Situational Analysis | January 3, 2022

Happy New Year! It's Monday, January 3 and that means it's National Fruitcake Toss Day. If you still have one sitting around from the holidays, well, you know what to do.

Be in the Know

1. Since our last newsletter on December 23, we have lost Utah politico M.J. Orton, radio personality Tom Barberi, Coach John Madden, Senator Harry Reid, Bishop Desmond Tutu and in a final coup-de-grace for the year, Betty White died on New Year's Eve. May they all rest in peace.

2. The University of Utah football team came this close to winning the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. The Ohio State team kicked the winning field goal with 12 seconds left to win 48-45 but what a game! That was a fun one. 

FROM OUR SPONSOR

Utah government agencies can buy local

Overstock Government has thousands of partners and millions of products to choose from. We offer our best discounts, provide free shipping and returns — and all purchases are tax exempt for government buyers. Create a FREE account at overstockgovernment.com and purchase your supplies from State Contract MA3638.

Utah Headlines

General

• Yearning for a return to normalcy, the quicker the better. In 1920, Warren G. Harding wanted a return to normalcy; a century later, it’s deja vu all over again (Deseret News)
• Lori Teresa Yearwood: My bill for being homeless in Salt Lake City was $54,000 (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah’s ‘dirty soda’ war may give way to a revolution (Deseret News)
• Estimated $2 million in damage after Pizzeria goes up in flames in Sunset (KUTV)
• USU professor to participate in international piano competition (Herald-Journal)

Politics

• Editorial Board: Romney and Cheney set lonely examples for political courage for 2022 (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Will Biden’s vaccine mandates survive the Supreme Court? This week, the Supreme Court will hear challenges to two of the Biden administration’s federal vaccine mandates (Deseret News)
• Chris Stewart said he’s ‘best-qualified,’ but GOP leader skips over Utah congressman for top spot on intelligence committee (Deseret News)
• Sen. Mitt Romney: A report card on 2021 and a look at what comes next (Deseret News)
• Year in Review (Hinckley Report)

COVID Corner

• Utah sees highest single-day COVID-19 infections over New Year weekend (ABC4)
• 91 positive in COVID outbreak at Provo Missionary Training Center (Daily Herald)
• Health officials urge caution as omicron rages and students return to schools (KUER)
• Omicron variant symptoms are different than past COVID-19 variant symptoms, expert says (Deseret News)
• A ‘tsunami’ of omicron variant COVID-19 cases are coming, WHO warns (Deseret News)
• New year brings Utah its ‘highest testing demand’ for COVID-19 (Salt Lake Tribune)
• How Spencer Cox navigated the COVID pandemic during his first year as Utah governor (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tests positive for COVID-19 (NPR)

Environment

• Storms push Utah snowpack over average (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Colorado’s devastation shows how wildfires, winter and drought can co-exist in the West (Deseret News)
• Dire drought conditions dominate Utah’s environmental landscape in 2021 (KUER)

National Headlines

General

• School, work, travel can wait as snow blankets U.S. capital (AP)
• Stock Futures Rise, But Investors See Rocky Year Ahead (Wall Street Journal)
• 2 still missing in Colorado fire; cause under investigation (AP)
• The biggest tech trends to watch for in 2022 (Washington Post)

Politics

• Twitter bans Rep. Greene’s personal account for false COVID claims (AP)
• House Democrats begin preparing for the post-Pelosi era (Washington Post)
• Capitol Police Chief Manger works to restore morale, readiness of force after Jan. 6 breakdowns (Washington Post)
• Jan. 6 Panel Faces Difficult Questions as Anniversary of Capitol Riot Approaches (New York Times)
• 'It's only gotten worse': The long shadow of the night that broke the House (Politico)
• At time of Capitol prayer service Jan. 6, Trump will deliver remarks doubling down on the ‘Big Lie’ (Politico)
• Democrats return with lengthy to-do list (The Hill)

International

• China Is Haunted by Its One-Child Policy as It Tries to Encourage Couples to Conceive (Wall Street Journal)

News Releases

Rep. Blake Moore on enactment of the National Medal of Honor Monument Act

Congressman Blake Moore issued the following statement after President Biden signed the National Medal of Honor Monument Act into law earlier this week:

“Signed, sealed, and delivered to our heroic Medal of Honor recipients across the nation, Congressman Marc Veasey’s and my National Medal of Honor Monument Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden. This is a great bipartisan win that will immortalize the sacrifices of America’s brave servicemembers. Thank you to all who made this possible!” (Read More)

Romney highlights progress on infrastructure, China strategy, and Utah priorities in 2021 Year in Review report

As 2021 comes to a close, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) released a report detailing the policy and constituent services highlights from the past year. Major legislative highlights included passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the enactment of a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, and passage of Romney’s China strategy amendment in this year’s defense bill. The Romney team also assisted with more than 1,800 constituent casework claims, responded to more than 720,000 pieces of constituent mail, and met with hundreds of constituents and businesses throughout the state. (Read More)

Crossroads Public Infrastructure District successfully closes bond sale

The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) successfully sold its Crossroads Public Infrastructure District Tax Differential bonds, securing $150 million in funding for public infrastructure. The bonds were well received and generated investor orders roughly five times greater than the amount of bonds available.

“This offering demonstrated the need for problem solvers to address the supply chain challenges we’re facing,” said Jill Flygare, who serves as Executive Director of the Utah Inland Port Authority Crossroads Public Infrastructure District. “There is a huge opportunity to enhance logistics in Utah, and it is exciting to have so many national investors who want to be part of what we’re doing.” (Read More)

University of Utah precedent-setting $884 million in investments raised by U startup companies

The University of Utah released its FY21 innovation report which highlights some important metrics, including:

• the precedent-setting $884 million in investments raised by U startup companies
• And technologies developed by University of Utah faculty and students contributed to the launch of 14 startup companies last year. (Read More)

Number of the Day

Upcoming

• 2022 Legislative Outlook - Utah Taxpayers Association – Jan 12, 2022, 9:00 am. Register here
• Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit 2022 - SLC Chamber – Jan 13, 2022, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm. Register here
• Utah legislative session begins – Jan 18, 2022, 10:00 am
• Utah legislative session ends – Mar 4, 2022, midnight

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1431 - Joan of Arc transferred to the custody of English bishop, Pierre Cauchon to begin trial.
• 1521 - Martin Luther is excommunicated from the Catholic church
• 1793 - Lucretia Mott, women’s right pioneer, is born
• 1841 - Herman Melville sails for the South Seas
• 1879 - Grace Anna Goodhue is born. She was teaching at the Clarke School for the Deaf when she met and married Calvin Coolidge in 1904. She later became the nation’s 32nd First Lady.
• 1892 - J.R.R. Tolkein is born.
• 1924 - King Tut’s sarcophagus uncovered
• 1925 - Benito Mussolini declares himself dictator of Italy.
• 1938 - Franklin D. Roosevelt founds the March of Dimes.
• 1949 - Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine) starts her tenure in the Senate, where she stays until 1973. She became the first woman to serve in both the House and Senate, having served in the House from 1940-1949.
• 1959 - Alaska is admitted to the Union as the 49th state.
• 1953 - Mother and son serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress, Frances P. Bolton and Oliver Bolton.

Wise Words

"You don't luck into integrity. You work at it."

-Betty White

Lighter Side

Q: What’s a New Years resolution?
A: A to-do list… for the first week of January.

– Advertise With Us –

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