Plus, it's National Water Balloon Day - go have some fun; the earth is spinning faster, goats, sheep and wildfires.... | | | The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at [email protected]. | | |
Situational Analysis | August 5, 2022 It's Friday and National Water Balloon Day. The best way to fill them? That nifty invention that lets you fill 100+ at a time and you do not even have to tie them off.... Also, it's Rep. Chris Stewart's annual Security Summit at the Little America, from 8:30-1:00. Be in the Know The US economy added more than a half million jobs in July, more than doubling expectations as the job market showed surprising strength. Employers added 528,000 jobs in July according to the Labor Department â a significant acceleration from the previous month. The unemployment rate nationally dropped to the pre-pandemic low of 3.5%, meaning the US has now made up all the jobs lost during the pandemic. So are we in a recession? If we are, it's certainly a weird one. âRecession â what recession?â wrote Brian Coulton, chief economist at Fitch Ratings, wrote after the numbers came out. âThe U.S. economy is creating new jobs at an annual rate of 6 million â thatâs three times faster than what we normally see historically in a good year. ââ Rapid Roundup Feel like the earth is spinning faster and faster? You're not wrong! June 29 was the shortest day in history. A missing Utah woman found alive 1 week after crashing car in 300-foot ravine, a Utah team of veterans in wheelchairs bring home multiple gold medals, goats and sheep are being used to help prevent Utah wildfires, and an argument on TikTok leads to stabbing in Bountiful. | | |
Utah Headlines General Grand County attorney bought property from someone her office was prosecuting (KUTV) Biker falls 60 feet in Zion National Park (ABC4) Hill Air Force airman charged in Syria base blast that injured troops (KUTV) Salt Lake County offers program to help people with life after incarceration (Fox13) Utah wants to help Afghan refugees prosper. Will the federal government get in the way? (Reason) The American Dream: What millions of genealogical records teach us about immigration (CGO) Politics Lt. Gov. Henderson: 'Turn down the rhetorical heat' on election fraud claims (KUTV) Lawsuit dropped over recount demand in Washington County (Fox13) âThis is not overâ: Citing potential court costs, Billings withdraws House 72 recount complaint (St. George News) Rep. Blake Moore: You should know whatâs happening with national defense funding (Deseret News) Gene Davis accused of âsexual misconductâ by Utah Senate intern, a problem some Democrats allege has been ignored by the party. Salt Lake County Democratic Party has âtemporarily suspendedâ longtime state Sen. Gene Davis from all party events in the county. (Salt Lake Tribune) Stephanie Thompson Lundeen: Our nation is caught between two parties in perpetual conflict (Salt Lake Tribune) Former SLC Mayor Rocky Anderson to run for mayor. Again. (KSL Newsradio) Ogden hikes taxes, but drops politician pay raise (Fox13) Business Utah couple with Down Syndrome running popular food truck (Fox13) Education Western Governors University at 25: How a group of governors disrupted higher education (Deseret News) Terry Marasco: Substitute teachers donât get enough respect (Salt Lake Tribune) Nathan Flynn: Occupational licensing could reduce teacher shortages (Salt Lake Tribune) âWe canât afford these luxuriesâ: Parents blast Jordan school boardâs $30 million tax increase. After hearing hours of comments from critics, the board voted 6-1 to increase its property tax levy by 23%. (Salt Lake Tribune) Utah districts short on support staff as school is about to start (KSL) NAACP President asks DOJ to mediate SLC School Board, Gadson dispute (KUTV) Mendenhall confident in school district's handling of superintendent controversy (KUTV) Environment Get ready to stretch the water supply â population is booming and drought isnât ending (Deseret News) Utah board approves 'historic' $190M in secondary water meter grants. Here's why that matters (KSL) The underwater wonders of Glen Canyon resurface as Lake Powell sinks to new lows (KUER) Extreme heat continues to hit the nation with nearly 90 million Americans under a heat advisory (Deseret News) Why arenât Florida sea turtles having little boy turtles? It has to do with the temperature of the sand (Deseret News) (Mostly) good news from the Great Barrier Reef. Coral cover on portions of the reef at highest level in 36 years (Deseret News) Robert Redford and family set aside more than 300 acres as wilderness at Sundance resort (Salt Lake Tribune) âLive to Breatheâ campaign encourages steps for clean air (KSL Newsradio) Family Whatâs next in the lingering baby formula shortage? (Deseret News) Centenarian celebration honors Utahs 100 years and older (Fox13) Health Utahâs COVID-19 deaths jump, case counts dip, state reports, Twenty-eight more Utahns have died from the coronavirus. (Salt Lake Tribune) National Headlines General Two dead after Thursday night lightning strike