Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics - May 19, 2014

Will Utah bring back the firing squad? Rep. Ken Ivory's all-consuming quest to gain control of public lands. Utah Supreme Court halts same-sex adoptions.

Countdown:

• 36 days until Utah's 2014 primary elections
• 169 days to the 2014 midterm elections
• 252 days to the start of the 2015 Utah Legislature
• 533 days to the 2015 elections
• 609 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses (tentative)
• 904 days to the 2016 presidential election

• The Utah Supreme Court halts same-sex adoptions in the state pending the outcome of the Amendment 3 court appeal [Deseret News].
• Rep. Paul Ray wants Utah to reinstate the firing squad following a botched execution in Oklahoma last month [Deseret News].
• Rep. Ken Ivory's quest to wrest control of public lands from the federal government has become his signature issue, and his livelihood [Tribune].
• A GOP call center in Provo aims to help Republicans across the country win elections come November [Deseret News].
• Utah's unemployment rate hits a five-year low [Tribune, Deseret News].
• Which local paper has the largest circulation? [Tribune]
• The University of Utah is $400 million behind on repairs to buildings on campus [Deseret News].
• The University of Utah says they will keep their "Red Zone" stores open through 2017 [Tribune].
• Anti-education groups may be gaining influence on the State Board of Education [Tribune].
• A new memorial to Utah's servicemen and women is unveiled in front of the Sandy City Hall [Utah Policy].

• 1536 - Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded after being convicted of adultery.
• 1588 - The Spanish Armada set sail for England.
• 1643 - The colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Harbor formed the New England Confederation.
• 1925 - Black Muslim leader Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
• 1962 - Actress Marilyn Monroe performed a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy during a fundraiser in New York.
• 1967 - The Soviet Union ratified a treaty with the United States and Britain banning nuclear weapons from outer space.
• 1992 - The 27th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits Congress from giving itself midterm pay raises, went into effect.

Today At Utah Policy

Podcast: The Story Behind the Utah Freedom Memorial Adam Galvez died in Iraq in 2006....

Chaffetz One of 13 Members of Congress to Get Free Trip to Japan Rep. Jason Chaffetz and his wife flew to Japan in April for free to attend a conference paid for by the Aspen Institute's Congressional Program....

Bob Bernick's Notebook: It's All About Money It is with hesitation, and more than a bit of sadness, that I write this column about the troubles of The Salt Lake Tribune....

Featured Items

Utah Policy/KSL Insider Survey: Is the Tea Party Waning? 2014 has not been kind to the Tea Party as many of their candidates are losing in primary elections across the country. Our "political insiders" and readers weigh in on whether this is the start of a long-term decline for the Tea Party or just a temporary setback....

Rocket Science Takes Off in Southern Utah MotionPort, a distributor and developer of computer aided engineering software in St. George Utah, has received a NASA Small Business Innovation Research Phase I award of $125,000 to develop an application that will simulate deployable space structures, specifically roll-out...

Utah Unemployment Rate Drops, Job Growth Holds Steady Utah's economy continues to outpace the nation as more and more Utahns are finding jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.8 percent, and our economy grew at 2.9 percent....

Bernick and Schott on Politics - Episode #187 Utah leaders call for immigration reform...again. Congress will do nothing...again. But, the issue will probably be a point of contention between Mia Love and Doug Owens in the race for Utah's 4th Congressional District.Bob Bernick and Bryan Schott break down the week in Uta...

Wise Words

Working Man
"There has never been but one question in all civilization-how to keep a few men from saying to many men: You work and earn bread and we will eat it."
Abraham Lincoln Quotations Page

Lighter Side

Happily Married
"During his trip to the White House ....Uruguay's president said that more Americans should be bilingual. Then Joe Biden said, 'Thanks, but I'm happily married.'' Jimmy FallonPolitical Humor