Situational Analysis | July 9, 2021

Welcome to Friday. It's National Sugar Cookie Day. What a sweet note as we head into the weekend.

Our deepest condolences to LaRene Cox on the passing of her husband, Commissioner Dean Cox.

Be in the Know

1. Governor Spencer Cox has been appointed to a ten-member bipartisan Council of Governors working with the Biden administration on a variety of issues. Way to punch above our weight!

2. Last week, Utah Refugee Connection got a call from a man named Luis who wanted to make a donation through his family's foundation. After he named a "very generous amount," the folks at Utah Refugee Connection learned that Luis was Luis Miranda, Jr., father to Lin-Manuel Miranda. Woot woot! 👏👏👏

3. Louisiana teen, Zaila Avant-garde, becomes the first African American contestant to win National Spelling Bee after correctly spelling murraya. The 14 year-old also has mad basketball and unicycle-riding skills.

4. There will be no spectators at the Tokyo Olympics because of the surge in COVID-19 cases. For peak athletes accustomed to performing in front of cheering crowds, I wonder how empty stands will affect their mental game.

5. In China, the government has instituted a curfew on playing video games for kids under 18, from 10 pm to 8 am. They are using facial recognition to enforce it. ðŸ˜³

FROM OUR SPONSOR

Weather, Wildfires, and Climate Change - On the next Utah Insight, are we headed for another record-breaking wildfire season? Watch Utah Insight tonight at 7:30 p.m. on PBS Utah for in-depth comprehensive discussions about issues impacting the state.

Utah Headlines

General

• New Salt Lake mural designed to spark conversation about racism (KSL) 
• ‘Bridgerton’ author’s father and sister killed in a crash on I-15 in Davis County (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Does the Supreme Court treat anti-LGBTQ discrimination differently than racism? In the past, the Supreme Court ruled against religious objectors to racial equality. Why hasn’t it done the same in cases involving religion and LGBTQ rights? (Deseret News)
• ‘Not a matter of if, but when’: Ransomware attacks become increasingly common in Utah (ABC4)

Politics

• San Juan County clerk resigns: Nielson’s tenure saw notable legal challenges, including his removal of Willie Grayeyes, an Indigenous San Juan County Commissioner candidate, from the county commission ballot. (Moab Sun News)
• Washington Post Live: Leadership During Crisis with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (Washington Post)
• She leans left, I lean right. How did our conversation go? (Deseret News)
• Ben McAdams: A plan for America - design a project, track outcomes, receive matching dollars (Deseret News)
• Is the Biden administration stirring up race wars among ranchers in the West? (Deseret News)

COVID Corner

• 668 new cases, 2 new deaths. 12 counties now in "high transmission." The Utah Department of Health says 11 out of 12 are counties with less than 60% of adults vaccinated with at least one dose.
• Utah doctor warns of surge in COVID-19 cases, says "We feel like we just finished a marathon, across the finish line—and now we're looking ahead at 10 more miles." (ABC)
• California Capitol reinstates mask mandate after COVID outbreak (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Lockdowns in Asia as some nations see 1st major virus surges (AP)
• Africa suffers ‘worst pandemic week ever’ as cases surge, vaccinations lag (Washington Post, New York Times)

Drought/Wildfires/Heat

• It was 104 in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, and triple digit-temps will continue through next week. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• ‘Out of water’: One Utah reservoir completely dry, others drop near historic low levels (ABC4)

Economic Development

• Health-tech company Nusano to open an office in Utah (Utah Policy)
• TaxBit to expand its Utah location (Utah Policy)
• Barnes Bullets to expand its Utah headquarters. (Utah Policy)
• American Packaging Corporation adding new plant and jobs in Cedar City (Utah Policy)
• Owens Corning to expand production capability in Utah (Utah Policy)

Education

• Utah's kindergarten enrollment down during the pandemic; what will it look like in the fall? (KSL)
• With School Plan Approved, Utah To Receive Final Portion Of Nearly $1 Billion In Total Federal Education Relief (KUER)

Family

• Slow down. There’s a reason to teach self-restraint (Deseret News)

Legal

• West Jordan landlord arrested after firing shots into tenant's bedroom (Fox13)

Local Communities

• Mountain Crest girl wins national shotgun shooting competition (Cache Valley Daily)
• Bryce Canyon's Geology Festival (Geo Fest) is scheduled for Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10, 2021. Join park rangers for guided hikes, family-friendly geology programs, evening programs as well as exhibits and family oriented activities at the Visitor Center. (NPS)
• ‘High bacterial count found at Highland Glen Park pond, residents warned to stay out (Daily Herald)

Service

• When Jen was homeless, seven of her friends froze to death. She learned that foam clothing technology could save lives and Turtle Shelters was born.  (Just Serve)

National Headlines

General

• TV news crews are increasingly threatened with violence on the job (Washington Post)
• California and Nevada rocked by 6.0 earthquake. People in the area should expect aftershocks for days,” says one expert. (The Hill)

Politics

• Biden declares war on anti-competitive practices with sweeping order (The Hill)

Education

• Shot: I’m a professor at a U.S. military academy. Here’s why I teach critical race theory. (Washington Post)
• Chaser: GOP rep demands Air Force Academy prof be removed for teaching critical race theory (The Hill)

