Mask mandate battles, back to school in Washington County, census info drops today and a sweet Dad moment with Joe Ingles | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. Send news tips or feedback to [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | August 12, 2021 Happy Thursday! It's International Youth Day Be in the Know The Salt Lake County health department director issued a mask mandate for school kids under age 12. The Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune's editorial boards agree with Dr. Dunn that the mask mandate is the right approach. And yet, the Salt Lake County Council is expected to overturn the mandate today, even as COVID cases surge among children. Happy back-to-school day to students in Washington County. Stay cool in the 100-degree weather! Don't miss the new report by the Utah Foundation on Mending the Net: Exploring Homeless Service Gaps in Salt Lake County and today's guest opinion by Tyler Clancy, executive director for the Pioneer Park Coalition on The Other Side Village. Census info is being released today, kicking off a shortened redistricting timeline. The results are expected to show an aging, diversifying nation, with the first drop in white population, ever. Is there anything sweeter than this?? Joe Ingles posted on Twitter that that after winning a Bronze for his native Australia, his 5-year old daughter Milla said they had the same medals. (Her's was a participation trophy for soccer. Milla told her dad the medals needed to be hung next to each other. So they are. | | |
Utah Headlines General What is âThe Point?â Plans for a â15-minute cityâ at former Utah prison site take shape (Deseret News, Salt Lake Tribune) Angels Landing in Zion switching to reservation system (St. George News) University of Utah health scientists say certain video games improve mental health in older adults (KSL) Politics Governor's name change request demand from an anonymous constituent goes national, as seen in The Hill, The New York Post and The Washington Times. Was the demand a joke? Probs. Gas tax isnât cutting it, so lawmakers say Utah needs to change how it pays for roads and highways (KUER) COVID Corner 1114 new cases, 7 new deaths The United States is now reporting 122,788 new coronavirus cases per day, the highest seven-day average since February 5. "The hospital is full, full, full. We have patients waiting in the emergency room for beds." University of Utah hospital fills again as caregivers urge vaccinations (KSL) Virus surges again in Utah's long-term care facilities, with many workers unvaccinated (KUTV) CDC guidance now official: Pregnant people should get coronavirus vaccine (Washington Post) 2 visitors arrested at Honolulu airport for falsifying COVID-19 vaccine cards (ABC4) Forget incentives like paid time off or free concert tickets. CEOs and businesses are making Covid vaccines mandatory as the delta variant spreads. (Bloomberg) COVID-19 may force schools to go remote again this year (Deseret News) COVID-19: Anti-vaccine nurse accused of giving saline shots to thousands in Germany. German officials are encouraging 8,600 people to get the coronavirus vaccine because of the alleged shot swap (Deseret News) Drought/Wildfires/Heat Dixie fire generates fire whirl, pyrocumulonimbus cloud at 40,000 feet (LA Times) Did monsoon rains make a dent in Utahâs drought, fire danger? (ABC4) Education Utah school districts prepare after thousands of children skipped kindergarten (KSL) Utah PTA talks how to create a safe and successful school year for kids (ABC4) Elections What kind of challengers should GOP Utah Rep. Burgess Owens expect in his own party? One like Jake Hunsaker. (KSL) Housing USU students scramble for housing after apartment construction delays (Deseret News) Local Communities Weber County Fair starts today, first Ogden Twilight show set for Friday (Standard-Examiner) National Headlines General Pride flag at Virginia Tech campus ministry stolen, replaced with Confederate flags (Washington Post) White population declines for first time in US history, new census expected to say (The Hill) "Jeopardy!" announced that it would have two hosts to succeed Alex Trebek: Mike Richards, the show's executive producer, and Mayim Bialik, PhD, the actress and neuroscientist known for her roles in "The Big Bang Theory" and âBlossom." (New York Times) Census data kicks off effort to reshape US House districts (AP) NSA quietly awards $10 billion cloud contract to Amazon, drawing protest from Microsoft (Washington Post) Politics Pelosi refuses to budge on bipartisan infrastructure bill (The Hill) Giuliani told agents it was okay to âthrow a fakeâ during political campaign (Washington Post) Democratic divisions emerge after Senate adopts $3.5 trillion budget
Policy schisms in the Senate â and ideological divisions in the House â could stall progress on Bidenâs agenda after a key vote this week. (Washington Post) Courts Dominion Voting Systems can proceed with three lawsuits alleging that lawyers and supporters of former President Donald Trump defamed it with false accusations relating to the 2020 election, a judge rules (Wall Street Journal) Economy Dow futures hit record high ahead of jobless claims, Disney earnings (Reuters) U.S. jobless claims fell to 375,000 last week, a sign of market momentum (Wall Street Journal) International Taliban take 10th Afghan provincial capital, squeezing Kabul (AP) âFortress New Zealandâ could welcome back international travelers next year â but only if theyâre vaccinated (Washington Post) Italy may have hit Europe's hottest day on record as anticyclone 'Lucifer' sweeps in (CNN) | | |
Policy News New Utah Foundation report identifies key homeless service gaps in Salt Lake County Today, the Utah Foundation released Mending the Net: Exploring Homeless Service Gaps in Salt Lake County. The third report in the Utah Foundationâs Homelessness Series draws from a wide-ranging survey of homeless service providers to explore the overarching service gaps. In particular, the report identifies areas where there is the greatest need for service expansions or enhancements. It also explores whether adequate collaboration is occurring to ensure that the homeless service providers are functioning together as a system. (Read More) Owens joins bipartisan coalition calling for DOJ to investigate OnlyFans for child exploitation Yesterday, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) joined Rep. Ann Wagner (MO-02) and 100 colleagues to call on Attorney General Merrick Garland to launch an investigation into OnlyFans.com, focused on the prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on the website and specific actions taken to ensure minors are protected from exploitation. (Read More) Sen. Lee bill protects schools from critical race theory Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced the Empowering Local Curriculum Act, a bill to ensure that the receipt of federal education funds does not require the teaching of critical race theory. