Plus, which Western states are complying with Trump’s immigration orders?
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By Ariel Harmer Friday Feb. 7, 2025

🌨️ 33 – 49° Logan | 🌧️ 41 – 59° Salt Lake 

⛅ 33 – 56° Manti | ☀️ 47 – 67° Moab

⛅ 41 – 53° Cedar City | ⛅ 46 – 67° St. George

 

Good morning! 

 

Lois M. Collins is reporting from the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., where she attended the release of the 10th edition of the annual American Family Survey.

 

“Economic challenges top the list of concerns for U.S. families, who rank the cost of having a family as most worrisome,” she reports.

 

“The survey is a nationally representative study of attitudes about family life in the U.S., asking about views ranging from contentious issues like abortion, social media and gender-affirming care for young people to how families view relationships, personal values, the policies they support and how they spend time together, among others.”

 

Read more about what 10 years of surveys teach us about American families.

 

Also on our minds:

  • Is America losing its love for marriage?
  • Utah’s attorney general pushes for resources to strengthen the state's legal defense
  • Jazz acquire KJ Martin and future second-round pick

Teens sound off on proposed law to prohibit cellphones in classrooms

 
Jason Swensen recently visited Lone Peak High School during lunchtime, and while many were socializing and grabbing food, almost all the kids had devices in their hands.

That may soon become a thing of the past, as one bill facing the Utah Legislature would ban cellphones during school hours. Who better to offer their opinion on this bill than the students whom it would affect?

The responses were mixed. Grayson Mcevoy, a 17-year-old Lone Peak junior, would rather not have the state (or his school district) ban cellphones in class — “but I can also see the benefits in some ways.”
 
Read more about what Utah teens think of banning cellphones in class. 

 

More in Utah Politics

  • Renae Cowley & Frank Pignanelli: How will federal funding freeze affect Utah? (Deseret News)

  • Attorney General Derek Brown calls for legislative backing (Deseret News)
  • Utah lawmakers vote to ban unions from bargaining with government (Deseret News)
  • A ‘waste of time’? Utah House passes bill to end daylight saving time (KSL)

 

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How Western governors are complying — or not — with Trump’s immigration orders 

States in the West, especially those that share the border with Mexico, are grappling with the Trump administration’s changes in immigration law.
 
While Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Idaho Gov. Brad Little are generally supportive of Trump’s immigration policies. Other Western states aren’t fully aligned, and some are simply refusing to comply, Gitanjali Poonia reports.

“The Trump Justice Department is ordering criminal investigations into state and local officials who are willfully obstructing these orders, according to an internal memo sent by Emil Bove, Trump’s criminal defense lawyer, and first reported by Bloomberg Law,” she writes. “But the memo doesn’t clarify what these officials would be prosecuted for.”
 
Read more about the Western states challenging new border policies and how the Trump White House is responding.
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Round out your day (v5)

Utah

  • Jeffrey S. Tolk, ‘first gentleman’ of UVU, dies (Deseret News)
  • OpenAI’s $500B Stargate Project eyeing Utah as potential investment target (Deseret News)
  • Efforts to contact ICE, Utah officials on Millcreek detainment of U.S. citizen unsuccessful (KUTV)
  • Thousands of geese to take flight at Utah Snow Goose Festival (ABC4)

Family

  • Is America’s affection for marriage dwindling? (Deseret News)

  • Red and blue America: How Democrats and Republicans see marriage and family differently (Deseret News)
  • As marriage and childbearing rates decline, researchers looks for ways to help families (Deseret News)

Politics

  • Trump’s mantra at Thursday’s prayer breakfasts? Make America religious again (Deseret News)
  • Elon Musk emerges as Democrats’ new boogeyman in Trump 2.0 (Deseret News)

The U.S. & World

  • Egypt lobbies against Trump plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians as Israel makes preparations (The Associated Press)

  • Judge halts Trump's government worker buyout plan (BBC)
  • Halt in U.S. aid cripples global efforts to relieve hunger (Reuters)

Sports

  • Super Bowl LIX: How Chiefs coach Andy Reid stays close to his BYU roots (Deseret News)
  • This Park City skier is chasing her Olympic dreams — and her next competition stop is Utah (Deseret News)
  • How this USU guard is living out his American dream for the upstart Aggies (Deseret News)
  • After a final round of deadline moves, Jazz end up with KJ Martin and another future pick (Deseret News)

Lifestyle

  • Viral 100,000 egg heist stumps police — social media scrambles for answers (Deseret News)
  • Tropical destinations you can travel to without a passport (Deseret News)
1-Newsletter (6)

Photo of the week

BY TESS CROWLEY
 
The Cottonwood Heights Figure Skating Club (CHFSC), in unity with skating clubs nationwide and U.S. Figure Skating, held a memorial vigil in honor of the lives lost in Flight AA5342 at the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah in February. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

 

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today: 

  • Feb. 7 — U of U gymnastics vs. Arizona | 7 p.m.
  • Feb. 7 — BYU men’s volleyball vs. UC Santa Barbara | 7 p.m.
  • Feb. 7-9 — “The Spongebob Musical: Youth Edition” | Egyptian Theatre, Park City
  • Feb. 7-15 — “The Odd Couple” | Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City
  • Feb. 7-22 — “The Secret Garden” | Valentine Theater, American Fork
  • Feb. 7-28 — “Guys and Dolls” | The Ideal Playhouse, Heber City

Check your inbox tomorrow morning for more news from the Beehive State and beyond!

 

And reply to this email or email [email protected] to tell us what you think of Utah Today.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

— Ariel

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