Plus, Utah welcomes its first Afghani refugee, SCOTUS lets restrictive Texas abortion bill stand and a new pandemic low in jobless claims | | | 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 | September 2, 2021 It's Thursday already. Today's the day the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse will be officially named at noon. Email [email protected] for the Zoom link if you want to watch. Also, be sure to catch Scott Anderson's piece on the role of Utah's tech sector in keeping Utah's economy buzzing. Be in the Know The first Afghan refugee has arrived in Salt Lake City. His name is Azim Kakaie. He was an air traffic controller at the Kabul airport who had worked with the US military and NATO. He barely made it out with his life. 3 days after he was evacuated, and after being beaten by the Taliban, his wife, mother-in-law and brother also made it out, just 30 minutes before the suicide bombing. Welcome to Utah, Azim! The US Supreme Court rules 5-4 that the Texas "heartbeat" abortion law can remain in effect, without precluding the possibility of the law being found unconstitutional in the future. âThis order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texasâs law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts." Sacramento school district confirms that 24 students are still stranded in Afghanistan. Home to more than 1,400 students who are Afghan refugees, San Juan Unified School District school district officials know there are Sacramento-area kids stranded in Afghanistan who have not been able to leave. Scary. US jobless claims reach a pandemic low of 340,000 as hiring strengthens. Economists have estimated that Fridayâs jobs report for August will show that employers added 750,000 more last month. | | |
Utah Headlines General SL County and City pan UDOTâs Little Cottonwood plan (Salt Lake Tribune) Focusing on neurodiversity in tech, Auticon opens Utah office. People with autism often struggle to get jobs because they struggle to meet the social demands of the interview process. Auticon helps get them to work. (Salt Lake Tribune) The rise of midwives in rural America (Deseret News) Latter-day Saint Charities continues to send supplies to Afghan refugees on the move (Deseret News) Flooding in south central Utah in parts of San Juan, Garfield and Wayne counties (KUTV) Politics Paul Loeb: Could Mitt Romney be the Bob Dole who saves voting rights? (Salt Lake Tribune) Why national eyes are on Utah Gov. Cox for COVID-19 bargaining, votes against Biden, Trump (Deseret News) Cox meets with Utah legislature about COVID-19 surge (Fox13) COVID Corner 1685 new cases, with 411 in school-aged children, 6 new deaths Davis County prepares to reopen mass vaccine site ahead of anticipated demand (KSL) Troubling trends found from COVID-19 sewage samples across Utah (KSL Radio) Many children are becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported over 180,000 new cases in children during the week ending Aug. 19, Some require intensive care and develop long-term symptoms. (Deseret News) Judgeâs order on refuted COVID-19 treatment raises old questions about medical authority (Deseret News) Joe Rogan announces he has COVID-19 (ABC4) How Covid data gaps allowed Delta to proliferate (Politico) Economy 16,000 unfilled jobs in Utah leaves local businesses in tough bind (Fox13) Education First Lady and Friends podcast: Marc Brackett on the impact emotional intelligence can have in education 12 Paiute children likely died at this Panguitch Boarding School (The Spectrum) SUU to consider vaccine mandate, updates COVID guidance before start of semester (St. George News) Environment The summer of 2021 was the hottest on record in Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City) Rain helps Utah farmers, but drought impacts to be felt for years (Fox13) Legal Man arrested in St. George church fires claimed 'righteous anger,' police say (Deseret News) FOX 13 Investigates: Central Utah police board discriminated against former legislator, Carl Wimmer, state agency says (Fox13) National Headlines General This woman was arrested in Hawaii after saying she got the âMadernaâ COVID-19 vaccine (Deseret News) âIt looked apocalypticâ: Crew describes Afghan departure (AP) As Ida hit, homeless, other vulnerable people left behind (AP) Top U.S. general says he shares 'pain and anger' after Afghanistan withdrawal (Reuters) Advocates 'demoralized' as 100K allies remain stranded in Afghanistan (The Hill) Politics McConnell: 'There isn't going to be an impeachment' of Biden (CNN) Jan. 6 select committee elevates Liz Cheney to vice chair (Axios) Top conservative asks McCarthy to boot Cheney, Kinzinger from GOP conference, calls them 'spies' (The Hill) After voters embraced mail ballots, GOP states tighten rules (AP) Newsom has strong support in latest California recall survey (Politico) | | |
