Plus, what are Utah lawmakers prioritizing in 2022? (Hint: It's not COVID.)
Good morning. Salt Lake City will have a high of 41° and a low of 24°. Today is the first day of the 2022 Utah Legislature general session, and you can bet we have some ideas for how you can get involved. Whether you have five minutes, 20 minutes, an hour or all day, we've got you covered. Also on our mind today: how bad citizens threaten the future of our democracy, how President Russell M. Nelson marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day and potential legal trouble for an outspoken opponent of the Utah Lake Restoration Project. |
| How inflation hit the Intermountain West in 2021 |
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| | Inflation hit the Intermountain West harder than any other area in the country during 2021. Price increases — Mountain West vs. National Fuel: 57.5% in Mountain-Plains division. 49.5% nationally. Food: 6.2% in Mountain West. 6% nationally. Housing: 8% in Mountain division. 3.8% nationally. Used cars: 36% in Mountain West. 37% nationally. Migration from more densely populated urban areas to less-population areas — a result of the pandemic — has increased the cost of purchasing a home and renting in the West. And the increase in fuel prices last year can mostly be attributed to declining refining capacity in the West and Intermountain regions, according to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Of course, keep in mind that a higher percentage increase doesn't necessarily mean prices are higher in the Mountain West than elsewhere. Julie Percival, a regional economist for the bureau’s Southwest and Mountain-Plains Information Office, explained that a price increase at the pump in Dallas would reflect a larger percentage increase than the same increase in San Francisco, where gasoline already costs more than it does anywhere in Texas. | The House GOP Plan outlines five "policy pillars" for the 2022 Utah Legislature general session: Water One action item: Preserve the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. Keeping life affordable One action item: Reduce the tax burden on Utahns. Education modernization One action item: Create equal educational opportunity for all Utah children. Preserving quality of life in the face of growth One action item: Modernize state transportation funding (this includes addressing the “dying” gas tax, the rise of electric cars, and whether the state should start charging for miles driven on roads). Generational investments One action item: Ensure the construction of infrastructure at Point of the Mountain maximizes the return on our taxpayer funded investment. Notably missing from lawmakers' priorities? COVID-19. “The thing is, I don’t know there’s a whole lot that government can do,” said House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. “Look at all the states around the nation, governments trying to intervene and change outcomes, and it’s not changing the outcomes.” Read more from Katie McKellar about what Utah lawmakers are planning to do in 2022. More in Politics How to get involved in the Utah Legislature, whether you have 5 minutes or all day (Deseret News) Opinion: Democracy is in danger. Is it your fault? (Deseret News) Gov. Cox, Utah lawmakers form a working group on diversity and inclusion for K-12 education (KSL.com) |
FROM OUR SPONSOR VOICES UTAH Conversations with today's most inspirational and influential voices Join Deseret News and Utah Business in this VIP limited engagement series featuring Mike Conley, Joe Ingles and more. Attend for personal meet and greets, photo sessions and intimate conversations with the voices who have engaged and captured our attention. Buy tickets for the April 12 event. | COVID This chart reveals the top 14 omicron variant symptoms (Deseret News) How to find the digital national COVID-19 vaccine card (Deseret News) Faith President Russell M. Nelson honors Martin Luther King Jr.: ‘Abandon attitudes and actions of prejudice’ (Deseret News) Elder Andersen shares counsel with BYU–Hawaii students on how to look at New Year’s resolutions (Church News) Southern Utah San Juan County commissioners violated Utah's open meetings law, county attorney says (KUTV) Work begins on fiber-optic internet network to every address in Santa Clara (St. George News) Northern Utah Plans for large scale Tooele Inland port canceled (The Tooele Transcript Bulletin) Temporary restraining order stops Grantsville annexation, for now (The Tooele Transcript Bulletin) Wasatch Front BYU study finds one key to helping your children’s relationships find success (Deseret News) Lake Restoration Solutions files lawsuit against BYU assistant professor (The Daily Herald) The West How do you make middle housing more appealing? Make it look like a single-family home (Deseret News) The Nation Thousands in northeast are without power after heavy snowfall from winter storm (NPR) 2 teens held in UK over Texas synagogue siege (BBC News) The World Updates trickle in from Tonga as Utah Tongan families look for ways to help (KSL.com) UK sending weapons to defend Ukraine, says defense secretary (BBC News) Trending 17 blockbusters that could make millions in 2022 (Deseret News) | Thanks for reading! Please let us know what you think about Utah Today by replying or emailing us at [email protected]. — Ashley |
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