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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 | Sept. 18, 2024

It's Wednesday and National Cheeseburger Day. Here are some deals for you!  

48 days until Election Day.

What you need to know

  • Governor Cox says Instagram's new teen accounts don't go far enough to protect youth from the harms of social media. The accounts for users under 18 will automatically be set to private and placed in the strictest messaging settings. as well as placed in Instagram's most restrictive content control settings. The app will also add new features to its parental supervision tool, but in practice, there is no way to know if a parent is actually monitoring a teen's usage.

Rapid relevance

On the Hill Today

 

Let Utah Manage Utah Land

Utah has filed a landmark lawsuit over control of unappropriated federal lands. State statute prohibits the privatization of public lands except in rare circumstances, underscoring Utah’s commitment to keeping public lands in public hands and locally controlled. Learn more: standforourland.utah.gov.

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • Utah Legislature votes to join lawsuit on federal lands (Deseret News)
  • Utah’s legislative leaders get an update on the state’s economy. Here’s what they liked (Deseret News)
  • Boyd Matheson: What assassination attempts tell us about ourselves (Deseret News)

Election news

  • Panel at UVU discusses Utah’s Amendment D and what’s next (Deseret News)
  • Power of choice celebrated in Utah on National Voter Registration Day (Fox13)
  • Skyler Beltran selected as interim county commissioner in wake of Sakievich resignation (Daily Herald)

Municipal news

  • Legislative committee approves downtown Salt Lake City revitalization agreement (Deseret News)
  • West Valley City OKs redevelopment plan for Redwood site despite strong opposition (KSL)
  • Why Ogden was chosen as one of 8 newly designated ‘WWII Heritage Cities’ (ABC4)

Biz/Tech

  • Breeze to offer new service between Provo and nation's capital (KSL)
  • Salt Lake Chamber honors business, community leaders that influence 'why we love Utah' (KSL)
  • Utah launches new business registration system (Cache Valley Daily)
  • Tupperware files for bankruptcy as its colorful containers lose relevance (Reuters)
  • Want to keep good workers? Praise them, a new study finds (NPR)

Culture

  • The real secret about Latter-day Saint women won’t show up on Hulu anytime soon (Deseret News)
  • Kids love hearing this middle school janitor sing. Now he’s a favorite to win $1 million on ‘America’s Got Talent’ (Deseret News)

Education

  • Jordan Peterson versus higher ed (Deseret News)
  • What can Utah learn from recent school shooting in Georgia? (Deseret News)
  • 'Such a gateway': Latina leaders put focus on education at Weber State event (KSL)
  • Parents in Alpine School District face uncertainty over potential school closures (KUTV)

Environment

  • Utah ranks No. 2 in country with solar jobs (Deseret News)
  • Judge hears arguments in Great Salt Lake lawsuit (KSL Newsradio)
  • Explaining the zombie-like transformation of Utah’s kokanee salmon (ABC4)

Health

  • Get ready to book your next trip — recent study shows travel may help slow down aging (Deseret News)
  • Drug-resistant bacteria deaths are projected to jump 70% by 2050. Here’s what can reverse the trend (Deseret News)
  • Intermountain Health to host free events centered on women's health at seven hospitals (KSL)
  • NPR Exclusive: U.S. overdose deaths plummet, saving thousands of lives (NPR)

Housing

  • Why opening Utah’s public land to development might not solve the housing crisis (KUER)
  • Public lands for housing is having a moment with Republicans and Democrats (KUER)
 

National Headlines

General

  • Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ indictment alleges he used his power to build an empire of sexual crime (AP)
  • What American life — including organized religion — was like in 2004 (Deseret News)
  • National study challenges 3 mistaken perceptions about American religion (Deseret News)

Political news

  • Congress seeks more funding for Secret Service after Trump’s assassination scare (Deseret News)
  • US Senate IVF bill fails after Republicans block it, despite Trump support (Reuters)
  • John Thune is striving to be the next Republican Senate leader, but can he rise in Trump’s GOP? (AP)
  • The U.S. has had a long history of political violence, but experts see a new trend (NPR)

Election news

  • Perspective: Why Ukraine should be the biggest issue of the 2024 election (Deseret News)
  • Trump pitches himself to Black voters who want ‘policy, not identity politics’ (Deseret News)
  • Opinion: Taylor Swift's endorsement won't affect presidential or local elections (Deseret News)
  • Trump and Vance blame immigrants, while voters want solutions (Deseret News)
  • How the Trump Campaign Ran With Rumors About Pet-Eating Migrants—After Being Told They Weren’t True (Wall Street Journal)
  • Trump quips he wishes Biden hadn’t called him: ‘He was so nice to me’ (The Hill)
  • JD Vance’s Scapegoating Theory Is Playing Out in Real Time (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  • Ukrainian drone attack triggers earthquake-sized blast at arsenal in Russia's Tver region (Reuters)

