Phil Lyman's running mate ruled ineligible, lawsuit filed; 17 arrested at protest at the U; St. George air among the cleanest in the nation
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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.

 

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Situational Analysis | April 30, 2024

It's Tuesday and that means it's National Oatmeal Cookie Day AND National Raisin Day. Coincidence? I think not. 

A major mea culpa from me today. Yesterday, I used the wrong first name for Rep. Lyman who became the convention nominee for governor on Saturday. His name is Phil, not Jeremy. Sorry. 

What you need to know

  • Rep. Brian King, the Democratic nominee for governor, announced Rebekah Cummings as his running mate. Cummings is the director of digital matters at the University of Utah and is a board chair of the Utah State Library Board. She has been a fierce advocate against book banning. King said he and Cummings are looking at building a "coalition of pragmatists, not purists."

Rapid relevance

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • Did Utah’s Republican delegates go too far? Convention supporters worry bad behavior will kill the system (Deseret News)

Election news

  • Dem candidate for governor of Utah Brian King picks librarian Rebekah Cummings as his running mate (Deseret News)
  • Poll shows Cox has huge popularity, Lyman sues to get his LG pick on the ballot (Fox13)

Utah news

  • College protests over war in Gaza reach Utah (Deseret News)
  • Police order pro-Palestine protesters at University of Utah to take down tents (KSL TV)
  • Police end University of Utah student pro-Palestine rally with riot gear and 17 arrests (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • With Suns done, Kevin Young can turn full attention to new job leading the Cougars (Deseret News)

Business

  • Is Tesla’s Autopilot safe? Legal challenges abound (Deseret News)
  • An aerospace company’s new office could bring Utahns closer to the moon (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Walmart to shut all health centers in US over lack of profitability (Reuters)
  • Fed to signal it has stomach to keep rates high for longer (Wall Street Journal)
  • Less is more: The case for 'slow productivity' at work (Wall Street Journal)

Crime/Courts

  • ‘Cowardly act’: Gunman who killed Utah football player Aaron Lowe sentenced to long prison term (Deseret News)
  • FBI agent uses phone data to show where Chad Daybell was when JJ and Tylee disappeared (KSL)
  • Former officer arrested in St. George now in federal custody after reportedly fleeing to Cambodia (St. George News)
  • He wanted a Utah campsite refund. An officer cuffed him and took him down. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Culture

  • What to know about this year’s BYU Women’s Conference (Deseret News)
  • ‘American Idol’ reveals its top 7 (Deseret News)
  • Lindon woman's dream of having her music on the radio comes true (KSL)
  • ‘Kind’ author who shined a light on the forgotten characters of Utah’s past dies (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education

  • Many Gen Zers are trading college for trade school (Deseret News)
  • How one BYU student is helping her peers combat perfectionism and other mental health challenges (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • USU's art museum preserves murals from the Intermountain Indian School (UPR)
  • Several Utah County cities host meetings to consider 3-way Alpine School District split (Daily Herald)
  • 137th USU Commencement is Thursday and Friday this week (Cache Valley Daily)

Environment

  • Why I left the beauty of Moab for the chill of Alaska (Deseret News)
  • Why camping fees may increase at Dinosaur National Monument (Deseret News)
  • New film fuses art and Indigenous voices to spotlight Great Salt Lake’s plight (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Weber County inland port project foes press for more study as decision date nears (KSL)
  • ‘Things could change real quick for us:’ Weber County avoids weekend flooding, officials on alert (KSL TV)
  • Environmental groups ask judge to keep Great Salt Lake lawsuit alive (Fox13)

Family

Health

Housing

  • Opinion: Manufactured homes could solve housing crunch (Deseret News)
 

National Headlines

General

  • A dentist discovered a jawbone embedded in tile. How did it happen? (Deseret News)
  • Tornadoes in Iowa, Oklahoma and Nebraska kill at least 4 and injure 100 or more (Deseret News)
  • 4 law enforcement officers killed in shooting at North Carolina residence, 4 other officers shot and injured (KSL TV)
  • What to know about the police shooting in Charlotte (New York Times)
  • Protesters at Columbia University have begun occupying a campus building (NPR)

Political news

  • Gender transition surgeries must be covered in state health plans, federal court says (Deseret News)
  • Politicians and dog experts vilify South Dakota governor after she writes about killing her dog (AP)
  • Getting kids off social media is a uniting issue in the Senate (Washington Post)
  • GOP House hard-liners won’t compromise. They’re losing key fights because of it. (Washington Post)
  • Trump venting about his lawyer in his criminal trial, seeks more aggression (New York Times)
  • McConnell’s exit isn’t going to be a quiet one (The Hill)

