Reagan Caucus wants to reclaim the GOP; price tag to upgrade Abravanel Hall could top $200M; and SLC in the top 3 cities to start a career.
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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.

 

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Situational Analysis | May 21, 2024

It's Tuesday and National Strawberries and Cream Day! 🍓

What you need to know

  • Martha is finally going to Washington! The statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, currently on the third floor of the Utah Capitol, is leaving for her place in Statuary Hall. Originally intended to take her place in Washington, D.C. in August 2020, the pandemic kept her in Utah for an extra four years. Her going-away party will be June 5 from 5-8 pm at the Capitol. 

Rapid relevance

 

Looking for balance in Utah’s redrock country: the motorized vehicle dilemma

Much of what makes Utah’s redrock country so special is at risk from a dramatic increase in off-road vehicles. There is work underway to strike a balance between ensuring access to trailheads, overlooks, and recreation opportunities, while protecting our wildest places. Learn more.

 

Utah Headlines

Political news

  • Sen. Mitt Romney and other lawmakers say Biden’s student debt relief plan would burden taxpayers (Deseret News)
  • Gov. Cox, other leaders, share vision for Utah ahead of a 2034 Winter Olympics (Deseret News)
  • More than a third of Utah lawmakers profit from real estate. Is that good for Utah’s housing crisis? (Salt Lake Tribune)

Utah news

  • Where do Utahns live? It ain’t in the country. Nine of 10 Utahns live in an urban area. (Deseret News)
  • Salt Lake County wants to keep Abravanel Hall as is. Here’s how much renovations could cost (KSL)

Business/Tech

  • Emojis are still confusing Americans — do you know what these emojis mean? (Deseret News)
  • The end of endless shrimp? Red Lobster files for bankruptcy protections (Deseret News)
  • Target to lower prices on thousands of basic items as inflation sends customers scrounging for deals (AP)

Crime/Courts

  • Judge grants motion to allow defense attorneys to withdraw from Kouri Richins case (KSL TV)

Culture

  • A Utah man brought the magic of Disney into his home. Here’s how you can do the same (Deseret News)
  • Judge says tacos are now sandwiches, but TikTok disagrees (Deseret News)

Education

  • Why one academic thinks institutional neutrality is key for universities to foster dialogue (Deseret News)
  • Are ‘furries’ a problem at Utah schools? Here’s what districts say: In short, no. (Salt Lake Tribune)
  • Students learn valuable trade skills inside Bingham High School shop (Fox13)

Environment

  • EPA seeks to breathe new life into Utah cities fighting contamination (Deseret News)
  • America's 'greatest idea' is falling into disrepair. Are we loving our national parks too much? (Deseret News)
  • Utah Inland Port Authority approves new site near the Great Salt Lake (Fox13)

Family

  • As America’s population ages, women shoulder the burden as primary caregivers (PBS)

Health

  • With new variants, do experts predict a summer COVID-19 surge? (Deseret News)
  • Up to a quarter of Utahns struggle with disabilities, report says (KSL Newsradio)
  • Biden admin proposes national strategy to curb a maternal mental health crisis (KUER)

Housing

  • A ‘leap of faith’ and love create housing to help domestic violence victims get back on their feet (St. George News)
 

National Headlines

General

  • 'Endless Horizons' program lets you retire on luxury cruise ship (KUTV)
  • Sperm whale families talk a lot. Researchers are trying to decode what they're saying (NPR)
  • We all need to get better at disagreements (Wall Street Journal)

Political news

  • Trump trial devolves into chaos as judge admonishes defense witness (The Hill)

Election news

  • Trump’s social media account shares a campaign video with a headline about a ‘unified Reich’ (AP)
  • Trump’s reported fund-raising tops Biden’s for first time (New York Times)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

  • Exclusive: Ukraine's Zelenskyy pushes allies to step up aid and involvement in war (Reuters)

Israel and Gaza

  • ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu and Hamas leaders (Reuters)

World news

  • Bahman Baktiari: What the death of Iran's president means (Deseret News)
  • What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash? (AP)
  • Failed coup attempt in Congo was led by a one-time Salt Lake City resident (Salt Lake Tribune)
 

Number of the Day 

Number of the Day, May 21, 2024-1

 

News Releases

Utah Senate requests public comment on 5th District Juvenile Court nominee

The Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee is seeking public comment on Angela Adams, whom Gov. Spencer J. Cox nominated to serve as a judge in the 5th District Juvenile Court. 

Those who desire to comment should contact the Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee electronically or by mail at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Electronic comments can be emailed to senatejudicialnominees@le.utah.gov. Written comments can be mailed to the Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee at the Utah State Capitol, Suite W210, PO Box 145210, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-5210. All statements should include the respondent’s name, telephone number and mailing address. (Read More)

 

Tweet of the Day

Screenshot 2024-05-21 at 6.59.51 AM

 

Upcoming

  • May 29 — Northern Utah Conference to End Violence, USU Logan campus,  8:30 am-4:30 pm, Register here
  • June 6 — Bolder Way Forward 2nd Annual Summit, Zions Technology Campus, 9:00 am-2:00 pm, Register here
  • June 18-19 — Interim Days
  • June 25 — Primary Election Day
  • August 14 â€” Hatch Foundation "Titan of Public Service" recognizing Sen. John Thune, Grand America
  • August 20-21 — Interim Days
  • September 17-18 — Interim Days
  • October 15-16 — Interim Day
  • November 19-20 — Interim Days
 

On This Day In History 

  • 1881 - The American Red Cross is founded by Clara Barton.
  • 1932 - Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to complete a solo-transatlantic flight by flying 2,026 miles from Newfoundland to Ireland in just under 15 hours
  • 1940 - A Nazi special unit kills over 1500 “unfit” people (mentally ill hospital patients) in East Prussia
  • 1946 - Physicist Louis Slotin is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation while preparing a plutonium core experiment at the Los Alamos lab, he dies 9 days later and the accident ends all hands-on nuclear assembly work at Los Alamos.
  • 1947 - Linda Jane Laubenstein is born. A physician and early HIV/AIDS researcher, she was among the first doctors in the United States to recognize the AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s.
  • 1973 - Lynn Genesko, a swimmer, receives the first athletic scholarship awarded to a woman (University of Miami).
  • 2005 - First Lady Laura Bush advocates for women’s rights at the World Economic Forum.

Quote of the Day

"Human rights require the rights of women. And human rights are empty promises without human liberty."

–Laura Bush, 2005


On the Punny Side

What does King Arthur use to see in the dark?

Knight lights.

 

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