| Most Republicans want entitlement programs expanded but not Republican lawmakers; fake complaints over bathroom bill have reached 12,000 .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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. If you're a candidate in 2024 and want to advertise on UtahPolicy.com, contact Suzanne Benitez. | | |
Situational Analysis | May 15, 2024 It's Wednesday and International Kangaroo Care Awareness Day, an amazing way to help babies by having mamas wear them skin-to-skin. It is also Peace Officers Memorial Day, particularly poignant this year. A very happy birthday to Sen. Evan Vickers! ð ð ð What you need to know - Juab School District struggles to attract teachers and retain them due to lower pay than peer school districts and higher workloads, a legislative audit found. Additionally, even though Utah lawmakers have appropriated record public education funding in recent years, Juab School District was significantly impacted when it was required to return $800,000 in centrally assessed tax revenue to the state.
Rapid relevance On the Hill today | | |
Utah Headlines Political news - Salt Lake City eyes major zoning changes to handle Smith Entertainment Group's request (KSL)
- 'Joe Mama' and 'Pearl McClutch': Auditor releases fake complaints over Utah's bathroom law (KSL)
- Mayor Wilson trying to keep Abravanel Hall âin its present formâ (KSL Newsradio)
- Utah âdownwindersâ are in DC as radiation-exposure compensation hangs in the balance (KUER)
- Utahâs top teachers could soon get bonuses, but state auditors raise objectivity concerns (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Weber County inland port critics reiterate worries, speak out as potential decision looms (KSL)
Election news - Republican candidates confirm they will participate in June primary debates (Deseret News)
- Sen. Rand Paul endorses Colby Jenkins in his run against Rep. Celeste Maloy (Deseret News)
- These minority candidates in Utah buck conventional political wisdom, say GOP aligns with their beliefs (KSL)
Utah news - Small town swarmed by Mormon crickets; âItâs pretty disgustingâ (KSL TV)
- Letters, mysteries found inside aging Victorian home in Ogden (Fox13)
Business - Get ready, Utah County â The countyâs first Cheesecake Factory now has an opening date: July 2 (ABC4)
- Walmart lays off hundreds of employees and requires others to relocate (AP)
Crime/Courts - Latter-day Saint missionary from California arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting woman (Deseret News)
- Man accused of killing Santaquin sergeant faces 9 felonies, including capital offense (Deseret News)
- Sandy man arrested at Hogle zoo on suspicion of quadruple-kidnapping (KSL TV)
- St. George businessman sentenced to prison, must pay over $685,000 restitution for misuse of COVID funds (St. George News)
Culture - Can we really trust cellphones to tell us how often people go to church? (Deseret News)
- Miss USA's and Miss Teen USA's mothers say they they were 'abused, bullied and cornered' (KSL)
Education - Socia media distorts the reality of what most college students believe (Deseret News)
- Is football still in UVUâs future? Brandon Fugal believes so (Deseret News)
- Board votes to continue study of two-way split of Alpine School District (KSL TV)
- Teachers Academy aims to help prepare Utah County educators in dangerous situations at school (KUTV)
- District policy means leaving name of girl who died of cancer out of graduation ceremony (KUTV)
Environment - Biden is banning Russian uranium. How does this impact Utah? (Deseret News)
- Great Salt Lake's southern arm reaches 'significant' level as spring rise slows down (KSL)
- Restoring biodiversity to wetlands sites in Salt Lake (KSL Newsradio)
- These junior archeologists are keeping tabs on Utah Lakeâs bounty of ancient rock art (KUER)
Family - Bringing âdisagree betterâ home: Teaching kids to negotiate instead of fight (Deseret News)
Housing - Utahâs housing market âdemoralizing and depressingâ for potential buyers (Salt Lake Tribune)
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National Headlines General - Memorial Day travel will be the busiest its been in 20 years (Deseret News)
- The inside story of Elon Muskâs mass firings of Tesla Supercharger staff (Reuters)
- Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against working women in commencement speech (AP)
- Flood of fake science forces multiple journal closures (Wall Street Journal)
- Jimmy Carterâs grandson says he is âcoming to the endâ after more than a year in hospice care (The Hill)
- Inflation improved slightly in April, with timing for rate cuts still uncertain (Washington Post)
- American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France (AP)
Political news - Former Situation Room officer: Pence came âcloseâ to being killed on Jan. 6 (The Hill)
- Biden administration is sending $1 billion more in weapons, ammo to Israel, congressional aides say (AP)
- Most of South Dakota's tribes have banned Kristi Noem from their land. Here's why (NPR)
- Michael Cohen: âYes, I would like to seeâ Trump convicted (Washington Post)
- Gold bars and Google searches: The damning evidence in Bob Menendezâs corruption trial (Politico)
Election news - Biden proposes June and September faceoffs with Trump, ditching debate commission (Washington Post)
- Republicansâ chances at winning the Senate just skyrocketed (Washington Post)
Ukraine ðºð¦ - Zelenskyy postpones foreign travel, Russian infantry enters Ukraine border town (Reuters)
- White House worries Russia's momentum is changing trajectory of Ukraine war (New York Times)
Israel and Gaza - The US is wrapping up a pier to bring aid to Gaza by sea. But danger and uncertainty lie ahead (AP)
- Israeli forces push into Rafah city as nearly 450,000 flee fighting (Washington Post)
World news - Church responds to double disaster of earthquake, flooding in Papua New Guinea (Deseret News)
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Number of the Day 
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 | News Releases Gov. Cox orders lowering flags for Peace Officer Memorial Day Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox has issued an order for the flags of the United States of America and the great state of Utah to be flown at half-staff on all state facilities in recognition of Peace Officer Memorial Day on May 15, 2024. Flags should be lowered to the half-staff position beginning midnight on May 15, 2024 and return to the full-staff position at sunset of the same day. The governor extends an invitation to all private citizens, businesses, and other organizations to participate in this recognition.
Mayor Jenny Wilson on the future of Abravanel Hall Mayor Jenny Wilson released the following statement: âI appreciate the extensive amount of input regarding the future of Abravanel Hall as a sports, entertainment, culture, and convention district is envisioned in downtown Salt Lake City. Salt Lake County is the owner and operator of Abravanel Hall. As Mayor of Salt Lake County, I am working diligently on a reimagined downtown, and a district design that allows Abravanel Hall to remain in its present form and value the feedback from the community.â | | |
Tweet of the Day | | |
Upcoming - May 13-15 â Interim Days
- May 29 â Northern Utah Conference to End Violence, USU Logan campus, 8:30 am-4:30 pm, Register here
- June 6 â Bolder Way Forward 2nd Annual Summit, Zions Technology Campus, 9:00 am-2:00 pm, Register here
- June 18-19 â Interim Days
- August 14 â Hatch Foundation "Titan of Public Service" recognizing Sen. John Thune, Grand America
- August 20-21 â Interim Days
- September 17-18 â Interim Days
- October 15-16 â Interim Day
- November 19-20 â Interim Days
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On This Day In History - 1869 - The National Woman Suffrage Association forms in New York, founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- 1886 - Emily Dickinson, American poet, dies of nephritis at 55
- 1897 - The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee is founded in Berlin by Magnus Hirschfeld, the first-ever LGBT rights organization.
- 1901 - Dorothy H. Andersen is born. She was the American physician who was the first person to identify and describe cystic fibrosis
- 1919 - Dame Eugenia Charles, who served as Prime Minister of Dominica from 1980 to 1995, was born today in 1919. She was the first head of state in the Caribbean.
- 1930 - Ellen Church becomes 1st female flight attendant aboard a United flight from San Francisco to Cheyenne
- 1937 - Madeleine Albright, American politician and diplomat and 1st female U.S. Secretary of State (1997-2001), is born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
- 1938 - Diane Nash is born. A civil rights activist, and a leader and strategist of the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement, her efforts included the first successful civil rights campaign to integrate lunch counters, the Freedom Riders, co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and co-initiating the Alabama Voting Rights Project and working on the Selma Voting Rights Movement
- 1970 - Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington officially receive their ranks as U.S. Army Generals, becoming the first women to do so.
- 1988 - Soviets begin withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- 2010 - Australian sailor Jessica Watson completes a solo, nonstop circumnavigation of the globe in a 34-foot yacht. She was 16.
Quote of the Day "I dwell in possibility." âEmily Dickinson
On the Punny Side I asked the librarian if she knew of any authors who wrote dinosaur novels. She said, âYes, try Sarah Topps.â | | |
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