View in browser

Situational Analysis | March 15, 2023

Good morning! It's Wednesday and the Ides of March. If your name is Julius or Caesar, you'd best beware.

What You Need to Know

Immigration advocates are urging Gov. Spencer Cox to veto a bill they say would exclude immigrant youth from extracurricular activities. HB209 would require students to present a birth certificate or, in the case of students who are homeless or not U.S. citizens, another state-issued or federally recognized form of identification in order to participate in sports. According to KSL, advocates say this requirement would effectively bar immigrant youth who don't have those types of identification or cannot easily access them. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, says the bill would not have a detrimental impact on immigrants or undocumented students.

Rapid Roundup

Zion National Park on flood watch through Thursday; yesterday was Equal Pay Day; a benchmark Utah is still far away from reaching; a former corrections officer from Eagle Mountain has been sent to prison for enticing a minor; and a local task force is cracking down on 'organized retail crime' rings in Utah.

Utah Headlines

Political news

These lawmakers passed the most bills during the legislative session (KSL)
Utah congressman accuses intelligence agencies of being ‘afraid of confronting China’ over COVID-19 origins (Deseret News)
Editorial Board: Why Biden’s budget can’t be taken seriously (Deseret News)
Dems and Republican uniting to protect kids from social media, Utah congressman says (KSL Newsradio)
Utah Treasurer Marlo Oaks tells Republicans that ESG is part of ‘Satan’s plan’ (Salt Lake Tribune)
Utahns rank education as a priority. Did that align with what lawmakers did this year? (KUER)
Rep. Blake Moore questions the Treasury Secretary on proposed budget and taxes (UPR)
Utah lawmakers throw yet another wad of cash at anti-wolf activists (Salt Lake Tribune)

General Utah news

President Russell M. Nelson will receive Gandhi-King-Mandela Peace Prize. Prize from Morehouse College honors Latter-day Saint leader for promoting ‘positive social transformation through nonviolent means’ (Deseret News)
Utah Food Bank prepares for statewide drive (KSL)
Couple found dead in Spanish Fork home, son in custody (KSL TV)
1 dead, another missing in Kane County floods; crews find 10 more stranded during search (KUTV)
14-year-old Utahn becomes sumo wrestling national champion (ABC4)

Business

CEO says Zions Bank is on solid ground as broader banking turbulence continues (Deseret News)
Meta announces another mass layoff of 10,000 employees (Deseret News)

Education

Lunchables will soon be offered in school cafeterias nationwide (Deseret News)
Cache County high school student tests positive for tuberculosis (KSL)
Bonneville High School auto mechanics program named best in country (KSL TV)
These are the 6 best public elementary schools in Utah (ABC4)
Northern Utah boosters launching new private school; voucher program ‘will be huge’ (Standard-Examiner)
Honorary degree recipients named for USU Commencement: Paul Anthony Jones, Jonathan Bullen, Mia Love, and Gary E. Stevenson (Cache Valley Daily)
Does ChatGPT pose a threat to the future of the college essay? (UPR)

Environment

EPA proposes strict new limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water (Deseret News)
Nevada considers giving water agency power to limit residential use as Colorado River dries up (Salt Lake Tribune)
With waterfalls at Gunlock expected to flow soon, officials are working to prevent risk to public (St. George News)
Even with massive snowpack, conservation key to Utah's drought and Great Salt Lake (Fox13)

Family

If there’s domestic violence, couples should seek help — separately (Deseret News)

Health

Her doctor said her hyperemesis gravidarum was all in her head. This scientist was determined to find the truth. (New York Times)
The U.S. has a high rate of preterm births, and abortion bans could make that worse (NPR)

National Headlines

General

Heavy snow from nor’easter cancels hundreds of flights and leaves thousands without power (Deseret News)
Global stock markets tumbled as investors’ fears over the health of the banking industry resurfaced. (New York Times)

Politics

US Rep. Santos files paperwork for possible reelection bid (AP)
Biden on gun control: ‘Do something, do something big’ (AP)
Ron DeSantis says backing Ukraine is not in the U.S. interest, a sign of a GOP divided (NPR)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

A railroad fan photographed Putin’s armored train. Now he lives in exile. (Washington Post)
Russia's mercenary chief prepares ground for a political advance (New York Times)

World

China will reopen to tourists for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic (Deseret News)
US says Russian warplane hits American drone over Black Sea (AP)
Why nothing is getting better for Rohingya refugees stuck in Bangladesh (NPR)
The party is ending for French retirees (Wall Street Journal)

News Release

Statewide Feed Utah food drive happening on March 18

Residents asked to leave food donations at their door to help Utahns facing hunger

On Saturday, March 18, faith-based congregations, organizations and residents throughout Utah will collaborate with Utah Food Bank for the second statewide Feed Utah food drive, after a hiatus in 2022 due to COVID-19. Residents across the state will receive door hangers during the days leading up to the food drive, and Utah Food Bank asks the public to help by placing a bag of non-perishable food outside their front door by 9am on Saturday, March 18, for pickup. Volunteers will pick up donated food, then collect and deliver it to Utah Food Bank and its participating partner agencies across the state. This effort is the result of a partnership between Utah Food Bank and its partner agencies, Macey’s Grocery, JustServe and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These donations will help provide food to the estimated 289,000 Utahns, and 1 in 9 Utah kids, who are unsure where their next meal will come from. Donated food should be commercially packaged (non-glass), non-perishable and nutritious (ideally low-sodium and low-sugar items). Most-needed food items include beef stew, chili, peanut butter, boxed meals, canned meats and canned fruits and vegetables. (Read More)

Gov. Cox signs 176 more bills of the 2023 General Legislative Session

Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed 176 bills today. Gov. Cox has signed 278 pieces of legislation from the 2023 General Legislative Session to date. Information on bills signed today can be found 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

44 BC - Julius Caesar is stabbed to death by 60 conspirators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus.
1767 - Andrew Jackson is born.
1838 - Alice Cunningham Fletcher is born. She immersed herself in Native American cultures and pioneered ethnological study.
1896 - Marion Cuthbert is born. She helped found the National Association of College Women to fight discrimination in higher education and was secretary of the National Board of YWCA and member of NAACP and numerous peace and human rights boards.
1913 - The first presidential press conference is held in the Oval Office with President Woodrow Wilson.
1933 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg is born.
1946 - Eleanor Roosevelt is appointed US representative to the United Nations.
1965 - LBJ calls for equal voting rights in an address before a joint session of Congress.
1991 - Four officers of the LAPD are charged with excessive force over the beating of Rodney King.
1998 - Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and writer, dies at 94.
2017 - French fashion house Givenchy appoints its first female designer, Englishwoman Clare Waight Keller.
2018 - Toys R Us announces it will close all its stores after filing for bankruptcy

Quote of the Day

“Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try. For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’”

—Eleanor Roosevelt

On the Punny Side

Eating too much cake is the sin of gluttony.

However, eating too much pie is ok because the Sin of Pi is 0.