Jobless claims down, inflation slows, spending up; avalanche warning; messy commute, delayed start or online school for many | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | Dec. 2, 2022 It's already Friday and Special Education Day. As a mom to kids who had additional education needs, I am most grateful. ALSO: Granite, Davis, Salt Lake City and Alpine School Districts are on a two-hour delayed start today, Canyons has moved to remote learning. Be in the Know The US Supreme Court will take a case challenging President Biden's student loan forgiveness program. It will hear oral arguments in February and loan forgiveness remains on hold until then. The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial jobless claimsâa proxy for layoffsâfell by 16,000 week-over-week to a seasonally adjusted 225,000 last week. The Federal Reserveâs preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, increased 6.0 percent year-over-year in October, down from a 6.3 percent annual rate in September, as consumer spending jumped. And, the average price of a gallon of gas is now lower than it was before Russia invaded Ukraine. Rapid Roundup Utah Avalanche Center issues seasonâs 1st avalanche warning â and more could come; Utah is facing a snow plow driver shortage; Utah ski resorts closed early yesterday due to high winds, including gusts of 100 mph; Utah beat #4 Arizona 81-66 Holiday Service Opportunities If you know of opportunities I've missed, please send them to me for inclusion here! Food banks fighting inflation to feed Utahns in need this Thanksgiving, need your donations (Fox13) Ditch your Grinch this holiday season by volunteering locally (St. George News) 'Light the World' giving machines Meals on Wheels (year-round) (thanks to reader Wendy Hill for this tip!) Sub for Santa Christmas for Africa benefit concert, Dec 2, St. John's Episcopal Church in Logan (thanks to reader Gordon Jones and Mahayla Bassett!) The Utah Food Bank braces for a challenging holiday season (UPR) Easy ways to do your part on Giving Tuesday. Supporting your fellow man doesnât look the same for everyone. Here are a few ideas to get you started (Deseret News) Salt Lake County Giving Tree program provides gifts to isolated, homebound adults and now accepting donations (KSL) Making small donations at the store checkout helps Utah charities (KUTV) Looking to give back this holiday season? Here are some places you can donate (Deseret News) | | |
| | Inspire InUtah is an initiative to help support women entrepreneurs and women in the workplace at every level. Whether youâre a woman starting a business or looking to elevate your career, Inspire In Utah is dedicated to providing you with the resources to help on your journey. Find funding, training, and even inspirational stories in our dedicated resource center. | | |
Utah Headlines General Utah experiences largest population spike in 16 years. (KSL) Fast-growing Utah continues to be a migration magnet (KUER) From housing to water, Utah must reckon with its growth problems. So what should we do? Take this survey to help shape Utahâs future (Deseret News) 5 Utahns make Forbesâ â30 under 30â list for 2023. Making the ranks in the education, finance, health care and sports sections, these Utahns know how to represent (Deseret News) St. George police arrest man accused in fatal shooting. Police say the killing was âdomestic violence-related.â (Salt Lake Tribune) Former employee says Utah is failing vulnerable youth in state custody (KUTV) Politics Poll: Do Utah voters want Mitt Romney to run for reelection in 2024?
New poll shows Utahns divided (Deseret News) Governor, state agencies make roadmap for Utahâs water future (ABC4) Culture Why coal isnât all bad on Christmas and other holiday traditions explained (ABC4) How Charles Dickens stole Christmas (Deseret News) Here are 12 religious holidays believers celebrate in December (Deseret News) Celebrate Christmas with Utah traditions (ABC4) Education Weber State reorganization plans spark backlash from students of color (Standard-Examiner) U of U students and professors rally for women, life and freedom in Iran (Fox13) Utah State Board of Education decides new standards for elementary schools (Fox13) Environment The solution to save the Great Salt Lake could be under your feet. One Utah lawmaker has a plan he says could save the lake while supplying much of the state with greatly needed water. (Deseret News) âWe must do whatever is necessaryâ: Mitt Romneyâs bill funding the study Great Salt Lake sails through Senate. Shriveling salty lakes across the Great Basin, including the Great Salt Lake, will receive millions to aid scientific assessment. (Salt Lake Tribune) Gabriel Brown: Sageland Collaborative helps preserve Utahâs natural world. Efforts to help preserve the monarch butterfly show that defending nature is not hopeless. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utahâs population boom could further strain its limited water (KUER) Family Holly Richardson: Healing from food insecurity in a season of feasting. I will be baking all month. Not only do I enjoy it, but Iâve learned I show love by feeding people. (Deseret News) Maker of Enfamil expects U.S. infant formula shortage until spring (Reuters) Health Utah police save 600-plus lives with opioid overdose reversal drug (Standard-Examiner) Housing U.S. navigating pandemic âhousing bubble,â Fed chairman says. Will it pop or âdeflate?' (Deseret News) Newly-built homes deemed unlivable due to sliding soil in Draper (KSL TV) National Headlines General Uvalde survivors file class-action lawsuit seeking $27 billion from law enforcement, school district and others (Deseret News) Officials say University of Idaho homicides might not have been a targeted attack (Deseret News) US gas is cheaper than before Russia invaded Ukraine (KSL) Pentagon debuts its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider (AP) Elon Musk says Ye is suspended from Twitter (NPR) Politics Celebs and dignitaries meet at the White House for Biden's state dinner (NPR) Congress votes to avert rail strike amid dire warnings (AP) Trump probe: Court halts Mar-a-Lago special master review (AP) Whatâs next for President Bidenâs stalled student loan forgiveness plan? (Deseret News) High court to rule on Biden student loan cancellation plan (AP) Arizona county certifies election after judgeâs order (AP) New national poll shows voters want parties to move on from Trump, Biden (Deseret News) They ran a voter suppression scheme. Now they're sentenced to register voters (NPR) Ukraine ðºð¦ Ukraine increases security at embassies after letter bombs (Deseret News) Official says over 10,000 Ukrainian troops killed in war (AP) Russia and Ukraine are fighting the first full-scale drone war (Washington Post) World News China security forces are well-prepared for quashing dissent (AP) Eritrean forces still killing Tigray civilians, report says (AP) | | |
