Situational Analysis | Jun. 7, 2021

Welcome to another week! It's Monday and National Chocolate Ice Cream day. The grandkids and I just made a copycat Wendy's "Frosty" with just three ingredients: 1 8 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed, one can sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 gallon chocolate milk. Mix the whipped topping and the sweetened condensed milk, put into your ice cream maker and add chocolate milk to the fill line. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions and voilà - the perfect treat for a summer day. 

Be in the Know

1. Jazz to face the Clippers in round two. First game is June 8 in Vivint Arena.

2. Thousands march in a Pride parade yesterday to wrap up Pride week. The Pride Story Garden will be open for one more day, closing tonight at 8 pm. 

3. Abby Cox interviews Richard Ostler (aka Papa Ostler) on his advocacy for Utah's LGBTQ+ community and why Utahns need to be more compassionate. Take a listen

Utah Headlines

General

• Former Weber County attorney and Utah attorney general candidate Dee Smith has passed away (KSL)
• Steven Smith: What do we mean when we say ‘racist’? (Deseret News)
• Salt Lake City school board member resigns after he’s charged with sexual assault of a child, multiple porn counts (Salt Lake Tribune)
• When police dogs attack: Utah suspects have been bitten when they appear to be surrendering (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Waffle Love: Can these Utah brothers go from fallout to first place? (Deseret News)
• Utah deaf, blind students’ 70-mile boat race cut short by rough water, weather (Deseret News)
• FOX 13 Investigates: High-paid University of Utah executive Christopher Massime lied on resume, published fake articles (Fox13)

Politics

• QAnon? The ‘big lie’? What might it take to get Latter-day Saints to stop believing in them? (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Dude, where’s my party? Voters have alternatives amid Republican, Democrat discord (Deseret News)
• Utah’s ‘road usage charge’ gives a road map for future tax on green drivers (Deseret News)
• Inside Utah Politics: Critical race theory: What is it, and should it be taught at school? (ABC4)
• Inside Utah Politics: More than 20 Utah municipalities set to try ranked-choice voting (ABC4)
• Utah Senate Political Subdivision Confirmation Committee recommend Provo council member Shannon Ellsworth, Heber City mayor Kelleen Potter and Park City mayor Andy Beerman for appointment to the Quality Growth Commission. (Daily Herald)
• On Message with Marty Carpenter: Serve and Volley (UTPOLUnderground)

COVID Corner

• 223 new cases in Utah, no new deaths (KUTV)
• COVID-19 cases rise following Memorial Day holiday. Utah is seeing about three more cases per day than last week, but that’s much better than the almost 50-per-day rise in 2020. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Adult vaccination rates in Utah exceed national average (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Vaccination rates fall off, imperiling Biden’s July Fourth goal (Washington Post)
• Biden’s vaccine push fails to gain traction with African Americans. Less than a quarter of Black Americans had received their first Covid-19 shot as of June 3. That's less than other racial and ethnic groups tracked by the CDC. (Politico)

Drought/Wildfires

• No homes burned at Mammoth Creek, but status of 566-acre fire has worsened and nearly 300 homes have been evacuated. The Bennion Creek Fire, has grown to 350 acres. (Salt Lake Tribune, KSL)
• Hoover Dam, a symbol of the modern West, faces an epic water shortage and will soon hold the smallest amount of water since it was first filled in the 1930s. (USA Today)

Economic Development

• The changing Utah County economy (DWS)
• An EDCUtah DEI profile: Equality Utah (EDCUtah)

Economy

• What happens in Utah if inflation monster rears its ugly head? (Deseret News)

Education

• In response to heated critical race theory debate, here’s how Utah schools plan to teach about racism (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Graduation, glitter and all: celebrating life's key milestones (St. George News)

Elections

• GOP rival Becky Edwards says Mike Lee is too ‘strident,’ Trump was rightfully impeached (Salt Lake Tribune)

Environment

• 25 Republican leaders write that the GOP needs to engage in climate politics and they support a carbon dividends approach (Deseret News)
• Haaland sends recommendation on Utah monuments to president (Standard-Examiner)

Family

• What Taysom Hill loves about fatherhood. (Hint: it involves seeing his son after a long day at work) (Deseret News)
• Kids model what they see. What would they learn from you? (Deseret News)
• Working moms faced higher stress levels during pandemic, Utah study finds (Deseret News)

Health

• Opinion: Time to treat alcohol like the drug it is (Deseret News)

Legal

• University of Utah study shows incarcerated people face barriers to solving legal, civil problems (KUER)

National Headlines

General

• The 400 Years project looks at Native American identity through the Native lens (NPR)
• Sleeping and waking one hour earlier cuts risk of depression (The Hill)
• More than 200 firefighters battle massive Phoenix blaze, the largest response in department history (Washington Post)
• As shootings continues to surge in 2021, Americans set to face a summer plagued by gun violence (TIME)

Politics

• Politics and UFOs (Deseret News)
• Alexander Hamilton used pamphlets and broadsides to connect with constituents. Donald Trump loved Twitter. A short history of politicians and their love for technology (Governing)
• Manchin says he will not support voting rights bill, in blow to Biden agenda and a warning to his colleagues (Washington Post)
• Power Up: Biden and Harris make first overseas trips to reset bruised relationships with allies. (Washington Post)
• Senate poised to pass huge industrial policy bill to counter China (New York Times)
• This week: Democrats set to begin chaotic three-week sprint (The Hill)