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) joined as a co-sponsor. âCritical race theory undermines our founding principles, institutions, social mobility, and history itself â and schools should not be forced to teach it,â said Sen. Lee.âThis bill will ensure that with the receipt of federal funds, states and local educators will not have to.â (Read More) Young Utahns are honored for their efforts in achieving the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals In recognition of the United Nations designated International Youth Day on August 12, local nonprofit Utah Council for Citizenship Diplomacy will give honors to young individuals in Utah, recognizing each with a 7 for 17 Award for their efforts in achieving the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The award ceremony will be hosted at its annual International Youth Summit. (Read More) Sen. Lee, Rep. Jacobs lead call for President Biden to end unconstitutional eviction moratorium Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Congressman Chris Jacobs (R-NY) led a bicameral letter with 28 members of Congress to President Biden calling for the administration to change course and end its unconstitutional eviction moratorium. âWe strongly oppose the Biden administrationâs latest eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This latest action is plainly unconstitutional and will only serve to further distort the market and create a housing affordability crisis,â the letter reads. âAdditionally, any further restrictions on evictions at this point are counterproductive. The economy is open, jobs and vaccines are abundant, and federal rental assistance is a reality.â (Read More) | | |
Guest opinion: It takes a village to address homelessness By Tyler Clancy Driving through the homeless encampments of Austin, Texas, Alan Graham was frustrated. With a growing homeless population of nearly 2,200 living on the streets in desperation, he couldnât stand to hear politicians keep talking about the problem without offering any real solutions. Luckily for Austin, Mr. Graham was committed to finding a solution. Instead of letting the problem stall out in intellectual discussions and endless committees, Mr. Graham decided to get out of his car and begin to form real, meaningful relationships with the homeless citizens of Austin. After many nights sleeping on the streets and hearing story after story, Alan Graham describes homelessness as âa profound, catastrophic loss of familyâ. Mr. Grahamâs remedy to this? An incredible and revolutionary idea called Community First Village. Community First Village is a tiny home community created with one thing in mind â repairing and healing that âprofound, catastrophic loss of familyâ. In January, I had the opportunity to visit Community First Village with Joseph Grenny, Tim Stay, and Dave Durocher from The Other Side Academy. While walking the block and talking with neighbors, we were inspired by the powerful sense of community we witnessed. Neighbors talked with one another on their porches, and everyone knew each other on a first-name basis. Microenterprises like art, trades, and other industries thrived within the village and at the end of the day, everyone had a door to lock behind them, and a roof over their head. Returning home to Salt Lake City, we see a much different experience for our homeless sisters and brothers sleeping on the streets and sidewalks. Violence, victimization, and squalor run rampant throughout the encampments. Living in tents or under a bridge makes our unsheltered population easy targets for violent criminals, drug dealers, and even human traffickers taking advantage of our most vulnerable citizens. Originally hesitant to take on such a monumental undertaking, The Other Side Academy leadership felt compelled to take initiative after seeing the drastic contrast between the connection and warmth of Community First Austin, and the destitute situation on the streets of Salt Lake. This led to the creation of âThe Other Side Villageâ. Modeled after Community First, and coupled with the proven results of The Other Side Academy, The Other Side Village seeks to ââ¦Create an environment, socially and physically, that facilitates connection with others⦠(and) establish a community with strong social norms to bring out the best in all of us.â While The Other Side Academy staff and countless community members have been working tirelessly on the creation and implementation of The Other Side Village, some have recently criticized the initiative as possibly âisolatingâ our unsheltered citizens. This sentiment could not be further from the truth. As Joseph Grenny explained, âitâs (going to be) a vibrant, wonderful place for people to build relationships.âThe Other Side Village meets people where they are, offers strength, safety, connection, and community, all while supporting people in their journey to become the best they can be. To say that The Other Side Village is putting people âout of sight, out of mindâ is completely disconnected from reality. | | |
Upcoming Utah Foundation Breakfast Briefing: Mental health in anxious times â Aug 26 @ 9 am. Register here Utah Foundation Annual Luncheon with Shaylyn Romney Garrett â Sept 23 @ 12 pm. Register here | | |
On This Day In History From History.com 30 BC - Cleopatra dies 1851 - Isaac Singerâs first patent for a commercial sewing machine is granted. 1922 - Frederick Douglassâ home in Washington, D.C. is dedicated as a national shrine. 1939 - âThe Wizard of Ozâ movie premieres. 1955 - US President Eisenhower raises minimum wage from 75 cents to $1 an hour 1972 - Wendy Rue founds the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), the largest businesswomenâs organization in the United States. 1981 - The personal computer (PC) comes to market for the first time when IBM releases its Model 5150. 1990 - Sue Hendrickson discovers Tyrannosaurus rex remains in South Dakota. One of the most complete skeletons in the world, it was named Sue in honor of Hendrickson. 1994 - Professional baseball players strike, bringing Major League Baseballâs season to an end. The World Series is canceled. Wise Words "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
-Frederick Douglass Lighter Side âCuomoâs replacement will be Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. And this is â yeah, this is strange. Right after she was announced as New Yorkâs next governor, CNN offered a prime-time show to her sister.â â JIMMY FALLON | | |
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