| 13 Christmas gifts for political nerds; a look inside the $895B defense budget; & Trump extends unprecedented invite to Xi for inauguration .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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. 13, 2024 It's Friday and National Cocoa Day - and National Ice Cream Day! They go together. What you need to know - State lawmakers aim to crack down on inconsistent enforcement of public safety measures in the 2025 legislative session as the next step toward achieving a compassionate approach to chronic homelessness. Gov. Spencer Cox, Republican legislators and the newly formed Utah Homeless Services Board have set their eyes on overhauling the way Utah funds homeless services by prioritizing recovery treatment over temporary shelter.
Rapid Relevance | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - Editorial Board: Why Martha Hughes Cannon's statue in Washington is so important (Deseret News)
- Eagle Mountain considers allowing nuclear reactors, natural gas power plants in city (KSL)
- Rural and tribal communities in Utah get $1.7 million federal investment for clean water access, infrastructure (KSL TV)
- Ex-Utah Rep. Chris Stewart asks judge to allow Jan. 6 defendant to attend Trump inauguration as his guest (KSL)
- Salt Lake City leaders pressed on immigration issue as deportation talk intensifies (KSL)
- In a growing Utah City, residents are turning against their mayor (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Mitt Romneyâs Senate exit may create a vacuum of vocal, conservative Trump critics (AP)
Utah - Perspective: More than a little mad â 9 months to tell me my information was likely stolen? (Deseret News)
- St. George teen wins Dubai World Obstacle Championships, sets world record (St. George News)
- 'Major' impacts likely when west side road project begins in 2025, Salt Lake City warns (KSL)
Holiday season - This yearâs holiday travel expected to break pre-pandemic record (Deseret News)
- Midway home decorated in thousand of nativity pieces (KSL TV)
- Beware of questionable holiday charity posts all over social media (KSL Newsradio)
- Ogden market features holiday crafts made, sold by local children (Fox13)
- Here are the deadlines for mailing your holiday gifts to ensure they arrive on time (NPR)
Biz/Tech - Stanley recalls more than 2.5 million travel mugs due to burn hazard (Fox13)
- Teen girls are powering Crumbl to $1 billion in sales (Wall Street Journal)
- Utahns can soon catch a new flight to Southern California for less than $50 (Salt Lake Tribune)
Crime/Courts - Man who tried to kill terminally ill wife sentenced to home confinement (KSL)
- Salt Lake police officer arrested, accused of raping woman on Hinge date (KSL)
- Canyons School District bus driver arrested for child pornography (Fox13)
Education - Women continue to outpace men in Utah college enrollment (Deseret News)
- 15 BYU students nominated for animated short, commercials at national competition (KSL)
- Incentives offered to help fix Utah's teacher shortage (Fox13)
Environment - Southern Utah looks to expand water reuse, 'ultra-efficient' landscaping (Fox13)
Health - Kennedyâs lawyer has asked the F.D.A. to revoke approval of the polio vaccine (New York Times)
- For kids with rare genetic disorders, customized CRISPR treatments offer hope (NPR)
- This drug is the 'breakthrough of the year' â and it could mean the end of the HIV epidemic (NPR)
Housing - Balancing order and compassion: How Utah lawmakers hope to target chronic homelessness (Deseret News)
- Advocates say too many Utahns donât know about rent relief program (KSL TV)
- Utah families face high rents, rising utility costs as winter financial pressures mount (KUTV)
- In Weber County, officials are still trying to secure emergency winter homeless shelter â months past deadline (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Average rate on 30-year mortgage hits 6.6%, its third straight weekly decline (AP)
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National Headlines General - Remembering talent we lost in 2024 (Deseret News)
- Missing American Travis Timmerman found wandering barefoot outside Damascus (NPR)
- UnitedHealthcare says CEO shooting suspect was never their client (The Hill)
Political news - Ex-FBI informant accused of lying about Bidens agrees to plead guilty to federal charges (AP)
- A call for bipartisan tax legislating (Deseret News)
- How DOGE can cut $2 trillion from the federal budget each year (Deseret News)
- Time magazine names President-elect Trump 'Person of the Year' (Reuters)
- About 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump on Cabinet, spending or military oversight: AP-NORC poll (AP)
- Energized by next Trump term, red states move agendas further right (Washington Post)
- Senate Democrats livid with exiting Sinema, Manchin: âPatheticâ (The Hill)
- Amazon to donate $1 million to Trump inauguration, matching Meta (The Hill)
Ukraine ðºð¦ - Russian missiles batter Ukraine's embattled power grid (Reuters)
- Trump criticizes Ukraine's use of US missiles for attacks deep into Russia (Reuters)
Israel and Gaza - Israeli strike in Gaza kills 25 people as US makes new push for a ceasefire (AP)
World news - Assad's final hours in Syria: Deception, despair and flight (Reuters)
- Freed Syrian prisoners return to their 'death dormitory' (Reuters)
- In Nigeriaâs lithium boom, many mines are illegal and children do much of the work (AP)
- Macron names François Bayrou as French prime minister after government collapse (Washington Post)
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Number of the Day 
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 | News Releases Utah Senate requests public comment on 2nd District appointee The Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee is seeking public comment on Catherine Conklin. She was appointed by Gov. Spencer J. Cox to serve as a judge in the 2nd District. Those who desire to comment should contact the Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee electronically or by mail at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel by 5:00 p.m. Friday, December 27, 2024. Electronic comments can be emailed to senatejudicialnominees@le.utah.gov. Written comments can be mailed to the Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee at the Utah State Capitol, Suite W210, PO Box 145210, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-5210. All statements should include the individualâs name, telephone number and mailing address. (Read More)
Lisa Eccles to be honored as 46th âGiant In Our Cityâ The Salt Lake Chamber announced that Lisa Eccles, President and COO of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, will be honored as the 46th âGiant In Our City.â The award, widely known as the most prestigious business award given in Utah, recognizes those with exceptional and distinguished service as well as extraordinary professional achievement. For more than 30 years, Lisa Eccles has led one of Utahâs largest and oldest private philanthropic foundations with a personal touch and a pledge to make a lasting and meaningful difference in the lives of others. Awarding nearly 400 grants each year, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation supports nonprofits in every corner of the state and has awarded over $850 million in grants to date. Entrusted with the stewardship of the Foundationâs resources, Eccles is honored to carry on her familyâs legacy of giving back. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day 
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Upcoming - 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
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On This Day In History - 1636 - National Guard is established as the first organized militia in the âNew Worldâ begins
- 1818 - Mary Todd Lincoln is born.
- 1903 - Ella Baker is born. An organizer, she tried to develop local leaders for civil rights campaigns but found male leaders in the NAACP quite unwilling to delegate power.
- 1916 - Soldiers perish in avalanches in the Italian Alps, an estimated 10,000 over several days beginning Dec. 13
- 1920 - George P. Shultz is born. An American economist and businessman, he also became the 60th Secretary of State
- 1964 - In El Paso, Texas, President Lyndon B. Johnson & Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz set off an explosion diverting Rio Grande, to reshape US-Mexico border
- 1990 - South African President F. W. de Klerk meets with Nelson Mandela to talk of end of apartheid
- 1993 - Susan A. Maxman becomes first woman president of the American Institute of Architects in its 135 year history
- 2000 - Al Gore concedes the presidential election to George W. Bush.
- 2003 - Saddam Hussein captured in a hole in the ground close to his hometown of Tikrit
Quote of the Day "Iâve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights." âMaya Angelou
On the Punny Side What does Santa use to freshen his breath? Orna-mints. | | |
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