| Free park admission this Saturday to kick off Ntl Park Week; Salt Lake City Marathon will impact travel tomorrow; Earth Day events & more .png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah_Policy_Logo_Email_Full%20(1).png) | 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. If you're a candidate in 2024 and want to advertise on UtahPolicy.com, contact Suzanne Benitez. | | |
Situational Analysis | April 19, 2024 It's Friday and National Cat Lady Day! ð¸ A very happy birthday tomorrow to Rep. Matt Gwynn. ð ð ð What you need to know - A new series by Sen. Scott, with Rep. Owens and others asks: What does it mean to be a Black Republican? Sen. Scott has debuted a new YouTube series featuring five-minute-long videos released weekly on Fridays, to discuss âpolitics, race and the 2024 election.â The goal is to reach Black voters who may be open to Republican ideas - and it doesn't hurt the narrative about Sen. Scott being Trump's VP pick. Scott calls his series "America's Starting Five," a name which overlooks former Utah Congresswoman Mia Love's role as the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress
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Utah Headlines Political news - Report: Utah homeowners face higher tax rates than commercial property owners (KSL)
- Audit unveils inconsistencies in Utah property tax assessment (Deseret News)
- What does it mean to be a Black conservative? (Deseret News)
- Rep. John Curtis questions U.S. Forest Service chief about wildfire management (Deseret News)
- Utah audit recommends better planning to bolster Ogden airport, a money-loser for 17 years (KSL)
- From organized crime to AI, here's what Utah lawmakers will study this year (Fox13)
Election news - Editorial Board: Biden and Trump should commit now to debate in the fall (Deseret News)
Utah news - The NHL is here. Now what? (Deseret News)
- Five trademark applications made for potential Utah NHL team names (KSL TV)
- Professor questions long-term economic impact of tax-funded sports arenas (KUTV)
- The document that made Utah a state fetched $27K at auction (Deseret News)
- How hoarding documents puts you at risk for identity theft (KSL)
- Collaborative leadership in addressing sexual and domestic violence with Pres. Elizabeth Cantwell (UPR)
- 'A phenomenal achievement': Ogden's 25th Street places 3rd in Best Main Street contest (KSL)
Business/Tech - How much does the Utah ski industry make? Hint: The number starts with B (Deseret News)
- St. Georgeâs pioneer tech company breaks ground on 90,000-square-foot facility, 37 years in the making (St. George News)
Crime/Courts - Man offers to help valet driver at the U., then kidnaps her, police say (KSL)
- Church bans 'Prince Charming' child sex offender from properties after 2News Investigation (KUTV)
Culture - Taylor Swift shocks fans with secret late night double album. Here are some of the best reactions (Deseret News)
- Wendyâs is giving away free fries every Friday for the rest of the year (Deseret News)
- Arthur Brooks: How to be less busy and more happy. If you feel too rushed even to read this, then your life could use a change. (The Atlantic)
Education - Commissioner: Adjusting to Utah's diversity bill may 'hurt,' but schools can 'make it successful' (KSL)
- There will be no public vote on Cedar High Schoolâs âRedmenâ name this fall (Deseret News)
- No evidence of 'furries' in Nebo School District despite allegations, social media firestorm (KSL)
- By connecting in Spanish, Timpanogos Middle School tapped into the power of Latino parents (KUER)
- Brightest gamma-ray burst of all time leads to both questions and answers, U of U researchers says (ABC4)
- Utah State University recommits to ending hunger on its campus (UPR)
Environment - Shorelands Preserve highlights recreation at Great Salt Lake (Deseret News)
- Israeli agriculture experts collaborate with Utahns on water-saving practices (Fox13)
- Poisonous âforeverâ chemicals are likely in the Great Salt Lake. They should be banned. (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Utahâs new plan for Great Salt Lake Basin âto ensure an ongoing, resilient water supplyâ (Daily Herald)
Family - How much power does âintergenerational traumaâ hold over us? Family history matters, but so does a personâs resolve to stop passing trauma down to their children (Deseret News)
Health - Working routine job could boost risk of cognitive impairment, dementia: study (Deseret News)
- This is how our body works when we eat spicy food (Deseret News)
- Breathing Salt Lakeâs West Side Air (RadioWest)
- Emergency rooms refused to treat pregnant women, leaving one to miscarry in a lobby restroom (AP)
Housing - Homebuyers' dilemma: Navigating record-high mortgage rates and a sparse housing market (Deseret News)
- Sluggish start for spring homebuying season as home sales fall in March; mortgage rates rising (KSL/AP)
- Silicon Slopes CEO worries Utah could turn out like California on housing (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Utah County warming centers will need more staffing next winter, advocates say (Daily Herald)
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National Headlines General - Jury selection could be nearing a close in Donald Trumpâs hush money trial in New York (AP)
- Internet data centers are fueling drive to old power source: Coal (Washington Post)
Political news - Lee, Romney propose extension for downwinders compensation without expanding coverage (KSL)
- Johnsonâs plan to send aid to Ukraine moves closer to reality (Washington Post)
- Biden administration bars drilling on millions of acres in Alaska (The Hill)
- Moskowitz trolls Greene with foreign aid amendments (The Hill)
Election news - The politics of younger voters are less exceptional than they used to be (Washington Post)
- Trump leads Biden in North Carolina: Poll (The Hill)
Ukraine ðºð¦ - Ukraine downs Russian strategic bomber after airstrike kills eight, Kyiv says (Reuters)
