Utah Headlines

Political news

• Sen. Mike Lee, Elon Musk draw attention to British man jailed for posting documentary on social media (Deseret News)
• Utah lawmakers have set aside more than $200 million for another tax cut this year. What break will taxpayers get? (Deseret News)
• Mitt Romney is leaving the Senate. He explains how faith sustained him during his long political career (Deseret News)
• City Council cracking down on short-term rentals in Cottonwood Heights (KSL Newsradio)
• Lt. Governor closes complaint against Utah Senate President, taking no action (Fox13)
• First female state auditor in Utah history taking over for ‘Frugal Dougall’ (KSL TV)
• Utah school boards want lawmakers to pump the brakes on education bills in 2025 (KUER)

Utah

• ‘A great way to start the year’: Salem Pond Polar Plunge jumpers kick off 2025 with a splash (KSL)
• Nearly 1 in 4 Utahns struggle to pay electric bill in full, census survey shows (KSL)
• Merrill Oaks — pioneering eye doctor, LDS leader and brother of apostle Dallin Oaks — dies (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Voices: In 2025, Utah can thrive by moving beyond a zero-sum approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (Salt Lake Tribune)

Crime/Courts

• West Valley couple dead; son suspected of killing them shot, killed by police (KSL)
• West Valley City murder suspect granted parole 2 weeks before allegedly killing parents (KUTV)
• 2nd Utah Homeland Security agent charged with selling seized drugs to drug dealers (KSL)

Culture

• Resolutions not for you? Try these lists instead: Stop-doing, no-thank-you and reverse bucket lists (Deseret News) 

Education

• Susan Madsen: Higher education must be protected (Deseret News)
• Judge says Utah high schools can't restrict play of international students (KSL)
• So far, Utah has tapped $7.5M in Clean School Bus funds to switch to electric buses (KUER)
• USU Extension receives rural health award (Cache Valley Daily)
• Utah’s gender gap in accounting stands out nationally. UVU is working to change that (KUER)

Environment

• Great Salt Lake makes new gains to start new year. What does it need in 2025? (KSL)
• Utah wants to open the door to nuclear in its pursuit of more electricity (KUER)
• Utah in settlement talks with U.S. Magnesium over ‘acid pond’ near Great Salt Lake (Standard-Examiner)
• After recent storms, the level of water stored in Utah’s snowpack is 96% of normal. But some regions are far behind. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Family

• Single motherhood has changed in 40 years, but economic well-being hasn’t (Deseret News)

Health

• U.S. messaging on alcohol safety at odds with much of world’s (Deseret News)
• Bullying tops suicide for first time on SafeUT app tips (Daily Herald)
• Radical acceptance can help build emotional resiliency (Washington Post)
• Surgeon General calls for cancer warning on alcohol (New York Times)

National news

General

• Soldier shot self in head before Cybertruck exploded outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, officials say (AP)
• FBI now says driver responsible for deadly New Orleans rampage acted alone (AP)
• Orca that carried dead calf for weeks is mourning again 😢 (New York Times)
• 'Dinosaur highway' tracks dating back 166 million years are discovered in England (AP)

Politics

• James Carville: I was wrong about the 2024 election. Here’s why. (New York Times)
• Biden decides to block U.S. Steel sale to Japanese buyer (Washington Post)
• 119th Congress will include 100 military vets — for a few days (Deseret News)
• Opinion: If not Musk and Ramaswamy, who will apply pressure to reduce debt? (Deseret News)
• Rep. Moore believes challenging House Speaker Mike Johnson would be ‘nothing short of dishonest’ (Deseret News)
• Federal courts won’t refer Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to attorney general over ethics (AP)
• Federal appeals court strikes down Biden net neutrality rules (The Hill)
• 'Dark money' is tainting Washington think tanks. A new report shows it's worse than you think (Politico)
• Donald Trump promises to declare Mexican cartels terrorist organizations ‘immediately’ (Deseret News)

Ukraine 

• Ukrainian soldiers and shopkeepers hold on as Russia's siege of Pokrovsk tightens (NPR)
• Wounded Ukrainian soldiers find solace in Greek monasteries (Reuters)

Israel/Gaza

• Israeli airstrikes kill Gaza head of police, 67 others, Gaza authorities say (Reuters)
• Israel struggles to deter escalating attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels as other fronts calm (AP)

World news

• Risk of Ethiopian volcanic eruption prompts evacuation of residents (Reuters)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Attorney General-elect Derek Brown announces additional appointments

Attorney General-elect Derek Brown announced four additional appointments to his executive team: Stanford E. Purser as Utah Solicitor General, State Auditor John Dougall as Administrator, Erin Wynn as Director of External Relations, and Hanna Seariac as Director of Communications. Attorney General-elect Brown previously announced the appointment of Daniel Burton as Chief Deputy, Stewart Young as Criminal Deputy, and Mark Burns as Civil Deputy. These four additional appointments fill essential positions on the Attorney General-elect’s Executive Team. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Jan. 6 â€“ Salt Lake County inauguration, 10 am, Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, 2525 Taylorsville Blvd, Taylorsville
• Jan. 8 — Inauguration for Gov. Cox, Lt. Gov Henderson, AG Derek Brown, Auditor Tina Cannon, and Treasurer Marlo Oaks, 10 am
• Jan. 9 — What’s Up Down South Economic Summit. St. George. Register here
• Jan. 10 — Rural Utah Data Symposium. St. George. Register here
• Jan. 11— Special election for HD4, 2 pm
• Jan 14 — Utah Taxpayers Association Legislative Outlook Conference, 9 am - 12:00 pm, Little America Hotel, Register here
• Jan. 21 — Utah legislative session begins
• Mar. 7 — Utah legislative session ends

On This Day In History

• 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
• 1624 - First child of African descent is born in the colonies
• 1793 - Lucretia Mott, women’s rights pioneer, is born
• 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. Tolkien is born.
• 1925 - Benito Mussolini declares himself dictator of Italy.
• 1938 - Franklin D. Roosevelt founded 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.
• 1953 - Mother and son serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress, Frances P. Bolton and Oliver Bolton.
• 1993 - In Moscow, the Start II arms reduction treaty is signed by George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin
• 1994 - Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers becomes first quarterback to win 3 straight NFL passing titles despite a 37-34 OT loss to the Philadelphia Eagles; first to lodge 3 consecutive passer ratings of 100+

Quote of the Day

“His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom.”

—J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

On the Punny Side

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