Situational Analysis | October 1, 2021

It's October 1st and either the beginning of a new (fiscal) year, or the beginning of the end for the calendar year. 

A very happy 97th birthday to former president, Jimmy Carter, and a happy 50th birthday to Walt Disney World in Florida. 

Be in the Know

1. KSL News Radio is becoming the new radio home for the Utah Jazz. Day-day-day operations management of The Zone Sports Network will be shifting to KSL Sports. “Our radio and streaming alignment with the KSL platform for Utah Jazz games is a tremendous opportunity to bring our team to more fans over a much larger broadcast footprint,” Jim Olson, president of the Utah Jazz, said in a statement. Tribune columnist Gordon Monson, who helped found The Zone, will no longer be with them.
2. October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month. In 1988, President Reagan designated the entire month of October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. On that day he said: â€œWhen a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them." Except maybe heartbroken. 💔

FROM OUR SPONSOR

Debate Over Debt Ceiling

As Congress debates raising the federal debt ceiling, the threat of a government shutdown once again looms. Maura Carabello, President of the Exoro Group; Chris Bleak, lobbyist with RRJ Consulting; and Dennis Romboy, editor and reporter with the Deseret News, join host Jason Perry on "The Hinckley Report" this Friday at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the impact on Utah and the overall economy.

Utah Headlines

General

• ‘He was so amazing in so many ways’: Family of Aaron Lowe coping with devastating loss. (Deseret News)
• Huge Olympia Hills development is back — and it will become part of Herriman (Salt Lake Tribune)
• The story behind associate AD Liz Darger and her contribution to BYU’s Big 12 invite (Deseret News)
• Brian Moench: A toxic selfishness is eating at the foundation of our country (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Why the LDS Church includes same-sex couples in its genealogy database (Salt Lake Tribune)

Politics

• Utah GOP Gov. Cox has supported Utah’s death penalty in the past. But now he’s reevaluating (Deseret News)
• Utah Rep. Burgess Owens criticized for inaccurately reporting who paid him and for what (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Will Gov. Cox support a bill banning business vaccine mandates? The answer is still no (Deseret News)
• Here’s how 2020 ballot recount efforts are playing out after Arizona (Deseret News)
• Gov. Cox talks pipeline, drought and COVID in press conference (The Spectrum)
• Monsoon rains, reduced usage provided some drought relief, but Gov. Cox says still ‘a long way to go’ (St. George News)

COVID Corner

• 1704 new cases, 12 new deaths
• Utah’s public employees can get cash for getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Incentive also applies to family members, with higher rewards for older Utahns. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Documenting the pandemic: What Utah historians need from you to complete their collections (KSL)
• Need a COVID-19 test? Utah trying to make it easier, reduce wait times (Deseret News)
• Utah doctors see more pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 (Fox13)
• Dr. Fauci says data on ‘mix-and-match’ COVID-19 booster shots is coming soon (Deseret News)
• Merck: New experimental pill cuts the worst effects of COVID-19 (ABC4)

Legal

• Police arrest BYU student in sexual extortion case of teen girl (Deseret News)
• How defendants are found incompetent to face charges, restored to competence (KUTV)
• Moab police release second body cam video of Petito-Laundrie domestic violence investigation (Fox13)
• Infowars host Alex Jones is responsible for damages triggered by his false claims on the Sandy Hook shooting, judge rules (CNN)
• Dissension at the Supreme Court as justices take their anger public (CNN)

National Headlines

General

• America after 25 years of Fox News (Deseret News)
• This TikTok user asks for advice because he looks like Brian Laundrie (Deseret News)
• Afghans are leaving U.S. military bases before resettlement (Reuters)
• Multiple reports of assault, robbery among Afghan evacuees at military bases (Military Times)
• Scientists drove a robotic surfboard into Hurricane Sam, and the waves were incredible. It was the first-ever ocean drone to intercept a major hurricane, battling 50-foot waves and winds gusting higher than 120 mph (Washington Post)

Politics

• Election denialists smacked down by Idaho Secretary of State (The Hill)
• Manchin, a key Democratic holdout, deepens the party’s impasse on Biden’s agenda. (New York Times)
• House delays vote on infrastructure bill as Democrats feud (New York Times)
• Despite setback, Democrats try to save Biden $3.5T plan (AP)
• Biden’s approval slumps after a slew of crises: AP-NORC poll (AP)
• GOP infighting spoils chance to retake Crist’s Florida seat (Politico)

Economy

• Three factors are creating the perfect storm to derail young mothers’ careers (USA Today)
• ‘Everything going the wrong way’: Dollar stores hit a pandemic downturn (New York Times)

Policy News

Sen. Lee rejects Biden’s BLM nominee, calling her an eco-terrorist

Before a vote to proceed to confirmation, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) spoke in opposition to Tracy Stone-Manning, President Biden’s nominee for Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
Stone-Manning’s previous involvement in criminal activity in support of eco-terrorist organization “Earth First!” and radical environmental beliefs have made her one of the most controversial Biden nominees. (Read/Watch More)

Romney opposes nomination of Tracy-Stone Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management

In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) voiced his opposition to the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Senator Romney cited Stone-Manning’s past involvement in eco-terrorism and believes that her attempt to conceal her participation in these activities from the Senate disqualifies her from serving as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. (Read/Watch More)

Sen. Romney presses Ed. Secretary on Democrats’ plan for free child care, pre-k and community college

Today, during a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) challenged proposals in the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” bill to make Americans more dependent on the federal government – from early childhood through community college. Senator Romney specifically highlighted how, under the Democrats’ plan, these programs wouldn’t be permanent—unlike the tax increases that would be used to pay for them. This means families will start to rely on them, only for them to disappear. If these new programs were to be made permanent, he pointed out that there would be only two ways to pay for them: further adding to the national debt or more tax increases on millions of Americans. Instead of new costly government programs, families should be given the freedom to decide what is best for their children’s early education. (Read/Watch More)

Leaders across the Wasatch Front to discuss Missing Middle Housing as a housing crisis solution

The ever-increasing cost of housing has become one of the biggest challenges facing Utah’s current and future generations. Missing Middle Housing represents one way to think big about the housing problem as planners, policymakers, and developers work to facilitate more attainable and affordable housing. This event will delve into Missing Middle Housing, what that looks like in Utah, and feature a panel of experts fielding submitted questions from attendees. For more information, visit https://missingmiddle.eventbrite.com.

When:  11 a.m.-3 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021
Check-in: 11-11:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., program and keynote will begin at 12:15 p.m., followed by the panel at 2 p.m.

Number of the Day

Upcoming

• 2021 ULCT Annual Convention with Capt. Scott Kelly – Sept 29-Oct 1. Register here
• One Utah Summit held at SUU – Oct 4-6. Register here
• Women in the money: Utah Financial Empowerment Conference with Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks – Oct 8, 8:30 am - 4 pm. Register here
• Growth, Grit and Grace - SLC Chamber's Women & Business Conference and ATHENA awards – Nov 19, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 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
• 1867 -  Karl Marx publishes "Das Kapital" in Berlin
• 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

Wise Words

“I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
my baby you'll be.”

-Robert Munsch

Lighter Side

 On the Congressional Baseball Game:

“It was a real nail-biter. In the eighth inning, I got a text from Pelosi saying, ‘We’re down by one run and only your donation of $26 can turn this around.’” 

— JIMMY KIMMEL

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