Utah Headlines

Political news

• Perspective: When Utah lost Mia Love, so did the world (Deseret News)
• As D.C. continues to press for statehood, President Trump and Sen. Lee want the federal government to have more control (Deseret News)
• VP Vance delivers blunt message to Denmark during Greenland visit with second lady, Sen. Lee (Deseret News)
• Fraternal Order of Police joins effort to undo HB267 (KSL)
• What the split in 'Trump-first' voters and 'party-first' voters says about the Utah GOP (KSL)
• Editorial Board: Utah’s members of Congress should do more outreach. Utahns should be more polite when they do. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Is Utah becoming a ‘black hole’ for public records? Here are the anti-transparency laws the Legislature passed. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Mom of namesake behind 'Ashley's Law' celebrates its passing, hopes to protect other vulnerable adults (Fox13)
• Gov. Cox vetoed 7 bills. Will the legislature override him? (Hinckley Report)
• Set to take effect immediately: Washington City tightens short-term rental regulations (St. George News)

Utah

• Veterans honored at Utah Capitol on 50th anniversary of Vietnam War (KSL TV)
• 'A healthy constructive environment': Somali refugee forms soccer team for other Utah refugees (KSL)
• Funding cuts threaten domestic violence services in northern Utah, nonprofit warns (UPR)

Biz/Tech

• How a chewed-up Frisbee inspired the world’s latest fetch toy. Utah inventor gives all the credit to his dog Marley (Deseret News)

Crime/Courts

• Utah’s crime crackdown: Can a new task force bring balance to criminal justice reform? (Deseret News)

Culture

• 35 years since winning the Heisman Trophy, Ty Detmer has embraced his role as coach, mentor (Deseret News)
• Jay Evensen: The value of believing in others (Deseret News)

Economy

• What ever happened to the American dream? (Deseret News)

Education - K-12

• Opinion: Utah’s air purifiers in schools program is in jeopardy (Deseret News)
• Teen helps nonprofit pay off portion of Utah’s $2.8M school lunch debt (Deseret News)

Education - Higher

• Judge Thomas Griffith tells students at USU ‘we must not be enemies’ in America (Deseret News)
• 150 years old: Salt Lake City’s Westminster University celebrates its sesquicentennial (Deseret News)
• College students to pay more bucks this year at Utah’s public institutions (Deseret News)
• HB265 is now law: Utah colleges begin implementing budget reallocation processes (Deseret News)

Faith

• How faith can be an anchor in a storm (Deseret Magazine)
• A resurgence of faith among men is changing the religious gender gap (Deseret News)

Family

• Their son loved to skateboard. Now, Utah family helps prevent suicide with skateboard benches (KSL)

Health

• How this new mental health crisis center removes barriers to care (Deseret News) 
• Psychology of spring cleaning: How a tidy home can improve your mental health (Deseret News)

Housing

• Poll: A third of Utahns say housing costs are so expensive they’ve considered moving out of state (Deseret News)
• The median home price in part of Utah is higher than San Francisco and Honolulu (Salt Lake Tribune)

National Headlines

General

• Dr. Stephen Wilkinson: Are the consequences of cutting USAID worth it? (Deseret News)
• International assistance safeguards American values (Deseret News)
• Heartthrob actor Richard Chamberlain, star of 'Thorn Birds', dies aged 90 (Reuters)
• Police say ICE tactics are eroding public trust in local law enforcement (NPR)
• ‘Can I travel?’: U.S. green-card holders cancel trips, on edge after detentions (Washington Post)

Political news

• Critics see Trump attacks on the 'Black Smithsonian' as an effort to sanitize racism in US history (AP)
• The Trump family is cashing in on crypto. It’s creating problems in Congress. (Politico)
• Trump won’t rule out a third term (Politico)
• The Supreme Court is hearing a religion case for the first time in 2 years. Here’s what to know (Deseret News)
• Top vaccine official resigns from FDA, criticizes RFK Jr. for promoting ‘misinformation and lies’ (AP)
• Senate Republicans urge Trump, allies to stop threatening courts (The Hill)

DOGE/Musk

• Elon Musk hands out $1 million payments after Wisconsin Supreme Court declines request to stop him (AP)
• DOGE fires nearly all staff at U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters (Washington Post)
• She devoted her life to serving the U.S. Then DOGE targeted her (New York Times)
• Why DOGE could actually increase the deficit (The Atlantic)