Policy News Natalie Gochnour selected as 2021 ATHENA Leadership Award winner The Salt Lake Chamber today announced that Natalie Gochnour, associate dean in the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, will receive the 2021 ATHENA Leadership Award. The organizationâs highest recognition for women in business, the national ATHENA Leadership Award, is presented annually to an active member of the Salt Lake Chamber who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in business. Each recipient must also provide valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and assist women in reaching their full leadership potential. (Read More) Lawsuit filed after Biden opens 79 million acres of Gulf of Mexico for oil leasing Immediately following the Biden administrationâs decision to offer 79 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing, environmental and Gulf groups today filed a challenge to the lease sale in court. Earthjustice filed the lawsuit in federal court in the District of Columbia on behalf of Healthy Gulf, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Biological Diversity. It was filed against Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management following the notice of lease sale 257. (Read More) Rep. Stewartâs statement on President Biden leaving Americans behind Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) released the following statement after the Biden Administration ended its evacuation in Afghanistan and left hundreds of Americans stranded behind enemy lines. âThis week, I was in Washington, D.C. with my Republican colleagues who also served in the military. We have all fought for the American ideal of âNo Man Left Behind,â and we demanded the same from our Commander in Chief. American citizens are stranded behind enemy lines, and President Biden has no plan to bring them home. American military equipment is in the hands of terrorists, and President Biden has no plan to disarm them. House Republicans called a vote to right these wrongs, but Democrats declined to even consider it. (Read More) | | |
The tech sectorâs impact on Utahâs economy By Scott Anderson When someone mentions a beehive, what are the first thoughts that pop into your head? You probably canât help but think of the delicious honey that those little creatures produce. More importantly, though, bees play a critical role in maintaining strong plants and crops through the process of pollination. Most folks already know that Utah is the âBeehive State.â Yet how many of us have really stopped to think about how aptly that metaphor sums up the spirit of our state? I think that itâs spot on. Consider recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau that found that, over the last decade, Utah was the fastest growing state with almost 3.28 million citizens. Our rate of growth was 18.4 percent, compared to 7.4 percent nationally. But this information only begs another question: what led to our stateâs growth? Our population boom can largely be chalked up to our economy hustling and bustling like a healthy beehive. To extend the metaphor even further, our burgeoning technology sector could be the queen bee behind our stateâs markets. Donât take my word for it. According to Utahâs Business Journal, the technology sector here in Utah has a direct impact of $20.1 billion on the stateâs economy. Another recent study found that we owe nearly one out of every seven jobs, or nearly 10 percent, of the total workforce here in Utah and as much as $30 billion to the tech sector. The same report estimates that the tech sector accounts for 11.5% of our economy. Only nine other states can count a higher share. That is a lot of honey! Encouragingly, employment growth in Utahâs technology space is expected to continue to increase by 27% over the next decade. In 2021 alone, the tech companies in Utah are expected to add about 245,000 jobs. However, like how the honeybee can be devastated by hasty changes to circumstances or their environment, the health and vitality of the Deseret economy is a delicate balance. Our representatives in Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., should be very sensitive to the potential effects policy changes can have on our business environment. The smallest of shifts can have major consequences. Keeping the hive thriving is a delicate balance. That is why I encourage our Congressional delegation and those in the statehouse to bring leaders in the tech industry to the table and chart a path forward that will ensure sustained growth long into the future. The last thing any of us want to do is to make dramatic changes to our healthy business climate and put our honey making at serious risk. Scott Anderson is the President and CEO of Zions Bank | | |
Upcoming Naming ceremony for the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse â Sept 2, @ 12 pm Email [email protected]
for the Zoom link "Celebrating Women" virtual conference by USU Extension â Sept 18, 9 am - 1:15 pm. 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 1666 - The Great Fire of London begins. By the end, 80% of London had been destroyed. 1789 - Congress founds the US Treasury, with Alexander Hamilton at its head 1885 - Chinese miners are massacred in Wyoming Territory by a mob of 150 white miners angry that the Chinese workers had taken their jobs. No effective legal action was ever taken against any of the mobsters. 1901 - Theodore Roosevelt advises "Speak softly & carry a big stick" 1945 - Japan surrenders, ending WWII 1948 - Christa McAuliffe is born. The New Hampshire teacher, selected in 1985 to be the first teacher in space, died in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. 1973 - J.R.R Tolkien dies. 1974 - President Gerald Ford signs the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The law guarantees pension rights and creates tax rules for employee benefits and contributions. 2013 - Diana Nyad, 64, makes record swim from Cuba to Florida, the first person to swim the 110 miles without a shark cage Wise Words âThe world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.â -J.R.R. Tolkien Lighter Side "After a day of listening to my eighth graders exchange gossip, I decided to quote Mark Twain to them: 'It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.'
After considering my words, one of my students asked, 'What does it mean to remove all doubt?" (Reader's Digest) | | |
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