Courts

• Supreme Court begins its sprint to finish — and a decision by one justice might be the most important (Washington Post)

Economy

• States rebound from bleak forecasts to pass record budgets (AP)
• G-7 ministers agree to minimum corporate tax rate of 'at least' 15%. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calls it a 'revival of multilateralism.' (Bloomberg)

Elections

• Trump returns to campaign trail with election lies and dark warnings (NPR)
• Trump unloaded on Georgia’s GOP governor. But Brian Kemp is still standing, shows there may be hope for Republicans who have incurred Trump's public wrath (Politico)
• Republican leaders say they want to focus on the future, but Trump is far from done with the past (Washington Post)
• In Arizona 2020 election review, there are risks for Republicans, and democracy (New York Times)

International

• Mexico's President loses grip on power in midterm elections marred by violence (CNN)
• Peru presidential election too close to call, but Keiko Fujimori leads in preliminary tally (CNN)
• Sounds familiar. Netanyahu says Israeli coalition poised to unseat him is result of ‘election fraud’ (The Guardian)
• Chinese birth-control policy could cut millions of Uyghur births, report finds (BBC)

Security

• Energy chief cites risk of cyberattacks crippling power grid (AP)
• FBI director Christopher Wray compares ransomware challenge to 9/11 (Wall Street Journal)

Business Headlines

• From lapsing job benefits to full stadiums, June could be U.S. recovery's pivot (Reuters)
• France fines Google $268M for unfair online ads treatment (AP)
• Chinese exports jump, gap with US grows as tensions persist (AP)
• Dollar struggles for momentum as markets wait for inflation data (Reuters)
• Summer job market for teens is sweet (Wall Street Journal)

Policy News

Smith’s Food & Drug, as part of Kroger Health, kicks off $5 million #CommunityImmunity giveaway

Smith’s Food & Drug, as part of Kroger Health – the healthcare division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) – is eager to motivate more Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine to better protect communities across America. Through the newly launched #CommunityImmunity Giveaway, Kroger Health will provide customers and Kroger Family of Companies associates the opportunity to win life-changing prizes like one of five $1 million checks or one of 50 “groceries for a year.” The giveaway starts today and runs through July 10, 2021, with winners scheduled to be selected weekly.

Return to work: Employment policies and business best practices webinar

The Salt Lake Chamber will hold a webinar to discuss how businesses have pivoted from pre-pandemic workplace ideas to our new reality. As Utah’s economy is recovering quickly with increased vaccination numbers and decreasing viral spread, many businesses are wondering how best to adjust and meet the shifting dynamics in the workforce.

Drivers urged to remain alert around schools during the summer

The school year may have ended, but summer school in Granite School District begins Monday, June 7. This means students will still be walking to and from school locations during the week, and drivers must use extra caution when travelling in neighborhood areas and school zones.

Save Not Pave’s May 22nd rally draws 200 SL Valley residents

A non-partisan, grassroots organization, Save Not Pave, is gaining traction as they hold UDOT to its 2019 pledge for a “35mph gateway design” on the 2.4 mile residential stretch of SR-210 between Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.

Number of the Day

Deep Dive: The House that She Built

By Holly Richardson

“A wise girl knows her limits. A smart girl knows she has none.” This quote is in “The House that SHE Built” in Saratoga Springs. The first of its kind, this home was designed, constructed and finished by all women-owned businesses. The house represents “strength, courage, grit, determination, balance, color and resilience” in its design, its attention to detail and the finishing touches.

Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, June 4. She said she showed up expecting to be impressed. She was not expecting to be so inspired. She noted Utah’s top economic rating and the boom in housing around the state – the highest in the nation. Construction is one of the drivers of our economy, but women represent only 10% of that workforce in Utah. In fact, tradeswomen had to be brought in from out-of-state because there were no women in Utah with some of the needed skills.

“Part of the vision of The House that SHE Built was to inspire women of all ages to pursue a career in home building,” said LG Henderson. The House that SHE built has done that. The 2-story “eclectic, contemporary” farmhouse features a children’s play area, a chef’s kitchen and a serene master bedroom in its 3200 square feet of living space.

The house is featured in the Utah Valley Parade of Homes, underway through June 19. The proceeds of the home will be divided as follows: 60% will go toward scholarships for women pursuing careers in construction management and trades, 20% will be used for education initiatives and future building events and 20% will to to LifeStart Village, a nonprofit organization giving single women and their children a new start in life.

Upcoming

• Municipal election filing period  – June 1 - 7 @ 5 pm

• Webinar: COVID-19 Return to Work best practices - June 9, 11 am -12 pm; June 10, 11 am - 12 pm – Register here

• Utah Democratic Party Organizing Convention  – June 26

• Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett – Sept 23 @ 12 pm – Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1843 - Susan Blow is born. She was an American educator who pioneered kindergarten.
• 1909 - Virginia Apgar is born. An American anesthesiologist, she developed the system healthcare providers use to evaluate an infant soon after birth - the Apgar score.
  
• 1917 - Gwendolyn Brooks is born. She became the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize.
• 1954 - Alan Turing dies by suicide at age 41.
• 1979 - Texas passes a bill becoming the first state in the nation to make Juneteenth an official state holiday
• 1980 - The U.S. government dedicated its first solar power plant at Natural Bridge National Monument in Utah. The array of over 250,000 solar cells provided power to the park’s facilities.

Wise Words

"Truth-tellers are not always palatable. There is a preference for candy bars."
-Gwendolyn Brooks

Lighter Side

Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are.

~Will Ferrell

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