Situational Analysis | September 23, 2021

Good Thursday morning to you. It's National Teal Talk Day, a day to bring awareness to the hundreds of thousands of cases of ovarian cancer worldwide each year.

Be in the Know

1. Lt. Governor Henderson visited Westwater, Utah, with other lawmakers and community leaders yesterday. The small community outside of Blanding has no running water and no power. "It makes no sense that we have a community living like this right here in our state. We need to take care of our own," she told FOX 13. "These are citizens of the state of Utah that deserve to have running water. That deserve to have electricity, that deserve to have political leaders who can come together to finally solve this problem." Senator Mike McKell was one of the legislators who visited Westwater. He said he "had no idea" there was a Utah community without power or water and is hopeful a collaborative solution will be forthcoming.

2. As COVID-19 surges, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is calling on all temple patrons and workers to "wear face masks at all times while in the temple." The letter released yesterday also notes: "Our urging Church members to be vaccinated and to protect themselves and others from the spread of disease has precedent. Prior First Presidencies shared similar messages in 1900 about smallpox and in 1957 regarding polio. Please do all you can to protect yourself and others." Just don't go read the comment sections. 

FROM OUR SPONSOR

Battles over Vaccines and Redistricting

Debates over President Joe Biden’s controversial vaccine order and political redistricting are heating up. Plus, new reporting evaluates efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press reporter; Sonja Hutson, KUER political reporter; and Matt Canham, The Salt Lake Tribune senior reporter, join host Jason Perry on "The Hinckley Report," this Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Utah Headlines

General

• Utah community has no running water or power and lawmakers are being urged to fix it (Fox13)
• A Utah leader is pushing monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19. But doctor warns people shouldn’t count on it to save them (Deseret News)
• Orem Harvest Festival canceled due to COVID-19 surge (Fox13)
• Jury awards $25 million to Mahe family in death of daughter, Elsie (KUTV)

Politics

• Utah County clerks are aiming for more transparency around election process (KUER)
• Donald Trump says Utah Sen. Mike Lee, one of his biggest allies, should be ashamed for not backing his claims of election fraud (Deseret News)
• The Bureau of Land Management returns to D.C. What Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has to say about it (Deseret News)
• Are voter ID requirements racist? Utah Sen. Mike Lee doesn’t think so (Deseret News)
• Utah lawmakers use tax threats to force social media companies to the negotiating table (Salt Lake Tribune)

COVID Corner

• 1724 new cases, 12 new deaths
• Data shows COVID-19 vaccines led to dramatic changes in Utah's hardest hit counties (Fox13)
• Utah state epidemiologist warns against taking Ivermectin for COVID-19 (The Spectrum)
• Fewer than half of Southwestern Utah residents have received a shot of coronavirus vaccine (The Spectrum)
• Alaska, overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, adopts crisis standards for hospitals (Reuters)
• Wondering why society went off-kilter during the pandemic? It was all predicted in this book (Seattle Times)

Education

• Weber’s Jeff Stephens named Utah superintendent of the year (Standard-Examiner)
• Wary of angry parents, Tooele High School told teachers not to confront students who came to class after refusing COVID testing (Salt Lake Tribune)

Environment

• There's a 1-in-3 chance Lake Powell won't be able to generate hydropower in 2023 due to drought conditions, new study says (CNN)
• National Park Service’s latest balancing act: Commercial air tours vs. the environment (KUER)
• IN FOCUS Discussion: September’s climate change conversation (ABC4)

Health

• Salt Lake County awarded $3.8 million to improve minority health (KSL Newsradio)
• ‘We’re in for a whopper’ of a flu season, expert says (Deseret News)

Legal

• Man threatens to get gun, 'shoot all the kids' at Magna football practice (KUTV)
• Orem police seek woman accused of racking up over $30K in fraudulent charges (KUTV)
• Federal judge rejects much of Ute Tribe’s water-rights lawsuit (Salt Lake Tribune)

Service

• Nonprofit Bridge21 grows vegetables, flowers, community. Group partnered with Summit Community Gardens (Park Record)

National Headlines

General

• Ancient tablet acquired by Hobby Lobby going back to Iraq (AP)
• For parents ​of disabled children, school mask wars are particularly wrenching (New York Times)
• As the Petito case grips the nation, families of color say their missing loved ones matter, too (Washington Post)
• No signs of Gabby Petito’s boyfriend after days of searching (AP)
• Neighbours claim Laundries went camping when son returned from trip with Gabby Petito (Independent)
• Eyewitnesses say Brian Laundrie argued in Wyoming restaurant hours before Gabby Petito vanished (Fox13)
• Honolulu police suspend search for missing 6-year-old girl (AP)

Politics

• Biden presses fellow Dems: Resolve party split on $3.5T plan (AP)
• Charges of racism swirl as Haitian Americans, allies unite to protest Biden’s border crisis (Washington Post)
• France to bill Australia over submarine deal, as Britain’s Johnson tells Macron: ‘Donnez-moi un break’ (Washington Post)
• Infrastructure vote suspense prompts worries about highway bill. The law that allows federal highway and transit spending expires on Sept. 30 (Roll Call)
• Bipartisan police reform talks crumble (Politico)
• Congress facing shutdown, debt crisis with no plan B (The Hill)
• Why conservatives keep getting beat by liberals over their handling of the pandemic (Deseret News)

Courts

• U.S. court orders Facebook to release anti-Rohingya content records for genocide case (Reuters)

