Festival of Trees begins today; the US beat Iran in the World Cup; having a winter emergency car kit and baguettes are deemed essential | | | 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 | Nov. 30, 2022 It's Wednesday and National Personal Space Day. It's also the first day of Festival of Trees, where there's no personal space but lots of beautiful trees, gingerbread houses and a kid's corner, where my kids particularly love being inside a giant bubble. Be in the Know The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Senate 61-36 yesterday, with Senator Mitt Romney voting for and Senator Mike Lee voting against. The bill now goes to the House, where it is expected to pass, and then on to President Biden's desk. It repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and provides federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples, circumventing a Supreme Court repeal of Obergefell v. Hodges or Loving v. Virginia. It also includes an amendment strengthening religious liberty. Prior to passage of the bill, Senator Romney said: âWhile I believe in traditional marriage, Obergefell is and has been the law of the land upon which LGBTQ individuals have relied. This legislation provides certainty to many LGBTQ Americans, and it signals that Congressâand Iâesteem and love all of our fellow Americans equally.â The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was supportive of the bill. Rapid Roundup The US beat Iran at the World Cup; what you need in your emergency winter car kit; French baguettes deemed essential to humanity's culture; if you've seen the movie 'The Woman King,' then you might be interested to know that on this day in 1975, Dahomey was renamed the People's Republic of Benin and finally, don't miss the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' - it's pretty cute! Holiday Service Opportunities If you know of opportunities I've missed, please send them to me for inclusion here! Food banks fighting inflation to feed Utahns in need this Thanksgiving, need your donations (Fox13) Ditch your Grinch this holiday season by volunteering locally (St. George News) 'Light the World' giving machines Meals on Wheels (year-round) (thanks to reader Wendy Hill for this tip!) Sub for Santa Christmas for Africa benefit concert, Dec 2, St. John's Episcopal Church in Logan (thanks to reader Gordon Jones and Mahayla Bassett!) The Utah Food Bank braces for a challenging holiday season (UPR) Easy ways to do your part on Giving Tuesday. Supporting your fellow man doesnât look the same for everyone. Here are a few ideas to get you started (Deseret News) Salt Lake County Giving Tree program provides gifts to isolated, homebound adults and now accepting donations (KSL) Making small donations at the store checkout helps Utah charities (KUTV) | | |
| | Inspire InUtah is an initiative to help support women entrepreneurs and women in the workplace at every level. Whether youâre a woman starting a business or looking to elevate your career, Inspire In Utah is dedicated to providing you with the resources to help on your journey. Find funding, training, and even inspirational stories in our dedicated resource center. | | |
Utah Headlines General Cox orders security review at state agencies after government building break-in (KUTV) âTear down this prison': Demolition begins on old Utah State Prison in Draper (KSL) Utah Governor's Mansion is decked out in a Roaring '20s theme this Christmas (KSL) Beehive House, Lion House and Joseph Smith Memorial Building all closing for renovations in 2023 (KSL) Children recorded death threats from their father, who is accused of abuse (KUTV) Politics Meet the women running the all-female leadership teams in Utahâs government (Deseret News) Senate passes Respect for Marriage Act; Utah Sens. Lee, Romney divided in vote (Deseret News) How faith leaders reacted to Senate passage of same-sex marriage protections (Deseret News) Resurgent Utah jail deaths prompt new legislative action (Standard-Examiner) Utah House GOP will add to its supermajority in January (KUER) Business Renowned Utah restaurant, Hell's Backbone Grill, asks for help to keep doors open (Fox13) Small businesses eschew temporary hiring amid holiday season (Daily Herald) Nationwide study lauds Utah internet pricing, while others overpay (Cache Valley Daily) Local Christmas tree business prepares for shopping season despite inflation and forest fires (UPR) Education Utah Valley University students pledge âGive the Gift of Clean Airâ by riding UTA (ABC4) Three Utah cities listed among best college towns in nation: Salt Lake City, Provo and Orem (ABC4) Air Force, University of Utah enter into 5-year joint research partnership (Standard-Examiner) These are the 22 books removed from Utahâs Alpine School District (KUER) Environment Should Utah pay $50 bounties on coyotes killed in controversial contests? State employees sometimes staff event checkins to process bounties sought by contestants as they bring in truckloads of dead predators (Salt Lake Tribune) Health The U.S. gun death rate last year hit its highest mark in nearly three decades, and the rate among women has been growing faster than that of men. Among