Morning must reads for Thursday, March 23, 2017

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

Morning must reads for Thursday, March 23, 2017

Good Thursday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 80th day of the year. There are 283 days remaining in 2017.  

The clock:

• 6 days until the last day Governor Gary Herbert can sign or veto bills (3/29/2017)
• 58 days until the Utah Republican State Convention (5/20/2017)
• 86 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)
• 229 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
• 305 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
• 350 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
• 593 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
• 1,321 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)

Today's featured stories

• Terrorist attack in London leaves four dead, dozens injured (New York Times, Washington Post).
   
• High drama as House conservatives and Pres. Trump negotiate deal to repeal and replace Obamacare in advance of vote Thursday evening (The Hill).
   
• Trump communications may have been picked up during transition (Washington Post, The Hill).
   
• West Valley and South Salt Lake residents continue fight against homeless facilities (Deseret News).
   
• Webb analyzes 2018 Senate race. Will Hatch run again? (Utah Policy)
   
• Bob Bernick reviews UtahDataPoints’ analysis of legislative bipartisanship (Utah Policy).
   
• Utah’s San Juan County is nation’s fastest-growing county. Wasatch and Juab are in top 10 (Deseret News).
   
• After 20 hours of grilling, Neil Gorsuch still on track to become Supreme Court justice (New York Times).
   
• It will take a fight to save Bears Ears National Monument (Washington Post).

On this day in history:

• 1743 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” premieres in London.
• 1775 – Patrick Henry proclaims “Give me liberty or give me death” in speech encouraging Virginia troops to join the Revolutionary War.
• 1839 – First recorded use of “OK” (oll correct), published in Boston’s Morning Post.
• 1933 – German Reichstag grants Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers.
• 1945 – Largest operation in WWII Pacific War, 1,500 U.S. Navy ships bomb Japanese island Okinawa.
• 1972 – Evel Knievel breaks 93 bones after jumping over 35 cars on motorcycle.
• 1989 – Two Utah scientists claim to have produced fusion at room temperature, but feat can’t be replicated.

Today At Utah Policy

GOP lawmakers share bill-passing power with Dems
By Bob Bernick, Contributing Editor
If you thought the 2017 Utah Legislature was rather quiet – as partisan battles go – you are correct.Brigham Young University political science professor Adam Brown always does interesting analysis on his utahdatapoints.com web site.And here is his annual legisla...

Analysis: Will Orrin Hatch run for re-election?
By LaVarr Webb, publisher
One of the big political questions for 2017 is whether Sen. Orrin Hatch will seek re-election in 2018. Hatch could postpone his decision until next year, but that’s not likely. If he runs, he needs to gear up a campaign and scare off potential challengers, so an announ...

Jordan & Ukraine ambassadors to speak at Rep. Stewart's conference
By Press Release
Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) will host his third annual “America’s Role in the World” Conference on Friday, March 31, at the Zions Bank Building downtown, 18th floor, 10 East South Temple. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.Speakers and panelists wil...

Gorsuch hearing focuses on Hatch's Religious Freedom Law
By Press Release
A major focus of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing has been the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law, authored in 1993 by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, mandates that courts apply “strict scrutiny” when the government attempts to burden ...

Utah Foundation searching for new president
By Press Release
After 15 years at the helm of Utah Foundation, Steve Kroes is moving on to new opportunities in his home state of California. The Utah Foundation Board of Trustees is ready to interview candidates for his position.The president is responsible for ensuring the highest quality...

Winning the political game: Basic elements of a campaign
By LaVarr Webb, publisher
2017 is a municipal election year, which actually features more candidates than an even-year election. The election season won’t heat up until the late summer and fall, but it’s not too early to be planning campaigns for mayor or city council slots. Here’s ...

U.S. Chamber gives Rep. Mia Love Spirit of Enterprise Award
By Press Release
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has honored Rep. Mia Love with its annual Spirit of Enterprise Award, given in recognition of her support for pro-growth policies in the second session of the 114th Congress.   These policies affect businesses in Utah.“During her ...