Economy

• Labor shortages hit electronics makers as chip drought persists, causing delays (Reuters)
• China makes preparations for Evergrande’s demise (Wall Street Journal)

Elections

• Vaccines take center stage in tight Virginia governor’s race (Politico)

International

• Mideast in shambles, but the world has moved on for now (AP)
• UN: In war, 16 million Yemenis ‘marching’ toward starvation (AP)

Policy News

Business and Labor Interim Committee to hold special meeting regarding federal vaccine mandate

The Business and Labor Interim Committee will hold a special meeting to discuss the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate or weekly COVID-19 testing requirements on Monday, October 4 at 9:00 am. (Read More)

September is Adult and Family Literacy Awareness Month in Utah

Governor Spencer Cox declared September as Adult and Family Literacy Awareness Month in Utah. September 19-25 also marks the annual Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, hosted by the National Coalition for Literacy. This week exists to remind us all that reading, writing, and basic math remain an elusive target for 43 million adults nationwide, including 14.5 percent of adults in Utah. (Read More)

Congressmen Blake Moore and Jimmy Panetta introduce the Save Our Forests Act to address Forest Service staffing shortages and mitigate wildfire risk

Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Save Our Forests Act to address chronic staffing shortages in National Forests, including the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, to improve risk mitigation and response to wildfires. The legislation would direct the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to fill vacancies in National Forests and Grasslands for recreation management and planning staff, including recreation technicians, recreation officers, and natural resource managers. The bill would also direct the Forest Service to provide Forest Protection Officer (FPO) training and certification opportunities for individuals filling these vacancies. The bill authorizes $46 million to be appropriated annually for the next two fiscal years to fill these positions. (Read More)

Rep. Curtis, bipartisan colleagues introduce resolution designating Telehealth Awareness Week

This week, Representative Curtis introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Telehealth Awareness Week Resolution alongside fellow member of the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) and another fellow telehealth champion Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH). The Resolution designates the week of September 19 through September 25 as ‘Telehealth Awareness Week.' (Read More)

Rep. Owens introduces bipartisan RECA expansion bill

Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) joined Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03) to introduce the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021. This bipartisan bill expands RECA, a program championed by former Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), to those who have suffered from cancers and other diseases related to fallout from above-ground nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War period of the 1950s and 1960s. (Read More)

Senate President Stuart Adams statement on monoclonal antibody treatment centers

President J. Stuart Adams releases the following statement regarding monoclonal antibody treatments:

“Monoclonal antibody treatments are showing extremely promising results. Intermountain Healthcare’s study indicates with the treatment, Utah could see a 57 percent reduction in hospitalizations a day of those who would otherwise be hospitalized. I believe monoclonal antibody treatment will move the needle to reduce hospitalizations and save lives...

I continue to encourage vaccinations and still believe it is the best form of defense against the virus.” (Read More)

Americans for Prosperity Action to hold Lehi dinner as part of Sen. Lee endorsement

Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action) announced today that the group is hosting a dinner in support of Sen. Mike Lee tomorrow night at Taqueria 27 in Lehi, UT, to rally his supporters around him ahead of his reelection.

The event will be open to community members and RSVPed media for the discussion. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Getting to The Point with Rep. Lowry Snow

By Holly Richardson

Representative Lowry Snow is the co-chair of The Point of the Mountain State Land Authority board. He has been involved in discussions about The Point for a number of years and in 2018, ran legislation that created the board he now co-chairs. He recently shared some of the history of the past five years of discussion, gathering input and data, planning and the creation of a framework for the 600+ acres as well as a look at what's next.

The Framework Plan gives an overview of the vision of The Point development and was released in August. It includes input from over 10,000 Utahns and has a number of key components, including sustainability, easy access to open space, future-oriented transportation options, and a focus on innovation across housing, business and education sectors. You can read more about the plan here, and watch our discussion below.

Upcoming

• Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett – Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here
• 2021 ULCT Annual Convention with Capt. Scott Kelly – Sept 29-Oct 1. Register here
• One Utah Summit held at SUU – Oct 4-6. Register here
• Women in the money: Utah Financial Empowerment Conference with Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks – Oct 8, 8:30 am - 4 pm. Register here
• Growth, Grit and Grace - SLC Chamber's Women & Business Conference and ATHENA awards – Nov 19, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1838 - Victoria Woodhull is born. She became the first woman candidate for U.S. President (1872) for the Equal Rights Party, and with her sister Tennessee, became the first women members of the NY Stock Exchange (1870’s)
• 1846 - Planet Neptune is discovered
• 1863 - Mary Church Terrell is born. An outstanding speaker, she became the first president of National Association of Colored Women. She was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree, and became known as a national activist for civil rights and suffrage. She was also the first African-American woman in the United States to be appointed to the school board of a major city, serving in the District of Columbia until 1906. 
• 1933 - Standard Oil geologists arrive in Saudi Arabia, after the discovery of a massive oil field in Ghawar a couple of months earlier.
• 1955 - An all-white jury finds Roy Brant and John William Milam not guilty of the brutal murder of black teenager Emmett Till in Sumner, Mississippi.
• 2019 - Climate activist Greta Thunberg scolds world leaders "How Dare You" for not addressing climate change at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York

Wise Words

“It is only through the home that a people can become really good and truly great.”

-Mary Church Terrell

Lighter Side

“This is how bad climate change is getting: wildfires in the West, floods in the East, freezing cold in Texas. Billy Joel’s going to have to write an update for 2021 and call it, ‘Actually, We Did Start the Fire.’”

— SETH MEYERS

– Advertise With Us –

Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers.