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Utah Headlines

General

• Former Deseret News editor John Hughes dies at 92. Hughes won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the collapse of the Sukarno regime in Indonesia (Deseret News)
•  The power of kindness might surprise you. Studies show that acts of kindness are contagious. They give recipients and warmth that makes them want to do nice things for others (Deseret News)
• Firefighter did ‘all that I could do’ to save skier after avalanche in Neff’s Canyon. Tom Elbrecht gave skier his coats and granola bar and stayed with him for eight hours as search and rescue team wrangled with danger of more slides. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Utah companies gift $20,000 in toys to children at Primary Children’s Hospital (ABC4)

Politics

• Should TikTok be banned in the United States? Utah Sen. Mike Lee says the idea of stopping the social media app from operating in U.S. worth considering (Deseret News)
• Will more Utah tax cuts help with inflation? Gov. Cox says yes (KSL)
• Gov. Cox calls 2023 "Year of the Teacher" (UPR)

Business

• More layoffs in Utah's tech industry as Pluralsight announces cutbacks (KUTV)
• ‘I just cried’: recent layoffs could signal the Utah tech boom is tapering (KUER)
• Why companies do layoffs around Christmas. December is often the second-highest month for job cuts. January is worse. (Wall Street Journal)

Culture

• A place at the table. How one rabbi is bridging the partisan divide (Deseret News)
• The top trending recipe in Salt Lake City is ... blueberry compote? (Deseret News)

Education

• Cox open to school vouchers if lawmakers cough up enough cash for public education (KUTV)
• Machelle Maxwell: This library is a safe space. This librarian’s library is more than book shelves; it is a place to connect, play, learn and recharge (Deseret News)
• Parents urged to attend training as state, school districts ramp up suicide prevention (KUTV)
• New West High School in Salt Lake could improve security efforts (KUTV)

Environment

• Governor welcomes snow but says state has 'a long ways to go' to beat drought (KUTV)
• Shipwrecks revealed in shrinking Great Salt Lake (Deseret News)
• Some of America's biggest vegetable growers fought for water. Then the water ran out (NPR)

Family

• What we can do about the dramatic rise in teenage marijuana use (Deseret News)

Housing

• Despite lack of shelter, Provo community does what they can for those experiencing homelessness (Fox13)
• People want affordable housing, and Utah’s governor wants the Legislature to fund it (KUER)

Tech

• ‘Candid Stories’ — Instagram’s take on the viral BeReal app (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

• Trump’s ‘major announcement’? $99 NFTs for Christmas. ‘Would make a great Christmas gift. Don’t wait,’ Trump said in the post. ‘They will be gone, I believe, very quickly!’ (Deseret News)
• Twitter suspends several journalists who shared information about Musk's jet (NPR)
• How a viral siege is making some people sick for weeks, even months. It’s like “a big bomb of viruses went off,” said pediatrician treating kids with flu, RSV, strep and covid. (Washington Post)
• She testified to Congress about being sexually assaulted. Now she's being sued. (Politico)

Politics

• The IRS wants to know if you earn more than $600 on Venmo (Deseret News)
• US judge blocks Biden bid to end ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy (AP)
• Congress votes to remove a bust of the Dred Scott decision's author from the Capitol (AP)
• House Democrats introduce legislation to bar Trump from office under 14th Amendment (The Hill)

Ukraine 🇺🇦 

• Russia launches another major missile attack on Ukraine (AP)
• Russian missile strikes knock out heating systems in towns and cities amid freezing temperatures. (New York Times)
• ‘We are fed up’: Anger boils over in Kyiv after another wave of missiles. (New York Times)
• ‘Wiped out’: War in Ukraine has decimated a once feared Russian brigade. The bloody fate of the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade is emblematic of Vladimir Putin’s derailed invasion plans (Washington Post)
• The death of an 8-year-old boy stokes anger over explosives left behind where Russia has withdrawn. (New York Times)

World News

• Peru declares state of emergency in response to protests (Deseret News)
• Huge Berlin aquarium bursts, spilling 1,500 fish onto road (Reuters)

News Releases

Senate passes defense bill with Romney measures to counter China, save the Great Salt Lake, and assist Utahns