- Russia pummels exhausted Ukrainian forces with smaller attacks ahead of a springtime advance (AP)
- Russia ramps up weapons production, using mass quantity to outgun Ukraine (Washington Post)
Israel and Gaza - Israel launches missile strikes into Iran, U.S. military official says (NPR)
- Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site (AP)
World news - Nigeriaâs army rescues a woman abducted from Chibok as a schoolgirl, and her 3 children (AP)
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 | News Releases Rep. Curtis challenges BLM rule, defends land for Utahns Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published a final rule that undermines the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), multiple-use requirement for BLM lands, and hinders access to public lands for energy and critical mineral development, grazing, forest management, and recreation. Over 60% of Utahâs land is federally managed, causing this rule to have an outsized impact in the state. This rule also disregards a Tenth Circuit decision that determined allowing conservation as a use of a federal grazing permit is unconstitutional and not allowed under the Taylor Grazing Act or FLPMA. In May 2023, Representative John Curtis introduced the WEST Act, legislation that would stop this rule from taking effect. It is currently awaiting a vote in the U.S House of Representatives. (Read More)
Declutter Day event at the U The Utah Division of Consumer Protection and the University of Utah Sustainability Office are hosting their annual Declutter Day today from 7:00 am - 3:00 pm in the Guardsman Way parking lot at the U. Declutter Day is an opportunity for Utahns to safely dispose of sensitive documents and expired medications, donate unwanted clothing, and recycle unwanted electronics. Different organizations will be on-site to handle the disposal needs. (Read More)
Lee introduces 2-year RECA reauthorization bill Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a bill to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) for an additional two years. This legislation aims to provide needed compensation to individuals who have been adversely affected by atomic weapons testing conducted by the federal government. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) cosponsored the legislation in the Senate, and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) is leading the effort in the House of Representatives. (Read More)
UDP: President Biden invests in Utah infrastructure On April 5, 2024, a delegation of Utah leaders, including Utah Democratic Party Vice-Chair Oscar Mata, House Minority Leader Angela Romero, former State Senator Scott Howell, and former Democratic Congressman Ben McAdams, visited Washington D.C. to be briefed by the Biden administration on the investments Utah has received under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which President Biden has used to invest $3.5 billion in Utahâs future. Hereâs some of the ways President Biden is building up Utah: expanding high-speed internet access, funding UTA, expanding airports, and cleaning up our environment. (Read More) | | |
Tweet of the Day 
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Upcoming - April 20 â United Utah Partyconvention, Utah County GOP convention
- April 23 â WTC Innovation Summit, 8:30 am-12:00 pm, Register here
- April 26 â YWCA Leader Luncheon, Grand America Hotel, 11:30 am-2:00 pm, Purchase tickets here
- April 27 â State GOP and Democratic Conventions
- May 13-15 â Interim Days
- June 6 â Bolder Way Forward 2nd Annual Summit, Zions Technology Campus, 9:00 am-2:00 pm, Register here
- June 18-19 â Interim Days
- August 20-21 â Interim Days
- September 17-18 â Interim Days
- October 15-16 â Interim Day
- November 19-20 â Interim Days
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On This Day In History - 1775 - American Revolution begins with the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and battles at Lexington and Concord.
- 1861 - First blood shed in the Civil War when a secessionist mob attacked troops bound for DC.
- 1897 - First Boston Marathon
- 1932 - President Herbert Hoover suggests a 5-day work week.
- 1933 - FDR announces the US will leave the gold standard.
- 1943 - Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins when Nazi forces attempt to clear out the cityâs Jewish neighborhoods
- 1956 - American actress Grace Kelly becomes princess of Monaco when she marries Prince Rainier.
- 1977 - Fifteen women in the House of Representatives form the Congressional Caucus for Womenâs Issues.
- 1989 - Central Park jogger, Trisha Meili is attacked, badly beaten and sexually assaulted. In a coma for nearly 2 weeks, she remembered nothing of the attack. Five young Black and Latino teens are quickly arrested and convicted. In 2002, new DNA evidence and a confession proved that convicted rapist Matias Reyes was the lone assailant.
- 1993 - Waco Siege ends after 51 days when the FBI launches a tear-gas assault on the Branch Davidian compound, burning it to the ground and killing around 80 people.
- 1995 - A massive truck bomb explodes in Oklahoma City, killing more than 160 people and injuring 500.
- 2018 - Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) is the first parent to bring a baby into the Senate chambers, a day after the Senate votes to allow babies on the chamber's floor.
Quote of the Day "I canât wait for the future of our downtown and the first NHL game in Salt Lake City! This is the next step toward reinvigorating our downtown and cementing our city as the heart and hub of sports, culture, and entertainment in Utah and the Intermountain West." âMayor Erin Mendenhall
On the Punny Side Just saw on Reddit that the opposite of âeasy peasy lemon squeezyâ is âstressed depressed lemon zestâ and now Iâll be using that all the time. ð | | |
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