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Situational Analysis | March 14, 2023

It's Tuesday, March 14 and you know what that means! It's Pi Day! (3.14 - get it?!)

What You Need to Know

Patricia Schroeder, a Democrat who represented Colorado in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997, and the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services committee, died on Monday from complications of a stroke at the age of 82. When she arrived in Washington as a 32-year-old mother of two, there were only 14 women in the House. One male lawmaker asked how she could be a wife, mother and congresswoman. "I have a brain and a uterus, and I use them both," she replied.
Inflation eases to 6% on an annual basis, but rose in February compared to January. Over the past three months, core prices have risen at an annual rate of 5.2%, much higher than the Fed's 2% target. Good news though - egg prices are down 6.7%.

Rapid Roundup

Ranch-flavored ice cream (hard pass); Idaho Potato Commission unveils malted milkshake and French fries ice cream and sticking with the ice cream theme, a Utah ice cream maker is holding a 'March Madness'-style bracket challenge to predict the most popular flavor.

Utah Headlines

Political news

How moms became a political force (Deseret News)
Elections audits and restrictions for changing parties: Here’s how voting systems will change in Utah. (Salt Lake Tribune)
Alicia Plemmons: Utah has a chance to empower nurse practitioners (Salt Lake Tribune)
Utah ranks 40 out of 50 on women's representation in state legislatures (UPR)

General Utah news

LDS Church President Russell Nelson to receive Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize. Morehouse, a historically Black college in Atlanta, will honor faith leader for promoting “positive social transformation through nonviolent means." (Salt Lake Tribune)
Feeling poor? Wealth comparison may be to blame (Deseret News)
Propane leak caused fatal Utah house explosion (KSL TV)
FBI says $10 billion lost to online fraud in 2022 as crypto investment scams surged (KSL Newsradio)
With shuttle service resuming in Zion National Park, visitors should plan ahead for camping, crowds (St. George News)

Business

Silicon Valley investment firm Silver Lake to acquire Qualtrics in $12.5 billion deal (Deseret News)
Airline fares are up 26%. It’s not slowing down eager travelers just yet (Deseret News)
Ukrainian refugees become part-owners of Utah pizza restaurant (Fox13)

Environment

Utah's mountain valley communities on alert for flooding ahead of midweek storm (KUTV)
More moisture is headed to Utah, the West. Will it help Lake Powell? (Deseret News)
Utah's mountains near mid-March record ahead of arriving atmospheric river event (KSL)
Biden just approved the ‘Willow Project,’ allows new oil drilling in Alaska (Deseret News)
Ski wax chemicals found in Park City’s aquifer and groundwater wells (Deseret News)
Farmers are skeptical about participating in water leasing to save the Great Salt Lake. Here’s why. Agriculture is often criticized as the state’s biggest water user, but irrigators face mounting pressure from rapid urban growth. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Family

Rep. Chris Stewart & Gov. Spencer Cox: We protect children in the physical world — why not the digital world? (Deseret News)
Pornography — mainstream or violent — a risk factor for couples. The study by BYU in the Journal of Sex Research found a particularly strong risk for relationship stability (Deseret News)
Utah’s DCFS stops using drug testing company following KSL reports on claims of false positives (KSL TV)

Health

Apple Watch data shows a small share of Americans get at least 7 hours of sleep per night (Deseret News)
Sweating during sleep — when it’s time to go to a doctor (Deseret News)
Can diet lower risk for Alzheimer’s? Study shows plant-based is the way to go (Deseret News)

Housing

Utah unveils 'aggressive' plan to address homelessness statewide (KSL)

National Headlines

General

Hundreds of migrants rush border in El Paso (Deseret News)
Silicon Valley Bank’s demise disrupts the disruptors in tech (AP)
U.S. sues Rite Aid, saying it ignored ‘red flags’ in opioid prescriptions (Washington Post)

