Also on our mind today: the world's smartest man, how to get free N95 masks and a former ambassador's plan to help people of faith.
Report: Utah's growth rate to fall, but population will still increase 66% in the next 40 years
A report by the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute projects that Utah's population will increase by 2.2 million people or 66% over the next 40 years. In the past 40 years, Utah's population increased by 210%, so this new projection marks a slowdown in the growth rate.
The report also projects:
Southwest Utah will be the state's fastest-growing region
Jobs in Utah will increase by 1.3 million
The percentage of Utahns under the age of 18 will continue to decline annually
The average household size will decrease to 2.45 people by 2060
With the increase in the age of Utah's population, and the decrease in the number of children being born, the report indicates that future growth will have more to do with people choosing to move to Utah than babies being born in the state.
What's happening: Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, is sponsoring HB147, which would prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty and adds a possible sentence for aggravated murder of 45 years to life.
Background: Efforts to abolish the death penalty in Utah failed in the House of Representatives in 2016 and 2018.
Supporters of the death penalty say: The death penalty provides needed justice and closure to victims' families.
Opponents of the death penalty say: The drawn-out appeals process prolongs the suffering of victims' families.
Utah House quickly passes bill suspending Test to Stay in public schools (The Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)
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COVID
Perspective: From the grocery store to the Supreme Court, unseemly mask drama is dividing America (Deseret News)
Biden administration to give out free N95 masks. Here’s where to find them (Deseret News)
Will omicron peak soon in Utah? Maybe, but concerns are being raised about the call for less testing (Deseret News)
Faith
This new group says people of faith are under attack. Here’s how it plans to help them (Deseret News)
Fundraising to restore Corinne Methodist church picking up steam, support coming from near and far for long-suffering project (Box Elder News Journal 🔒)
Southern Utah
Dixie State University officer honored with First Responder Award from Utah NAACP (St. George News)
COVID related teacher shortage prompts Davis Board of Education member to substitute teach (KUTV)
Northern Utah
USU report on Utah women suffering from poverty shows progress, room to improve (KSL.com)
Wasatch Front
'I'm a good kid, I really am,' teen accused of killing 2 classmates tells judge (KSL.com)
Vail Resorts offers $13M to settle class action lawsuits (ParkRecord.com)
VR simulation allows Hill museum visitors to pilot A-10 ‘Warthog’ (The Standard-Examiner)
Western Weber County legal dispute settled, development proceeding (The Standard-Examiner)
The West
Boise leading the nation in ‘hot’ job markets as hiring continues to grow, even amid omicron surge (Deseret News)
Protecting natural Colorado River flows is critical for native fish, study finds (KUER)
The Nation
Democrats fail to change Senate rules to overcome GOP opposition on voting rights (NPR)
New alert system to help find missing Indigenous women (Deseret News)
The World
The latest on the Ukraine crisis: U.S. secretary of state calls for countries to unite against Russia (Deseret News)
Boris Johnson faces demands to resign amid ‘partygate’ allegations (Deseret News)
Trending
Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight’ star Gaspard Ulliel dies at 37 after ski accident (Deseret News)
The world’s smartest man lived in the Salt Lake City library and memorized every verse of Latter-day Saint scripture (Deseret News)
As the 2021-22 college football season fades in the rearview mirror, it’s probably a good time for a state of the union report. If we were to characterize the nature of that report, it would include terms such as “hot mess,” “confusing,” “complex,” “rudderless,” “slow acting,” and many other unflattering terms.
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