News Releases Utah population reaches 3,404,760 on July 1, 2022, driven mostly by net migration July 1, 2022 estimates, produced by the Utah Population Committee, indicate a total population of 3,404,760, adding 61,242 residents to the state over one year. The midyear reference date of these estimates reflects the economy opening and thriving in the middle of the pandemic, leading up to a turning point in the economic picture and resulting in a different growth trajectory in the latter half of 2022. (Read More) Bestselling author Dr. Arthur C. Brooks to keynote 2023 Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit Bestselling author and University of Utah Impact Scholar Dr. Arthur C. Brooks will keynote the 2023 Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit, the Salt Lake Chamber announced today. Dr. Brooks is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Business School and was recently named an Impact Scholar at the University of Utahâs Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, where he will spend 3-4 days each semester participating in guest lectures, roundtable discussions with state and local officials, and consult with university and community leaders. The Salt Lake Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute will host the Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit on January 12, 2023, at the Salt Lake City Marriott Downtown at City Creek. (Read More) Senate unanimously passes bipartisan Romney, Merkley legislation to protect long-term health of saline ecosystems Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), would facilitate an integrated regional assessment of saline lake ecosystems and fill a critical data gap that has made it nearly impossible to address a variety of problems caused by declining water levels. Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) are leading companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is also sponsored by Representatives Chris Stewart (R-UT), John Curtis (R-UT), and Burgess Owens (R-UT). (Read More) President Adams announces 2023/24 committee assignments and extended leadership team President J. Stuart Adams announces committee appointments for the 65th Legislature (2023/24) and the extended majority leadership team. âThis upcoming session, Senate leadership and committee chairs are committed to finding lasting solutions to Utahâs water crisis, making long-term investments in infrastructure and helping individuals and families afford the rising cost of living,â said President Adams. âCommittee assignments are opportunities to make significant strides for our constituents and our state to continue to lead the nation. The Senate will focus on meeting challenges head-on in order to keep Utahâs economy the best in the nation and ensure our stateâs growth for generations to come.â (Read More) Owens, Hinson lead bill to expand familiesâ child care options, build on existing, bipartisan program Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04), Ranking Member of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, and Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-01) introduced The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Reauthorization Act of 2022, legislation to renew a historically bipartisan program that has supported affordable child care options for hardworking American families since 1990. The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) authorizes the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program, which is administered by states, territories, and tribes and provides financial assistance for working families to access affordable child care so they can earn a living or attend school. States can also use CCDF dollars to invest in improving the overall quality and supply of child care and expand options so that parents can choose the programs that best meet their familyâs needs. (Read More) Sen. Lee, Rep. Biggs lead effort to require COVID-19 vaccine transparency Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) introduced bills that would prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from placing any vaccine for COVID-19 on the child and adolescent immunization schedule unless the Secretary provides clinical data relating to the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Sens. Rubio and Hagerty joined as cosponsors to Sen. Leeâs version in the Senate. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Utah Health Policy Project annual conference, Dec. 7, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Utah Cultural Celebration Center, Register here Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber â Jan. 12, 2023, Salt Lake City Marriott, 8 am - noon, Register here Legislative session begins, Jan. 17, 2023, le.utah.gov | | |
On This Day In History 1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of France 1823 - The Monroe Doctrine is declared; a foreign policy approach opposing European colonialism in the Americas and asserting US neutrality toward future European conflicts. 1845 - US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West, a widely held belief termed "manifest destiny" by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan 1863 - Jane Appleton Pierce, American First Lady (1853-57) and wife of Franklin Pierce, dies of tuberculosis at 57 1886 - Josephine Roche is born. A humanitarian, industrialist, Progressive Era activist, and politician, she was a big fighter for workers rights. One of her biggest accomplishments was unionizing mine workers and getting them paid an unheard of $7 dollars a day. 1899 - The US and Germany agree to divide Samoa 1942 - Physicist Enrico Fermi produces the first nuclear chain reaction 1954 - Joseph McCarthy condemned by Senate 1960 - Deb Haaland is born. First Native American named to head a cabinet agency as Secretary of the Interior 1970 - The Environmental Protection Agency opens its doors 1982 - The first permanent artificial heart successfully implanted at the University of Utah in retired dentist Barney Clark. He lived 112 days with the Jarvic-7 heart 2001 - Enron files for bankruptcy 2014 - Stephen Hawking claims that Artificial Intelligence could be a "threat to mankind" and spell the end of the human race Wise Words "The higher purpose of my life is not the song and dance or the acclaim, but to rise up, to pull up others and leave the world and industry a better place." âViola Davis On the Punny Side I misplaced Dwayne Johnsonâs cutting tool for the origami workshop...
I canât believe I lost the Rockâs Paper Scissors. | | |
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