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Good morning. Salt Lake City will have a high of 29° and a low of 15°.

Have you ever wondered why Feb. 2 is Groundhog Day? Apparently, it's the date of the Christian tradition of Candlemas, where Groundhog Day gets its roots. Read this for nine other things you probably didn't know about Groundhog Day.

Also on our mind today: what we learned from a new black hole the University of Utah discovered, a 500-mile-long lightning bolt that hit three states and how a diverse choir is using gospel music to make the world a better place.

Will Utah repeal its state sales tax on food?

The short answer: probably not.

The Republican-controlled Utah Legislature and its leadership prefers an across-the-board $160 million income tax rate cut, as well as other targeted tax cuts.

Supporters of eliminating the state sales tax on food say low-income Utahns spend a larger percentage of their income on food, and this change would benefit those Utahns immediately at the register, when small amounts of money could make a big difference.

Those who don't support eliminating the state sales tax on food say it wouldn't target low-income Utahns but would also help those who make more money. Additionally, because Utah sales tax revenue funds social services programs, “you actually may cut services that are being asked for,” said Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton.

Read more from Katie McKellar about the debate over the state sales tax on food.

Bill that could make it more costly to request public records advances

Context: Under Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act, or GRAMA, processing fees can be waived for the first 15 minutes of work spent fulfilling a request for government documents.

What's new: HB96 would change that, allowing government entities to charge for the initial 15 minutes if the requester has filed a separate request in the previous 10 days.

What people are saying:

“Unfortunately, vexatious and serial requesters have learned that they’re allowed to submit an unlimited number of small requests each day to an entity," said Cache County Clerk/Auditor Jess Bradfield.

“When you put in a new fee like this, it sends a strong message that, you know, the government is in charge of this and they’re not going to be controlled by the people,” said Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding. “And I think the people want to send a strong message to the government that the people are in charge of it, they’re not going to be controlled by the government.”

More in Politics

Does low approval rating make Utah Sen. Mike Lee vulnerable in the 2022 election? (Deseret News)
Independent Evan McMullin outraised Sen. Mike Lee in the latest FEC fundraising disclosures (Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)
Utah representative becomes 4th to test positive for COVID-19 during session (KSL.com)
Should pregnant women get a child tax credit before their baby is born? (Deseret News)
This nurse was attacked by a patient. Now Utah lawmakers want more protections for health care workers (Deseret News)

COVID

National Guard sends 50 to Utah care facilities as officials report 20 more COVID deaths (KSL.com)
Almost 60% of Utahns are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (The Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)

Faith

How this diverse Utah choir is using gospel music to make the world a better place (Deseret News)
What Justice Breyer’s retirement could mean for religious freedom (Deseret News)
See how these LDS activists became ‘anxiously engaged’ in good causes (Salt Lake Tribune 🔒)

Southern Utah

What’s the progress on the 3000 East corridor, other road projects in the works for St. George? (St. George News)

Northern Utah

University of Utah’s black hole discovery shines a light on how galaxies are formed (Deseret News)
BYU professor pushes back on allegations of defamation from Utah Lake developers (Deseret News)
University board to vote on proposed $61.8M football indoor facility (KSL.com)
Construction of new Amazon warehouse complete; 500 jobs expected (The Standard-Examiner)

The Nation

Tesla recalls autos over software that allows them to roll through stop signs (NPR)
Ex-instructor accused of posting online threats to UCLA arrested in Colorado (Reuters)

The World

Here are the 7 new Olympic events to watch in Beijing (NPR)
Putin says US trying to draw Russia into war (BBC News)

Trending

‘Tiger King’ star Joe Exotic resentenced to 21 years in prison (Deseret News)
Tom Brady officially calls it a career (Deseret News)
Nearly 500-mile-long lightning bolt hit Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi (Deseret News)
Will Neil Young’s protest exit hurt Spotify’s long-term business prospects? (Deseret News)

What’s BYU’s quarterback situation entering signing day?

Are the Cougars in the market for another quarterback on national signing day — after not signing one in December when the early signing period began a few months ago?

Not necessarily, Cougars offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said.

Why? Read more from Jay Drew.

New With:

BYU Cougars: BYU football receives commitment from 2 defensive back prospects
Utah State Aggies: Aggies will use 2022 recruiting class to replace stellar group of departing seniors
Utah Utes: ‘We’re building the brand’: Expect Utes to continue adding to 2022 class via transfer portal

Thank you for starting your morning with us!

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— Ashley