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Good morning!

Where were you five years ago today?

If you can’t recall, let me remind you: March 11, 2020, was the day the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.

I distinctly remember hoping that a few classes would get cancelled and I’d get a week off of school. I had very little foresight into what would actually happen: millions of deaths and profound social changes.

Lois M. Collins writes that in the U.S., the pandemic response was shaped by partisan divides that have only grown deeper. Now, areas such as health care, education and religion are perhaps irrevocably changed by COVID-19.

Read more about five areas where the effect of the pandemic is still felt today.

Also on our minds:

A former Olympic snowboarder is now on the FBI most wanted list
The Supreme Court turned down a religious discrimination case over two justices' objections
The All-Big 12 basketball awards have been unveiled — here’s how BYU and Utah players did

What are Utahns' favorite and least favorite Trump executive orders?

Emma Pitts writes:

President Donald Trump did not ease into his second term; no one would describe his first days as lazy celebration. Trump has signed 83 executive orders since his first day in the White House on Jan. 20.

Utahns appear to be more supportive of the commander in chief than the rest of the country. A recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by HarrisX revealed that 59% (3 in 5) of Utahns approve of Trump’s job as president, including 83% of Republicans, 18% of Democrats and 39% of independents.

While Utahns fall roughly in line with the rest of the country on which of Trump’s executive orders they like best, Utah Republicans are typically more socially conservative on issues like gender and abortion than other Republicans, and a little less supportive of Trump’s moves on immigration, while finding common ground on issues such as tech regulation and declassifying documents.

Where Utahns were opposed to executive intervention was:

Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America
The U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO)
The dismantling of the Department of Education

Read more about how Utahns feel about social issues, tech and crypto, and more.

Future of flight? Electric air taxi glides into Salt Lake City

Imagine that you call a taxi and find yourself not in the back of an old yellow cab but flying in a small electric plane.

This imagined trip will soon become reality in Utah, thanks to a new electric aircraft agreement.

Beta Technologies' electric-powered Alia aircraft made a stop in Salt Lake City on Monday, the first in a series of planned demonstrations across Utah this week.

Alia’s flight came six weeks after Beta signed a memorandum of understanding with Utah aerospace and defense group 47G, with support from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Utah Department of Transportation.

Art Raymond writes, “The benchmark agreement outlines a plan to create new, airborne options for transporting goods and people around the state, reducing emissions and making Utah a forward player in an emerging tech segment that’s expected to grow into a multi-billion dollar industry in the coming years.”

Read more about the future of electric aircraft in Utah.

Sports

Meet the BYU sprinter who found her confidence and is doing the most unheard-of things (Deseret News)
Olympic snowboarder on FBI’s most-wanted list (Deseret News)
The All-Big 12 basketball awards have been unveiled. Here’s how BYU and Utah players did (Deseret News)
Zach Wilson is on the move again. Where is he headed? (Deseret News)
Utah Special Olympians eager to represent in upcoming World Winter Games in Turin, Italy (Deseret News)

Faith

Supreme Court turns down religious discrimination case over 2 justices' objections (Deseret News)
What 4 Church leaders wish more Latter-day Saints understood about temple and family history work (Church News)

Health

Travelers at Dulles airport may have been exposed to measles (Deseret News)
Utah will be the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water (The Associated Press)
Utah colon cancer survivor shares experience with immunotherapy, encourages early detection (KSL-TV)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah in March. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

March 11-12 — “Chicago” | The Ellen Eccles Theatre, Logan
March 11 — Utah Tech softball vs. BYU | 4 p.m.
March 11 — Utah Tech baseball vs. Gonzaga | 6:05 p.m.

Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!

And reply to this email or email [email protected] to tell us what you think of Utah Today.

Thanks for reading!

— Ariel

Future of flight? Electric air taxi glides into Salt Lake City

More in Utah

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🗓️ Events Calendar