A 'tremendous loss' with the sudden passing of Marcos Ortiz; Senator Daniel Thatcher recovering from a stroke; major power outage in SLC
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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 | Nov. 7, 2022

It's Monday and Election Eve! Aren't you excited (for the endless campaign ads to stop)?!

Be in the Know

  • Today is the last day your ballot can be postmarked. If you don't get to the post office in time, use ballot dropboxes up until 8 pm tomorrow. 
  • We lost a journalistic icon this weekend. ABC4 announced "with tremendous sadness" that their senior crime and justice reporter, Marcos Ortiz, died suddenly on Saturday morning. He will be missed.

  • Best wishes going out to Senator Dan Thatcher who suffered a stroke last week. A full recovery is expected.

Rapid Roundup

 

Join us for the annual Utah Business Economic Outlook Summit

Utah's business community is moving our future forward on Nov. 17 at the Economic Outlook Summit. Join us as we talk with key players in our economy about topics including inflation's effects on the economy, startup culture, global supply chain issues, women's equality in Utah and how Web3 is bringing power back to the people. Get your tickets using promo code DESERET22 for $30 off.

 

Utah Headlines

General

  • As Thanksgiving approaches, here’s a short guide to the holiday, including tips on traveling and securing a turkey during a massive turkey shortage (Deseret News)
  • Interested in smart home devices? Discover new smart home gadgets for your home (Deseret News)
  • It's that time! Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2022: Your guide to this year’s best deals (Deseret News)
  • New Utah storm may produce 1-3 feet of mountain snow; power officials brace for outages (KSL)
  • Utahns rally in Provo in support of all immigrants (KSL)
  • Residents of Navajo Nation forced to relocate due to lack of water (Fox13)

Elections

  • What’s at stake in the 2022 midterm election, and what role will Utah play? (Deseret News)
  • This year, the election is in the spotlight. Ricky Hatch, elections supervisor for Weber County, braces for unprecedented scrutiny on voting day this year (Deseret News)
  • Commentary: Look at voting as an act of courage. King’s six principles of nonviolence can still be a guiding light for civic engagement. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Previewing the midterm election with Jason Perry (ABC4)
  • The IUP Panel on the race for U.S. Senate and Constitutional Amendment A (ABC4)
  • Will Utah voter turnout be lower this year than in 2018? (ABC4)

Politics

  • How our brains are making us bad citizens and how we can change (Deseret News)
  • Supreme Court to hear water dispute between the Navajo Nation and US gov't (KUER)
  • Countdown to Election Day (Hinckley Report)

Business

  • How to create an office culture from home (Deseret News)
  • The Twitter-sphere is in turmoil as Elon Musk enacts massive layoffs and advertisers flee en masse (Deseret News)
  • Meta plans to begin large-scale layoffs this week (Wall Street Journal)

Education

  • Some Utah pet owners are waiting weeks for vet appointments. A new veterinary school in Utah could help ease the problem — eventually. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • How some Utahns navigate going to college at an older age (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • UVU autism training seeks to shrink the gray area between policing and mental health (KUER)

Environment

  • Snowstorms have been robust, but Utah is still sitting at average. Experts say we need more snow, and a lot of it (Deseret News)
  • COP27 is underway — Here’s a guide to the climate conference (Deseret News)
  • Judge hears oral arguments on motion to dismiss youth climate lawsuit in Utah (UPR)

Health

  • How to know if your child has RSV, COVID-19, the flu or a cold. Children are at risk for all 4 of these viruses this winter (Deseret News)

Housing

  • The housing market is broken. Can anyone afford to live in America anymore? (Deseret News)
  • Homeless to Hero: Former homeless teenager speaks to struggling teens (KSL TV
  • Erin Mendenhall: Shipping the homeless to Salt Lake City solves no problems (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • New plan would allow homeless shelters in most of SLC — or would it? On paper, it would clear the way for resource centers in lots of other places, but some fear giving the final say to politicians could foil the effort. (Salt Lake Tribune)

National Headlines

General

  • 7 tips to respectfully celebrate Native American Heritage Month (Deseret News)
  • Latter-day Saints are everywhere in media, but Americans still know little about them (Deseret News)
  • Stagflation 'scary proposition' for Americans, but repeat of last time not expected (KUTV)
  • (Did his feelings get hurt??) Musk threatens to boot Twitter account impersonators and ban them for life (AP)
  • Singer-rapper Aaron Carter dies in California at age 34 (AP)

