Utah Headlines

Deseret News

• The Boulder shooting can change the nation, just as a murder 37 years ago changed me - Thanks to Carol Spencer, I do know that every victim - whether of a highly publicized mass shooting or a largely ignored crime - is a person with a story and with other people who love them.
• Gov. Cox's first veto is a bill sponsored by his brother-in-law - The bill was to hold operators of social media platforms responsible and legally liable for "unfairly applying moderation rules."
• James Huntsman files lawsuit seeking return of tithing; church calls fraud claims 'baseless' - The brother of former governor Jon Huntsman resigned his church membership last year.
• How Mitt Romney proposes to encourage Americans to create families, have children - Provide monthly payments to families with children at home.
• Utah recorded 836 violent crimes against people of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage last year - No formal reports of hate crimes, however. The Beehive State is home to nearly 76,500 people of Asian heritage and about 30,700 who are native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
• Dr. Astrid Tuminez: Women are essential to society's success - The effects of the pandemic threaten to reverse years of progress we have made toward reaching gender equality, but they also serve as a vital opportunity to reflect on how we as a society can better support women.

Salt Lake Tribune

• Commentary: Finalize your business playbook for COVID-19 - Businesses should help with vaccine distribution and workplace safety measures,
• Utah's Burgess Owens accuses Biden, Democrats of intentionally causing border crisis - "President Biden should be ashamed of himself," the freshman lawmaker said during an interview on Newsmax.
• Gas prices continue to rise in Utah - and they're well above the national average - As of Tuesday, Utahns are paying 28 cents more per gallon ($3.16) than the national average ($2.88).
• Utah health, human services agencies to merge next year - The move has caused consternation among some Utahns concerned that public health could lose stature if it doesn't have its own agency
• Man claims self-defense after shooting his friend to death; police disagree - Shooter is in custody as West Valley City police investigate

Other

• 3-year-old boy dies in Sunday off-road crash in Kane County (KSL) - The boy died after the 4x4 vehicle he was in rolled over on a trail near Kanab, authorities say.
• Colorado shooting victims: Store staffers, cop, photographer (KSL) - Those who lost their lives were identified as Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; police Officer Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jodi Waters, 65.
• Police serve search warrant at Kearns address where murdered woman was kidnapped (KUTV) - The homicide investigation and search for Solorio-Romero's remains are ongoing.
• Woman speaks out about UVU professor accused of voyeurism and harassment (ABC4) - 37-year-old Jarom Brown is accused of filming the victim without her permission and then electronically harassing her.
• With drought taking steady hold, officials warn Utahns to be responsible with water usage (Standard-Examiner) - The Utah Division of Water Resources said all Utahns should hold off on watering their lawns until further notice.
• Hill AFB working on program to turn civilian work training into college credit (Standard-Examiner) - They are looking to establish a criminal justice associate degree as the first, as well as nondestructive inspection, information technology and quality assurance coming soon.

COVID Corner

• When will kids and teens be vaccinated against COVID-19? (KSL) - While there's a chance that a vaccine will be available to high school and middle school-age children by this fall, younger children may still be months away.
• Utah pharmacies run out of Johnson & Johnson vaccine amid nationwide distribution issues (KUTV) - "The distribution of the Johnson & Johnson has not been as stable as we thought it maybe would have been," said Tom Hudachko with the Utah Department of Health.
• What is the COVID-19 symptom tinnitus? (Deseret News) - "Tinnitus is ringing, buzzing, whistling or other sounds in the ears without an external source. The condition can disrupt sleep, affect a person's work and social life, and sharply increase the risk of depression or anxiety."
• Utah reports 15 more COVID-19 deaths (Salt Lake Tribune) - There were three deaths in the past day, and 12 more before March 1.
• Deaths from coronavirus on the rise worldwide after weeks of decline, warns WHO (Washington Post) - The global trend suggests that U.S. deaths, which have continued to fall for months, may soon rise again as well.
• First Covid, Then Psychosis: 'The Most Terrifying Thing I've Ever Experienced' (New York Times) - Like a small number of Covid survivors with no previous mental illness, Ivan Agerton developed psychotic symptoms weeks after his coronavirus infection.