near White House (Washington Post) Seven years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it happen (AP) Alex Jones must pay $4.1 million to Sandy Hook parents, jury rules (Washington Post) Jury in Alex Jones defamation case to begin deliberations on punitive damages (Reuters) Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in penal colony for bringing drugs Into Russia (Wall Street Journal) Washington and Moscow are ready to negotiate over Griner, officials say. (New York Times) Politics Former GOP vice president Dick Cheney called Donald Trump a âgreat threat to our republicâ (Deseret News) How 3 presidents announced the deaths of terrorist leaders and what it says about them (NPR) Democrats say theyâve reached agreement on economic package (AP) Kari Lake, election denier backed by Trump, wins Arizonaâs G.O.P. governor primary (New York Times) Pelosi: US will ânot allowâ China to isolate Taiwan (The Hill) Ukraine ðºð¦ US aid chief counters food crisis, Russia (AP) Russiaâs vow to annex occupied Ukraine sparks divisions, pleas for aid (Washington Post) | | |
News Releases Curtis to speak with Taiwanâs Ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao Rep. John Curtis is slated to speak with Ambassador Hsiao at the annual Stewart Security Summit today. Media reports indicate that Chinese military exercises will simultaneously occur on Taiwanese sovereign territory during this time period. âRecent events, including the visit by Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan, show the importance of Americaâs partnership with Taiwan,â said Rep. Curtis. âI have long called for fair treatment of Taiwan internationally and deeper ties between our democracies, and I value the opportunity to speak with Rep. Hsiao about Americaâs support for Taiwan.â (Read More) Utahâs consumer sentiment continues to fall in July Utahâs consumer sentiment fell in July, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Instituteâs Survey of Utah Consumers. The Utah index fell to 62.9 in July, compared to 64.4 in June. A similar survey for the United States showed consumer sentiment rising slightly, increasing to 51.5 in July compared to 50.0 in June. This is the first month since the Gardner Institute began tracking consumer sentiment in October 2020 where the Utah index has fallen while national sentiment increased. (Read More) WGU leads nation in nursing graduates Today, the Utah Foundation releases Americaâs Nursing School: The Nursing Program at Western Governors University. The analysis, commissioned by Western Governors University (WGU), finds that the institution is playing a leading role in filling this vital health care and economic need across the country. Among the findings of the study: As an online university, WGU has provided 84,390 nursing graduates from all 50 states since 2009 â 60,368 of whom received bachelorâs degrees in nursing and 24,022 of whom received masterâs degrees in nursing. WGU nursing graduates make up 2.0% of all the registered nurses with an active license in the nation. In 2021, WGU produced a whopping 17% of the nationâs registered nurses earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, suggesting that its already outsized role in educating national nursing personnel will rapidly expand. Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard described WGUâs impact as âeye-popping.â (Read More) Number of the Day | | |
Upcoming Women in the Money with Utah State Treasurer's Office â Sept. 15-16, Salt Lake Sheraton + online, Register here ULCT Annual Convention â Oct 5-7, Salt Palace Convention Center, Register here General election â Nov 8 | | |
On This Day In History 1624 - William Tucker, 1st child of African descent to be born in an English colony in America, is born in Jamestown, Virginia 1858 - First transatlantic telegraph cable completed 1861 - Abraham Lincoln imposes the first federal income tax 1864 - Battle of Mobile Bay, won by the Union Army led by Rear Admiral David Farragut with the cry "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" 1962 - Marilyn Monroe is found dead 1963 - The US, Great Britain and the Soviet Union sign the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater or in the atmosphere. 1981 - Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 air-traffic controllers 2011 - Hazel Johnson dies. She was the first Black woman to become a general in the U.S. Army. She was appointed the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps in 1979. Johnson held a doctorate in education administration. 2014 - Obama signs The Iron Dome Bill providing $225 million in additional funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense. 2019 - Toni Morrison, writer and first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize, dies at age 88. Wise Words "If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." âToni Morrison The Punny Side I had to clean out my spice rack and found everything was too old and had to be thrown out. What a waste of thyme. | | |
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