Election news

  • We, The Voters — the left, the right, the disillusioned (NPR)
  • More ‘LIBERAL than anyone running as a Democrat’: Trump keeps up attacks on RFK Jr. (Politico)
  • DeSantis meets with Trump to help with 2024 election (Politico)
  • Gallego, Lake neck and neck in Arizona Senate race: Poll (The Hill)
  • How far would Trump go? (Time)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  • Russian missile hits educational institution, kills five in Ukraine's Odesa (Reuters)
  • In a ‘meat grinder’ of a war, Russian and Ukrainian casualties rise (Washington Post)

Israel and Gaza

  • Residents of northern Israel brace for possible all-out war with Hezbollah (Reuters)
  • Blinken says Israel still must do more to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza (AP)
  • José Andres: We’re going back to Gaza to feed people. Here’s what we need from Israel. (Washington Post)

World news

  • As famine looms in Sudan, the hungry eat soil and leaves (Reuters)
 

Number of the Day 

Number of the Day, April 30, 2024

 

News Releases

UVU to celebrate commencement with 10,197 graduates including 3,406 first-generation students

First-generation college graduate, former CEO of a L’Oréal brand, and New York Times bestselling author Jamie Kern Lima will speak at Utah Valley University’s (UVU) 2024 commencement ceremony to celebrate the transformative power of education with 10,197 graduates — 3,406 of whom are first-generation students. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 pm in the UCCU Center on UVU’s Orem Campus. (Read More)


USBE honors five outstanding educators with the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts

In the upcoming weeks, the Utah State Board of Education will proudly recognize five exemplary educators from across the state with the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education. Established in honor of Beverley Taylor Sorenson, a staunch advocate for arts education, these awards celebrate educators who promote the power of the arts in student development. The award winners are Rachel Leber, Charlotte Hawkins, Sherise Longhurst, Laurie Anderson, and Glen Carpenter. (Read More)


Utah legislature minority leaders support the right to peacefully protest on university campuses 

Utah Senate Minority Leader, Senator Luz Escamilla, and Utah House of Representatives Minority Leader, Representative Angela Romero, release the following statement: 

“We stand with all individuals exercising their fundamental right to engage in peaceful protests on university campuses. Peaceful protest is a longstanding and powerful form of expression in our nation’s history, and has continuously engaged communities and spurred meaningful change. 

This democratic cornerstone amplifies diverse voices and provides opportunities for ideas to be added to the conversation. We recognize the importance of respecting different perspectives and engaging in dialogue to address change. Protesting is an opportunity to listen, learn, engage, and unite. We don’t condone violence or violation of state laws. We encourage respect for the rights and safety of all participants and the broader community.” 

 

Tweet of the Day

Screenshot 2024-04-30 at 7.06.53 AM

 

Upcoming

  • May 7 â€” Election Trust Forum, UVU, 8:00 am-11:30 am, Register here
  • May 8 — BioHive Live conference, Hale Centre Theatre, Register here
  • May 13-15 — Interim Days
  • May 29 — Northern Utah Conference to End Violence, USU Logan campus,  8:30 am-4:30 pm, Register here
  • June 6 — Bolder Way Forward 2nd Annual Summit, Zions Technology Campus, 9:00 am-2:00 pm, Register here
  • June 18-19 — Interim Days
  • August 14 â€” Hatch Foundation "Titan of Public Service" recognizing Sen. John Thune, Grand America
  • August 20-21 — Interim Days
  • September 17-18 — Interim Days
  • October 15-16 — Interim Day
  • November 19-20 — Interim Days
 

On This Day In History 

  • 1789 - George Washington gives first presidential inaugural address.
  • 1880 - Lillian Bertha Jones Horace is born. A pioneering educator and writer, she is Texas’s earliest known African American woman novelist, one of only two known black southern women novelists of the early to mid twentieth century, one of only two black women nationally to own a publishing company before 1920, and the only black woman nationally to author a utopian novel before 1950
  • 1911 - Portugal approves female suffrage.
  • 1927 - The first federal prison for women opens in West Virginia.
  • 1939 - Ellen Zwilich is born. She became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music.
  • 1945 - Adolf Hitler dies from suicide
  • 1975 - Vietnam War ends
  • 1993 - World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain.

Quote of the Day

"Utah college campuses around the state are not exempt from the significant unrest that currently exists in our country and world...We honor all voices, but the right to speech on our campus must occur within the confines of state law and campus policies."

—Keith Squires, University of Utah Chief Safety Officer


On the Punny Side

When I was a kid, bedtime was 9 pm. I couldn't wait to be a grownup so I could go to bed anytime I wanted.

Turns out that is 9 pm.

 

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