'Pothole Palooza'; watch out for black market sandbags; some Kaysville homes being evacuated; and Mayor Erin Mendenhall running again
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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 | April 12, 2023

It's Wednesday and National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Have you ever tried gourmet grilled cheese? Brie and apple? Blue cheese, fig and prosciutto? Who knew there were so many variations on a childhood classic. 🧀

What You Need to Know

  • US inflation has eased to 5%, the lowest in nearly two years. Consumer  prices and core inflation remain stubbornly high. Steve Blitz, chief U.S. economist at TS Lombard told the Wall Street Journal, “the inflation problem doesn’t get solved by itself—it needs higher unemployment to get there.” The Fed has raised interest rates 9 times over the past year. 

Rapid Roundup

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • ‘Our work isn’t finished’: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall to seek 2nd term (KSL TV)
  • 'A perfect fit for St. George': City welcomes new community development director (St. George News)
  • Utah's governor urges people to avoid rivers, streams as state prepares for flooding (Fox13)
  • Utah governor signs bills focused on domestic violence, child health care (Fox13)
  • Opposition to establishing an inland port grows among Tooele County residents (ABC4)

General Utah news

  • St. George family mourns loss of child who died during Hawaiian vacation (Fox13)
  • Ogden River running near capacity as water managers prepare for runoff (KSL)
  • Cities across Utah monitoring spring runoff as warmer temperatures arrive (KSL TV)
  • Several Kaysville homes evacuated due to flooding concerns, massive road damage (KSL TV)
  • Sandbags and water conservation are both needed in Utah right now (KSL Newsradio)

Business

  • Pink Raising Cane's designed by Post Malone to open in Midvale (KUTV)
  • Utah's cookie wars heat up: Dirty Dough counters Crumbl's claims, cites financial harm (KSL)
  • From stay-at-home mom to CEO, Brittany Brown blazes a trail for caregivers (Deseret News)
  • Fueled by incentives, heat pumps are gaining ground in Utah (Salt Lake Tribune)

Education

Environment

  • We must work together: Feds consider revising operations at Glen Canyon, Hoover dams (KSL)
  • Feds propose cutting Colorado River water to California, Nevada and Arizona by up to one-fourth (Deseret News)
  • Why is Utah having so many avalanches right now, and when will canyon conditions get safer? (Salt Lake Tribune)

Family

  • Is good parenting better than a TikTok ban? (Deseret News)
  • NICU cameras coming to Intermountain Health hospitals (Standard-Examiner)
  • Utah family victimized by sextortion shares caution for parents, teenagers (KUTV)

Health

  • The American protein obsession is an answer in search of a problem (Deseret News)
 

National Headlines

General

  • Judge denies Lori Vallow Daybell's request to leave courtroom during trial (KUTV)
  • Jurors see graphic photos of slain kids in Vallow Daybell trial (Fox13)
  • Judge orders Lori Vallow Daybell must remain in courtroom during testimony about her children. Investigators also describe guns, silencers and Tyvek suits discovered in Vallow Daybell’s home (Deseret News)
  • Never seen before: NASA says massive black hole leaving a trail of stars in its wake (KSL)
  • Biden administration says fentanyl-xylazine cocktail is a deadly national threat - and its use is spreading rapidly (NPR)

Politics

  • Manhattan District Attorney who indicted Trump now suing Rep. Jim Jordan for interference (Deseret News)
  • Tim Scott unveils 2024 White House exploratory committee (AP)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  • Russian forces in Crimea brace for possible Ukraine assault (AP)
  • Ukraine to probe video allegedly showing soldier’s beheading (
  • As Ukraine war drags on, civilians’ mental health needs rise (AP)
  • How the war in Ukraine has forever changed the children in one kindergarten class (NPR)
  • Russia stole land and grain. Now it's taking timber, says Ukraine (Wall Street Journal)

World

  • Italy’s Coast Guard rescues hundreds of migrants from turbulent seas (Deseret News)
  • Bahman Baktiari: Can the United States and the rest of the West meet the challenge of an alternative global vision? (Deseret News)
  • Airstrikes on Myanmar village feared to have killed 100 (AP)
 

News Releases

WSU student filmmaker gaining skills to share family’s part in Utah history

Andrew Kyed, a Weber State University senior studying digital media, dreams of one day using the skills he’s learning to create a documentary about his grandmother, Sumiko, and other Japanese Americans who were detained during World War II. (Read More)


“Long time no see,” Curtis joins bipartisan members in greeting Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen

Last week, Representative John Curtis (R-UT) joined with Speaker McCarthy and other members of Congress at the Reagan Presidential Library to meet with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.

“I am honored to join the Speaker and bipartisan colleagues in welcoming the President of Taiwan to the Reagan Presidential Library,” said Rep. Curtis. “Taiwan is a beacon of democracy and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region, and our meeting reaffirms the United States unwavering support for our Taiwanese friends. My time in Taiwan in the late 70s and early 80s left a lasting impression on me, and I am proud to continue building upon the strong foundation of friendship and cooperation between our two nations.” (Read More)


Principal to sleep on school roof overnight after students beat fundraising goal

Twin Peaks Elementary challenged their students to a fundraising “Penny War” where students in each grade collected loose change throughout March to raise funds in partnership with the school PTA for a community event to celebrate the legacy of Twin Peaks Elementary.  

Students were able to crush their fundraising goal of $2,000 and raised over $3,000 for the May 19th Community Celebration which will honor the legacy of Twin Peaks and the impact it has had on the community for over 50 years. As part of the fundraising challenge, principal Rachel Lowry agreed to spend the night on the roof of the school if students reached or exceeded their goal. (Read More)

 

Number of the Day

Number of the Day, Apr 12, 2023

 

Tweet of the Day

Screenshot 2023-04-12 at 7.23.26 AM

 

Upcoming

  • UVU Conference on Domestic Violence — April 14, 9:00 am-4:00 pm, Register here
  • Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence with Utah Women and Leadership Project — April 25, 12:00-1:15 pm via Zoom, Register here
  • United Utah Party State Convention — April 29, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Lehi High School with keynote speakers Teri McCabe and Jay Mcfarland
  • Mount Liberty College Spring Youth Seminar on The Virginian — May 6, 9 am-7 pm, Register Here
 

On This Day In History 

  • 1633 - Galileo is accused of heresy.
  • 1861 - Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter.
  • 1912 -  Clara Barton, American nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, dies of tuberculosis at 90.
  • 1929 - Arches National Park established
  • 1945 - FDR dies of a stroke after being elected to his fourth term as president.
  • 1963 - Martin Luther King, Jr. is jailed, writes “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” 
  • 1985 - Senator Jake Garn from Utah goes into space
  • 1991 - US announces closing of 31 major US military bases
  • 2009 - The US Navy rescues captain Richard Phillips, killing 3 pirates and capturing a 4th.

Quote of the Day

"Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail


On the Punny Side

My daughter was doing history homework and asked me what I knew about Galileo.

I said "He was a poor boy from a poor family...

 

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