Good morning. Salt Lake City will have a high of 49° and a low of 28°.
If you haven't heard of Wordle, it's a free (and wildly popular) online game where players try to guess a five-letter word in six tries.
My husband and I finally gave into the Wordle craze and have begun a nightly ritual of competing to guess the word in fewer tries. If you're also competing to be your family's Wordle champion, I have good news for you: Deseret News has compiled some tips to up your strategy. I will be immediately incorporating these strategies, and maybe not-so-immediately sending them to my husband.
Also on our mind today: When Utah could be getting its first COVID-19 vaccine doses for toddlers and infants, the religious significance of "Star Wars" and how the Ottawa trucker protests could affect the global supply chain.
These Western states are taking cryptocurrency seriously
What's happening now: Recent proposals in Arizona and Wyoming would allow people to pay their taxes with digital currencies.
Background: In 2018, Ohio became the first state to allow businesses to pay tax bills with Bitcoin. But after less than a year, it was declared illegal and shut down.
Why it matters: There is concern among global financial regulators about displacing a national currency, which could undermine the ability of national governments and central banks to regulate the economy.
There are potential legal and political obstacles for both proposals, and even if they pass, it's possible that Congress could pass a law banning the practice, said Rohan Grey, research director of the Digital Fiat Currency Institute.
Read more about the push to make cryptocurrency mainstream.
What's happening?: SB172 would create a permanent endowment that would be managed by the state treasurer. The intent is to fund initiatives that support the Board of Higher Education’s priorities, which include college access, affordability, completion and workforce connections, said Utah Commissioner of Higher Education David Woolstenhulme.
Context: Last fall, the Utah Board of Higher Education authorized the sale of the Federal Family Education Loan Program portfolio administered by the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority. Financial advisers estimate the net proceeds of the sale could yield $260 million to $300 million, Woolstenhulme said.
How would it work?: Interest earnings would be used to fund scholarships and other initiatives of the Utah System of Higher Education, which would require approval of the Utah Legislature annually.
The Utah Jazz are set to acquire Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Portland Trail Blazers and Juancho Hernangomez from the San Antonio Spurs in a deal that will send Joe Ingles, Elijah Hughes and a future second-round draft pick to Portland and another future second-round pick to the Spurs, according to league sources.
Whether this is a good deal for the Jazz is up for some discussion and it also depends on what else, if anything, the Jazz do before Thursday’s trade deadline. So let’s look at this from all angles.
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