UtahPolicy.com will not publish on Monday in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
We will return to your inbox and computer screen on Tuesday, January 21.
What You Need to Know About Utah Politics Today - January 17, 2014
Utah will allow same-sex couples to file joint tax returns. Reyes picks outside counsel to help with defense of Amendment 3. Poll: Utahns support legalizing medical marijuana.
Countdown:
-
10 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature
-
55 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
-
158 days until Utah's 2014 primary elections
-
291 days to the 2014 midterm elections
-
654 days to the 2015 elections
-
719 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
-
1025 days to the 2016 presidential election
Today's Utah news highlights:
-
Utah announces it will allow legally married same-sex couples to file joint state tax returns [Tribune].
-
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes picks a team of 3 attorneys to assist with the state's defense of Amendment 3 [Tribune].
-
A bill in Congress would block the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Utah while the state does not [Tribune].
-
Massachusetts announces that state will recognize same-sex marriages performed in Utah [Standard-Examiner].
-
A new poll finds 51% of Utahns support legalizing medical marijuana, but not for recreational use [Tribune].
-
Rep. Gage Froerer wants to allow recall elections for statewide elected offices, but it will take a constitutional amendment to accomplish that [Standard-Examiner].
-
The Senate Judiciary Committee once again advances the nomination of Utah Judge Carolyn McHugh to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals [Tribune].
-
President Obama taps Utah native Matthew Tueller as ambassador to Yemen [Tribune].
-
Portions of Utah are part of a federal disaster declaration because of continuing drought [Standard-Examiner].
-
The consultant hired to come up with recommendations for moving the state prison will present their report next week [Deseret News].
-
Utahns air their concerns about a potential move for the state prison at a public hearing [Tribune].
-
13 pollution cutting proposals receive grant money from the Utah Clean Air Partnership [Deseret News].
-
The cost of living for Utah residents dipped slightly last month, mostly because of lower gas prices [Tribune].
-
Former Rep. Holly Richardson officially announces she will challenge Rep. Brian Greene for the GOP nomination in HD 57 [Daily Herald].
On this day in history:
-
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706.
-
Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States died in Ohio in 1893.
-
Gary Gilmore became the first person executed by firing squad at the Utah State prison, the first execution in the U.S. after the death penalty was reintroduced in 1977.
-
Operation Desert Storm was launched against Iraq in 1991.
-
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Northridge, California in 1994.
-
President Bill Clinton became the first sitting U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit in 1998.
