Tuesday’s massive winter storm could not have happened at a better time for Fraser Bullock, who now has plenty to report on his next update to the International Olympic Committee about Utah’s bid for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Games.

The IOC has become more focused on the effects of climate change and discussed rotating the games to a set group of cities that have cold enough temperatures to hold them. According to Bullock, “To be able to have an absolutely winter wonderland, phenomenal year of snow, it’s a very positive boost to our bid because it shows that Utah is a reliable winter host for Games.”

Bill allowing religious, modest clothing with sports uniforms clears Utah Legislature 🐝

On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed HB163, a bill that would allow student athletes or those who participate in sports to wear modest or religious clothing during the activity. The bill also requires that organizations provide the garment if the sports uniform needs to be in a specific color, material or style.

High school athlete Halima Hassan told a legislative committee, “Playing sports has been hard to keep my hijab on without being looked at as the outlier.” According to Hassan, she was told she could not compete in basketball or track unless her hijab matched her uniform exactly, and she received no help from the school to find the necessary attire.

Read more here.

More in Politics:

• After a young boy’s tragic death, a bill addressing the over-service of alcohol goes to the Utah Senate (Deseret News) 🐝
• Utah bill to legalize medical ‘magic mushrooms’ withers away (Deseret News) 🐝
• Perspective: Politicians are people, too (Deseret News)
• Utah bill would gut signature-gathering path to primary ballots (KSL) 🐝

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Business and Economy:

• When can we expect grocery prices to drop? (Deseret News)
• Opinion: Is the American dream unaffordable? This bill puts $50M toward first-time homebuyer assistance (Deseret News) 🐝

Culture:

• ‘He’s like a rock star’: Singer Kodi Lee could win ‘America’s Got Talent: All-Stars’ (Deseret News)
• ‘Indian Matchmaking’ director explores Bollywood legacy with new Netflix series — and hints at ‘Jewish Matchmaking’ (Deseret News)
• Post Malone to headline Salt Lake music festival; Les Claypool to open Red Butte series (KSL)

Education:

• Is this the end of Utah’s income tax earmark for education? (Deseret News) 🐝

Police and Courts:

• Opinion: Making sense of the settlement between the church and the SEC over a technical violation (Deseret News)
• University of Utah announces $5M settlement for international student who was killed (KSL)
• Provo accounting firm charged in $11M COVID-19 tax fraud scheme (KSL)

Environment:

• If you’re sick of the snow, hang in there. Utah’s not done yet (Deseret News)
• Bid to regulate Utah’s bromine emissions gets scaled back to a study in committee (KUER) 🐝
• Great Salt Lake bills start to advance in Utah's legislature (FOX13) 🐝

Family:

• Report: If the GOP wants to be the ‘parents party,’ they should pass these policies (Deseret News)
• Perspective: Roald Dahl and the giant controversy (Deseret News)

Faith:

• Opinion: The role of finance in a religious institution (Deseret News)

The West:

• Opinion: Elk on the freeway go viral. This plan will help them cross safely (Deseret News) 🐝
• Massive snowstorm blankets Utah; snow continues as drivers begin evening commute (KSL)

The Nation:

• Seattle is the first U.S. city to ban caste discrimination. Here’s what that means (Deseret News)
• Utah, Indiana governors call for states to sponsor immigrants to fill labor shortages (KSL) 🐝

The World:

• At least 10 Palestinians were killed during an Israel West Bank raid (Deseret News)

Sports:

• End of an era: Looking back at memorable — and forgotten — games during BYU’s 12-year WCC run (Deseret News)
• BYU volleyball holding its own vs. ranked teams. Here’s why it’s validating (Deseret News)
• Why injuries aren’t the only reason Runnin’ Utes will be shorthanded vs. No. 4 UCLA (Deseret News)

Photo of the Week

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks lifts the team trophy after they defeated Team LeBron in the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City at Vivint Arena on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023.

Read the full story here.

📸: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News