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Utah vote-by-mail tightens deadline; pardons board agrees to hold commutation hearing; Great Salt Lake water levels dropping dangerously low
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The Utah Policy newsletter is your one-stop source for political and policy-minded news. We scour the news so you don't have to! Send news tips or feedback to Holly Richardson at editor@utahpolicy.com. | | |
Situational Analysis | July 30, 2025
It's Wednesday and National Cheesecake Day 🍰
Happy birthday to Rep. Jefferson Burton and Rep. Brett Garner! 🎁 🎂 🎈
What you need to know
- A massive 8.8 earthquake hit far eastern Russia, sending tsunami waves across the Pacific. Hawaii ordered evacuations from some coastal areas. "Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected," the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said on X. Around 3 am MDT, the Tsunami Warning Center reduced the warning to an advisory.
Rapid Relevance
On the Hill
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Utah Headlines
Political news
- Utah governor tells policymakers ‘fulfill president’s executive order’ on homelessness (Deseret News)
- Utah nonprofit spent millions of taxpayer funds on private company, vacations, state auditor finds (Deseret News)
- Vote Save America PAC invests to find Utah candidates to challenge GOP incumbents (KSL)
- Most Utahns support Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ — even though they think it will raise the debt (Deseret News)
- Previously redacted details in Utah’s Snapchat lawsuit are now public (Utah News Dispatch)
Municipal
- Utah County has big plans for this scenic attraction ... if it can get the land (Deseret News)
- Mayor requests audit of all Salt Lake City-owned properties after destructive Millcreek fire (KSL)
- Facing a budget hole, this fast-growing southern Utah city mulling first property tax hike in 15 years (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Utah County elected officials hope newly implemented UTA service can help ease transportation challenges (Daily Herald)
Utah
- Utah nonprofits serving immigrants see funding cuts, more demand in Trump’s second term (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Man crawls 11 hours to rescue himself after getting injured on Uinta Mountains (Fox13)
- Troopers identify one of Utah’s most dangerous stretches of highway (KUTV)
Biz/Tech
- Nature's Bakery to open $240M facility in Salt Lake City (KSL)
- Wegovy maker Novo's profit warning triggers $70 billion share rout (Reuters)
Crime/Courts
- Police identify father, toddler, grandmother found dead in Millard County murder-suicide (KSL)
- Couple arrested in Southern Utah for allegedly selling narcotics in front of children (KUTV)
- Possible cremated human remains left in front of West Valley City fire station, police say (KSL Newsradio)
- University of Utah police search for suspect accused of sexual battery on shuttle (KUTV)
Culture/Community
- From braids to bride: Utah bus driver’s act of kindness comes full circle (KSL TV)
- The New ‘Perfect Combination’: The Reese’s Oreo Cup? The Oreo Reese’s Cookie? (Wall Street Journal)
Economy
- US economic growth likely rebounded in Q2, but with weak underlying details (Reuters)
Education
- Back-to-school can be remarkably stressful. Here are some ways Utahns can ease the burden (Deseret News)
- Weber School District proposes 21% property tax increase (KSL TV)
Environment/Energy
- How is the health of the Great Salt Lake? (Deseret News)
- Editorial Board: Yes, drought is upon us again (Deseret News)
- Centuries-old trees land this northern Utah forest a rare designation (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Trump EPA moves to repeal landmark ‘endangerment finding’ that allows climate regulation (AP)
Faith
- Former Relief Society General President Bonnie D. Parkin dies at age 84 (Deseret News)
Health
- Trying to keep your brain young as you age? Study says to make these changes (Deseret News)
Housing
- U.S. starter home sales are up. Are prices increasing, too? (Deseret News)
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National Headlines
General
- Shooter kills 4 people in Manhattan, authorities say he was targeting NFL (Deseret News)
- Teen suffers 'significant' thermal burns near popular Yellowstone geyser (KSL)
- How US adults are using AI, according to AP-NORC polling (AP)
Political news
- Ghislaine Maxwell says she will testify before Congress — but only if she gets immunity (Deseret News)
- Trump says US will partner with Israel to run additional food centers in Gaza, but details are scant (AP News)
- This new Apple iOS feature could threaten Republican fundraising, top GOP group warns (Deseret News)
- Trump gets tariffs; Americans get price hikes (Reuters)
- Trump approval rating sinks to 40%, the lowest of his term, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds (Reuters)
- Pentagon reverses decision to cut off hurricane-tracking satellite data (Washington Post)
- Trump says Epstein ‘stole’ young women from Mar-a-Lago spa, including Virginia Giuffre (AP)
- Senate confirms controversial Trump nominee Emil Bove as federal judge (Washington Post)
- Hegseth team lashes out at Pentagon’s internal ‘Signalgate’ review (Washington Post)
- Roy Cooper raises $3.4 million in first 24 hours of his Senate candidacy (Politico)
Immigration/deportation
- Afghans caught in mass deportations in Iran face an uncertain future at home (NPR)
Ukraine/Russia
- Russian airstrikes on prison, hospital kill 19 in southeastern Ukraine (Reuters)
- Russia kills 27 civilians in Ukraine as the Kremlin remains defiant over Trump threats (AP)
Middle East
- Britain warns Israel it could recognise Palestinian state as Gaza starvation spreads (Reuters)
- As Gaza starves, the next generation may also endure the consequences (NPR)
- Leading genocide scholars see a genocide happening in Gaza (Washington Post)
World news
