Situational Analysis | June 15, 2022

It's Wednesday and National Megalodon Day. It's also Nature Photography Day. Interim day also continues on Utah's Capitol Hill. 

Be in the Know

• Retail spending fell in May amid high inflation, rising interest rates and weakening consumer confidence.Consumers pulled back at auto dealerships, online shopping, and spent more at gasoline stations. A sharp drop in vehicle sales—due to high prices, low inventory and rising interest on car loans—played an outsize role in the decline in month-over-month retail spending. In related news, the biggest interest rate hike in decades is expected as the Fed tries to tackle inflation. 
  
• More primaries around the country show a mixed bag for Trump. In South Carolina, Rep. Tom Rice, who voted to impeach Trump AND voted to not certify the 2020 election lost to Trump-endorsed Russell Fry who declared the election was rigged. Also in South Carolina, Rep. Nancy Mace avoided a similar fate, defeating her Trump-endorsed opponent. In Nevada, former attorney general Adam Laxalt, who spearheaded Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results in Nevada and earned his endorsement, won the Republican Senate primary. He’ll face Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in a toss-up race that will help determine control of the Senate. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo—who had Trump’s endorsement but has stopped short of declaring the 2020 election stolen—won the Republican gubernatorial primary. Trump loyalist Jim Marchant won the Republican secretary of state primary, competing for a role that would make him the state’s chief election officer. He’s pushed for replacing ballot counting machines with hand counts.

Rapid Roundup

• Utah's World Refugee Day returns June 17, stores have "too much stuff" are are slashing prices, wildfires have already burned a million acres across 5 states, Yellowstone will remain closed for about a week, but the severely damaged northern section may be closed all summer - plan accordingly.

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Utah Headlines

General

• Woman arrested in Utah stole dead baby’s identity to secure job, passport, $1.5 million in PPP loans (ABC4)
• How people of faith can offer comfort — and fight for change — after mass shootings (Deseret News)
• Fear of hefty Fed hike driving down stocks, crypto (Deseret News)
• Why Juneteenth has a 'tremendously' different meaning in Utah this year (KSL)
• Juneteenth flag raised in Salt Lake City ahead of state, federal holiday (KUTV, Fox13)
• Price breakdown: What you pay for when you buy gas ⛽️  (Fox13)

Politics

• Dan McCay: We took the Utah flag redesign to students — thousands responded (Deseret News)
• Gary Herbert and Derek Miller: Utah is the Beehive State — our flag should represent it. The symbol of the beehive, representing community values and pioneer perseverance, has long been the face of our state. The beehive on our state flag deserves to stay (Deseret News)
• Utah Inland Port is paying millions in rent for a rail facility yet to be built (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Rural Utahns ask for more resources to address substance use issues (KUTV)
• Valerie Hudson: Utah should lead the way on abortion laws (Deseret News)

Education

• What this Latter-day Saint mother with 9 kids learned along her journey to medical school graduation (Deseret News)
• Alpine School District parent info leaked online from Orem City records request (KSL TV)
• Salt Lake Community College violated rights of pregnant student (ABC4)
• Are Utah schools getting their money's worth for $665 million they spend on administrative costs? (KSL)
• Lower income taxes means reduced education funding—which affects tech growth (Utah Business)

Elections

• Ally Isom: I am a Reagan Republican with a mission to get America back on track (Deseret News)
• Becky Edwards: No more partisan bickering — I can give Utah the leadership it deserves (Deseret News)
• Gray holds press conference, discusses concerns with county attorney (Daily Herald)
• A PAC with ties to the Utah Sheriffs’ Association is trying to unseat Utah County Attorney David Leavitt (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Potter, Petersen address differences amid upcoming primary (Herald-Journal)

Environment

• Extreme weather is clobbering much of the United States. Floods, heat, wind, fire and more impact millions of U.S. residents (Deseret News)
• Utah environmental group warns about summer's invisible pollution (Fox13)
• Steve Handy: Western hydrogen pact shows the energy transition is working for Utah (Deseret News)
• George Sibley: The Colorado River Compact hasn’t aged well (Salt Lake Tribune)
• ‘The forests are dry’: Northern Arizona watches winds as Western wildfires blaze (St. George News)
• Another group in southwest Utah wants water rights deep underground (KUER)
• In hottest city on Earth, mothers bear brunt of climate change (Reuters)

Family

• New tools and resources for parents and teens in VR and on Instagram (Meta)
• The U.S. leaves parents on their own for a reason. America’s lack of family support rests on a false assumption: that providing help discourages parents from taking responsibility for their children. (The Atlantic)

Health

• US abortions rise: 1 in 5 pregnancies terminated in 2020 (AP)

Housing

• Is the housing market taking a turn? Real estate firms Redfin, Compass announce layoffs (Deseret News)
• Controversial Senate housing bill receives support from Utah Public Lands Office (UPR)
• US home equity hits highest level on record - $17.8 trillion (Wall Street Journal)