Black women, the the rate of firearm-related homicides more than tripled since 2010, and the rate of gun-related suicides more than doubled since 2015. (AP) Housing What happens when Utahns and HOAs disagree? This man says protections are needed (Deseret News) Will temporary ban on homeless shelters be lifted? Advocates call for city's guidance (KSL) National Headlines General 50,000-year-old âzombie virusâ revived from ice could be a âpublic health threat,â scientists warn (Deseret News) Horrible. Riverside triple homicide: Suspect was a Virginia officer who catfished a teen online. Police say the man drove cross-country to abduct the girl, killing her mom and grandparents (Deseret News) Holocaust survivors offered DNA tests to help find family (AP) The mystery of rising prices: Are greedy corporations to blame for inflation? (NPR) New York City to Remove Mentally Ill People From Streets Against Their Will (New York Times) Politics Trump should apologize for dinner with a white supremacist, Mike Pence says (Deseret News) MyGOPChairman? Mike Lindell to challenge Ronna McDaniel (Deseret News) In break with labor, Biden asks Congress to intervene in potential rail strike (Deseret News) Congress prepares to take up bill preventing rail strike (AP) Oath Keepersâ Rhodes guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy (AP) No longer fringe, small-town voters fear democracy's demise (AP) Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to be chosen to lead House Democrats in the next Congress, making him the first Black person to lead a major political party and marking a generational shift.(Wall Street Journal) Biden to commit to honor tribes with huge Nevada national monument (Washington Post) Ukraine ðºð¦ NATO seeks to shore up Russia's neighbours as Moscow attacks Ukraine on multiple fronts (Reuters) Ukraineâs Power Shortages Force Millions of Refugees Into Lengthier Exile (Wall Street Journal) World News Jiang Zemin, who guided Chinaâs economic rise, dies at 96 (AP) Clashes in Guangzhou as China tries to quell COVID protests (Reuters) âBreach of the Big Silenceâ: Protests Stretch Chinaâs Censorship to Its Limits (New York Times) Egyptians call on British Museum to return Rosetta stone (AP) | | |
News Releases UVU students create NFTs in unique FinTech learning project Business and computer science students at Utah Valley University (UVU) have created UVU-themed Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and launched a platform where they can be purchased. Proceeds from the sale of the NFTs will help fund Presidential Scholarships. NFTs are one-of-a-kind digital files whose ownership is registered in a network of secure servers known as a block-chain. NFTs can be bought and sold just like physical works of art, photos, music, comic books, and gaming characters. NFTs now represent a $23 billion industry. Rachel Bi, head of UVUâs FinTech Center and supervisor of the project, said that as international monetary systems increasingly incorporate blockchain technology, she wants to provide her students with a hands-on opportunity to understand how this emerging field works. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Utah Health Policy Project annual conference, Dec. 7, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Utah Cultural Celebration Center, Register here Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber â Jan. 12, 2023, Salt Lake City Marriott, 8 am - noon, Register here Legislative session begins, Jan. 17, 2023, le.utah.gov | | |
On This Day In History 1835 - Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is born 1856 - The Martin Company arrives in Salt Lake 1874 - Winston Churchill is born 1876 - The first Thanksgiving college football game is played - Yale defeats Princeton 2-0. 1924 - Shirley Chisholm is born. She became the first African-American Congresswoman, (D-NY, 1969-83), and the first woman and first African-American Democratic presidential nominee, receiving 151 delegate votes at the Democratic Convention in 1972 1929 - Dick Clark (American Bandstand) is born 1950 - President Truman refuses to rule out atomic weapons in order to achieve peace in Korea. 1975 - Dahomey renamed People's Republic of Benin 1981 - The United States and U.S.S.R. open talks to reduce intermediate-range nuclear forces 1993 - The Brady Bill is signed into law 1995 - Official end to Operation Desert Storm 1999 - In Seattle, Washington, anti-globalization protests against the WTO meeting catch police unprepared and force the cancellation of opening ceremonies 2004 - Ken Jennings 74-game winning streak on Jeopardy! ends 2013 - Paul Walker, American actor (The Fast and the Furious), dies in a car accident at 40 2018 - George H.W. Bush dies at 94 2020 - Discovery of Amazon rock art announced. Dating 12,600 and 11,800 years ago, there are thousands of paintings of now extinct Ice Age animals Wise Words "We are a nation of communities... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky."
âGeorge H. W. Bush The Punny Side I can't believe that viruses and bacteria would just invade my body without permission. That makes me sick. | | |
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