---

National Headlines

• Senate confirms Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to lead Labor Department (Politico) - He will be tasked with implementing the Biden administration's agenda at the department, which includes stricter workplace safety enforcement.
• Speedy House vs. slower Senate: Dems struggle to balance on Biden agenda (Politico) - Senate Democrats welcome the House's progress but are not interested in taking cues from their counterparts on the filibuster's future.
• With Marijuana Departures, the White House Wages Its Own Culture War (New York Times) - The tradition of treating past cannabis use as a terminable offense leaves the Biden administration out of step with public opinion.
• White House aides prep $3 trillion jobs package for Biden (CNN) - The proposal, which Biden's top advisers have been deliberating over for weeks, would be segmented into two separate parts -- one focused on infrastructure and clean energy, and a second focused on what's being termed the "care economy" with a focus zeroed in on key domestic economic issues.
• Biden dispatches top officials to Mexico, Central America as border crisis grows (NBC News) - Separately, a bipartisan pair of border-state senators sent a letter urging the White House to act swiftly to address the influx of migrants.
• U.S. Joins EU In Sanctions Against China Over Treatment Of Uyghur Muslims (NPR) -The EU and U.S., along with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada released a joint statement saying, "We will continue to stand together to shine a spotlight on China's human rights violations. We stand united and call for justice for those suffering in Xinjiang."
• Trump: Ending the filibuster would be 'catastrophic' for Republican Party (The Hill) - Trump has been critical of GOP leadership since his 2020 election loss, painting McConnell as "weak" and saying the party should seek new leadership more supportive of his policies.
• A second House Democrat objects to overturning Iowa congressional election GOP won by six votes (Fox News) - "This election result was certified by the State of Iowa and Rep. Miller-Meeks was sworn in nearly three months ago," said Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire. "As I said when Republicans challenged the Electoral College votes on January 6th, the election is over and it's time to move on."
• Rep. Tom Reed has apologized over sexual misconduct allegations. Here's what happened (Deseret News) - Republican New York Rep. Tom Reed has issued an apology and declared he won't be running for office in 2022 due to new allegations against him of sexual misconduct.
• Analysis: More Republicans than Democrats are quitting Congress, and their retirements are shaping the party (Deseret News) -The establishment wing is clearly moving out. You're starting to see a lot more Trump-friendly Republicans take over the Republican conference as he's remade the Republican Party to a significant degree."
• Is the future of social media partisan? Trump says he's starting his own 'platform' (Deseret News) - Trump advisor Jason Miller said it would be "the hottest ticket in social media, it's going to completely redefine the game."

---

Policy News

Romney, colleagues condemn China's human rights abuses against Uyghurs
U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, today joined Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Edward Markey (D-MA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Tim Kaine (D-VA), in introducing a resolution condemning the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for its treatment of the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and calling for an international investigation into the abuses and crimes committed there.

---

Utah Dept of Human Services names Nate Checketts and David Litvack as Deputy Directors
The Utah Department of Human Services (DHS) Executive Director Tracy Gruber announced the appointment of two new Deputy Directors, Nate Checketts and David Litvack. They will both assume their new roles April 5. These appointments come during a broader period of transition for the department, with a new executive director appointed in January by Governor Spencer Cox, and passage of House Bill 365 directing the consolidation of the Department of Human Services and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) by July of 2022.

---

Rep. Stewart introduces the No Mask Mandate for Kids Act
Today, Congressman Chris Stewart (R-UT) introduced the No Mask Mandate for Kids Act. This legislation rescinds President Biden's mandate that children must wear masks while traveling domestically, allowing industries, states, and families to make their own decision.

---

Sen. Lee, colleagues introduce Stopping Border Surges Act
Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Monday introduced the Stopping Border Surges Act, a bill to address loopholes in our immigration system which encourage vulnerable immigrant populations to take dangerous, illegal paths of entry into the United States.

---

Sen. Lee reintroduces Protecting American Jobs Act
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today reintroduced the Protecting American Jobs Act, a bill that would strip the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) of its power to prosecute and adjudicate labor disputes.

---

Business Headlines

• Lockheed, Northrop clinch massive missile defense deals as Boeing is passed over (Washington Post) - The Defense Department on Tuesday finalized deals worth up to $7.5 billion with two teams of defense contractors for a new interceptor that can shoot incoming missiles out of the sky.
• Bitcoin Surges As Elon Musk Says It Can Be Used To Buy Teslas (Forbes) - Musk said the Bitcoin paid to Tesla "will be retained as Bitcoin" and not be converted to fiat currency.
• Prince Harry Takes A Job As 'Chief Impact Officer' For Silicon Valley Mental Health Startup As His Family Battle Continues Through The Press (Forbes) - The company, Better Up, is already offering services to large American corporations. Backing shareholders are reported to include Shaun "The Flying Tomato" White and the Dubai investment arm Mubadala Capital.
• Futures rise ahead of March business surveys; Intel shines (Reuters) - The chipmaker's shares jumped about 5.7% as it announced plans to spend as much as $20 billion to build two factories in Arizona and open its factories to outside customers.
• Amazon's cloud business has a new CEO (CNN) - Amazon has appointed Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky as the new head of its biggest moneymaker, Amazon Web Services.
• So many people needed to stash things during the pandemic that self-storage startup Neighbor raised $53 million in Series B round (Business Insider) - Utah-based Neighbor had a huge year, with revenue growing five times over 2019 figures.

---

---