Elections

  • Last-minute campaign ad buys show where Dems, GOP think they can win. The parties are on track to double their spending in 2022 compared to four years ago (Deseret News)
  • Midterms 2022: These are the states with abortion on the ballot (Deseret News)
  • How Latino voters could make a red wave redder (Deseret News)
  • Biden, Trump to make final appeals ahead of crucial midterms (AP)
  • As midterms near, clergy preach politics and civics lessons (AP)
  • Suspicious envelope found at GOP candidate’s Phoenix office (AP)
  • Republicans sue to disqualify thousands of mail ballots in swing states (Washington Post)
  • Nikki Haley says Warnock should be deported at Walker rally (The Hill)
  • A ripple, a wave or a tsunami? Here’s what to watch on election night.
    These are five bellwether districts that could determine what kind of election we're having. (Politico)

Politics

  • A 200-year-old treaty could give the Cherokee Nation a representative in the U.S. House (Deseret News)
  • Exodus of incumbents brings change to state legislatures (AP)
  • How a pro-Trump youth group remade the Arizona GOP, testing democracy (Washington Post)
  • Expected Trump indictment looms over midterm election (The Hill)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

  • Kyiv prepares for a winter with no heat, water or power (AP)
  • Russian soldiers enter Kherson homes, dig in for urban war (AP)

World News

  • North Korea: Missile tests were practice to attack South, US (KSL TV)
  • Inside the world of Canada’s assisted suicide — for ‘mature minors.’ Canada’s already controversial euthanasia laws could expand to include children who qualify. This policy will nurture the country’s growing culture of death (Deseret News)
 

Guest opinion: Don't forget Utah's school board races

by Deborah Gatrell

Low-budget local and state school board races often get overlooked in election season noise, and that is terrifying because some candidates bring partisan agendas to the boards that have no place in our Utah schools.

Let’s protect Utah kids from ideological agendas by electing candidates with education experience and kid-friendly plans, not culture war axes to grind. VOTE! (Read More)


News Releases

Ciara Hulet named local host of ‘Morning Edition’

KUER is pleased to announce Ciara Hulet as the local host of “Morning Edition.” Starting Monday, Nov. 7, she will replace Pamela McCall, who recently moved to the afternoons as KUER’s host of “All Things Considered.

A native of Utah, Hulet studied broadcast journalism at Brigham Young University, where she won multiple awards and scholarships for her work. She then went on to help host and produce “Top of Mind” on BYUradio. She’s conducted hundreds of interviews with national and international experts and is passionate about helping people better understand the world and different perspectives. When Ciara isn’t on the radio, she works to fight eating disorders through volunteer work and hikes as many mountains as she can. (Read More)


Home price declines and stalling consumer confidence signal economic caution

The Salt Lake Chamber’s Roadmap to Prosperity Coalition, in partnership with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has updated the Economic Dashboard for October to help business leaders see where Utah’s economy stands. This tool provides data on the state’s economic outlook and actionable context for decision-makers.

“Utah’s economy is showing warning signs with consumer sentiment stalling due to persistent inflation,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Additionally, declining job growth and industry contraction are starting to spread. While Utah’s position remains better than most states, it is time for businesses to develop a playbook for a slowing economy. Utah has many advantages to rely upon, such as our low unemployment and entrepreneurial spirit, that can help guide us through a potential downturn.” (Read More)


Utah consumer sentiment rises in October

Utah’s consumer sentiment rose from 63.9 in September to 66.0 in October, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute’s Survey of Utah Consumers. A similar survey by the University of Michigan found sentiment rose slightly from September (58.6) to October (59.9) among Americans  as a whole.  

“The Gardner Institute has now measured Utah Consumer Sentiment for 25 consecutive months,” said Gardner  Institute Chief Economist Phil Dean. “Increases in both the state and national indices suggest a slightly better  consumer outlook heading into the holiday season.” (Read More)


Dignity Index releases ratings for Senate candidates in penultimate week of campaign

The Dignity Index has released scores related to Senate candidate messages in the penultimate week of the campaign.

Preface: The FBI issued a memo last week warning of a rising likelihood of political violence.  A Washington Post-ABC News poll released today says that nearly nine in ten Americans are worried about it.

What can we do?