Israel and Gaza

  •  Hezbollah is hit by a wave of exploding pagers that killed at least 9 people and injured thousands (AP)
  • Mystery over exploding pagers targeting Hezbollah stretches from Hungary to Taiwan (AP)
  • Hezbollah vows ‘another reckoning’ against Israel after pager explosions (Washington Post)

World news

  • Dominique Pélicot says, ‘I am a rapist’ (Deseret News)
  • Zimbabwe and Namibia will kill hundreds of elephants to feed people facing drought (AP)
 

Number of the Day 

Number of the Day, Sept. 18, 2024

 

News Releases

Nominees announced for Second District Juvenile Court vacancy

The Second District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Second District Juvenile Court. This position results from the retirement of Judge Sharon Sipes, Dec. 16, 2024. The nominees for the vacancy are: Ryan Evershed, Blake Hills, Nicole Lowe McBride, Carolyn Perkins, and Nathan Roman.  

Written comments can be submitted to the Second District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Sept. 27, 2024. (Read More)


Nominees announced for Fourth District Court vacancy

The Fourth District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Fourth District Court. This position results from the retirement of Judge James Brady, Dec. 31, 2024. The nominees for the vacancy are: Joshua Esplin, Michael Gadd, Tony Graf, Ryan Stack, and Kasey Wright.

Written comments can be submitted to the Fourth District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Sept. 27, 2024. (Read More)


UVU to host 2024 Conference on Mental Health

Utah Valley University’s (UVU) College of Humanities and Social Sciences announces its annual Conference on Mental Health, scheduled October 3, 2024, on the Orem Campus. It is designed for professionals, educators, and individuals interested in advancing their understanding of critical mental health issues.

The conference will feature four specialized tracks focusing on suicide prevention, addiction, depression, and anxiety. Attendees will experience a comprehensive program designed to provide educational opportunities, promote best practices, and explore cutting-edge research in mental health. (Read More)


New Americans to be naturalized at Sept. 18 Real Salt Lake soccer match

Utah is home to more than 300,000 immigrants and refugees who offer numerous contributions to our state and have aspirations to become naturalized U.S. citizens. More than 80,000 permanent Utah residents are eligible for citizenship. Becoming a naturalized citizen opens many economic opportunities, including access to better-paying jobs and higher wages, new academic opportunities and scholarships, increasing homeownership rates, and stronger civic engagement.

In honor of National Citizenship Day and Welcoming Week, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) is partnering with Real Salt Lake to host a naturalization oath ceremony for twenty-five new American citizens before the Sept. 18 soccer match. The New American Citizens will be recognized on the field at half-time along with a special announcement about the Utah Citizenship Initiative led by GOEO. This initiative will launch in October and will help communities around the state learn about the naturalization process and provide resources for immigrants and residents to become U.S. citizens. (Read More)


Utah Gov. Spencer Cox commends Meta’s new teen accounts initiative but says more is needed

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a statement regarding Meta’s recent announcement of the introduction of teen accounts on Instagram, aimed at providing a safer and more controlled environment for teen users. While acknowledging the positive steps taken by Meta in response to our affirmative litigation and Utah’s social media laws, Gov. Cox emphasized that these measures are not sufficient to ensure the comprehensive safety of Utah’s youth online. (Read More)

 

Tweet of the Day

Screenshot 2024-09-18 at 7.04.13 AM
 

Upcoming

  • Sep. 17-18 — Interim Days
  • Oct. 1 — Attorney General Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
  • Oct. 4 — Conservative Climate Summit, 7:30 am - 3:00 pm, UVU, Register here
  • Oct. 4 — Hatch Foundation hosts Civil Dialogue Symposium with Dana Perino, 2:00 pm, USU, Register here
  • Oct. 7-9 — One Utah Summit, SUU, Register here
  • Oct. 8 â€” CD1 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
  • Oct. 10 — US Senate Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
  • Oct. 14 â€” CD2 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
  • Oct. 15-16 — Interim Days
  • Oct. 17 — CD3 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
  • Oct. 24 — CD4 Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
  • Nov. 5 — Election Day!
  • Nov. 15 — Women & Business Conference & ATHENA Awards Luncheon with the Salt Lake Chamber, Grand America Hotel, Register here
  • Nov. 19-20 — Interim Days
  • Jan. 9 — What’s Up Down South Economic Summit. St. George. Register here
  • Jan. 10 — Rural Utah Data Symposium. St. George. Register here
 

On This Day In History

  • 1793 - George Washington lays the foundation stone of the US Capitol
  • 1850 - US Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Law as part of the Compromise of 1850
  • 1851 - The New York Times starts publishing (2 cents per copy)
  • 1947 - The US Air Force is created as a separate military branch
  • 2020 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies of pancreatic cancer at age 87

Quote of the Day

“When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”
― Ruth Bader Ginsburg


On the Punny Side

For my next trick, I will push a bunch of percussion instruments down a hill.

Drum roll, please.

 

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