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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.

 

Situational Analysis | Nov. 8, 2023

Good morning! It's Wednesday and World Pianist Day. 🎹

What You Need to Know

  • Former Utah state senator and US District Judge Bruce S. Jenkins died Tuesday at age 96. He was the last Democrat to be the president of the Utah Senate. He's been on the bench since 1978. Jenkins is best known for presiding over the case of the "downwinders," who contended that nuclear bomb testing sickened and killed them or their families. Earlier this year, he awarded $10.5 million to the family of a woman beheaded by a gate in Arches National Park. 

Rapid Relevance 

 

Carlos Boozer is back!

Join us December 4 for an exciting evening featuring Carlos Boozer. Hear his captivating story and a lively Q&A session, as well as a memorable photo opportunity. Purchase tickets today.

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • Inside Yale’s Jewish society that shaped Vivek Ramaswamy (Deseret News)
  • Social media, crisis centers and ... zoning? Gov. Cox is looking for solutions to mental health crisis (Deseret News)
  • How should Utah's Justice Court system be revamped? State lawmakers weigh in (Fox13)

Election news

  • What to look for in the 2023 Utah municipal and special elections (KSL Newsradio)
  • Mitt Romney said the 2020 election was between an ‘awful person or awful policies.’ Is 2024 a repeat? (Deseret News)

Utah news

  • First Utah-trained doctor appointed director of National Institutes of Health (ABC4)
  • Stop for Students: The dangerous distances you drive when distracted (KSL TV)
  • Utah domestic violence victim advocates call for funding amid a surge of demand (KSL Newsradio)
  • Colorado? Utah? Vermont? What states are the most ‘obsessed’ with skiing and snowboarding? (Deseret News)
  • Utah woman mauled by dogs in Taylorsville dies of injuries (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • North Logan woman's death marks 11th auto-pedestrian fatality in Utah since October (KUTV)

Business/Tech

  • Meta whistleblower warned executives about social media’s dangerous effects on young teens. They ignored him (Deseret News)
  • Once the darling of disruptive tech, WeWork files for Chapter 11 protections (Deseret News)

Culture

  • Mark Wahlberg is a family man in a minivan in new film: A look at his family and faith movies (Deseret News)

Education

  • Meet the man behind Utah Athletics social media account (Deseret News)
  • This elementary school teacher is using the Miami Dolphins to teach math (Deseret News)
  • Salt Lake City school board considers closing seven elementary schools due to declining enrollment (KUTV)
  • University of Utah student is top ten finalist for 2023 CNN Hero of the Year (Fox13)

Environment

  • October obliterated temperature records, virtually guaranteeing 2023 will be hottest year on record (AP)
  • Lawsuit challenges legitimacy of Utah oil and gas leases issued under ‘rushed’ Trump policy (Deseret News)
  • Compass Minerals to halt Great Salt Lake lithium project, at least for now (Standard-Examiner)
  • USU Land, Water and Air grants to study and assist Bear Lake (Cache Valley Daily)

Health

  • Mammograms show promise as tool for predicting heart disease and stroke in women (KSL)
  • Syphilis in newborns has reached ‘dire’ levels in the U.S. (Deseret News)
  • Feeling extra tired during the winter is common. Here’s why and how to combat winter fatigue (Deseret News)

Housing

  • Worst housing market in 39 years: Record share of Americans say it’s a ‘bad time’ to buy (Deseret News)
 

National Headlines

General

  • Death of a 65-year-old Jewish man at pro-Palestinian rally in L.A. ruled a homicide (Deseret News)
  • The case of the golden toilet: 4 men charged in theft of a golden toilet called ‘America’ (Deseret News)

Politics

  • The history of the red tie in presidential debates (Deseret News)
  • What do most Americans view as a critical issue: abortion, rising costs or guns? (Deseret News)
  • House votes to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib over comments about Israel (Washington Post)
  • Trump's recipe for a shockingly raw power grab (Politico)
  • How Sinema is moving to defuse Tuberville's military blockade (Politico)

Election news

  • Ohio voters pass constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to abortion (Deseret News)
  • Virginia Democrats take over General Assembly, dealing blow to Youngkin (Washington Post)
  • Democrat Andy Beshear wins reelection for governor in Kentucky in a state that backed Donald Trump by 26 points in 2020 (Washington Post)
  • Five takeaways from a winning election night for Democrats (The Hill)
  • Cherelle Parker makes history: Philly elects first Black woman mayor (WHYY)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  • 'If not me, who?': As Ukraine seeks troops, women prepare for the call (New York Times)
  • Russia turns to longtime arms customers to boost war arsenal (Wall Street Journal)
  • Ukraine hails 'historic step' as EU takes Kyiv closer to membership amid war with Russia (Reuters)

Israel 🇮🇱

  • Israeli troops fight in the heart of Gaza City amid global calls for pause (Washington Post)
  • Behind Hamas's bloody gambit to create a 'permanent' state of war (New York Times)
  • China, Russia claim moral high ground over Gaza deaths (Wall Street Journal)

World

  • Rebel militias rout Sudanese army in Darfur, mass killings reported (Washington Post)
 

Number of the Day 

Number of the Day, Nov. 8, 2023

 

News Releases

Utah leaders to highlight impact of sports diplomacy

Sports diplomacy is a powerful catalyst for positive social change, breaking down barriers, and fostering global connections. As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intensifies, war in Ukraine continues, and local political discourse devolves, Utah leaders will discuss how sports can build relationships, create mutual understanding and cultivate peace on Thursday, Nov. 9. Leaders will also explore the economic opportunities generated by local and international sports events such as the Olympic games, which welcomed the world to Utah and created unprecedented economic activity. (Read More)


New leader at Weber State shares ‘big vision’ for defense, aerospace

A new leader in Utah’s defense and aerospace industry took the reins this week as Weber State University named Benjamin Garcia the executive director of the Miller Advanced Research & Solutions Center. Garcia spent the last eight years with Northrop Grumman, where he recently managed a team of scientists and engineers in high-temperature composites. Over the past decade, he has forged strong relationships with business and industry partners across the state and the U.S. (Read More)


Owens empowers states to streamline workforce programs

Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) introduced the One Door to Work Act, legislation to establish a state innovation demonstration authority in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This legislation empowers states and local workforce boards to pursue innovative reforms to their workforce systems in pursuit of better outcomes for job seekers, employers, and taxpayers. (Read More)


UVU celebrates National First-Gen Day by announcing new $15 million fund

Utah Valley University (UVU) is marking National First-Generation College Celebration Day on Nov. 8 with an announcement of a major fundraising milestone and an acknowledgment of the thousands of Utahns who have been the first in their families to attend college. Nearly one-third of UVU students (9,933 this year) are first-generation. Over the past five years, UVU has awarded diplomas or certificates to 17,303 first-generation students. (Read More)


Utah’s life sciences and health care innovation industry creates substantial economic impacts

Utah’s life sciences and health care innovation (life sciences) industry creates substantial economic impacts across the state through high-paying jobs at companies in research, testing, and medical laboratories; medical devices and diagnostics; biosciences-related distribution; and therapeutics and pharmaceuticals.

A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute details how the industry generates significant employment, earnings, and GDP impacts statewide in addition to offering high wages and strong job growth. The life sciences industry employs a diverse workforce and supports over $500 million in net positive fiscal impacts to state and local governments each year. (Read More)


New wildfire resources guide unveiled from western members

Today, Co-Chairs of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO) and John Curtis (R-UT) unveiled their Wildfire Resource Guide for the 118th Congress. The Caucus collaborated with a number of stakeholders and local leaders to develop a guide with useful information about how communities can better prepare for and recover from wildfires. 

View the 2024 Wildfire Resource Guide HERE. (Read More)


Utah Senate Democrats’ statement on the passing of Judge Bruce Jenkins

It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Judge and former State Senator Bruce S. Jenkins, a distinguished figure in Utah’s political and judicial history. As the last Democrat to hold the position of President of the Senate, Bruce leaves behind a legacy of dedicated public service. (Read More)

 

Tweet of the Day

Screenshot 2023-11-08 at 7.38.03 AM

 

Upcoming

  • Air quality in Utah's oil country with USU Research Landscapes — Nov. 9, 4:00-5:30 pm, O.C. Tanner HQ, Salt Lake City, RSVP here
  • Interim Day — Nov 14-15, le.utah.gov
  • Celebrating 30 years of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation — Nov 16, 10 am, MST, Register here
  • General election — Nov. 21
 

On This Day In History 

  • 1674 - John Milton, English poet and puritan (Paradise Lost), dies at 65
  • 1701 - William Penn presents Charter of Privileges, guaranteed religious freedom for the colony in Pennsylvania.
  • 1908  -  Martha Gellhorn is born. The pacifist war correspondent, she reported on eight wars, wrote six novels and four books of short stories and was married to writer Ernest Hemingway from 1936-45.
  • 1910 - The state of Washington passes a constitutional amendment to guarantee woman suffrage
  • 1972 - Time, Inc. launches the cable company Home Box Office. 
  • 1984 - Dr. Anna L. Fisher, a physician on the shuttle Discovery, becomes the first American mother and third American woman to fly into space
  • 1994  - Salvatore “Sonny” Bono is elected to the U.S. Congress
  • 1994 - The Republican Revolution - for the first time in 40 years, Republicans control the House and the Senate, coming to power with the “Contract with America.” 
  • 2005 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is elected president of Liberia, the first woman to lead an African country
  • 2020 - Alex Trebek dies of cancer at age 80

Quote of the Day

"Things don't always happen the way you expect — but sometimes, they turn out better than you could have imagined." 

—Dr. Anna Fisher


On the Punny Side

What kind of pizza did the pilot prefer?

Plane.

 

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