- Australia widens teen social media ban to YouTube, scraps exemption (Reuters)
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Number of the Day
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News Releases
Utah Auditor’s Office identifies millions in misused funds
The Office of the Utah State Auditor today released its Limited Review of the use and oversight of grant funds appropriated for Utah’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. The review concludes that between $1.8 and $2.8 million in public funds were misused over a three-year period by iMpact Utah, a nonprofit recipient of state and federal grant funding intended to support the MEP program. Insufficient oversight by various state agencies allowed the misuse to continue over this time period without detection. (Read More)
WSU professor Leah Murray receives national civic engagement award
A Weber State University political science professor has received national recognition for her leadership in civic education. Leah Murray, a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor and director of WSU’s Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service, was awarded the Barbara Burch Award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. This award is given to faculty who’ve demonstrated exemplary contributions to students’ civic learning and engagement. It’s presented annually by AASCU’s American Democracy Project — an initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed and engaged citizens. (Read More)
Majority of Utah’s Snapchat lawsuit unredacted, exposing "reckless" AI rollout and deep-seated exploitation of children
Newly revealed information in Utah’s lawsuit against the popular app Snapchat exposes the disturbing extent to which Snapchat’s alleged practices directly harm Utah’s children. The Utah Department of Commerce’s Division of Consumer Protection, represented by the Utah Office of the Attorney General, submitted the lawsuit against Snap, Inc. on June 30, 2025. (Read More)
Over 60 cities, school districts, and special service districts are contemplating raising taxes
Each August, fiscal year taxing entities, primarily cities, school districts, and special service districts, hold truth-in-taxation meetings to inform the public of their intention to increase property taxes. These meetings provide an opportunity for elected officials, such as city council members or local school board members, to present their case for a tax increase and for taxpayers in those jurisdictions to express their opinions on the proposals. Following the meeting, elected officials have the ability to approve, modify, or reject the tax increase. (Read More)
Alpen Associates and Hi Tech Solutions form strategic partnership to build Utah’s first full-stack nuclear energy ecosystem
Alpen Associates, a boutique management consulting firm specializing in economic development, and Hi Tech Solutions, a premier nuclear services and workforce development company, today announced a strategic partnership to establish the Mountain West’s first fully integrated nuclear energy ecosystem. This multi year initiative will help launch the domestic manufacturing of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Utah and drive a new era of innovation in clean energy, workforce development, and regional competitiveness. (Read More)
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Tweet of the Day
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Upcoming
- Aug 7 — Titan of Public Service gala with Sen. Tom Cotton hosted by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation at the Grand America Hotel. More Information Here
- Aug 12 — Municipal primary
- Aug 18-20 — Interim Days
- Sept 11-12 — Women in the Money Conference, Sheraton Hotel and online, Register here
- Sept 15-17 — Interim Days
- Oct 6-8 — One Utah Summit, Cedar City, More information here
- Oct 13-15 — Interim Days
- Nov 4 — General election
- Nov 17-19 — Interim Days
- February 4-7, 2026 — Summit, with Silicon Slopes and Visit Salt Lake
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On This Day In History
- 1619 - Jamestown has the first representative assembly of white people in the Western Hemisphere
- 1863 - Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe signs the Treaty of Box Elder, promising to stop harassing the emigrant trails in southern Idaho and northern Utah.
- 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln issues "eye-for-eye" order to shoot a rebel prisoner for every black prisoner shot
- 1940 - Patricia Schroeder is born. She was the first woman to serve in the U.S. Congress from Colorado (1973-1997), the first woman on the House Armed Services Committee, promoted the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and was president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (1997-2008).
- 1942 - FDR signs bill creating women's Navy auxiliary agency (WAVES)
- 1956 - “In God We Trust” replaces “E Pluribus Unum” as the motto of the United States.
- 1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare into law
- 1974 - Under subpoena, Nixon surrenders Watergate tapes
- 1984 - WNBA player Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks became the first woman to dunk in a professional game.
- 2002 - The accounting law referred to as "The Sarbanes Oxley Act" signed into law by President George W. Bush
- 2020 - Barack Obama gives the eulogy at the funeral of congressman John Lewis, with former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta
Quote of the Day
"John Lewis was getting something inside his head, an idea he couldn’t shake that took hold of him — that nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience were the means to change laws, but also change hearts, and change minds, and change nations, and change the world."
— Barack Obama, Eulogy for John Lewis, July 30, 2020
On the Punny Side
How does NASA organize a party?
They planet.
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