Utah Headlines

Political news

• Utah Republican lawmakers announce public safety crackdown on migrants in state illegally (Deseret News)
• Utah GOP lawmakers give ‘glimpse’ of plans to back Trump’s push for mass deportations (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Gov. Cox to join Trump at Mar-a-Lago dinner with other governors (Deseret News)
• Jay Evensen: We keep electing senior citizens (Deseret News)
• On the Hill 2025: Ballot signature amendments (KSL Newsradio)
• Elections, higher ed, immigration: 3 big issues to expect from the 2025 Utah Legislature (Daily Herald)
• New Attorney General Derek Brown is focused on looking forward  (KSL)
• Housing and energy top Spencer Cox’s to-do list for his second — and final — term as Utah governor (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Proposed law seeks to remove fluoride from Utah’s water supply (ABC4)

Utah

• How the ski patrol strike is impacting Park City Mountain’s image (Deseret News)
• Ogden Airport kicks off $4.4 million expansion project (KSL TV)
• Habitat for Humanity to raise Jimmy Carter memorial wall in Salt Lake (KSL Newsradio)
• Are Utah drivers crazy? Utah Highway Patrol says no more than anywhere else (KUER)
• Utah food stamp recipients have to go a month without benefits after EBT cards compromised (Fox13)

Biz/Tech

• Here are the trends shaping technology in 2025 (KSL)
• Meta replaces fact-checking with X-style community notes (AP)

Crime/Courts

• Man allegedly agrees to kill brother on Christmas to have 'hit' taken off him (KSL)
• Naked man allegedly breaks into West Valley apartment, claims he planned to kill residents (KUTV)
• Junior high teacher arrested after 'several thousand' pornographic files of children found (KUTV)

Culture

• This 11-year-old is the best baker in her family — and she’s competing for $25,000 on Food Network (Deseret News)

Education

• Hal Boyd: Football, faculty and faith — why I’m excited about BYU’s future (Deseret News)

Environment

• Grand Staircase has 2 new rules for climbers and campers, effective immediately (ABC4)
• As Utah grows, inversions could be a problem for more than the Wasatch Front (KUER)
• Drought, 'abnormally dry' conditions remain in Utah to start 2025. (KSL)
• Environmental groups worry Utah Inland Port Authority may reactivate coal mine (KSL Newsradio)
• Farmers could be the ‘heroes’ who save the Great Salt Lake, new study says (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Study calls for alfalfa, hay cuts in Utah to help the Great Salt Lake (Fox13)

Health

• Want to lower your risk of heart disease? Keep social relationships vibrant (Deseret News)
• FDA seeks to boost accuracy of blood-oxygen monitors across skin tones (KSL)
• 'A very, very small number' of teens receive gender-affirming care, study finds (NPR)

Housing

• Was it easier for Americans to afford a home last year? Only slightly (Deseret News)

National news

General

• Mental health challenges elevating in the military ranks (Deseret News)
• Louisiana reports first bird flu-related death in US (Reuters)
• More than 9,000 flights are canceled and Reagan National is shut down (New York Times)
• Perspective: Jimmy Carter was the best of us (Deseret News)
• 2 bodies are found in the landing gear of JetBlue plane at Florida airport (AP)

Politics

• Editorial Board: The peaceful transfer of power endures (Deseret News)
• Biden administration bans unpaid medical bills from appearing on credit reports (AP)
• 4 takeaways from Zelenskyy’s interview with Lex Fridman (Deseret News)
• Trump tries uniting House and Senate GOP leadership on budget bill (Deseret News)
• Trump says he’ll end DEI at federal level, as report shows $1 billion in spending since 2021 (Deseret News)
• Congress certifies 2024 presidential election, affirms Trump victory (Deseret News)
• On Jan. 6, lawmakers remember the carnage of 2021 in sharply different ways (AP)
• Judge finds Giuliani in civil contempt in 2020 election workers' case (Reuters)
• Higher Social Security payments coming for millions of people from bill that Biden signed (AP)
• Trump aides ready ‘universal’ tariff plans — with one key change (Washington Post)
• U.S. transfers 11 Yemeni prisoners from Guantánamo to Oman (Washington Post)
• Musk asks his followers if the US ‘should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government’ (The Hill)
• Trump’s attorneys threaten legal action if Smith’s final report releases to public (CNN)

Ukraine 

• Russia claims it captured another town in eastern Ukraine but Kyiv’s troops say the fight continues (AP)
• Pictures of Odesa, as it tangles with a complex web of Russian and Ukrainian heritage (NPR)

