation (Deseret News) Utah trying to get a handle on use of and demand for aggregate (Deseret News) Supreme Court's Gorsuch steps away from Utah railway case after recusal request (Reuters) After Amendment D implodes, GOP lawmakers look to control voter-backed ballot initiatives in Utah (Salt Lake Tribune) University of Utah president warns of âextensiveâ lawmaker scrutiny next year â beyond expected cuts (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utahn Hunter Woodhall and his wife, Tara Davis-Woodhall, were just named to the Forbes 30 under 30 sports list (Deseret News) Department of Labor says $2 million is owed to Utah workers; how you can claim it (Fox13) Life changed fast for Emery County garbage man who went viral over flag-folding (Fox13) Holiday season Editorial board: Scammers are out to get you this time of year (Deseret News) Gently used clothing offers hope and support for those in need (Deseret News) Making room for Christmas: Clearing the clutter as part of the season's preparations (Deseret News) How this 11-year-old childhood cancer survivor is giving back at Festival of Trees (Deseret News) Volunteers needed for âChristmas For Kidsâ shopping spree (KSL TV) U.S. Postal Service offers tips for shipping gifts during the holiday season (KSL) Utah Hockey Club players visit Primary Children's Hospital patients (Fox13) GivingTuesday estimates $3.6B was donated this year, an increase from 2023 (AP) Biz/Tech He Was Going to Save Intel. He Destroyed $150 Billion of Value Instead. (Wall Street Journal) Bitcoin hits $100,000, lifted by hopes of a crypto-friendly Washington. Some market veterans see irony in cryptoâs embrace of political power (Wall Street Journal) Crime/Courts Utah hit-and-run rates spiked after the pandemic and remain stubbornly high (KUER) Culture Taylor Swift dominates end of year charts Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music both named Taylor Swift as the top-streamed artist of the year (Deseret News) In 2024, family-friendly movies provided a boost at the box office (Deseret News) Education BYU professor works with care center for Ugandan children with disabilities (Daily Universe) University of Utah students reimagine Japantown development for class project (Fox13) Could tenure for Utah professors be on the chopping block? Higher ed commissioner tries to calm fears. (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment State seeks continuity, more oversight of brine extraction (Deseret News) Utahâs public lands lawsuit is âan existential threatâ to the Ute Indian Tribe, lawyers contend (Salt Lake Tribune) Health Should you blow your nose when you have a cold? Doing it wrong could make it worse (Deseret News) Housing Cache Valley's warming center needs volunteers to help address increased homelessness (UPR) | | |
National Headlines General Murder at dawn: A top executive's final moments in Manhattan (Wall Street Journal) New York police hunt for man who killed UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson (Reuters) Why the Satanic Temple is offering a religious release program at public schools (Deseret News) 2 kindergarteners wounded and gunman dead after shooting at California religious school (AP) Political news Perspective: Memo to Democrats â wait for the pendulum to swing back (Deseret News) Tech billionaire jet pilot gets Trump nod to head NASA (Deseret News) 3 takeaways from oral arguments in the Supreme Courtâs case on transgender minors (Deseret News) US House to consider next steps on Gaetz ethics report (Reuters) Austin endorses women in combat jobs and exhorts West Point cadets to defend the Constitution (AP) Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy take their DOGE government efficiency pitch to the Hill (NPR) Trump and the GOP will have a historically tiny House majority. What that means. (Washington Post) Trump picks banking executive to lead Social Security Administration (New York Times) Trump has âlost faithâ in N.R.A., says gun group official (New York Times) Concerns mount over Muskâs taste for revenge (The Hill) Biden White House is discussing preemptive pardons for those in Trumpâs crosshairs (Politico) Ukraine ðºð¦ Putin's Ukraine drone barrages are increasingly backfiring on his closest ally (ABC News) After Trumpâs win, Russian disinformation aims to drive a wedge between the US and Ukraine (AP) Israel and Gaza Dozens dead in Israeli strikes on Gaza; Palestinians say Amnesty 'genocide' declaration comes too late (Reuters) World news Macron seeks new PM as government resignation looms (Reuters) Franceâs Macron will address the nation a day after a no-confidence vote toppled the government (AP) Ethiopiaâs agony: âI have never seen this kind of cruelty in my lifeâ (New York Times) | | |
