Utah Headlines

Deseret News

• Why old tech tools are better at curbing loneliness in a pandemic - Phone calls and email beat out video chats for making people feel better, new study finds. Interesting!
• The danger of trading religion for politics - Americans are increasingly becoming 'religious without religion' - replacing faith with politics.
• Words of wisdom from Greg McKeown - The author of 'Essentialism' wants you to cut the word 'priorities' out of your life.
• Utah officials push 'unprecedented' campaign to reduce Latino suicide rates -
• Utah's Hispanic population suffers disproportionately higher suicide, depression rates; Cox urges Latinos 'Tienes el poder de salvar una vida!'
• What Utah officials told Pennsylvania about conducting elections - Justin Lee, Utah elections director, and longtime Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen explained the intricacies of the state's election process, including how the vast majority of Utahns now vote by mail.
• Don't 'indulge in high-risk behavior' even after getting COVID-19 vaccine, doctor warns - "Just because you're vaccinated, with the level of transmission we're having now, I would not be going to a bar for example. Or a restaurant with large numbers of people operating at high capacity," he said, or to a movie theater without a mask.
• Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz just joined this conservative think tank - The Utah Republican has joined a group co-founded by author Peter Schweizer and Steve Bannon.

Salt Lake Tribune

• University of Utah study seeks health care workers and frontline employees who haven't had the COVID-19 vaccine yet - Those who take part in 9-month study will be compensated up to $400.
• Exclusive: How the Utah Jazz got involved in the debate over the transgender sports bill - Jazz owner Ryan Smith reportedly said the legislation was not ready.
• Utahns impacted by COVID-19 can now apply online for rental assistance - Renters can request help paying for past-due rent, security deposits and utility bills.

Other

• Micron to put Utah computer chip factory up for sale as it shifts strategy (KSL) - Low demand means Micron cannot scale up manufacturing to a high enough volume to justify the costs of continuing to develop the chips.
• New greenhouse at Windridge Elementary supports hands-on learning (Standard-Examiner) - Although Friday was a day they typically spend learning from home, students flocked to the school to participate in the grand opening of their new greenhouse.

COVID Corner

• Utah reports almost 500 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths (Salt Lake Tribune) - After a nine-month low, number of new cases returns to plateau.
• Trump touts Covid-19 vaccine safety amid skepticism from Republicans (NBC News) - "I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don't want to get it, and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly," Trump said on Fox News, praising what he called "a great vaccine."
• CDC identifies public-health guidance from the Trump administration that downplayed pandemic severity (Washington Post) - The analysis was done to promote public trust and ensure that the agency's coronavirus guidance 'is evidence-based and free of politics,' a memo says.
• Covid-19: Moderna Begins Testing Its Vaccine in Children (New York Times) - will test its Covid vaccine in children under 12, including babies as young as six months, the company said on Tuesday. The study is expected to enroll 6,750 healthy children in the United States and Canada.
• 'It's easy to scare people': Europe's decision to pull AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine threatens global COVID-19 recovery efforts, US experts say (USA Today) - "While it's easy to scare people, it's very hard to unscare them."
• Israeli study: Babies born to vaccinated moms have COVID-fighting antibodies (The Times of Israel) - All 40 infants in Jerusalem research have antibodies, suggesting they are born with immunity to coronavirus, according to Hadassah doctors.
• 'Fully vaccinated' hugs: The many benefits of embracing loved ones (Yahoo! News) - "We are fundamentally a people who want to be with others. To talk, to laugh, to hug, to hold one another."

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National Headlines

• Biden tells migrants 'don't come' to US as border crisis surges (Fox News) - Thousands of migrant children are arriving at the border and are being placed in various facilities, though the White House still insists the overwhelming surge is not a "crisis."
• Russia's Putin authorised pro-Trump 'influence' campaign, US intelligence says (BBC News) - Moscow spread "misleading or unsubstantiated allegations" about the eventual winner, Joe Biden, according to a US government report.
• Cuomo should resign if allegations confirmed: Biden in exclusive ABC News interview (ABC News) - The president said he thought Andrew Cuomo could "end up being prosecuted."
• Kamala Harris continues to avoid commenting on Cuomo sexual misconduct allegations (Fox News) - Harris spoke at a UN Commission on the Status of Women event Tuesday.
• FBI facing allegation that its 2018 background check of Brett Kavanaugh was 'fake' (The Guardian) - A Democratic senator has asked attorney general Merrick Garland to facilitate 'proper oversight' into concerns on the investigation.
• Biden to hold first formal news conference on March 25 (CNN) -Biden will likely face questions at the news conference about a number of pressing issues, including a surge of migrant children at the border, the implementation of his Covid-19 relief package, the efforts of the Biden administration to vaccinate all Americans and facilitate returning kids to classrooms.
• Biden says he supports return to 'talking filibuster' (The Hill) - Biden said he endorses reforming the filibuster by returning to the tradition of talking filibusters - when senators need to be on the floor talking to block bills - because "democracy is having a hard time functioning."
• Pentagon Pushes For Bigger Effort To Deter China's Growing Military Might (NPR) - Rep. Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is wary of all the talk of a Chinese military threat. "It runs the distinct risk of creating conflict where it doesn't need to be," he said.

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Policy News

Statewide 'Feed Utah' food drive to take place March 20
On Saturday, March 20, faith-based congregations, organizations and residents throughout Utah will collaborate with Utah Food Bank for the first annual statewide Feed Utah food drive. Residents across the state will receive door hangers during the days leading up to the food drive, and Utah Food Bank asks the public to help by placing a bag of non-perishable food outside their front door by 9am on Saturday, March 20 for pickup by volunteers. Donated food will be distributed to Utah Food Bank and its 203 partner agencies across the state.

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Outdoor Adventure Expo coming to Utah
The Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, in partnership with Tread Lightly, Visit Salt Lake, and Lodestone Events, invite outdoor enthusiasts to visit the Outside Adventure Expo at the Utah State Fairpark June 25-27, 2021.

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Nucor announces plans to build TrueCore facility in Utah
he Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED), Brigham City, and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) are pleased to announce that Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE) plans to build a TrueCore manufacturing facility in Brigham City, Utah. The new facility is expected to be operational in 2022 and will employ 50 team members.

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Utah Democrats applaud Deb Haaland confirmation
On Monday, Senators bipartisanly approved the nomination of Deb Haaland to be the next Secretary of the Interior, and Utah Democrats unequivocally support her nomination and confirmation, and condemn Utah's Republican Senators, Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, for their votes against Joe Biden's outstanding appointment. Secretary Haaland will be a champion for public lands, protecting our natural resources from climate change, and for Indigenous communities in Utah and across the United States.

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Gov. Spencer J. Cox names nominees to Utah Board of Pardons and Parole
Gov. Spencer J. Cox has nominated Blake Hills and Melissa Stirba to the Board of Pardons and Parole.

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Business Headlines

• Homebuyers canceling contracts as costs soar (Fox Business) - Rising mortgage rates are also creating headwinds.
• Uber to give UK drivers workers' rights after court defeat (Fox Business) - Decision seen as blow to gig economy companies, victory for unions.
• Elon Musk turns down $1 million offer to buy his tweet as an NFT (CNBC) - Elon Musk offered to sell one of his tweets as a non-fungible token or NFT on Monday but changed his mind.

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