Since 2015, around 7 million Venezuelans have fled their country. Of those, Alexander, his wife Raimar, their 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son have resettled in Utah.

In the last several months, community groups and state officials have seen an increase in the number of Venezuelans who have come to live in Utah. Many are asylum seekers who have a connection through a family member, friend or sponsor, but there has been an uptick of migrants showing up along the Wasatch Front saying that U.S. border officials sent them here seemingly at random.

Organizations offering aid have been overwhelmed over the last few months, and state officials have struggled to get clear answers on how many migrants to anticipate. Due to the lack of communication, families have shown up unannounced and confused.

‘Putting you on notice': Utah governor, lawmakers plan crackdown on social media companies

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox did not hold back when speaking at the Social Media and Youth Mental Health Symposium on Tuesday. This comes on the heels of Cox’s growing concern about social media's impact on adolescent mental health.

What was said: "I know we have some social media companies in the room, we're glad you're here. We are putting you on notice. You have some options. You can fight, and that's fine. We're ready for the fight. Or you can join us and be part of the solution.”

Why it matters: Social media companies have come under increasing scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats. Utah lawmakers have expressed an interest in leading the nation in a solution.

Read more over at KSL.

More in Politics:

• Biden said he was ‘surprised’ about classified documents (Deseret News)
• New York Republican leaders call on George Santos to resign (Deseret News)
• Utah’s redistricting map fight will move to the Utah Supreme Court. How’d we get there? (KUER)

Health:

• Does living near airports with small aircraft expose children to dangerous lead levels? (Deseret News)
• To fight the winter blues ... buy a fish? (Deseret News)

Housing:

• Can a freer market solve the housing crisis? Here’s how Utah lawmakers want cities to get out of developers’ way (Deseret News)
• Utah is one of the nation’s most welcoming states for refugees, but how will we house them? (Utah Business)

Prince Harry:

• Perspective: 3 ethical questions raised by the Harry-William soap opera (Deseret News)
• 10 revelations from Prince Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare’ — in case you don’t have time to read it (Deseret News)

Education:

• How can the Beehive State honor and inspire teachers? Utah’s first lady is throwing them a party (Deseret News)
• Reading, writing and information literacy? Here’s how New Jersey is fighting false information (Deseret News)

Environment:

• The 4 ski resorts with the most snow in the country are all in Utah (Deseret News)

Security:

• Opinion: Now is not the time to cut the military (Deseret News)

Wasatch Front:

• Teens who killed 16-year-old Utah boy got surprising gift from victim's family, judge says (KSL)
• New winter weather advisory issued for Wasatch Front with storm's 2nd wave (KSL)

Southern Utah:

• 'Incredible mother' to be laid to rest with her children in southern Utah on Friday (KSL)

The West:

• At least 17 have died in California storms. More storms are coming (Deseret News)
• Whose river is it anyway? Another legal turn in Utah’s stream access fight (Deseret News)

The World:

• Is Iran using facial recognition to police hijab law? (Deseret News)
• Man stabs commuters at Paris train station with homemade blade, wounding 6 (Deseret News)
• Brazilian judge orders arrests of top security officials after protesters stormed Congress (Deseret News)

The Nation:

• Why Ukrainian troops are being sent to Oklahoma for training (Deseret News)
• Illinois bans assault weapons. Which states have similar bans? (Deseret News)

Sports:

• Why there’s still hope for Zach Wilson (Deseret News)
• Why Joe Burrow and other professional athletes bought a farm in Iowa (Deseret News)
• Looking ahead: Will BYU’s football team be a Big 12 title contender in 2023? (Deseret News)

Photo of the Week

Eric Larsen, Jack Wolfskin athlete, asks Jack Wolfskin trivia questions and gives away Jack Wolfskin backpacks at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

Read more about it here. 

📸: Kristin Murphy