Policy News

Utah drops from B to C in charter school scorecard
Most coal consumption in the United States is for electricity generation. However, coal-fueled electricity’s share of the total has been decreasing. This is due in large part to the availability of low-cost natural gas, stringent environmental regulations tha...

Utah Foundation analyzes coal energy, production & the future
Most coal consumption in the United States is for electricity generation. However, coal-fueled electricity’s share of the total has been decreasing. This is due in large part to the availability of low-cost natural gas, stringent environmental regulations tha...

Ads call for Bears Ears monument rescission
The Stewards of San Juan County and Sutherland Institute have announced the launch of two commercial spots on KSL5-TV with a call to rescind the Bears Ears National Monument. The first video, which can already be viewed on KSL.com, features local children whose futures are t...

Utah producers could help Trump create jobs
The State of Utah could experience an increase of 1,027 jobs from a potential 25 percent increase in oil and natural gas production, according to John Dunham & Associates. A shift to pro-development policies by the Trump Administration could bring the job total from...

Herbert announces Talent Ready Utah grant program & executive board
Gov. Gary R. Herbert has announced Talent Ready Utah’s first steps in working toward his goal of filling 40,000 new high-skill, high-paying jobs in Utah over the next four years.The governor announced that the Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership will become the grant...

Brad Baird, EDCUtah's 'loaned executive,' to retire
When Brad Baird joined EDCUtah in 2004, he was the seventh loaned executive from Questar Corporation to put on an economic development hat. In April he'll retire after more than a decade of service to the organization and as the longest tenured loaned executive to work at ED...

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Editorial: A hopeful glimmer of political cooperation found in, of all places, the Utah Legislature

Advocacy groups ask feds to investigate Mormon church for allegedly procuring 'favors' from foreign governments

UTA ridership down, so bonuses are, too

Among nation's largest metro areas, Salt Lake City has the most millennials, report finds

Gov. Herbert signs rape kits bill, along with 65 others

San Juan County No. 1 for U.S. population growth

Latest hearing on Utah homeless shelters includes accusations, name calling

Deseret News

Op-ed: Utah roads will be safer with .05 percent BAC law

Derek B. Miller: Utah is setting the example for global leadership

Richard Davis: Democrats should take the moral high ground on Judge Gorsuch

Editorial: Cyber bullying bill is well-intended but may go too far

Jay Evensen: Does Utah no longer care about strengthening marriages?

Veteran jobless rate in Utah among lowest in nation

Salt Lake City joins brief supporting suit against Trump order on immigration enforcement

Hatch questions Gorsuch about religious freedom in Supreme Court confirmation hearing

Report: Coal under fire, but it plays strong role in Utah, U.S. for power

Utah gun rights group takes aim at .05 DUI law

Utah drivers in most DUI fatals test well above .08 percent

Seething West Valley, South Salt Lake residents protest all seven homeless site options

Census: San Juan County is fastest-growing county in U.S.

Other

Utah has one of the lowest veteran unemployment rates in the US (Standard-Examiner)

Trump budget would cut CDBG funding that helps local infrastructure, nonprofits (Logan Herald Journal)

National Headlines

Theresa May condemns attack on Parliament that killed five (The Sun)

Comey Is Now the Most Powerful Person in Washington (Bloomberg)

House Intelligence chair says Trump campaign officials were ensnared in surveillance operations (Washington Post)

Trump, House leaders, conservatives working on health care deal (CNN)

Trump meets Black Caucus and vows action on drug prices (Politico)

Trump moves sanctuary city fight to front burner (The Hill)

Mattis urges Congress vote to fight ISIS (Politico)

Trump Lays Plans to Reverse Obama's Climate Change Legacy (New York Times)

Senate debates permanent rollback of FCC's broadband privacy rules (TechCrunch)

Sanders: Block Trump's SEC pick (The Hill)

Exxon says it lost emails from Tillerson's alias account (MarketWatch)

Wise Words

Finger Posts
"Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success." C. S. Lewis

Lighter Side

Donation
"Workers at a Goodwill store in Washington state got a big surprise when they opened a donated cooler and inside they found $24,000 worth of marijuana. GOODwill? More like AWESOMEwill." James Corden