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Situational Analysis | June 3, 2025

It's Tuesday and National Egg Day 🍳

What you need to know

Utah lawmaker Rep. Trevor Lee promised 'significant legislation' after the Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz shared social media posts celebrating Pride month. Lee declined an interview with KSL Monday, saying, "You'll have to wait and see" and that the Utah Legislature "will be putting a stop to entities that will take taxpayer money from pushing political agendas." A survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found that 86% of Utahns expressed support for laws protecting people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation.

Rapid Relevance

Church Pres. Russell M. Nelson to dedicate Syracuse temple Sunday; an 80-yr-old St. George man is working as a grocery bagger to pay off late wife's medical bills, community is asking for help; and the Rich County Sheriff’s Office asks for public’s help finding 15-year-old girl

On the Hill

1:00 pm: Senate Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Confirmation Committee

Utah Headlines

Political news

Cox picks former Sean Reyes staffer to lead new public records office (KSL)
Cox’s pick to run new Government Records Office has a history of ‘haphazard’ record keeping (Salt Lake Tribune)

Municipal news

Anti-LGBTQ flyers, posters found in 2 Cache Valley towns (KSL)
Developer angers Kane County officials by asking state to bypass them, approve planned city (Salt Lake Tribune)
Japantown advocates watchful as redevelopment plans around Delta Center, Salt Palace proceed (KSL)

Utah

New Jazz executive Austin Ainge declares tanking is over: ‘You won’t see that this year.’ (Deseret News)
Utah’s first hut system open for summer yurt camping (KSL Newsradio)
Family of missing South Jordan teen overjoyed at her safe return (KUTV)
36 hours in Washington: The journey of the 51st mission of the Utah Honor Flight (Fox13)

Biz/Tech

Opinion: India is ready — are we? Why Utah should be doubling down on India (Deseret News)
Utah woman sets out to save thousands of onesies from the landfill (UPR)

Crime/Courts

South Jordan missing teen found alive (Deseret News)
Taylorsville woman faces 104 felony charges accusing her of stealing rental payments (KSL)
Trial delayed as Lori Vallow Daybell shows up in wheelchair, says she's too sick to pick jury (KSL)
Majority of Utah law enforcement have not complied with sexual assault data collection law (KSL)

Culture/Community

Bread, burgers and ‘honey slush’: Here are 5 new food vendors coming to Salt Lake City’s Downtown Farmers Market (Salt Lake Tribune)
Bill Reagan plastered his heart along America’s highways. He didn’t realize everyone would notice (Deseret News)
Historic pioneer cabin transforms into Gunnison's first museum after community preservation effort (Fox13)
The Utah Mammoth have a new puppy — and you could adopt it (Salt Lake Tribune)

Economy

Utah, Idaho among top U.S. state economies in 2025 WalletHub rankings (Cache Valley Daily)
OECD lowers global outlook as Trump trade war hits US growth (Reuters)
Wall Street is sounding the alarm on U.S. debt. This time, it's worth listening (Wall Street Journal)

Education - K-12

Education Department: Proposed budget calls for billions in cuts (Deseret News)

Education - Higher

Utah Valley University ballroom team wins at Blackpool Dance Festival in England (KUTV)

Environment

Opinion: A call for action to save the Great Salt Lake (Deseret News)
3 Trump officials look to tap into oil and gas in Alaska (Deseret News)
$3 million awarded for Forest Legacy project north of Zion National Park (Deseret News)
Alfalfa farm's big experiment could help Utah's water situation and the Great Salt Lake (Fox13)
For 68 years, a small dam kept fish trapped in Zion National Park. Now it’s gone (KUER)
Engineers give Utah infrastructure a high grade, but say levees and canals need improvement (Standard-Examiner)

Family

How to keep kids excited about reading all summer long (Deseret News)
What is generativity and how does it make life meaningful? (Deseret News)

Health

'The nutritional villain': BYU study says drinking sugar poses higher risk for diabetes than eating it (KSL)
What dog owners need to know about foxtail this summer (Deseret News)
How a child's question led to a study on the way fingers wrinkle in water (Deseret News)
More than 100,000 Utahns could lose access to health coverage under proposed funding cuts in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' (Salt Lake Tribune)

Housing

See where Utah ranks nationally as a place to find a starter home (Deseret News)
Granite district considers turning closed school campuses into teacher housing (KUTV)

