Also, Nebraska beats Utah in unemployment numbers and an arrest is made in the Christmas parade tragedy. | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | November , 2021 It's Tuesday, National Eat a Cranberry Day and the last day to send in your Thanksgiving/gratitude memories! Be in the Know This morning's big national news is that the US and several other countries including China, India, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. will tap into their national petroleum reserves to try and bring down gasolines prices. The US will release 50 million barrels. The coordinated release would be the first since 2011. âAs we come out of an unprecedented global economic shutdown, oil supply has not kept up with demand, forcing working families and businesses to pay the price,â Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. Utah's 2.2% unemployment rate is the lowest the state has ever seen. Nebraska, though, has the lowest the nation has ever seen, at 1.9%. The unemployment rates have been even lower in the stateâs two largest metropolitan areas, Omaha and Lincoln. The Omaha areaâs rate in October was 1.7%, while the Lincoln areaâs was 1.3%. Darell Brooks, Jr. has been arrested and will be charged with 5 counts of intentional homicide after plowing through a Christmas parade in Wisconsin. Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said Brooks was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier. He has been charged with crimes 16 times since 1999 and was out on bail for deliberately hitting the mother of his child with his car on Nov. 2. | | |
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Utah Headlines General Just starting your 2021 holiday shopping? Hereâs how to buckle up for Black Friday (Deseret News) Utah state Officials serve Thanksgiving meals to the homeless with local nonprofit (ABC4) Utah cities provide Thanksgiving meals to families in need (Fox13) Westwater residents won't get power by Christmas as project is delayed (KUTV) Proposed new state agency would focus on healthcare and social services for Native Americans (KUER) Politics Derek Miller: Biden's 'Build Back Better' plan needs to be shelved (Washington Times) Mitt Romney: âBuild Back Betterâ is not fully baked and gives tax breaks to millionaires (Deseret News) Video: Utahns' concerns by political party (Utah Foundation) Monica Zoltanski becomes Sandy mayor-elect after city finally certifies 21-vote election margin (KSL) Washington elected a new mayor for the first time in 12 years. Here is his vision for the future (The Spectrum) COVID Corner Weekend: 3829 new cases, 14 new deaths Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes tests positive for COVID-19 (Deseret News) Official: More than 90% of fed workers got shots by deadline (AP) Education Hereâs who will help head a Utah school districtâs response to DOJ investigation that found âseriousâ racial harassment: Dr. Jaqueline Thompson (Deseret News) ACLU of Utah weighs in on book banning in Canyons schools (KUTV) Trust the teachers: Hereâs what parents need to understand about the teaching of history. (The Atlantic) National Headlines General The SUV driver who plowed into a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee, killing at least five people and injuring 48, was leaving the scene of a domestic dispute that had taken place just minutes earlier. (AP) Milwaukeeâs âDancing Granniesâ devastated by parade crash when 3 grannies were killed (AP) Target to keep stores closed on Thanksgiving for good (AP) In a first test of its planetary defense efforts, NASA's going to shove an asteroid (NPR) Life without reliable internet remains a daily struggle for millions of Americans (NPR) Judge clears charges against 'Groveland Four,' Black men accused of 1949 rape (Reuters) Biden to release 50 million barrels of oil from strategic reserve to ease energy costs (The Hill) Politics U.S. senators urge funds to help election workers amid 'unacceptable' threats (Reuters) Judge orders two lawyers who filed suit challenging 2020 election to pay hefty fees of nearly &187,000: âThey need to take responsibilityâ (Washington Post) N.Y. Assembly report finds âoverwhelming evidenceâ Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment, used state resources for memoir (Washington Post) Trump-backed Sean Parnell suspends Pennsylvania Senate bid after losing custody of his children (The Hill) Dark money group spent $100M on voter turnout in 2020 (The Hill) The RNC is using party funds to pay Trump's personal legal bills, as he faces investigations of his business practices in NY. (Washington Post) Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024, Psaki says (The Hill) Infighting, not Fox, is the most serious problem that conservatism faces (Deseret News) International Ethiopiaâs prime minister, a Nobel peace laureate, says he will lead the battle against Tigray rebels from the front lines (Washington Post) Tennis China urges 'certain people' to stop 'politicization' of Peng Shuai situation (Reuters) | | |