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today applauded Senate passage of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 which authorizes funding for our national defense and critical security priorities, ensuring our troops have the resources they need. The NDAA also includes significant provisions Romney fought for, including his Great Salt Lake Recovery Act, a measure that bolsters his efforts to open a passport agency in Salt Lake City, and his legislation to develop a strategy to recycle and recover critical minerals from batteries used in the federal electric vehicle fleet. The NDAA also includes Romney’s efforts to strengthen global health security, support Taiwan, and counter China’s efforts to become the world’s superpower. (Read More)

Senate passes defense bill with Romney measures to counter China, save the Great Salt Lake, and assist Utahns

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today applauded Senate passage of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 which authorizes funding for our national defense and critical security priorities, ensuring our troops have the resources they need. The NDAA also includes significant provisions Romney fought for, including his Great Salt Lake Recovery Act, a measure that bolsters his efforts to open a passport agency in Salt Lake City, and his legislation to develop a strategy to recycle and recover critical minerals from batteries used in the federal electric vehicle fleet. The NDAA also includes Romney’s efforts to strengthen global health security, support Taiwan, and counter China’s efforts to become the world’s superpower. (Read More)

State Auditor completes audit of the State of Utah’s 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

The State of Utah’s (State) Division of Finance completed the State’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended on June 30, 2022. The Office of the State Auditor (Office) has audited the ACFR and issued its audit opinion which is contained within the ACFR. The Office appreciates the Division of Finance’s professionalism and hard work in completing the ACFR and facilitating the Office’s audit work.

As of June 30, 2022, long-term liabilities for the State’s governmental activities was $2.98 billion. The State’s business-type activities reported $396 million in long-term liabilities, while the State’s component units had $5.92 billion in long-term liabilities. (Read More)

USBE: Public comment sought on updates to Humanities, Professional and Technical Communication supplemental standards

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is seeking public comment on drafts of the state’s English language arts new supplemental standards for Humanities and Professional and Technical Communication. Comments will be accepted through January 13, 2023. (Read More)

New Utah Foundation Misery Index compares state to neighbors and U.S.

Today, the Utah Foundation released The 2022 Utah Misery Index: A Glimpse into the Fiscal Measures of Happiness. The report uses an index of financial “misery” to compare Utah to neighboring states, the U.S., and the world.

Utah Foundation President Shawn Teigen notes that the topic of financial “misery” is certainly a downer during this holiday season. “However, the flip side of misery is happiness,” Teigen said. “Our survey work of Utahns’ quality of life suggests that increasing financial happiness would go a long way toward improving our overall quality of life during the holidays and beyond.” (Read More)

Number of the Day

Tweet of the Day

Congrats, Senator Blouin!

Upcoming

• Utah Economic Outlook and Public Policy Summit with the Salt Lake Chamber — Jan. 12, 2023, Salt Lake City Marriott, 8 am - noon, Register here
• Legislative session begins, Jan. 17, 2023, le.utah.gov

On This Day In History

• 1773 - Disguised as Mohawk Indians, a group of colonists board three British ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor. 
• 1775 - Jane Austen is born.
• 1901 - Margaret Mead is born. She became a renowned cultural anthropologist, author, lecturer and for 28 years, the curator at the Museum of Natural History
• 1907 - As a gesture of the US's new presence as a world power, President Theodore Roosevelt sends the 'Great White Fleet' on a two-year, round-the-world voyage
• 1924 - Hiram Bingham, the first white man to see Machu Picchu, is elected to serve in the US Senate - after serving as the governor of Connecticut for just one day. 
• 1944 - The Battle of the Bulge begins, the last major German offensive of WWII
• 1950 - President Truman declares state of emergency over Korean War
• 1953 - First White House Press Conference is held with President Eisenhower & 161 reporters
• 1980 - Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, dies at 90
• 1998 - President Bill Clinton orders air strikes against Iraq
• 2009 - The blockbuster sci-fi film “Avatar” opens in theaters

Wise Words

“Never ever depend on governments or institutions to solve any major problems. All social change comes from the passion of individuals.”
― Margaret Mead 

On the Punny Side

What goes “Oh, Oh, Oh”?

Santa walking backward!

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