Israel/Gaza

• Hamas and Israel are negotiating the release of 34 hostages from Gaza (NPR)
• Gaza didn’t get enough winter shelters. Now babies are dying in the cold. (Washington Post)

World news

• Justin Trudeau resigned as Canadian prime minister. Here's how Trump responded (Deseret News)
• How Kenya police hid killings of anti-government protesters (Reuters)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Attorney General Derek Brown sworn-in, releases public schedule 1/6/25-1/10/25

Brown will release calendar, put assets in a blind trust, and resign from boards

Today marks a pivotal moment as Utah celebrates the inauguration of Utah Attorney General Derek Brown. Officially sworn in this morning, he is poised to make significant strides in advocating for the best interests of our state. 

During the last two months, Attorney General Brown’s transition team—over 40 expert volunteers organized into 11 subcommittees—has conducted a thorough evaluation of the office. This bipartisan team includes subject matter experts in every legal and administrative aspect of the office, such as former Utah Solicitor General Tyler Green, former Utah State Auditor John Dougall, well-respected defense attorney Greg Skordas, former State Representative Lowry Snow, and Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera. The team has made many recommendations regarding the operation of the office and provided analysis that Attorney General Brown will use moving forward.  (Read More)

Salt Lake County welcomes new and returning elected officials

This morning, five newly elected officials and four returning elected officials took the oath of office to serve the residents of Salt Lake County. All Salt Lake County elected officials serve four-year terms except for At-Large Councilmembers who serve six-year terms.

The five newly elected officials are: Councilmember Natalie Pinkney, At-Large Member C, Councilmember Carlos Moreno, District 2, Councilmember Ross Romero, District 4, Surveyor Bradley Park, and Treasurer Sheila Srivastava. (Read More)

Two UVU students receive $20,000 scholarships from US Foods

Morgan Willis and Reagan Wirrick, students at Utah Valley University (UVU), were recently selected as two of 18 nationwide to each receive prestigious $20,000 scholarships from US Foods. The scholarships, awarded to students from ten schools across the country, recognize exceptional academic achievement in culinary arts and related fields.

For the first time ever, US Foods expanded its scholarship program nationwide, offering support to students pursuing two- or four-year degrees in culinary arts, baking and pastry, chef training, or business management. Willis is from Mona, Utah, and is majoring in culinary arts, while Wirrick is from Pleasant Grove, Utah, and is studying hospitality management. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Jan. 8 — Inauguration for Gov. Cox, Lt. Gov Henderson, AG Derek Brown, Auditor Tina Cannon, and Treasurer Marlo Oaks, 10 am
• Jan. 9 — What’s Up Down South Economic Summit. St. George. Register here
• Jan. 10 — Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit with the SL Chamber & Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, 7:30 am - 12:00 pm, Grand America Hotel, Register here 
• Jan. 10 — Rural Utah Data Symposium. St. George. Register here
• Jan. 11— Special election for HD4, 2 pm
• Jan 14 — Utah Taxpayers Association Legislative Outlook Conference, 9 am - 12:00 pm, Little America Hotel, Register here
• Jan. 21 — Utah legislative session begins
• Mar. 7 — Utah legislative session ends

On This Day In History

• 1789 - Congress set January 7, 1789 as the date by which states were required to choose electors for the country’s first-ever presidential election.
• 1800 - Millard Fillmore elected as the 13th President of the United States under the Whig ticket.
• 1892 - A massive mine explosion leaves nearly 100 dead in Krebs, Oklahoma.
• 1896 - Fannie Merrit Farmer self-publishes Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. The book’s name would later be renamed The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.
• 1905 - Nella Morton is born. She became a feminist educator, pushed for full integration for black students at the Biblical Seminary of New York, worked with mentally disabled children and developed curricular theories from 1956 to 1971
• 1927 - Harlem Globetrotters play their first game.
• 1950 - ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ is the #1 song on U.S. pop charts.
• 1952 - Geneal Anderson is born. She was the leader of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah for decades.
• 1953 - President Truman announces U.S. has developed hydrogen bomb.
• 1955 - Marian Anderson becomes the first African American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera.
• 1979 - Pol Pot overthrown.
• 1999 - President Clinton’s impeachment trial begins.
• 2015 - 12 people die in shooting at “Charlie Hebdo” offices.

Quote of the Day

"There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory."
—Josh Billings

On the Punny Side

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