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Situational Analysis | April 4, 2023

It's a cold and snowy Tuesday morning. It's also National Hug a Newsperson Day. Woot!

What You Need to Know

The whopper of an April snow storm continues, as Utah's snowpack passes 200% of normal. UDOT is asking drivers to stay off the roads and work remotely if possible. Multiple schools have moved to virtual, including all of Jordan School District, all Summit Academy campuses, Paradigm Schools and Anthem Preparatory School in South Jordan, and East Hollywood High School. Additionally, the following schools are on a two-hour-delay: Granite School District, Murray School District, Iron County School District and the Academy for Math Engineering and Science. Davis Technical College is on a 4-hour delay and SUU will not begin in-person classes until 10 am,

Rapid Roundup

Heavy snowfall has Utah preparing for potential flooding; jury selection underway on first day of Lori Vallow Daybell trial; UConn beats San Diego State to win NCAA title; Finland has officially joined NATO as of 7 am, Utah time; and Donald Trump set to be arraigned this morning.

Utah Headlines

Political news

Marlo Oaks: Why Utah’s state treasurer is against ESG investing (Deseret News)
Planned Parenthood seeks halt of Utah law to require abortions in hospitals, not clinics (KSL)
Group behind Utah flag referendum says there's still hope (Fox13)
Why are lawmakers trying to ban TikTok? (UPR)
‘Let’s work to be builders,’ Gov. Cox encourages Parowan High School students (St. George News)
Outgoing Utah GOP chair on their big catch for state convention (Cache Valley Daily)
No guns allowed at Utah GOP convention because of Ron DeSantis’ keynote appearance (Salt Lake Tribune)

General Utah news

Heavy snow leads to roof collapse concerns near Bear Lake (KSL TV)
Park City fire crews respond to home collapse due to heavy snow (ABC4)
Burn scar floods are just one of the worries once Utah’s big spring runoff starts (KUER)
Utah flooding resource guide: What to do before, during and after a flood (Salt Lake Tribune)
Lehi organization continues to provide comfort for Ukrainian refugees during war with Russia (Fox13)
It was built under Brigham Young’s orders and housed one of Utah’s most famous restaurants. Now it will last forever. (Salt Lake Tribune)
The high cost of putting food on the table is not going down any time soon, report says (Deseret News)
As Lori Vallow goes to trial, Rexburg hopes to breathe a sigh of relief (Deseret News)

Business

Love at first bite: Recent Utah Tech graduate turns ‘stress baking’ into sweet business (St. George News)

Culture

9th and 9th whale becomes a cult icon for Utah’s internet users (ABC4)

Education

Portable licenses are a welcome idea, but probably won’t solve the teacher shortage (KUER)

Environment

Majority of Utah residents would buy electric vehicle or hybrid. Vast majority don't currently own a hybrid or electric vehicle. (Deseret News)
“A year to remember”: Utah’s snowpack breaks record, continues to climb (ABC4)
As Utah’s Rocky Mountain Power looks to nuclear power, what happens to all the coal jobs? (KUER)

Health

Long winter causing seasonal affective disorder among Utahns (Fox13)
University of Utah Health announces masks now optional (KSL)
The 'King Kong' of weight-loss drugs is coming (Wall Street Journal)
Infertility affects a 'staggering' 1 in 6 people worldwide, WHO says (KSL)

Housing

Housing market divide: U.S. home prices jump up after 7 months of declines — but not in the West (Deseret News)

National Headlines

General

1st moon crew in 50 years includes woman, Black astronaut (AP)
Live-action ‘Moana’ is in the works: Here’s why Dwayne Johnson says it ‘runs very deep’ for him (Deseret News)
‘I was awake through every moment’: Jeremy Renner opens up about life-threatening snowplow accident (Deseret News)
Community colleges are reeling. ‘The reckoning is here.’ (AP)
Virginia teacher shot by 6-year-old student sues school officials for $40 million (Wall Street Journal)

Politics

Trump returns to New York to face historic criminal charges (AP)
Trump attorney touts fundraising numbers: ‘Get yourself indicted and you raise a lot of money’ (The Hill)
Chris Christie calls Trump camp’s ‘bravado’ over indictment ‘baloney’ (The Hill)
U.S. plans to open embassy in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. The Biden administration announced the move that experts speculate is a means to maintain a presence in the region as China’s influence grows (Deseret News)
Three Democratic lawmakers who took part in gun control protests on the House floor of the Tennessee statehouse will face expulsion later this week. On Monday, the three lawmakers were removed from their committee assignments and had their badges to the capitol deactivated. (WPLN)
Wisconsin’s record-shattering Supreme Court race barrels to an end. Voters could decide everything from abortion to the rules of the road for 2024 as they head to the polls for “the most consequential race facing Wisconsin in decades.” (Politico)
Florida Senate approves 6-week abortion ban (Politico)

Ukraine 🇺🇦

Zelenskyy to visit Warsaw to meet with Poles, Ukrainians (AP)
Congressman: US support for aid to Ukraine is ‘overwhelming’ (AP)
Strange days at the U.N. as Russia takes the helm of the Security Council (New York Times)
Russia rejects US claims its UN council presidency is a joke (AP)
In Russia, secret trials and near-certain convictions await accused spies (Wall Street Journal)
Fighting escalates in Ukraine's Bakhmut (Wall Street Journal)
A web of trenches shows Russia fears losing Crimea (Washington Post)
Russia accuses dissidents and Ukraine of killing pro-war blogger (New York Times)
Russia escalates its war on reporters (The Atlantic)

World

Parisians massively vote to banish for-hire e-scooters (AP)
Inside Colombia’s most powerful drug trafficking group — and its case for peace (Washington Post)

News Release

Utah Valley University’s Women’s Success Center raises more than $477,000 for scholarships

Utah Valley University’s Women’s Success Center Scholarship Luncheon raised $477,172 in March to assist UVU students.

Rachel Lund, senior director of the Women’s Success Center, said she is thankful for the renewed ability to offer a pathway forward for students in need. “The Women’s Success Center and the Wee Care Center rely heavily on the donations and the generous support of our community,” she said. “The return on community investment is significant. (Read More)

Upcoming

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
UVU Conference on Domestic Violence — April 14, 9:00 am-4:00 pm, Register here
Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence with Utah Women and Leadership Project — April 25, 12:00-1:15 pm via Zoom, Register here
United Utah Party State Convention — April 29, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, Lehi High School with keynote speakers Teri McCabe and Jay Mcfarland
Mount Liberty College Spring Youth Seminar on The Virginian — May 6, 9 am-7 pm, Register Here

On This Day In History

1802 - Dorothea Dix is born. A pioneering nurse and social activist, she championed the mentally ill and indigenous populations.
1841 - President William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia 32 days into office, after giving the longest inaugural speech in history. VP John Tyler becomes president.
1865 - President Lincoln dreams of his assassination.
1928 - Maya Angelou is born.
1949 - NATO is signed in Washington, D.C.
1968 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated while standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
1975 - Bill Gates and Paul Allen start a little company they call Microsoft.

Quote of the Day

“In a world where there is so much to be done, I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do.”

— Dorothea Dix

On the Punny Side

I found stir fry all over my bed this morning…

I must have been sleep wokking again.