Utah Headlines

General

• Police union, Black Lives Matter activist look back at 2020 riots (Deseret News)
• 1 year after George Floyd's killing, Salt Lake mayor reflects on what's changed (Deseret News)
• 3 Utah Jazz fans banned indefinitely after making sexually explicit, racist remarks to family of Grizzlies guard, Ja Morant (Salt Lake Tribune, ABC4, KUTV, Fox13)
• Utah Co. jail has largest jail industries program nationwide, providing jobs and hope for inmates (Fox13)
• 'Not just a place for us to bury our loved ones': Memorial Day highlights importance of cemeteries (St. George News)

Politics

• Mother of Capitol police officer who died says 'I couldn't stay quiet anymore' after meeting with Mitt Romney (Deseret News)
• Governor makes it official, signs special session bill approving ban on school face mask mandates (Deseret News)

COVID Corner

• Utah adds 309 new COVID-19 cases, reports two new deaths (ABC4)
• Utah taking 'cautious' approach to financial incentives for COVID-19 vaccine (Deseret News)
• Among Utah's fully vaccinated population, just one has died of COVID-19 (KUTV)
• While state continues to see drop in COVID-19 infections, Iron County lags behind (St. George News)
• A Tennessee woman is arrested after driving through vaccination site yelling 'no vaccine' (The Hill)
• Virus variant that ravaged India found in Oregon (KATU)

Drought/Wildfires

• Drought-induced fish die-offs expected at several Utah water bodies (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Southern Utah fire restrictions in place after record of human-caused fires in 2020 (ABC4)
• IN FOCUS Discussion: Utah's extreme drought (ABC4)
• Utah's drought is causing more conflicts with bears (ABC4)
• First-ever Colorado River water shortage is now almost certain, new projections show (CNN)

Economic Development

• Can Silicon Slopes avoid becoming the next Silicon Valley? (Deseret News)
• A 'river' tunnel. More gates. Here's what's next for the $4.1 billion new Salt Lake City International Airport that opened last year. (It's years away from completion)

Education

• Small town central Utah school finds success in high tech build it yourself competition (Fox13)
• Alpine School District honors graduating classes of 2021 at Rio Tinto Stadium (Daily Herald)
• Without digital equity, our educational gap will only grow (Deseret News)
• Utah is no longer last in education spending per student. But what does that really mean? (Deseret News)
• Proposed Utah school board rule prohibits instruction that recognizes any race as superior or inferior (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Why teaching critical race theory makes people uncomfortable, on this week's Utah Politics podcast: Darlene McDonald of Utah Black Roundtable shares her perspective (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah PTA votes to take no position on critical race theory in schools (KUTV)
• Why some conservatives see critical race theory as a threat - They struggle to define what it means but consider the theory a serious threat to the country and a setback to race relations. (Deseret News)

Elections

• 'Utah deserves so much better' - The GOP fight is on as former Rep. Becky Edwards challenges Sen. Mike Lee (Salt Lake Tribune, KUTV, Fox13)
• West Haven mayoral race shaping up between incumbent and City Council challenge (Standard-Examiner)

Environment

• Wild horses under adoption program end up in slaughter houses, says investigation (Fox13)

Housing

• First-time homebuyers 'don't even stand a chance' as median price tops $500,000 in Salt Lake County (ABC4)
• The House That She Built breaks barriers, preps for Home Show debut (Daily Herald)

Legal

• Lori Vallow Daybell found unfit to stand trial, new charges filed (Deseret News, ABC4
• Utah store owner pleads guilty to wildlife trafficking after importing about 1,500 wildlife items from Indonesia. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• SLC officials say a partnership with the feds has resulted in nearly 100 arrests and stopped an uptick in crime (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Police looking for man who stole plywood from home under construction in Eagle Mountain (KUTV)

Local Communities

• We're exploring 150 'things to do' in Utah - and we need your help (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Gunnison 8th-grade class wins competition with a green car that runs on a 9-volt battery (Fox13)
• Aggie Chocolate Factory makes USU a foodie triple threat: chocolate, ice cream and cheese. The The Aggie Chocolate Factory is the only bean-to-bar facility operated by an academic institution in the western United States (Standard Examiner)
• Orem grants 8 female employees Women in Leadership scholarships (Daily Herald)
• Zion National Park cancels shuttle ticket system, now first-come-first-serve with masks (The Spectrum)

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National Headlines

General

• Video shows a woman punching a Southwest flight attendant in the face, knocking out teeth: 'It was all bad' (Washington Post)
• At home, tiki bars and beer caves shielded them from life's troubles. They were killed at work. (Washington Post)
• California's strict gun laws no deterrent for San Jose gunman (Fox News)
• The colleagues killed in San Jose mass shooting were like family, official says. Here's who they were (CNN)
• Chilling surveillance footage shows alleged San Jose gunman moments before deadly shooting (Fox News)
• Disgruntled worker who killed 9 appeared to target victims (Detroit News)
• Majority of Americans favor vaccine verification for travel purposes: survey (The Hill)

Politics

• Biden mocks Republicans for 'bragging' about his coronavirus stimulus plan they voted against: 'Some people have no shame' (Business Insider, Politico)
• Senate GOP moderates fume as McConnell prepares to block Jan. 6 commission (Politico)
• Senate bid to counter China thrown into chaos amid GOP objections (Politico)
• Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She and Matt Gaetz Are 'Taking Charge' Amid GOP 'Civil War' (Newsweek)
• Senate chaos: Johnson delays holiday weekend exit as votes pushed to Friday (The Hill)
• Timing for key vote on January 6 commission unclear after Republicans bog down Senate floor overnight (CNN)
• Paul Ryan slams Trump in speech about future of Republican Party (CBS)
• Former Speaker Paul Ryan to GOP: Dump Trump, reject '2nd-rate imitations' (AP)
• Paul Ryan: Voters won't be impressed by 'yes-men and flatterers (The Hill)

Courts

• An Alabama Man Is Suing A Deputy Because He Says Tight Handcuffs Led To An Amputation (NPR)

Economy

• Pandemic or no, CEO pay rises again. Typical package: $12.7M (AP)

Elections

• Facebook will give to candidates again - but not Republicans who voted against certifying Biden's win (Politico, Buzzfeed)
• Prosecutors Investigating Whether Ukrainians Meddled in 2020 Election (New York Times)

Energy

• Big Oil Faces A Reckoning Decades In The Making (NPR)
• Biden's Fossil Fuel Moves Clash With Pledges on Climate Change (New York Times)

Environment

• Volcano erupts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (CNN)

International

• From Protester to Prisoner: How Hong Kong Is Stifling Dissent (New York Times)
• Exclusive: Evictions of Palestinians could spark further conflict, Blinken warns (Axios)
• 'Our season': Eritrean troops kill, rape, loot in Tigray (AP)
• Plague of ravenous, destructive mice tormenting Australians (AP)
• Syria's Assad "wins" 4th term with 95% of vote, in election the West calls fraudulent (Reuters)
• Germany acknowledges colonial genocide in Namibia and promises development projects (Washington Post)

Security

• Microsoft says SolarWinds hackers have struck again at the US and other countries (CNN)
• Russia Appears to Carry Out Hack Through System Used by U.S. Aid Agency (New York Times)
• Russian hackers seized email system used by State Department aid agency, human rights groups (The Hill)

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Policy News

Rep. Becky Edwards to challenge Lee for US Senate seat
Citing her experience and success bringing people together to solve problems, Representative Becky Edwards announced today that she will challenge U.S. Senator Mike Lee in the Utah Republican primary."I became a public servant to make a positive impact on the lives of our families and the prosperity of our state," Edwards said. "I did that by building a reputation as someone willing to listen and work with anyone to solve problems. Like most Utahns, I've watched as politics have become divisive and dysfunctional. Things need to change. It's time we have a leader in Washington who will stop bickering, and just put the people of Utah first."

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Orrin Hatch Receives Religious Liberty's Highest Honor
Tonight, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty awarded Orrin G. Hatch-the Chairman Emeritus of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation-the 2021 Canterbury Medal for his instrumental role in passing legislation in defense of religious freedom for people of all faiths. The Canterbury Medal, religious liberty's highest honor, recognizes an individual who has demonstrated courage and commitment to defending religious freedom in America and around the world.

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Congressman Blake Moore and Colleagues Introduce the Bipartisan Recreation Not Red-Tape Act to Enhance Americans' Ability to Access and Enjoy Public Lands
Today, Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act to remove barriers to outdoor recreation, making it easier for Americans to enjoy public lands and boosting rural economies across the country.

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Pioneer Park Coalition to Host Speaker Series on Homelessness in Utah
The Pioneer Park Coalition is proud to announce they will be hosting a historic speaker series in June based around "Homelessness in Utah." Headlining the weekly series will be newly appointed State Homeless Services Coordinator, Wayne Niederhauser; Salt Lake City Director of Homelessness Policy and Outreach, Andrew Johnston; The Other Side Village Outreach Director, Moe Egan; and a special guest from the national level who has not been announced yet.

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Growing Number of Conservatives Support Federal LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protections
This morning, Conservatives Against Discrimination Leadership Council Co-Chairs Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Trey Grayson announced the addition of four new Republican women, former U.S. Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, former Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, former New Hampshire State Representative Yvonne Dean-Bailey and political commentator Ana Navarro-Crdenas to the coalition calling for federal protections for LGBTQ Americans.

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Business Headlines

• Pandemic or no, CEO pay rises again. Typical package: $12.7M (AP)
• Many women CEOs saw raises last year, but ranks remain thin (AP)
• US consumers boosted spending by a slight 0.5% in April (AP)
• Today I learned the PS5's controller can buzz along to your music on Spotify (The Verge)
• Meme stocks AMC, GameStop poised to end strong week on a high (Reuters)
• From Jersey Shore to Great Barrier Reef, businesses ask: Where's the help? (Reuters)
• Google Nears Settlement of Ad-Tech Antitrust Case in France (Wall Street Journal)
• HP and Dell Post Strong Profits, Point to Bullish Outlook for PCs, Robust demand for laptops is projected to stretch into next year despite chip shortage (Wall Street Journal)

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