Elections

• ‘We don’t like bullies, egomaniacs or jerks’: Allen West crashes Texas governor’s race (Politico)

Environment

• Why record-breaking overnight temperatures are so concerning (New York Times)

International

• Not exactly the headline we want to read: "Taliban says it controls most of Afghanistan, reassures Russia" (Reuters)
• Nor this one: "Special Report: Afghan pilots assassinated by Taliban as U.S. withdraws" (Reuters)
• Or this one: "2 US men held in Haiti assassination" (AP)

Business Headlines

• Utah’s Traeger Grills lights a fire under public stock offering effort (Deseret News)
• Robinhood gives founders second chance at $1.4 billion windfall (Reuters)
• Finance ministers meet in Venice to finalize global tax agreement (New York Times)
• Wells Fargo closing all personal lines of credit, which may affect customer credit scores (Yahoo)

Policy News

Gov. Spencer J. Cox appointed to President Biden’s Council of Governors

President Biden announced Gov. Spencer J. Cox as one of nine governors named to the Council of Governors, a bipartisan group of governors committed to strengthening ties between federal and state governments on matters of homeland security.
“We’re grateful for this appointment that gives Utah a seat at the table, particularly with respect to disaster preparedness and response as well as best use of the National Guard,” Gov. Cox said. “I look forward to engaging with my fellow governors and President Biden as we serve our state and the nation.” Read More

Gov. Spencer J. Cox appoints Sean M. Petersen to the Fourth District Court; Senate asks for public input

Gov. Spencer J. Cox has appointed Commissioner Sean M. Petersen to fill a judicial vacancy on the Fourth District Court. The governor’s nominations are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.
“Sean’s experience as both a court commissioner and an attorney in the private sector have prepared him well for this new responsibility on the bench,” Gov. Cox said. “I’m pleased that he is willing and able to serve the people of Utah in this way.”

Public comment requested by 5 pm, July 22. Read More 

Utah wins the 2021 Frank Newman award for education innovation

Education Commission of the States is pleased to honor Utah with the 2021 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation, in recognition of its commitment to expanding digital learning across the state.
In the last five years, Utah has invested more than $50 million in its Digital Teaching and Learning Initiative, which has trained thousands of teachers across the state to effectively use the internet and online tools to enhance students’ learning experience. The initiative, well underway when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close in 2020, allowed schools across the state to transition to online instruction within two days. Read More

IRS changes course after Sen. Lee and Rep. Owens send letter on religious liberty

After a June letter to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), and colleagues, the IRS reversed course on a determination removing tax-exempt status of a religious values group. The letter protested the IRS claim that “the sanctity of life, biblical marriage, and biblical justice” were associated principally with political platforms. Read More

Number of the Day

Commentary: With an avalanche of money, can Utah maintain its fiscal discipline?

By LaVarr Webb

When I was a young reporter first covering the Legislature in the late 1970s, I learned about the state budget and about fiscal discipline from old-school legislators like LeRay McAllister, Norm Bangerter and Franklin Knowlton.

I watched and listened with fascination as a parade of state agencies, local governments, individuals, non-profits and interest groups came before the appropriations subcommittees seeking funding. I quickly learned an important fact of legislative budgeting — there are always an unlimited number of good causes that really could help people in meaningful ways.

I watched as some subcommittee members, hearing the pleas of groups seeking money, become advocates for those groups and agencies, wanting to support good causes. Often, the funding was included in budgets recommended to the Executive Appropriations Committee (also known as the Hatchet Committee). 

I often found myself becoming quite sympathetic to the budget requests. After all, what’s a few hundred thousand dollars, or even a few million, in such a big budget? These were good causes and, surely, the state could afford it.

But most of those funding requests didn’t make it all the way through the legislative process. The “Hatchet Committee” was strictly disciplined in what it approved for the final appropriations bill. Only the critically important funding requests, the best of the best, survived.

Despite the value of the proposed programs, the lawmakers had to balance the budget. They weren’t afraid to say no, even if they were accused of being callous and hard-hearted. There were an unlimited number of good causes. But there wasn’t an unlimited money supply.

And, somehow, the state survived without funding all those good causes. 

Read More

Upcoming

• Securing the American Dream: A conversation with Tim Scott presented by the Hatch Foundation – Aug 11 @ noon. Register here
• Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett – Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here

On This Day In History

From History.com

• 1846 - US takes San Francisco from Mexico
• 1850 - US President Zachary Taylor dies unexpectedly
• 1877 - The first Wimbledon tournament begins
• 1954 - Debra Sledge is born. She was part of the Sister Sledge group, which consisted of Debra and her 3 sisters. They are most well known for their classic hit "We Are Family.”
• 1971 - The US turns over responsibility for the DMZ in Vietnam
• 1977 - Alice Paul, American suffragist (National Woman's Party), dies at 92
• 2019 - Ross Perot, American businessman, billionaire and presidential candidate (1992, 1996), dies of leukemia at 89

Wise Words

"When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row."
-Alice Paul

Lighter Side

Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation. 

Kin Hubbard

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