Newcomers to Salt Lake City are often pleasantly surprised by the strange little gems scattered throughout the city. Colin Leonard compiled a list of a few of his favorite strange places around town.

Are Taylor Swift fans masterminds? Mike Lee thinks ‘Swifties have figured something out’

Taylor Swift fans are starting to play a pivotal role in the Senate Judiciary Committee meetings about Ticketmaster and possible antitrust issues.

What did Sen. Mike Lee say about “Swifties”?

• “As I was driving up this morning, I’ve never seen more smiling and happy demonstrators than I saw today. I think Swifties have figured something out. They’re very good at getting their message across.”

But wait … something sounds familiar: Both Sen. Lee and Sen. Amy Klobuchar referenced several lyrics to Swift’s songs during the proceedings.

• Lee stated that the idea of limits on the resale or transfer of concert tickets was a “nightmare dressed like a daydream.”
• Klobuchar referenced “All Too Well” in her opening remarks.

Let’s get serious: Pop culture references aside, the hearing is an important exploration into whether the merger of concert giant Live Nation and Ticketmaster — the nation’s two largest ticketing platforms — is suppressing competition.

… Ready for it? Read more here.

More in Politics:

• Would you walk down the aisle with someone who doesn’t share your politics? (Deseret News)
• Utah House committee strikes down hardline ban against transgender surgeries, puberty blockers for kids — but Senate bill advances (Deseret News) 🐝
• Utah lawmakers denounce comments claiming they're trying to 'destroy public education' (KSL) 🐝

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Family:

• The U.S. loses mothers at a much higher rate than any other industrialized nation — Why? (Deseret News)
• Fulfilling but hard: What American parents say about parenting (Deseret News)

Health:

• Should you get a COVID-19 shot once a year? Here’s what the FDA says (Deseret News)
• Amazon launches $5 generic prescriptions for Prime members (Deseret News)

Business:

• This Utah board game company crowdfunded $2M+ for its newest game (Utah Business)

The Economy:

• How recession worries might be changing consumer spending habits (Deseret News)
• Salt Lake County, Utah housing prices drop 6% — the first year-over-year decline in 11 years (Deseret News)

Police and Courts:

• Warrant: Neighbors, not law enforcement, discovered slain Enoch family (Deseret News)
• Police are still piecing together a motive for the Monterey Park shooting (Deseret News)
• HJR2 is an attack on the Judicial Branch (Utah Policy) 🐝

Faith:

• Dolly Parton says a dream about God inspired one of her newest songs (Deseret News)
• Why you keep seeing ads for Jesus during NFL games (Deseret News)

Northern Utah:

• Utah enacts emergency feeding measures for deer in parts of northeast Utah (KSL)

Wasatch Front:

• 'No stopping us': Salt Lake mayor outlines bright future, unveils $100M Ballpark fund (KSL)
• Jury trial begins for mom accused of causing her 6-year-old's death over potty training (KSL)
• Salt Lake City officials, homeless advocates prepare for freezing temperatures this week (KSL)
• Loud sounds and flames from Salt Lake refinery wake residents (Salt Lake Tribune🔒)

Southern Utah:

• Beaver County project hopes to fill a need for rural family homes ‘at a lower price’ (KUER)

The West:

• Arizona needs new homes — where will they get the water? (Deseret News)
• Who is Ruben Gallego, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Arizona? (Deseret News)

The Nation:

• Former top FBI official charged with aiding Russian oligarch (Deseret News)
• Another one: Classified documents found at Mike Pence’s Indiana home (Deseret News)

The World:

• Ukrainian officials removed after scandal (Deseret News)
• What is super cereal? Church funds help mothers and children in Kenya beat malnutrition (Church News)

Sports:

• Utah: Utah football season ticket renewals are now underway. What you need to know (Deseret News)
• BYU: The parallels of shoveling snow and BYU basketball (Deseret News)
• The Jazz: From Sixth Man gunner to facilitator, Jordan Clarkson continues to change his game (Deseret News)
• NFL: What Utah ties are being projected as first-round NFL draft picks? (Deseret News)