A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll indicates pessimism among Utahns over their economic outlook. According to the poll, 54% of respondents felt a certain level of pessimism while only 45% felt optimistic about their economic future.

“Inflation is off the hook,” Spanish Fork resident Clayton Dangerfield said. “Everything I do costs more. Property taxes, groceries, what I’m paying at the gas pump. The only thing that hasn’t gone up are my wages."

In Payson, Charlene Bennett is finding herself in a similar boat.

She said, “The high prices are hitting our bottom line pretty hard,” she said. “It’s affecting the things we can do as a family and pretty much everything, really.”

One of the main drivers of these concerns among Utahns is inflation, which 55% of poll respondents registered as very concerned about.

This county is saying Utah lawmakers should be ‘ashamed’ for doing ‘favor’ for developer

Among the hundreds of bills cycling through this year's legislative session, one bill in particular has become the center of an ugly fight.

The bill, SB84, is part of Utah’s Republican-controlled Legislature's mission to break down barriers for housing development. The end goal of the mission, legislators say, is to provide more affordable housing options throughout the state.

But that's not how Summit County sees it. "County officials are accusing lawmakers of doing a 'favor' for a specific housing developer and usurping local control with surreptitious legislative maneuvering to avoid transparency," Katie McKellar writes.

“This horrible assault on local communities’ rights of self-determination is a blemish upon fair, open and transparent government,” said Summit County Council Chairman Roger Armstrong in a statement issued earlier this month, after the bill won legislative approval. “The Utah Legislature should be ashamed.”

Read more about the fight over SB84 and what the bill’s House sponsor has to say about Summit County.

More in Politics:

• Utah poised to pass largest budget in state history. Here’s how lawmakers are spending your money (Deseret News)

• Should Utah be prepared for another Olympic scandal? Here’s why a lawmaker is calling for ‘guardrails’ (Deseret News)

• Legislative wrap: Bills against diversity, equity and inclusion were heard on the Hill (Deseret News)

• Utah declares Pamela Atkinson Day to recognize her life of service (Deseret News)

FROM DESERET NEWS MARATHON 

This is the race: Join us on July 24

Don’t give up on your New Year’s resolutions!

Sign up for the Deseret News Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K or 5K.

Register now for the fourth oldest marathon west of the continental divide.

Health:

• Maternal mortality rate alarmingly high, experts say (Deseret News)

• An 11-year-old girl died from bird flu. Is the virus a major threat to humans? (Deseret News)

Faith:

• Perspective: Rescue efforts in Turkey put to rest a misconception about the Jewish Sabbath (Deseret News)

• Perspective: The steep decline and connection of marriage and religiosity (Deseret News)

Environment:

• NASA device maps out dust storms from space to curb climate change (Deseret News)

• Bid to regulate Utah’s bromine emissions gets scaled back to a study in committee (KUER)

Northern Utah:

• Some Utah communities are now worrying about floods (KSL-TV)

• Weber County senator targets ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ efforts at Utah universities (Standard-Examiner)

Wasatch Front:

• Lawmakers approve $5 million settlement in death of first-year University of Utah international student (Deseret News)

• Utah State Prison using short-term fixes to improve safety, but staffing still an issue (KSL.com)

Southern Utah:

• 'I'm not dead': Woman's pension restored after Get Gephardt investigation (KSL-TV)

• Camping fee increases proposed for recreation sites in Beaver, Iron counties (KSL.com)

The West:

• Baseball was life or death in the Wild West (Deseret News)

• University of Idaho to demolish the house where students were killed. Here’s the plan (East Idaho News)

The Nation:

• Is the criminal justice reform movement hurting families? (Deseret News)

• CDC arrives in Ohio town to investigate health risks from toxic train derailment (NBC News)

The World:

• Venice canals are drying up because of a drought in Italy (Deseret News)

• G20 meeting deadlocked over calling out Ukraine war (BBC News)

Entertainment:

• Think Utah’s boring? Here are 101 things to see and do (Deseret News)

• The next big installment of the Wizarding World was conjured in Salt Lake City (Utah Business)

Sports:

• Where did the Utes go wrong in Saturday's matchup with USC? (Deseret News)
• How did BYU shape up against USF in their end-of-season game? (Deseret News)