National Headlines

General

• Police in the Dallas area kill a gunman who entered a summer camp for kids (NPR)
• Idaho police get death threats after Patriot Front arrests, chief says (Washington Post)
• Experts: Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric could galvanize extremists (AP)
• Hundreds of little penguins are washing up dead on New Zealand shores (Washington Post)
• Sharon Oster, an economist who shattered glass ceilings in academia as the first woman to become a tenured professor of the Yale School of Management and later as the first woman to be named its dean, died on Friday. She was 73. (New York Times)

Politics

• What the heck is ‘greedflation’ and why are Democrats touting the idea? (Deseret News)
• How many people watched the Jan. 6 hearing? 20 million, about as many people watched the prime-time hearing as watched the Kavanaugh testimony (Deseret News)
• Fired Fox News politics editor: Trump's ire at election night call led to 'panic' (NPR)
• Jan. 6 hearings: What we’ve learned, and what’s next (AP)
• Bannon rips Barr over Jan. 6 testimony, calling him an "establishment scumbag" (The Hill)
• Police: Republican’s tour of Capitol complex not suspicious (AP)
• Trump cannot avoid testifying in New York probe, state's top court rules (Reuters)
• Trump targeting GOP members of Congress as four states hold primaries (Washington Post)
• Publix heiress paid Kimberly Guilfoyle’s $60,000 speaking fee on Jan. 6. The funds were directed to Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancee through Turning Point Action, a nonprofit run by Charlie Kirk (Washington Post)
• State gun-control laws surge after high-profile mass shootings (Washington Post)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Russia tells Ukraine to lay down arms in Sievierodonetsk battle (Reuters)
• Ukraine defies Russia's Sievierodonetsk ultimatum, fights on as deadline passes (Reuters)
• Ukraine suffering painful losses, needs anti-missile weapons, Zelenskiy says (Reuters)
• North of Kyiv, the Russians retreated. But the war never left. In the Ukrainian villages near the Russian border, shells still explode and checkpoints and trenches dot the landscape. And wary civilians live in fear the enemy will return. (New York Times)
• European official raises alarm about Russia flying Western-made airplanes without access to spare parts or proper maintenance (Reuters)
• In Ukraine, mines take lives even after fighting moves on (AP)

News Releases

Utah Department of Commerce reduces filing fees for businesses and investors

The Utah Department of Commerce announces a reduction in fees for certain business filings and investor industry licensing. Fee reductions amount to an estimated savings of $5.2 million dollars to business owners and investment professionals.  

“The Department of Commerce is committed to finding ways to make doing business in Utah easier while providing a high level of service,” said Department of Commerce executive director Margaret Busse. “This reduction in fees is an intentional step toward making business ventures more accessible to those who would do business in Utah.” (Read More)

Salt Lake Chamber announces Dr. Donna Milavetz as 2022-2023 Board Chair

The Salt Lake Chamber, Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association has named Dr. Donna Milavetz, executive medical director, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, as the new chair of its Board of Governors. Dr. Milavetz most recently served as the Chamber’s vice chair with outgoing Board Chair Gary B. Porter, senior vice president of Deseret Management Corporation.

“We could not be more excited to have Dr. Milavetz stepping into the position of Board Chair for the Salt Lake Chamber,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance. “Her experience in the community and in particular her leadership in the healthcare industry will help guide our efforts on public health and innovation. Dr. Milavetz is a respected entrepreneur, business creator, and advocate for women and small business.  Her voice will be critical as we seek to champion these values and build opportunity for all.” (Read More)

Utah’s reservoir system integral during drought

Statewide reservoir status at 63% of capacity

Extreme drought conditions in 2021 impacted the entire state of Utah, and with 2022 experiencing similar conditions, the state’s reservoir system is showcasing its purpose. Storage reservoirs are an important part of Utah’s water system as they allow water managers to capture extra water supply in wet years and use it in dry years like the ones Utah is now experiencing. Many water suppliers have been using the storage to help stabilize water availability. (Read More)

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Upcoming

• Utah Legislature Interim Days – June 14,15 le.utah.gov for more info
• Primary election day â€“ June 28
• ULCT Annual Convention - Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here
• General election â€“ Nov 8

On This Day In History

• 1215 - King John puts his seal on the Magna Carta
• 1775 - George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
• 1850 - The first edition of the Deseret News is published
• 1864 - Robert E. Lee’s home area becomes a military cemetery - Arlington.
• 1921 - Bessie Coleman earns her international aviation license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France and becomes the first African-American woman in the world to earn an aviation pilot's license.
• 1971 - 17-year-old Cheryl White becomes the first Black female jockey in a race at Thistledown.
• 1974 - "All the President's Men" by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward detailing their Watergate investigation is published.
• 1982 - US Supreme Court rules all children are entitled to a public education, regardless of citizenship
• 1983 - US Supreme Court strikes down state and local restrictions on abortion
• 2006 - Construction begins on the Global Seed Vault. The vault has the capacity to hold 2.25 billion seeds as “insurance against both incremental and catastrophic loss of crop diversity.”

Wise Words

“The White House had decided that the conduct of the press, not the conduct of the President’s men, was the issue.”
― Carl Bernstein, All the President's Men

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