National Headlines

General

Colorado attack suspect charged with federal hate crime (Reuters)
Mount Etna erupts, shooting a massive ash cloud into the sky and raising alerts (NPR)
Family of ‘Sport Science’ host encourages mental health awareness after his death (Deseret News)

Political news - Trump

Tallying Trump’s online posting frenzy: 2,262 ‘truths’ in 132 days (Washington Post)
White House vows no Medicaid cuts — except to those who didn't deserve it in the first place (Politico)
Trump amplifies another outlandish conspiracy theory: Biden is a robotic clone (New York Times)

Other political news

Battleground senators condemn antisemitism at Hatch Foundation event after terror attack (Deseret News)
Tim Walz headlines two Democratic conventions but fails to address the party’s leadership concerns (Deseret News)
Ex-RNC chair Ronna McDaniel joins political group backed by DeVos family (Deseret News)
Are Latter-day Saints shifting left? Here’s what the data shows (Deseret News)
FEMA staff baffled after head said he was unaware of US hurricane season, sources say (Reuters)

Immigration/deportation

Judges in deportation cases face evasion and delay from Trump administration (New York Times)
Cuba tried to improve its relations with the US by cooperating with Trump’s deportation flights. It didn’t work. (Politico)

Tariffs/Trade

China hits back on Trump claims as trade war reignites (Deseret News)
China's new trade negotiator is ready to play hardball (Wall Street Journal)

Ukraine/Russia

Russia sets out punitive terms at peace talks with Ukraine (Reuters)
Medvedev says Russia seeks victory, not compromise, in talks with Ukraine (Reuters)
Thousands of Ukraine’s children vanished into Russia. This one made it back. (Washington Post)

Middle East

At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site; U.N. demands investigation (Reuters)

World news

Jacinda Ardern reflects on a career focused on the power of kindness (NPR)
Bill Gates to give most of his $200 billion fortune to Africa (BBC)

News Releases

Cyndi Sharkey enters Sandy mayor race

Cyndi Sharkey, a two-term at-large Sandy City Council member and 25-year Sandy resident, has officially filed for Mayor of Sandy, Utah—launching a campaign that has already surpassed the total raised by the incumbent during her entire 2021 campaign.

A respected voice on the City Council since 2020, Cyndi Sharkey is known for her fiscal discipline and results-driven leadership. She led efforts to preserve Sandy’s 40-year bulk waste program by passing legislation to make it permanent, and she earned the endorsement of the Utah Taxpayers Association for consistently opposing unnecessary tax increases. Sharkey also sponsored a budget amendment that added firefighter positions without raising taxes and championed ethics reforms to reduce campaign signage across the city and improve positivity in politics. Drawing on her background as a Planning Commissioner, she brings a resident-first approach to city government—thorough, accountable, and focused on long-term value for taxpayers. (Read More)

UVU unveils innovative autonomous aircraft tug 2.0 at Provo Airport

Utah Valley University (UVU) has unveiled version 2.0 of its autonomous electric aircraft tug, a cutting-edge student-driven innovation designed to reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions, and enhance airport safety. Recently demonstrated at the Provo Airport, this next-generation tug aims to transform how aircraft move on runways. (Read More)

Sutherland recognizes school districts for transparency and access

Today, Sutherland Institute recognized a group of Utah school districts for their transparency and access to curriculum for parents, as part of its new Partners in Learning Certificate.

The Partners in Learning Certificate provides public recognition for school districts that excel in fostering openness, trust, and collaboration between schools and families through ease of parental access to information about curriculum on district websites. (Read More)

On This Day In History

1906 - Singer/actress Josephine Baker is born. She was the first African American woman to star in a major motion picture and to integrate an American concert hall. She was also a spy and owner of Folies-Bergere in Paris.
1916 - President Woodrow Wilson signs National Defense Act, expanding the size and scope of the National Guard, which was the network of state militias that had been developing from colonial times.
1919 - Elizabeth Koontz is born, the first African-American president of the National Education Association.
1937 - Duke of Windsor weds American socialite
1940 - Last British and French troops evacuated from Dunkirk.
1965 - First American astronaut, Major Edward H. White II, walks in space.
1989 - Crackdown at Tiananmen begins
2016 - Muhammad Ali dies at age 74

Quote of the Day

I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself, and I believe in the goodness of others.

—Muhammad Ali

On the Punny Side

What’s an egg’s least favorite day of the week?

Fry-day.