Policy News Wasatch Innovation Network names Elisabeth Nebeker as Program Director The Salt Lake Chamber and TechBuzz News announced today that Elisabeth Nebeker will lead the Wasatch Innovation Network, a 501(c)6 nonprofit with the mission of taking Utahâs innovation economy to the next level. âUtahâs technology sector, which includes many of Utahâs most innovative companies, represents 17.6% of Utahâs economy,â said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. The Wasatch Innovation Network is a platform of services and programs that support the key growth drivers of an innovation economy including: entrepreneurship, private and university-led innovation and supportive capital. âElisabethâs experience in organizational and ecosystem development make her the ideal leader of the Wasatch Innovation Network as the inaugural directorâ said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, in making the announcement. âHer passion for excellence and dedication to building up several organizations within the community make her ready to lead this new effort. Elisabethâs experience leading the Cambia Grove healthcare innovation community gives her great insight into the process needed for the Wasatch Innovation Network. Her leadership and organizational breadth are key strengths she will bring to the table as the organization works to build the larger entrepreneurial ecosystem in Utah.â (Read More) | | |
UDOT Director Carlos Braceras outlines why Utah has an excellent highway system By LaVarr Webb Utah has one of the best highway systems in the nation, according to the 26th annual Highway Report from Reason Foundation. The report ranks Utah 6th best in the nation, measuring state highway excellence in 13 categories. The report has been issued continuously since 1994 and has been improved with more sophisticated analysis over the years. The report was discussed Monday afternoon in a webinar sponsored by the Reason Foundation. Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras was invited to participate in the discussion and talk about how Utah manages to keep the stateâs highways in good repair with modest congestion compared to other states. The report showed that Utah spends a relatively high amount for construction and maintenance of highways and bridges. That actually brought Utahâs overall score down somewhat. But on pavement condition, congestion, bridge maintenance, and overall fatality rates, Utah ranks among the best in the country. Looking at challenges ahead, Braceras said itâs becoming increasingly clear that the motor fuel tax is not a sufficient long-term funding source for Utahâs highways. He said itâs important to maintain the correlation between what drivers use (the miles they drive), and the fair share they pay for that use. The fuel tax currently forces road users to directly pay at least a portion of the cost of good highways. As the fuel tax share of highway funding declines, the correlation between what drivers use, and the fair share they pay, is broken. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Solving for Housing in the Economic Inclusion Equation - Zions Community Speaker Series â Nov 30, 12:00 - 1:00 pm, via Zoom. Register here 2022 Congressional Policy Forecast Webinar - Hatch Center â Dec 8, 10:30 am - 11:30 am Register here Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit 2022 - SLC Chamber â Jan 13, 2022, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm. Register here Utah legislative session begins â Jan 18, 2022, 10:00 am Utah legislative session ends â Mar 4, 2022, midnight | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 1804 - Franklin Pierce is born. He became the 14th US president. 1898 - Rachel Brown is born. A ââbacteriologist, she found pathogenic fungus responsible for diseases and refined a safe and effective antibiotic for human fungal diseases. 1921 - US President Warren G. Harding signs Willis Campell Act (anti-beer bill) forbidding doctors prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes. 1936 - First issue of âLifeâ is published 1950 - Chuck Schumer is born. He has been in Congress since 1981. 1959 - Robert Stroud, the famous âBirdman of Alcatraz,â is released from solitary confinement for the first time since 1916. 1981 - President Reagan gives the CIA authority to establish the Contras, a 500-man force of Nicaraguan rebels. 1991 - BYU quarterback Ty Detmer finishes NCAA career with record 4,031 yards passed in a season, and 15,031 yards for career Wise Words âNeither the fanatic nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a Party is not to our Party alone, but to the nation, and, indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom. So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation's future is at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause - united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future - and determined that this land we love shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and abundance.â -President JFK's last undelivered words from notes for a speech planned for the night of his assassination. Lighter Side âBiden spent his birthday in Wilmington, Delaware, and went to a 5 oâclock Mass. Man, does this guy know how to party or what? I mean, even Mike Pence was like, âEver heard of Chuck E. Cheese?ââ ~Jimmy Fallon | | |
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