Earthquake in Afghanistan kills thousands; U.S. House in disarray; Claudia Goldin wins Nobel Prize in economics for gender wage gap research | | | 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 | October 9, 2023 It's the second Monday in October and that means it's Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. Here's what's closed. What You Need to Know War exploded in the Middle East over the weekend as Hamas terrorists launched a multi-pronged attack on Israel. Hamas fighters killed hundreds of civilians, including women and children, and kidnapped more than 100 people, taking them back into Gaza as hostages. At least 9 Americans have been killed. Israel officially declared war on Hamas on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would âdestroyâ the group and âtake mighty vengeance for this black day.â Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a âcomplete siegeâ of Gaza, saying authorities would cut electricity and prevent food and fuel from entering the territory. The weekend's attacks, on a major Jewish holiday, appeared to catch Israel's intelligence community off guard, so much so that some are calling it a "staggering failure." The United States has pledged its full support to Israel.
A Saturday morning earthquake and its major aftershocks in western Afghanistan have completely leveled several villages. The mud brick homes collapsed almost instantly, giving residents no chance to escape. Thousands are dead. Would-be rescuers are digging through rubble with their bare hands but are mostly unsuccessful at finding survivors. Rapid Relevance Jewish synagogues in Utah evacuated for bomb threats during service; human remains from Pioneer era found by construction crew in Providence; and your cat could be suffering from anxiety. Hereâs how to help | | |
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Utah Headlines Political news Rep. Blake Moore, 44 GOP lawmakers sign letter saying they are âashamed and embarrassedâ over McCarthy ousting (Deseret News) Pignanelli and Webb: Chaos in the U.S. House: The sorry state of congressional governance (Deseret News) Sunday Edition with Boyd Matheson and guest Paul Ryan (KSL TV) What do mayors in Utah get paid? How much depends on the city â and what form of government it uses. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah leaders fire back at ICE after claims of Utah as âsanctuary stateâ for undocumented immigrants (ABC4) Utah lawmaker wants to increase telemedicine coverage (Fox13) Unprecedented Congressional action (Hinckley Report) Why a Park City nonprofit that connects kids to sports like luge is looking for votes (Salt Lake Tribune) Election news Mendenhall continues to outraise, outspend Anderson in SLC mayoral race (Salt Lake Tribune) Ogden candidates address relations with other locales, development, more (Standard-Examiner) General Utah news Former BYU general counsel and federal judge Thomas Griffith returns to Washington, D.C., for portrait unveiling (Deseret News) Is home-court advantage real? And if it is â what explains it? (Deseret News) Once-in-a-lifetime 'ring of fire' solar eclipse to illuminate Utah's skies next weekend (KUTV) Business Neither infinite, nor beyond. Pixar Animation Studios has been hailed as Hollywood golden goose. That could be changing (Deseret News) Strider Technologies shining a light into the murky, and high-stakes, world of IP theft (Deseret News) Beaver County gets an inland port, with Tooele next in line (Salt Lake Tribune) Crime Church statement, misconduct allegations throw Tim Ballardâs LDS backers for a loop. They struggle over whom to support: The OUR founder or their faith leaders. (Salt Lake Tribune) Culture Over 512,000 tour Utah Areaâs âTabernacle Experience,â which will conclude Oct. 12 (Church News) The Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert is back â this time with help from Aladdin and a âDownton Abbeyâ star (Deseret News) LDS church building used by the first Hispanic congregation still stands a century later (Fox13) Southern Utahâs Jacob Hamblin, Prince Madoc and the legend of the Welsh Indians (St. George News) Education With Israel at war, hereâs an update on the status of the BYU Jerusalem Center, students (Deseret News) Cameron Martin inaugurated as president of Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (Daily Herald) Environment Over 160 barrels of oil and thousands of barrels of contaminated water spill into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (Deseret News) Construction project announced for Dinosaur National Park (KSL Newsradio) Utah Air Quality Board considers ban on some lawn care equipment on bad air days (Fox13) Rare Jurassic fossils discovered near Lake Powell, learn more at Zion National Park event (St. George News) EPA settles lawsuit over Utah's drinking water (UPR) Her antidote for 'climate grief' and a shrinking Great Salt Lake? Don't look away (NPR) Health Can dads get postpartum depression? (Deseret News) Spiritual practices can help solve the global mental health crisis. Hereâs how (Deseret News) Housing Emanuel Garcia Flores: Why itâs easier to build single-family suburbs but not denser affordable housing (Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake County home prices take slight dip in August (Fox13) | | |