If someone tells us the cause of violence is economic issues, or the decline of institutions, or the loss of public trust, there’s just not much we can do. But Amanda Ripley, author of the recent book High Conflict, says, “Political speech, we know from the research, can incite violence, and it can also reduce the likelihood of violence.”

What’s the difference, then, between speech that increases or reduces the chance of violence? Dignity. (Read More)


WGU and its partners thank night shift workers during weekend time change

When we turned back our clocks this weekend, most people got an extra hour of sleep — except for dedicated healthcare workers on the night shift. Healthcare professionals across Utah worked an extra hour this weekend due to the end of daylight saving time, and Western Governors University  (WGU) staff is delivering care packages to show its gratitude to these frontline workers.

Staff from the online, nonprofit university loaded up and delivered care packages for those workers to open and enjoy during their extra-long shifts this Saturday night; these included sleeping masks, pens, lip balm, cocoa, coffee, and other treats.

Overall, the nonprofit, online university delivered packages to 3,160 hospital staff in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Utah. (Read More)


Treasurer Oaks and Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Committee announce new Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office Director

Treasurer Marlo Oaks and the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Committee today announced the appointment of Kim Christy as the new director of the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office.

During the 2018 General Session, the legislature authorized the creation of the office to advocate for Utah trust lands beneficiaries, work with the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) and School and Institutional Trust Funds Office (SITFO), and help the public and beneficiaries understand the mission of the trust lands system. The office works under the direction of the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Committee and the state treasurer.

Christy’s background includes 18 years of service at SITLA, including most recently serving as the agency’s deputy director. He previously worked for the Utah Farm Bureau Federation and the Office of Legislative Research and General Council (OLRGC). One of his responsibilities at OLRGC included staffing the legislative task force that worked to resolve issues surrounding trust lands administration and ultimately led to the creation of SITLA in 1994. (Read More)


Number of the Day

Number of the Day, Nov 7, 2022

 

Tweet of the Day 

Screen Shot 2022-11-07 at 7.26.12 AM
 

Upcoming

  • General election â€“ Nov 8
  • Hacks to Help Women Maximize Income and Minimize Expenses —Nov. 9, Noon-1:00pm; Virtual, Register here
  • UWLP Book Club: How Women Rise By Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith — Nov. 10, 12:00pm-1:00pm or 7:30pm-8:30pm; Virtual, Register here
  • Interim Days, Nov 15-16, le.utah.gov
  • Advancing Religious Freedom in a Divided America with Judge Thomas Griffith, hosted by Sutherland Institute and the Int'l Center for Law and Religion Studies— Nov. 15, 9:30 am - noon, More info here
  • Biases, Barriers, & Barricades for Utah Women: A Solutions-Based Workshop with UWLP and the Policy Project, Nov. 15, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm, Sandy, Register here
  • Utah Foundation’s 2022 Annual Luncheon â€” Nov. 16, noon, Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek, Register here
  • Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber — Jan. 12, 2023, Salt Lake City Marriott, 8 am - noon, Register here
 

On This Day In History

  • 1805 - Lewis and Clark Expedition first sights the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River
  • 1833 - Latter-day Saints begin fleeing Jackson County, Missouri to escape mobs
  • 1867 - Marie Curie is born. The Polish-French scientist discovered radium and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (1903, 1911).
  • 1874 - First cartoon depicting an elephant as the Republican Party symbol, by Thomas Nast
  • 1885 - Canada’s transcontinental railway completed
  • 1909 - Ruby Hurley is born. She served on the committee that arranged Marian Anderson’s performance at the Lincoln Memorial after she was barred from singing at Constitution Hall, as youth secretary for NAACP increased youth membership to 25,000, and investigated the murder of Emmitt Till, despite personal danger
  • 1916 - Jeannette Rankin (Rep-R-Montana) is elected to Congress as its first woman Representative
  • 1917 - October Revolution in Russia; Lenin and the Bolsheviks seize power, capture the Winter Palace and overthrow the Provisional Government.
  • 1931 - Chinese People's Republic proclaimed by Mao Zedong
  • 1944 - FDR wins an unprecedented fourth term. He dies in office less than six months later.
  • 1962 - Eleanor Roosevelt, 1st Lady (1933-1945), dies at 78 in NYC
  • 1967 - President Lyndon B Johnson signs bill establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • 1991 - Magic Johnson announces he is HIV-positive

Wise Words

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

—Eleanor Roosevelt


The Punny Side

What word becomes shorter if you add two letters?

Short.

 

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