As another year comes to a close, most of us will find ourselves thinking back on our accomplishments over the past 12 months. Did we keep our New Year's resolutions? Did we meet our professional and personal goals? Did we fulfill our vision for 2024?
This sentiment is especially strong for Sen. Mitt Romney, who faces not just the end of a year but the end of his legislative career as he prepares to pass the torch to Sen.-elect John Curtis.
Sen. Romney recently reflected on his work in the Senate, including efforts to support the Great Salt Lake, encourage bipartisan cooperation and combat international threats.
Read more about what Romney says are his top 10 legislative accomplishments.
Also on our minds:
Why some say the world is becoming more religious, not less
Utah lawmakers consider publishing voters’ ballots online, like this Idaho county did
Brigham Tomco writes:
An Idaho county is shaking up the national debate over how to fix trust in elections.
Ada County, home of Boise, Idaho, is taking election transparency to its constitutional limit: posting images of every ballot and its associated tabulation record online for anyone to see, with precautions taken to protect voter identity.
One Utah lawmaker is pushing for increased access to election returns in the 2025 legislative session to more closely mirror its neighbors in the West. Advocates argue that providing additional information about how votes are counted for public examination will go a long way toward curtailing election conspiracies.
But amid concerns over voter privacy and taxpayer costs, Utah elected officials could be slow to follow Ada County’s lead, with skeptics insisting these kinds of reforms will ultimately fail to mollify voters looking for a reason to reject election results they don’t like.
Read more about the electoral reforms Utah lawmakers are considering.
Can contention be avoided following vote to split Alpine School District 3 ways?
Utah voters recently elected to split Alpine School District into thirds, forming new school districts in northeastern and western Utah County. So how does that happen?
Jason Swensen reports:
Former Canyons School District board president Tracy Cowdell is forthright when envisioning the three-way split awaiting the Alpine School District and its patrons.
“Based on my own experience, those involved in creating the new districts in Utah County cannot fully grasp the magnitude of the endeavor,” he wrote in an email. “It’s impossible to articulate the enormity of this project.”
But Cowdell adds a hopeful caveat: The “grueling, exhausting” task of reforming districts can be, in the end, “deeply fulfilling.”
Read more about the next steps for Alpine School District.
More in Utah
Groups pan planned railway in the Uinta Basin (Deseret News)
Will the 2034 World Cup compete with Utah’s next Olympics? (Deseret News)
What big shows are coming up in Utah? Here’s the latest (Deseret News)
Could downtown shift east? Developers seek new heights in Salt Lake City neighborhood (KSL)
Suspect arrested for alleged vandalism of southern Utah petroglyphs (ABC4) Utah outdoor recreation industry worth $9.5B (Axios Salt Lake City)
FROM OUR SPONSOR JON M. HUNTSMAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Setting the Standard: What It Means to Be a Huntsman Scholar
The Huntsman Scholar Program at Utah State University is a selective business and economics program. We seek students with academic excellence, servant leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and integrity, aligning with Jon Huntsman’s vision of purpose-driven individuals.
Business & Tech
Jay Evensen: Will cars ever be truly self-driving? (Deseret News)
Elon Musk’s more than $50 billion pay deal at Tesla was rejected again. Here is why (NPR)
Politics
Previewing the Supreme Court’s case on gender-related health care for minors (Deseret News)
New congressional report claims COVID-19 likely originated in Wuhan lab (Deseret News)
Renae Cowley & Frank Pignanelli: Political draft season is in full swing! (Deseret News)
Naomi Schaefer Riley: The ‘fentanyl election’ is over. Now what? (Deseret News)
South Korean president agrees to lift martial law (Deseret News)
China bans exports to US of gallium, germanium, antimony in response to chip sanctions (The Associated Press)
Sports
Analysis: Providence gives visiting BYU a clinic on shooting, hard-nosed play in 83-64 romp (Deseret News)
Here’s who Utah is expected to ink during Wednesday’s early signing day (Deseret News)
Could BYU’s Egor Demin become the No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft? (Deseret News)
5 Utah HC players who could play in ‘4 Nations Face-Off’ (Deseret News)
Faith
Here’s why some believe the world is becoming more religious, not less (Deseret News)
Pope Francis’ eco-village to promote ecological conversion at 2025 Jubilee (Religion News Service)
Health
Nearly 1 in 16 pregnant women use marijuana, despite health risks (Deseret News)
California suspends Raw Farm's raw milk products after bird flu detection (Reuters)
🗓️ Events Calendar
We are putting together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah the next month. We’ll have the full list ready soon, but here are some highlights for events in Utah today:
Dec. 1-23, 26-30 — Zoolights at Hogle Zoo
Dec. 1-7 — Christmas Town Festival | Helper, Utah
Dec. 4-7 — Christkindlmarkt at This is the Place Heritage Park
Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!
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