Interim Day on the hill; Gov. Cox to join President Biden Thursday; Davis School District reaches settlement with family of Izzy Tichenor | | | 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. | | |
Situational Analysis | August 9, 2023 It's Wednesday and National Rice Pudding Day. What You Need to Know A new national monument was created near the Grand Canyon, covering nearly a million acres. According to NPR, the new national monument will be called Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. "Baaj Nwaavjo" means "where tribes roam" in Havasupai, and "I'tah Kukveni" translates to "our ancestral footprints" in Hopi. Public polling in Arizona showed broad support for the monument, with 75% of voters favoring the monument. In Utah, not so much. Governor Spencer Cox says he is frustrated, and Senator Mitt Romney and Mike Lee call it an abuse of the Antiquities Act. Rapid Relevance Gov. Spencer Cox to join President Biden for public event Thursday; Davis School District reaches $2M settlement with family of Izzy Tichenor; a state of emergency declared in Hawaii, due to intense wildfires in Maui; and the teen cousin of the Uvalde gunman was just arrested after planning to "do the same thing." He was turned in by his mom. Today on the Hill 8:00 am: Business and Labor 8:30: Education; Government Operations; Health and Human Services; Public Utilities, Energy & Technology 9:00: Political Subdivisions 1:15 pm: Economic Development & Workforce Services; Judiciary; Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice; Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment; Revenue & Taxation; Transportation 4:00 pm: Senate floor time | | |
| | Honoring Healthcare Heroes Utah Business and Roseman University of Health Sciences are proud to honor those who have made it their mission to improve the state of health in our state.
Do you know a Healthcare Hero who deserves to be recognized for their contributions to the community? Nominate them here before nominations close on August 14. | | |
Utah Headlines Political news Equality in Utahâs constitution didnât include the right to abortion, stateâs attorneys argue to Utah Supreme Court (Salt Lake Tribune) Top takeaways from todayâs Utah Supreme Court hearing on abortion trigger law (ABC4) Utah has received millions from opioid settlements, but is still waiting on Purdue Pharma (Deseret News) A simple law does the unthinkable: It sends the porn industry into retreat (Deseret News) Biden visit: Lee, Romney have âno plansâ to see the president in Utah (Deseret News) Biden arrives to a state focused on water and finding ways to save the Great Salt Lake (Deseret News) Utah's domestic violence lethality assessment tool exposes confidential responses (KUTV) General Utah news Utah man sentenced for hate crime after attacking three men, shouting âKill Mexicansâ (KSL TV) UDOT to build Davis County freeway ramp out of foam blocks (ABC4) Lehi police warn against golf carts on roads after serious crash (Fox13) Parents of Utah man killed in Afghanistan withdrawal âwant justiceâ (Deseret News) Business Mattel announces plans to release limited-edition âWeird Barbieâ doll (Deseret News) More Americans are losing record amounts to scammers. Which target are you? The Federal Trade Commission says Americans lost $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022. The scams themselves are somewhat age-centric. (Deseret News) Culture âThe Single Parent Projectâ hosts backpack drive for Utah families in need (ABC4) Hereâs the true story of how Teddy Roosevelt saved football (Deseret News) Education With school starting next week in southern Utahâs Washington County, some parents are worried about ongoing construction at Enterprise High School. (KSL TV) Utah Education Association âtroubledâ by Utah State Board of Educationâs âfailureâ to censure Natalie Cline (ABC4) USU conference brings thousands of aerospace enthusiasts together to learn, network (KSL) Apps for schools, parents and students that make back to school easier (Deseret News) Sonny Partola: How educators can support Utahâs Sikh students and communities (Salt Lake Tribune) Environment Biden makes Grand Canyon monument designation, citing Arizona tribal heritage, climate concerns (KSL) New Arizona national monument is âfrustrating newsâ for Utah Gov. Cox (Deseret News) Utah leaders condemn Biden's announcement of new Grand Canyon national monument (KSL) Utah ranchers hit Biden for creating national monument in Arizona (Salt Lake Tribune) This river was just granted legal personhood. Hereâs why (Deseret News) More than a million acres of US tribal lands submerged by dams: study (The Hill) Health A new clue to the reason some people come down with long COVID: the FOXP4 gene (NPR) Ultra-processed foods arenât the villain. Hereâs why (Deseret News) How gratitude changes the brain (Deseret News) Why are Utahns losing their Medicaid coverage? âMost closures are occurring simply because we get no response at all,â the Department of Workforce Services tells lawmakers. (Salt Lake Tribune) Housing Michael Valentine: Salt Lake City must ban homeless abatements and enact sanctioned camping (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah housing market among the most expensive in U.S. Hereâs how it ranks (Deseret News) West Valley City may get its first homeless shelter this winter (Salt Lake Tribune) | | |
National Headlines General Former Team USA snowboard coach suspended after sexual misconduct investigation (Salt Lake Tribune) Detroit woman suing police after âshoddyâ AI facial recognition leads to false arrest during her pregnancy (Deseret News) Appeals court reinstates James Huntsmanâs lawsuit for return of tithing he paid as a Latter-day Saint (Deseret News) How one Afghan family made the perilous journey across the U.S.-Mexico border (NPR) Who is sneaking fentanyl across the southern border? Hint: it's not the migrants (NPR) 98 arrests in child abuse inquiry that followed killing of 2 F.B.I. agents (New York Times) Politics Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights (AP) Supreme Court reinstates regulation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers (AP) Political violence in polarized U.S. at its worst since 1970s (Reuters) Lingering inflation worries keep Biden approval stagnant at 40% (Reuters) DeSantis replaces campaign manager as 2024 bid struggles (Wall Street Journal) Donald Trump has settled on a political defense: âIâm being indicted for you.â (New York Times) Previously secret memo laid out strategy for Trump to overturn Bidenâs win (New York Times) Trumpâs criminal trials prompt GOP political doomsday alarms (The Hill) Dwindling Blue Dog Democrats look to stage a comeback for moderates (Washington Post) Ukraine ðºð¦ Returning Ukrainian refugees say there's no place like home (Wall Street Journal) Putin chokes on the Ukrainian âporcupineâ (Washington Post) 18 months of war in Ukraine (The Atlantic) World War crimes by Myanmar's military 'more frequent and brazen', UN probe finds (Reuters) Romanian care homes scandal spotlights abuse described as âinhumane and degradingâ (AP) Heavy rain from unusual summer storm triggers landslides in Norway and floods Swedish harbor (AP) Forty-one dead in migrant shipwreck in central Mediterranean (Reuters) China slips into deflation in warning sign for world economy (Wall Street Journal) The coup in Niger is about power. Russia will exploit it. (The Atlantic) | | |
