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

• Here’s what the world’s Olympic leader said about Romney (Deseret News)
• 'An indispensable role in our communities': Rep. Owens lauds contributions of Latinos (KSL)

Election news

• Maintaining ethics in contentious elections. Not believing in our elections undermines our country’s very foundation, says Kim Wyman (Deseret News)
• Former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake explains his endorsement of Kamala Harris (Deseret News)
• Utah GOP sending volunteers to canvass for Trump in battleground states (Fox13)
• Meet the candidate: Alan Wessman for Utah County Commissioner (KSL Newsradio)

Utah legislature

• Utah bill would stiffen penalties for retail theft by groups or across state lines (Daily Herald)

Municipal news

• Six northern Utah counties are implementing a new emergency alert system this week (UPR)

Utah

• Utah groups ask for donations to help Hurricane Helene (KSL TV)
• 'Unprecedented,' fan-friendly concessions pricing coming to Delta Center this season (KSL)
• Base-jumper dies after jumping from Utah mountain peak (ABC4)
• Nonprofit's extensive search leads to vehicle being recovered from Utah reservoir with body inside (Fox13)

Biz/Tech

• Taylor Randall, Jonathan Freedman: Nonstop service from Salt Lake City to Seoul will boost Utah's economy (Deseret News)
• Economic skepticism won’t slow down holiday shopping this year (Deseret News)
• Dish Network sold to DirecTV for just $1 (KUTV)
• Exclusive: CVS explores options including potential break-up, sources say (Reuters)

Crime/Courts

• Salt Lake County judge, attorneys teaming up to help familiar faces in court (KSL)
• Alleged leader of Utah drug trafficking organization arrested after undercover operations (ABC4)
• Teen program director at Murray Boys and Girls Club charged with child sex abuse (KUTV)

Culture

• The maniacs at Oreo and Coca-Cola need to be stopped (Deseret News)
• 'Breadth and depth': New Church History Museum exhibit shows 200 years of Latter-day Saint art (KSL)

Education

• Utah flight instructor inspires next generation of female pilots (KUTV)
• Classroom discipline cases in Utah almost double since pre-pandemic (KUTV)

Environment

• ‘It is our honor’: Salt Lake City church donates $35K to Great Salt Lake efforts (KSL)
• Exceptional fall heat is scorching the Southwest and expanding through California. Phoenix hit 117 degrees Saturday, its highest September temperature on record. (Washington Post)
• Petroleum company ordered to pay $5.5 million for violations of Clean Air Act (KSL Newsradio)

Health

• University of Utah researchers develop chatbot to expand genetic testing care (KSL Newsradio)
• Utah doctors win $2.4M grant to improve health for sufferers of heart valve issues (KSL)

Housing

• Utah opens Microshelter Community ahead of winter season (Fox13)
• ‘A sense of home’ — A pilot effort to help Utahns experiencing homelessness becomes more permanent (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

• 43-foot nude Donald Trump statue towers over Las Vegas highway (Fox13)
• North Carolina mounts massive search and rescue operation in wake of Helene (Reuters)
• Here’s how Helene and other storms dumped a whopping 40 trillion gallons of rain on the South (AP)
• A tiny town just got slammed by Helene. It could massively disrupt the tech industry (NPR)
• How Helene wrought so much havoc, so far from the coasts (New York Times)
• Startling video shows Russian fighter jet flying within feet of US F-16 near Alaska (AP)

Political news

• Is it time to stop making fun of Joe Biden? (Deseret News)
• Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges (AP)
• Judge strikes down Georgia ban on abortions, allowing them to resume beyond 6 weeks into pregnancy (AP)
• 2025 could see the rarest divided government in U.S. history. (Deseret News)

Election news

• Trump makes false claims about federal response as he campaigns in area ravaged by Hurricane Helene (AP)
• What to watch as JD Vance and Tim Walz meet for a vice presidential debate (AP)
• Trump turns to darker rhetoric as voting begins (NPR)
• Polls show big increase in Republicans planning to vote for abortion rights (Washington Post)
• Rudy Giuliani’s daughter says she’s voting for Harris, ‘grieving the loss of my dad’ to Trump (The Hill)
• Trump says ‘1 rough hour’ of policing would end crime (The Hill)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

• Putin orders conscription of 133,000 servicemen in Russia's autumn draft (Reuters)
• A pianist, a shaman, a pacifist: Faces of the suffering in Putin’s prisons (Washington Post)

Israel and Gaza

• Israel launches ground raids in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah (Reuters)
• Israel calls for evacuations in Lebanon as Hezbollah denies ground incursion began (AP)

World news

• Haiti conflict drives thousands toward famine (Reuters)
• Claudia Sheinbaum to be sworn in as 1st female president of Mexico (AP)

Number of the Day 

Owens, experts call for accountability in higher ed

Congressman Burgess Owens, Western Governors University President Scott Pulsipher, and American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Beth Akers say students deserve improved transparency and accountability in higher education. Higher education institutions should be held accountable for the economic value they provide to students, according to experts. Key metrics suggested include completion rates, post-graduation employment, and return on investment. (Read More)

UAPCS receives $44 million federal grant to expand Utah charter schools

The US Department of Education notified the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools (UAPCS) this past Friday that it is receiving a $44 million grant to expand high quality charter schools in Utah. UAPCS will administer this grant over 5 years to develop high quality new charter schools, and to help existing high quality charter schools open new campuses. (Read More)

USBE releases 2023-2024 School Report Card

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) released the 2023-2024 School Report Card today. The School Report Card is a tool designed to highlight each school’s strengths, and note areas where there is room for improvement. State, district, charter, and individual school report cards for the 2023-2024 school year are now available through the School Report Card. (Read More)

Gov. Cox renews 41-year sister state relationship with Gyeonggi Province

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a four-year action plan with Korean Gov. Dong Yeon Kim of Gyeonggi Province. This action plan renews the historic sister state relationship between the two regions and concludes the Korea portion of the 2024 governor-led trade mission. The delegation will continue on to Japan for additional meetings with business and government stakeholders. (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Oct. 1 — Attorney General Debate, UT Debate Commission, 6:00 pm
• Oct. 1 — Vice presidential debate, 7:00 - 8:30 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. 16 — Nurturing Hope in Ourselves and Others: The Science of Hope and Well-Being sponsored by the Utah Women and Leadership Project, 12:00 - 1:15 pm, Register here
• 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

• 1750 - Peter Salem is born into slavery. He is freed to enlist in a militia to fight in the Revolutionary War and fought in the Battle of Concord
• 1856 - First Deseret (Utah) state fair
• 1867 -  Karl Marx publishes "Das Kapital" in Berlin
• 1869 - Gandhi born
• 1890 - Yosemite National Park established
• 1891 - Stanford University, California opens its doors after being founded by Leland Stanford and his wife Jane with a $40M donation (1891 dollars) in memory of their son. 
• 1908 - Henry Ford introduces the Model T car (costs $825)
• 1920 - Scientific American reports that radio will soon be used to transmit music to the home
• 1924 - Jimmy Carter is born
• 1946 - 12 Nazi war criminals sentenced to death by the International War Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg
• 1962 - Johnny Carson makes debut as "Tonight Show" host
• 1971 - Walt Disney World Resort opens in Florida
• 1986 - Canadian children's author Robert Munsch publishes "Love You Forever"
• 1988 - Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the head of the Soviet Union
• 2017 - Gunman opens fire on Las Vegas concert crowd, wounding hundreds and killing 58

Quote of the Day

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.”

—Jimmy Carter

On the Punny Side

I call it an elevator, but my British friend calls it a lift.

I guess we were just raised differently.

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