Guest Opinion: How Utah puts food trucks in idle by Daryl James and Kyle Sweetland Utah food trucks serve everything from fresh lobster rolls to gourmet pizza. Options abound, but customers come for more than just meals and desserts. âItâs not just food,â says Taylor Harris, founding partner and general manager of the Food Truck League in Salt Lake City. âItâs âfood-tainment.ââ Unfortunately, some Utah cities and towns throw up roadblocks to keep food trucks out. Despite the passage of a 2017 state law designed to prevent redundant inspections and permits, so food truckers would not have to go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction paying fees, some municipalities continue to do their own thing. Other jurisdictions, including Salt Lake City, initially complied with the state law. But local code enforcers later found loopholes. As a result, Utah food truck owners must navigate multiple regulatory systems that can change when they cross political boundary linesâor when new health officials come into power. âThe reform relied somewhat on the good faith of local officials,â Harris says. âMost cities are on the same page now, but some cities are trying to maneuver around it.â Utah House Bill 146 would plug the gap by making all food truck inspections and permits reciprocal across the state. âIf you get approved in one city, you would be approved everywhere,â Harris says. (Read More) News Releases New family life report: Utah leads on structure, but warning signs shadow home life Today, the Utah Foundation released the fourth report in its Utah Social Capital Series with The Comforts of Home: Family Life in Utah. This installment focuses on family; the previous installments focused on civic engagement, social trust and community life. The Comforts of Home presents data and analysis on seven metrics: the share of adults aged 35 to 64 currently married; share of births to married women; the share of children living in a single-parent family; the share of children age five and under who are read to every day; TV viewing by children from 0 to 17; time spent on electronic devices for the same age group; and the share of families eating a meal together daily. It looks at Utahâs performance on these measures over time, comparing the Beehive State both to the seven other Mountain States and to the nation at large. (Read More) WGU strengthens commitment to underserved Utah student populations with new community relations liaison Western Governors University (WGU) has named Gonzalo Peña the senior community relations liaison for Utah, further demonstrating its commitment to increasing access to affordable, in-demand university degree programs and creating pathways for opportunity. In this role, Peña will work to build relationships with like-minded community partners and engage with underserved populations, such as communities of color and low-income student populations. (Read More) Utah Taxpayersâ Association: The financial risks of UAMPSâ small modular nuclear reactor project for Utah cities and towns âToo late, too expensive and too uncertain.â Thatâs the conclusion of a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) about the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) plans to build a nuclear power plant using NuScaleâs as-yet-untested small modular nuclear reactor. They base their findings on an extensive analysis of the risk of cost overruns and construction delays. These are compared to other options for generating power that use proven technology, are immediately deployable, and much less expensive. (Read More) Utah State Board of Education statement on gender guidance review status This is an update on the Utah State Board of Educationâs (USBE) progress to review the public feedback on the Gender Identity Guidance for Public Education draft document. The agencyâs initial plan was to discuss public feedback at a special Standards and Assessment Committee meeting that was tentatively scheduled for February 23. However, due to the large volume of responses received, USBE is still completing the review of the feedback submitted. One of USBEâs priorities is ensuring that all provided feedback is reviewed and considered. USBE received more than 20,000 public comments, which is far more than we had anticipated; in fact, it is the most feedback the agency has received through a public comment opportunity. While the agency is pleased to see this level of public engagement, the process of reviewing the feedback will take longer than was originally planned. The Utah State Board of Education will be continuing the dialogue on this draft at the next open and public Board meeting on Friday, March 11 in the Standards and Assessment Committee. | 