Politics

McConnell released from hospital, headed to inpatient rehab (AP)
Biden administration lets Ukrainians who fled war stay in US (AP)
Only three in 10 Republicans say best days are still ahead for US (The Hill)
Trump goes after DeSantis in first Iowa speech of 2024 campaign (The Hill)
Trump lashes out at DeSantis, says he regrets his endorsement of him (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

Russian missile hits apartment block in eastern Ukraine (AP)
Exclusive: Ukraine accuses Russian snipers of abusing child, gang raping mother (Reuters)
Ukraine, Russia gird for a decisive spring campaign after a bloody winter (Wall Street Journal)

World

Mexican president says his country safer than United States (AP)

Guest Opinion: Keeping our neighborhoods safe

by Ed Carter

Feeling safe in our own homes is a basic human right. Unfortunately, crime can happen anywhere. It’s up to us to take the necessary steps to keep our neighborhoods safe and secure. Here are some tips on how to do just that.

Trim plants and foliage to eliminate hiding spots near windows and doors
Keep doors and windows locked
Park cars in well-lit areas
Build relationships with neighbors
Report suspicious activity to the police
Join or start a neighborhood watch program
Contact your HOA about security issues, if applicable
Walk in groups at night (Read More)

News Release

Utah Taxpayers Association releases 2023 Legislative Scorecard and Friend of the Taxpayer Award winners

The Utah Taxpayers Association has released its 2023 Legislative Scorecard and announces its ‘Friend of the Taxpayer’ award winners. This year, the Association’s annual scorecard ranked Utah’s 104 legislators on 12 crucial taxpayer related bills from the 2023 legislative session. The bills that were rated covered key taxpayer issues such as cutting taxes, preventing tax increases, strengthening Utah’s tax code and ensuring economic success in the state for years to come.

Legislators are ranked according according to the number of points they scored versus their potential maximum. Those with the top rank earn the distinction of “Friend of the Taxpayer.” 10 House members and 2 senators earned the honor for this year. The entire 2023 Scorecard and full list of ‘Friend of the Taxpayer’ winners can be viewed HERE.

Upcoming

Teaching Your Child Consent with the Utah Women and Leadership Project — Mar. 16, 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm, Virtual, Register Here
Family, Religion, Education & Entrepreneurship Forum with Sutherland Institute & AEI — March 23, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm, Hyatt Regency, Register Here
Sutherland Institute Annual Gala honoring Lowry Snow & Ian Rowe — Mar. 23, 7 pm, Hyatt Regency, More Information Here
MWEG Spring Conference with keynote speaker Becky Edwards — Mar. 25, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm at UVU or virtual, Register Here
Advancing Women Through “Developmental Relationships”: A Dialogue with Global Experts with the Utah Women and Leadership Project — April 4, 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm, Register here
Hatch Foundation Gala with special guest Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sec. Elaine Chao — April 14, 7:00 pm, Grand America, Register Here
Mount Liberty College Spring Youth Seminar on The Virginian — May 6, 9 am - 7 pm, Register Here

On This Day In History

1776 - Alexander Hamilton is named captain of a New York artillery company.
1794 - Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin, which increased demand for slave labor
1833 - Lucy Hobbs Taylor is born. She was the first US woman to earn a dentistry degree.
1879 - Albert Einstein is born.
1883 - Karl Marx dies at age 64.
1921 - Ada Louise Huxtable was born. An architecture critic and writer, she was awarded the first ever Pulitzer prize for Criticism.
1943 - The Kraków Ghetto is "liquidated" during WWII.
1950 - The FBI debuts “10 Most Wanted Fugitives” list.
1973 - John McCain is released after spending over five years in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp.
1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev elected president of the Soviet Union.
2018 - Stephen Hawking dies

Quote of the Day

"Nobody ever says to men, how can you be a Congressman and a father."
—Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder

On the Punny Side

Did you hear about the guy that got caught stealing a calendar?

He got twelve months.