Good morning. Today’s temperatures: Logan: 55 - 93° ☀️ Salt Lake City: 70 - 95° ☀️ | ⚠️ St. George: 77 - 106° ☀️ | ⚠️ ⚠️ Excessive heat warning Yesterday, I shared some thoughts on why Utah's Pioneer Day can be a great time to reflect on our legacy of, and disposition toward, immigration. I gave an example of how one of my courageous immigrant ancestors left a Europe on the verge of WWII and communist occupation and brought the Tomco name to the United States. I asked you to share your stories with me. Vance Lee responded with the following: "My great-great grandfather, Theodore Turley, was born and raised in England. He immigrated to Canada and the family was converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there. He and his family then came to Kirtland, Far West, and Nauvoo. He built the first home built by Mormons in Nauvoo on a site next to the site where the Mansion House would be erected." Amazing story. Thank you for sharing, Vance! Also on our mind: UDOT officially chooses the gondola for Little Cottonwood Canyon, why Gov. Spencer Cox wants us to stop hating each other and an update from the Jazz's Las Vegas summer league. |
| Should there be a nuclear power plant in Utah? Most residents say yes |
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| | A majority of Utah residents are on board with a nuclear power plant in Utah, with 65% who say they are in support, compared to 31% who are opposed, and another 4% who have yet to make up their mind. A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll by Dan Jones & Associates found residents are hungry for a new form of base load power. Here's the breakdown of the survey, conducted among 801 registered Utah voters: 36% strongly in favor 29% somewhat in favor 12% somewhat opposed 19% strongly opposed 4% don't know This widespread support for nuclear power comes as PacifiCorp is pursuing TerraPower’s Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactors at multiple sites in the West to replace retiring coal-fired power plants. TerraPower, founded and chaired by Bill Gates, has a demonstration project in Kemmerer, Wyoming, which PacifiCorp hopes to duplicate in Emery County at the Hunter and Huntington coal-fired power plants. Forget the images of huge, sprawling nuclear reactors. This type of plant occupies a much smaller footprint, can ramp up quickly or shut down with speed and use passive cooling systems. In addition, they are far less vulnerable to natural events like earthquakes or other disasters, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. PacifiCorp, serving Utah and other states in the West, has made plain its intention to pursue nuclear power generation as a path moving forward with the release of its Integrated Resource Plan earlier this year. Some of the Utah residents opposed to sourcing our energy from nuclear power plants worry about devastating consequences should there be a failure to the system — and the lingering public health and environmental impacts. But these concerns seem to be limited to older Utahns. The poll results showed universal support for a nuclear power plant in Utah from those ages 18-24, with 0% opposed. |
Read more about the new technology and how Utah energy officials say it could be integrated into the state's power grid. |
| As the Social Security trust fund is expected to be drained in the next 10 years, Democratic and Republican senators agreed at a hearing Wednesday that something needs to be done to shore up the program. At the Budget Committee hearing, Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said Social Security and Medicare will drive half of all spending growth in the national budget over the next decade and that without new revenue, Social Security benefits would fall to 80% of the current levels. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah has proposed a bill, called the TRUST Act, that would require Congress to form “rescue committees” for several of the failing government trust funds, including the one for Social Security, and task them with coming up with a bipartisan plan for reform. “The first step to rescuing Social Security is for both parties to be honest with Americans about this impending crisis — the unserious proposals and dishonest claims put forth to score political points must stop,” he told the Deseret News. There are wide disagreements between the parties on what should be done to save Social Security. Democrats want to increase taxes, including the Social Security payroll tax, while Republicans have suggested curtailing benefits for younger workers and wealthy taxpayers. “None of my colleagues are in favor of cutting benefits for current retirees or those nearing retirement," Romney said. "But we must find a way to make sure Social Security is there for the coming generations — without continuing to add trillions of dollars to the national debt. We have a moral responsibility to act and the clock is ticking." Read more about the solution proposed by Democrats to increase taxes substantially to make the program solvent. More in Politics Bruce Hough qualifies for 2nd Congressional District GOP primary (Deseret News) Why Democrats will have to play defense to keep control of the Senate in 2024 (Deseret News) The Deseret News Editorial Board: Why Gov. Cox wants us to stop hating each other (Deseret News) Did Legislature take power from the people? Utah high court weighs lawsuit (KSL) | FROM OUR SPONSOR GUIDING OUR GROWTH Utah’s Water is Scarce – How You Can Save It Population growth impacts, like increasing water demand, worry many Utahns. Leaders welcome input on solutions. Take the survey and be heard. | Health The CDC will update policies for dogs and cats being imported to avoid rabies endemic (Deseret News) How Intermountain Health is working to improve outcomes for critically ill patients (KSL) Faith and Family Afghanistan refugee finds new hope for the future from the Humanitarian Center (Church News) How to inflate anything without a bike pump, or die trying (Deseret News) Economy and Environment Val Hale and Harvey Scott: Free markets are essential to our economic progress (Deseret News) Utah is still on pace for a cold, wet year — but how long will the stretch continue? (KSL) Salt Lake County UDOT reaches final decision on Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola (Deseret News) Salt Lake City unveils 'heartening plan' to address housing crisis (KSL) Tooele and Juab Counties 100-year sentence ordered for Utah teen who killed family seeking 'clean slate' (KSL) Utah closes off 56 abandoned mines near Eureka, including where 2 bodies were found (KSL) The West The Republican governor of Utah wants to spare kids from their phones (The New York Times 🔒) Arizona man at center of Jan. 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox News (The Hill) The Nation Iowa legislature votes to ban most abortions after 6 weeks. Which other states have a 6-week abortion ban? (Deseret News) U.S. inflation chills to 3% in June, but is it enough to freeze another Fed rate hike? (Deseret News) The World North Korea fires ballistic missile in South Sea while threatening U.S. (Deseret News) Sudan embroiled in civil war of 'most brutal kind,' UN humanitarian chief says (Fox News) Sports Utah Jazz beat writer Sarah Todd keeps fans up to speed from the Las Vegas Summer League (Deseret News) Want an inside look at the Zach Wilson-Aaron Rodgers relationship? Jets reportedly subject of ‘Hard Knocks’ (Deseret News) 5 takeaways from what commissioner Brett Yormark said at Big 12 football media days (Deseret News) These 5 players with Utah ties were selected in the MLB draft (Deseret News) | Ren Willie is pictured at his Murray home on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. A year ago, Willie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys memory and other mental functions over time. (Laura Seitz, Deseret News) Read more about the FDA's approval of Leqembi, the first drug to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s. |
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