National Headlines General How world leaders are responding to a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas militants (Deseret News) Nobel economics prize goes to Harvard professor Claudia Goldin for research on the workplace gender gap (AP) An app shows how ancient Greek sites looked thousands of years ago. Itâs a glimpse of future tech (AP) Politics Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene really, really wants Trump to be House speaker. She says if Trump is speaker, it would be a Trump rally every day and the House would be a âMAGA Houseâ (Deseret News) How cynical are Americans about religion in politics? (Deseret News) Could Steve Scalise quell the House GOP revolt to become Speaker? (Wall Street Journal) Gaetz says âabsolutelyâ worth it for him to lose seat in Congress for McCarthy ouster (The Hill) At least 2 members of Congress were in Israel during attack (Politico) Ukraine ðºð¦ Can lawmakers boost Ukraine aid by $50 billionâor even more? (Wall Street Journal) As partners in Ukraineâs fight for survival, two generals forged a bond (Washington Post) Israel ð®ð± Russia expresses concern over âspiral of violenceâ in Israel (AP) Zelenskyy compares Hamas to Russia (AP) How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack (Reuters) Netanyahu says Israel's response to Gaza attack will "change the Middle East" (Reuters) Iran helped plot attack on Israel over several weeks (Wall Street Journal) Blinken rejects claim that $6 billion in Iranian assets helps Hamas (Washington Post) Pentagon to send ships, aircraft closer to Israel in show of force (Politico) World Rescuers search for survivors days after deadly quakes hit northwest Afghanistan (Reuters) | | |
| | News Releases Carly Maloney of Viewmont High School named 2024 Utah Teacher of the Year State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson named Carly Maloney, a concurrent enrollment English, advanced placement psychology, student government, and English language development teacher at Viewmont High School in the Davis School District, as 2024 Utah Teacher of the Year. Maloney, of Bountiful, was presented with a check for $10,000 and will compete with her fellow state teachers of the year in a national competition. She will participate in a number of state and national leadership opportunities. (Read More) Nominees announced for 3rd District Court vacancy The Third District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Third District Court. This position results from the retirement of Judge Randall N. Skanchy on Dec. 29, 2023. The nominees for the vacancy are: Richard Daynes, Assistant Attorney, United States Attorneyâs Office; Jeffrey Makin, Senior Vice President, Sunrun Inc.; Stephen Nelson, Assistant Attorney, United States Attorneyâs Office; Richard Pehrson, Prosecutor, Salt Lake County District Attorneyâs Office; Samantha Slark, Senior City Attorney, Salt Lake City Corporation. Written comments can be submitted to the Third District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Oct. 23, 2023. (Read More) Nominees announced for 7th District Court vacancy The Seventh District Judicial Nominating Commission has selected nominees for a vacancy on the Seventh District Court. This position results from the retirement of Judge George M. Harmond on Feb. 1, 2024. The nominees for the vacancy are: Brian Bolinder, Shareholder/Associate, Richards Brandt Miller Nelson; Christian Bryner, County Attorney, Carbon County; Jon Carpenter, Judge, Carbon County, Wellington City and East Carbon Justice Courts; Tony Graf, Deputy County Attorney, Davis County Attorneyâs Office; Letitia Toombs, Team Lead/Attorney, Weber County Attorneyâs Office. Written comments can be submitted to the Seventh District Judicial Nominating Commission at judicialvacancies@utah.gov or Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, P.O. Box 142330, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-2330. The deadline for written comments is noon Oct. 23, 2023. (Read More) | | |
Upcoming Understanding Sexism in Utah with the Utah Women and Leadership Projectâ Oct. 10, 12:00-1:15 pm, Register here Civics Educator Conference with "Sharon Says So" â Oct. 10, UVU, More information and registration here Interim Day â Oct 10-11, le.utah.gov Martha Hughes Cannon Award with Utah Women Run â Nov 2, 6:00-8:00 pm, Nominate someone here Interim Day â Nov 14-15, le.utah.gov Celebrating 30 years of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation â Nov 16, 10 am, MST, Register here
General election â Nov. 21
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On This Day In History 768 - Charlemagne and his brother Carloman I are crowned Kings of The Franks 1635 - Religious dissident Roger Williams, who believed in the separation of church and state, banished from Mass Bay Colony 1823 - Mary Ann Shadd Cary is born. An American-Canadian publisher and anti-slavery campaigner, she became the first African American newspaper publisher 1884 - Helene Deutsch, psychoanalyst, wrote 2-volume The Psychology of Women (1944-45) with emphasis on motherhood 1941 - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt approves an atomic program that would become the Manhattan Project 1949 - Harvard Law School begins admitting women 1974 - Oskar Schindler, Austrian businessman credited with saving 1200 Jews during the Holocaust, dies at 66 1984 - Astronaut Kathy Sullivan becomes 1st US woman to walk in space during a Space Shuttle Challenger mission 1987 - Clare Boothe Luce, American politician and U.S. ambassador to Italy, dies at 84 2012 - Women's rights and education activist Malala Yousafzai is shot three times by a Taliban gunman as she tried to board her school bus Quote of the Day "They say women talk too much. If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men."
âClare Boothe Luce On the Punny Side I told my wife, âDid you know Old MacDonaldâs farm has been taken over by ChatGPT?â Her: AI? Me: AI. Her: Oh. | | |
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