| | News Releases Gov. Spencer Cox expresses frustration about new Grand Canyon National Monument Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued the following statement on the Grand Canyon National Monument designation: âThis monument designation is frustrating news, especially for residents of Utah along the Arizona strip. As Iâve said many times before, massive, landscape-scale monuments like this are a mistake. These designations increase visitation without providing any additional resources for law enforcement and infrastructure to protect sensitive areas. They also needlessly restrict access to the critical minerals that are key to cell phones, satellites, U.S. defense systems and so many other American industries. I still believe the only right way to create large new land designations is through Congress in coordination with local leaders and residents, a process that brings all voices to the table and offers the necessary funding.â Romney responds to President Bidenâs national monument designation U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) released the following statement in response to President Bidenâs announcement to designate land near the Grand Canyon as a national monument, which will have detrimental impacts Utahâs miners and ranchers: âNational monuments have become a political football tossed back and forth as presidential administrations change. President Bidenâs proclamation of 1.1 million acres around the Grand Canyon as a national monument continues the cycle of Antiquities Act abuse by the Executive Branch. Although the monument would be entirely in Arizona, it will be detrimental to ranchers in southern Utah. Ranchers in Washington and Kane Counties, who graze their cattle on the public lands on the Arizona Strip, will be faced with burdensome restrictions or be prevented from using the land altogether." (Read More) Utah GOP chair Robert Axson on the new monument designation âToday we are reminded of what happens when too much power is held in the hands of a few with little recourse from those with the most to lose. The actions of President Biden to unilaterally declare a national monument in Arizona is bad for Utah and all of us who call the West home. Instead of one man or woman making these decisions, the Utah Republican Party calls for reforms to the federal law known as the Antiquities Act to ensure dialogue and consensus are required before restricting communities, opportunities, and states." (Read More) UVU professor helps discover CO2 on exoplanet using James Webb Space Telescope Utah Valley University science professor Joshua Lothringer, who was part of an international planetary exploration team, helped discover the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) on an exoplanet 700 lightyears from Earth using NASAâs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Interim Days â Aug 7-10, le.utah.gov Municipal election filing period for cities using ranked choice voting â Aug. 8-15 Sutherland Institute Congressional Series with Sen. Mitt Romney â Aug 21, 10:00-11:30 am, Hinckley Institute, U of U Sutherland Institute Congressional Series with Rep. John Curtis â Aug 22, 9:00-10:30 am, Center for Constitutional Studies, UVU Sutherland Institute Congressional Series with Sen. Mike Lee â Aug 22, 3:00-4:30 pm, Hinckley Institute, U of U 'Titan of Public Service' gala recognizing Senator Mitch McConnell and former Transportation and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation â Aug. 22, 7 p.m., Register here Legislative Education and Mental Health Coordinating Council â Aug 23, le.utah.gov Sutherland Institute Congressional Series with Rep. Blake Moore â Aug 29, 10:00-11:30 am, Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service, Lindquist Hall, Weber State Sutherland Institute Congressional Series with Rep. Burgess Owens â Aug 30, 12:00-1:30 pm, Hinckley Institute, U of U Municipal/Special election primary â Sept. 5 Interim Day â Sept. 18, Utah Tech University, le.utah.gov Interim Day â Oct 10-11, le.utah.gov Interim Day â Nov 14-15, le.utah.gov General election â Nov. 21 | | |
On This Day In History 1757 - Elizabeth Schuyler is born. She later marries Alexander Hamilton. Following the deaths of her husband, she co-founded the Orphan Asylum Society, the first private orphanage in New York City. She lived to age 97.
1842 - The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed. United States Secretary of State Daniel Webster and Britainâs Alexander Baring, Lord Ashburton, come to an agreement regarding the Canadian and U.S. border east of the Rocky Mountains. The border had been in dispute since the end of the Revolutionary War. 1919 - Leona Woods Marshall Libby is born. She became a physicist and the only woman on the team that built the worldâs first nuclear reactor.
1945 - The US drops its second atomic bomb, this time on Nagasaki.
1969 - Charles Manson cult kills five, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate.
1974 - Gerald Ford is sworn in as US president after Richard Nixonâs resignation becomes effective at noon.
1995 - The Grateful Deadâs Jerry Garcia dies at age 53.
1995 â Roberta Cooper Ramo becomes the first woman to hold the office of president of the American Bar Association
2014 - Unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Quote of the Day "Be courageous. Challenge orthodoxy. Stand up for what you believe in. When you are in your rocking chair talking to your grandchildren many years from now, be sure you have a good story to tell."
â Amal Clooney On the Punny Side I can't remember how to write 1, 1000, 51, 6 and 500 in roman numerals. I M LIVID. | | |
| â Advertise With Us â Subscribers may receive special messages with information about new features, special offers, or public policy messages from clients and advertisers. |
|
|