| | News Releases Romney delivers farewell address from Senate floor U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) delivered his farewell address from the floor of the United States Senate. In his remarks, he reflected upon his bipartisan legislative achievementsâlike the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and emergency COVID reliefâand encouraged his colleagues to put politics aside to tackle the major challenges facing our country. (Read More) Utah consumer sentiment rises significantly in November Utahâs consumer sentiment significantly increased in November (by 9.1%, from 80.7 in October to 88.1 in November), according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Instituteâs Survey of Utah Consumer Sentiment. November sentiment in Utah shows the second-largest growth since November 2020. (Read More) Utah businesses paid $8.1 billion in state and local taxes in 2024 In Utah, businesses pay various state and local taxes that support critical public services. These taxes include the corporate income tax, individual income tax, property tax, sales and use tax, unemployment insurance tax, and other taxes. In FY 2024, Utah businesses paid $8.1 billion in state and local taxes.Today, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute released Part Five of its visual guide series on tax modernization in Utah, aiming to help policymakers and the public better understand Utahâs business taxes. (Read More) USBE elects Matt Hymas as Chair for 2025-2027 The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) elected Matt Hymas to serve as chair of the 15-member governing board. Hymas first elected to the Board in 2020, will serve a two-year term as chair and be joined by Molly Hart and LeAnn Wood as vice chairs. The leadership terms begin January 2025. Board members elect leadership every two years using a preferential voting method and have the option of creating one, two, or three vice chair seats. (Read More) UVU receives grant from U.S. Russia Foundation empowering future Russia experts Utah Valley University (UVU) recently received a $220,582 grant from the U.S. Russia Foundation (USRF) that will provide scholarships for language and diplomacy as well as support for a public lecture series on civil society in Russia. This grant, the second awarded to UVU by USRF, provides continued funding for the accelerated Russian language program and travel money to visit the United Nations to meet with Russian and Russian-speaking government officials. (Read More) âThereâs a path for everyoneâ: First student to utilize TechTransfer will graduate from Weber State Although she hasnât attended Weber State University in over a year, Rebekah Richter will graduate from WSU this month with her associate degree, becoming the first student to take advantage of the new TechTransfer initiative. TechTransfer allows anyone with a Utah technical college certificate to earn up to 21 elective credits toward any undergraduate certificate, associate or bachelorâs degree program at Weber State. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Dec. 12 â UpwardMobility and Benefit Cliffs Summit with Sutherland Institute, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, Weber State University, Register here Jan. 9 â Whatâs Up Down South Economic Summit. St. George. Register here Jan. 10 â Rural Utah Data Symposium. St. George. Register here Jan 14 â Utah Taxpayers Association Legislative Outlook Conference, 9 am - 12:00 pm, Little America Hotel, Register here Jan. 21 â Utah legislative session begins Mar. 7 â Utah legislative session ends | | |
On This Day In History 1848 - US President James K. Polk triggers Gold Rush of 1849 by confirming a gold discovery in California 1901 - Walt Disney is born 1932 - German physicist Albert Einstein granted a visa to enter America 1933 - Prohibition ends as Utah becomes the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment 1935 - Mary McLeod Bethune creates the National Council of Negro Women 1945 - Aircraft squadron disappears in the Bermuda Triangle 1946 - US President Harry Truman creates Committee on Civil Rights 1952 - Great Smog of London: Killer fog creeps in, as still winds and cold temperatures cause pollution fueled by coal smoke to stagnate. It lasts 4 days and over 8,000 deaths are attributed to the smog. 1955 - Historic bus boycott begins in Montgomery, Alabama by Rosa Parks and other civil rights activists 1978 - U.S.S.R. and Afghanistan sign âfriendship treatyâ 1994 - The US, UK, Northern Ireland and Russia sign the Budapest Memorandum. Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons in exchange for a promise that if Ukraine should âbecome the victim of aggression,â all 4 countries would come to its aid 2008 - Human remains previously found in 1991 are finally identified by Russian and American scientists as those of Tsar Nicholas II 2013 - South African president Nelson Mandela dies at 95 2018 - US state funeral for former president George H. W. Bush, eulogy by George W. Bush, attended by President Donald Trump predecessors Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter 2021 - Bob Dole, veteran of the US Senate and 3X presidential candidate dies at age 98 Quote of the Day "There are some today who would tear at our unity, who would replace love with hate, who deride our foundation of virtue, or who debase the values upon which the blessings of heaven depend...it is only if the American people merit His benevolence, that God will continue to bless America." âSen. Mitt Romney On the Punny Side Yesterday, my husband thought he saw a cockroach in the kitchen. He sprayed everything down and cleaned thoroughly. Today I'm putting the cockroach in the bathroom. | | |
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