Ukraine/Russia

• Russia pounds Kharkiv for second night in row, Ukraine says (Reuters)
• Trump says he’s ‘angry’ at Putin’s remark questioning Zelensky’s legitimacy (Washington Post)

Israel, Gaza, Syria

• Inside Israel’s military operation in a West Bank refugee camp (Wall Street Journal)
• Israel digs in beyond its northern border (New York Times)

World news

• Earthquake compounds humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, where death toll has passed 1,700 (AP)
• Latter-day Saint leaders commit to assist those suffering after earthquakes in Myanmar, Thailand (Deseret News)
• U.S.-Canada relations cool as tariff war heats up, new poll finds (Deseret News)
• Tomb of unidentified ancient Egyptian pharaoh discovered (Reuters)
• France's Le Pen barred from running for office for five years after graft conviction (Reuters)

Number of the Day 

News Releases

Curtis, Schatz introduce bipartisan bill to remove barriers and boost Tribal access to federal energy resources

U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Tribal Energy Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to expand Tribal access to federal energy programs by removing unnecessary barriers and making technical fixes. It also allows Tribes to directly apply for and manage energy and grid resilience resources without needing to pass funds through utility providers. (Read More)

Leavitt Symposium Proceedings: Public policy lessons from the past quarter century

In the spring of 2024, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute hosted two forums titled What’s Past is Prologue: Public Policy Lessons from the Past Quarter Century. The forums featured Utah’s 14th governor, Michael O. Leavitt, many of the people who served with him, and several of today’s policy leaders, creating an influential public policy discussion around the past, present, and future. Following the forums, the Gardner Institute assembled six summaries highlighting significant policy priorities, as described by participants and informed by lessons learned from Governor Leavitt’s administration. The proceedings are now online. (Read More)

Maloy introduces legislation to nullify the Henry Mountains and Fremont Gorge Travel Management Plan

Rep. Celeste Maloy (UT-02) introduced legislation to nullify the Bureau of Land Management’s Henry Mountains and Fremont Gorge Travel Management Plan which significantly limits access and undermines recreational opportunities. The Travel Management Plan closes 612 miles of routes to motorized vehicles – including off-highway vehicles (OHVs), trucks, and motorcycles – across the BLM’s 1.45-million-acre planning area in Wayne and Garfield counties. These closures restrict access to popular areas and diminish opportunities for outdoor recreation. (Read More)

Lee introduces the Working Families Flexibility Act for the 119th Congress

Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a bill to help workers handle the constant challenge of work-life balance by allowing all individuals who work overtime to choose between monetary compensation or comp-time. The Working Family Flexibility Act would free workers to choose the best way to alleviate the difficulties of juggling work, home, kids, and community.  The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). (Read More)

Tweet of the Day

Upcoming

• Apr 7 — Funeral for Mia Love, 10:00 am, Institute Building at the University of Utah
• Apr 7 — Pillars of the Valley Elder Matthew S. and Paige Holland, with the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, 7:00-9:00 pm, Register here
• Apr 24 â€” Giant in Our City with the Salt Lake Chamber, 6:00-9:00 pm, Register here
• May 1 â€” High school writing contest deadline with The Rostra: Applying the wisdom of the past to the problems of today. More info here
• Aug 7 â€” Titan of Public Service, Sen. Tom Cotton, with the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, Grand America Hotel, More Information Here

On This Day In History

• 1776 - Abigail Adams writes to her husband John who is helping to frame the Declaration of Independence and cautions, “Remember the ladies…”
• 1888 - The National Council of Women of the U.S. is organized by Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe, and Sojourner Truth, among others, the oldest non-sectarian women’s organization in the U.S.
• 1889 - Eiffel Tower is completed. Parisians did not love it.
• 1918 - The first daylight saving time begins in the United States. This is where the madness started
• 1927 - Cesar Chavez is born. A former migrant farmworker, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association. 
• 1980 - Jesse Owens, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, dies of lung cancer at age 66.
• 1988 - Toni Morrison wins the Pulitzer prize for her novel, Beloved.
• 1998 - American politician Bella Abzug dies at age 77
• 2022 - Scientists announce they have fully finished sequencing the human genome.

Quote of the Day

"Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined."
—Toni Morrison, Beloved

On the Punny Side

I have a pet tree.

It's a lot like having a pet dog but the bark is much quieter. 

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