About Utah Politics - June 23, 2014

Local News Highlights: Daily Briefing

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics - June 23, 2014

Primary elections on tap for Tuesday. A Church hearing for the founder of Ordain Women did not come to a conclusion on Sunday. The Utah Attorney General's office to investigate the deal between the Tribune and Deseret News.

Countdown:

• Utah's 2014 primary election is tomorrow
• 134 days until the 2014 midterm elections
• 217 days to the opening day of the 2015 legislature
• 498 days until the 2015 elections
• 574 days to the 2016 Iowa Caucuses (tentative)
• 869 days until the 2016 presidential election

Monday's top news stories:

• A church disciplinary council wants more time to decide the fate of Ordain Women founder Kate Kelly [Tribune, Deseret News].
• The Utah Attorney General's office plans to investigate the change in the operating agreement between the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News [Deseret News, Tribune].
• The ghost of former Attorney General John Swallow hangs over tomorrow's Republican primary election between Rep. Dana Layton and former Rep. Brad Daw [Tribune].
• Salt Lake County Democrats are set to pick a nominee for auditor tomorrow while Republicans will hit the polls to choose a candidate for assessor [Tribune].
• Utah's anti-panhandling law could restrict political campaigns from holding "honk and wave" rallies [Daily Herald].
• The battle to be Utah's next Speaker of the House is shaping up to be a tight contest [Tribune].
• Utah's unemployment rate hits the lowest level since 2008 [Utah Policy, Deseret News].
• State officials will hold a forum to discuss whether the state should ditch Daylight Savings Time [Utah Policy,Tribune, Daily Herald].
• Which Utah politician uses social media the best? [Utah Policy]
• Rep. Dixon Pitcher is floating a "three strikes" law for drivers who text behind the wheel [KSL].
• Utah has run outof the special decals allowing clean fuel vehicles to use the HOV lanes [Tribune].
• The owner of a small business alleges the Utah Transit Authority is misusing eminent domain law [Tribune].

On this day in history:

• 1868 - Christoper Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Type-Writer"
• 1892 - Former President Grover Cleveland won the Democratic nomination for president at the party's convention in Chicago.
• 1947 - The Senate joined the House in overriding President Harry S. Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act, which allows the president to intervene in labor disputes.
• 1969 - Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice of the United States.
• 1972 - President Richard Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the CIA to hinder the FBI's investigation into the Watergate scandal.
• 2003 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the University of Michigan's School of Law affirmative action policy.

Today's World Cup schedule:

• Australia vs. Spain (10:00 am, ESPN2)
• Netherlands vs. Chile (10:00 am, ESPN)
• Croatia vs. Mexico (2:00 pm, ESPN)
• Cameroon vs. Brazil (2:00 pm, ESPN2)

Today At Utah Policy

Check Out This Hilarious Map of Salt Lake City
One of our favorite new Tumblr sites is "Judgmental Maps" where people use stereotypes to annotate maps of their cities.Someone gave Salt Lake City the treatment, and the result is amazing and hilarious.Some of the best bits:The "Pawn shop-Biker Motel corridor" along State S...

Bob Bernick's Notebook: Political Odds and Ends
In my column this week several small, but interesting, things for the real political Utah junkies....

Featured Items

Utah Policy/KSL Insider Survey: Who Uses Social Media the Best?
Which Utah politician rules the roost on social media? We rank the top-10 as chosen by our "Political Insiders" and readers....

USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery Improves Disease Identification Tool at VAAST Hackathon
A child is born in a hospital and has a life-threatening illness that appears to be genetic in nature, but none of the attending physicians can figure out what it is....

'The Most Interesting Argument In American Politics Today'
At Vox, Matthew Yglesias offers his left-leaning perspective on Sen. Mike Lee's child tax credit proposal, arguing that it couldtransform the partisan political debate between Democrats and Republicans....

Daylight Saving Time: Energy Saving Tool or Schedule Interrupter?
Every fall and spring the cries of people in support of or against daylight saving time ring out as millions of clocks shift one hour....

Utah Unemployment Rate Drops Again, Hits Lowest Level in Over 5 Years
Utah continues to solidify its position as the home of the nation's strongest and most diverse economy, as unemployment dropped to its lowest level since Nov. 2008....

Math Core Standards are Good for Utah Students
Undoubtedly, you have heard those who are speaking against the Common Core.For reasons, sometimes difficult for me to understand, they believe the core will not help our students....

Local Headlines

Salt Lake Tribune

Op-ed: This teacher/legislator says it's time to end tenure

Rolly: Expect another spirited fight for Utah House speaker

Editorial: Judge wise to void Utah's immigration crackdown

Editorial: Can't blame parking machines for city's woes

Clean fuel? No room in fast lane

Dale Ash elected S.L. County GOP chairman

Former A.G.'s scandal hangs over Orem House race

Utah is where Army learns to fly drones better

Whether Utah horses are native species is at heart of debate

Primaries on tap for two Salt Lake County offices

Deseret News

Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Ruminating on the current angst plaguing the GOP

Op-ed: Something dysfunctional about national policy toward Western land

Op-ed: 'Let's keep Utah healthy' and support Gov. Herbert

Op-ed: Healthy Utah plan ensures Utahns' tax dollars serve health care needs

Op-ed: Healthy Utah plan would hurt the most vulnerable Utahns

Op-ed: What Medicaid expansion is not

Op-ed: Razorback Legislators set record straight about Arkansas' failed Medicaid expansion

Robert Bennett: Let's hope the 'missing emails' scandal will impact bureaucratic inertia

Op-ed: On marriage dispute, the choice for federalism has gone from compromise to opposition viewpoint

Editorial: No more UTOPIA promises

Editorial: Utah's Housing First program proves successful

Journalists, attorneys oppose change restricting cameras in Utah courts

Utah Attorney General will review Tribune, Deseret News JOA

Dale Ash elected new Salt Lake County GOP Chairman

Utah unemployment rate - 3.6 percent - is lowest since 2008

The grand compromise: The search for a public lands resolution

Not many races in Tuesday's primary election

Other

Most Utahns favor Gov. Herbert's 'Healthy Utah' plan (Logan Herald Journal)

Will Utah's new panhandling bill impact campaigns? (Daily Herald)

Provo man now chairs education board (Daily Herald)

UTOPIA plan moves forward, haltingly (Standard-Examiner)

Low voter turnout expected in Tuesday's primary (Standard-Examiner)

National Headlines

Cheney blasts Paul, Obama, Clinton (Politico)

Five challenges for McCarthy (The Hill)

Paul: US has been arming ISIS in Syria (The Hill)

White House vows faster deportation of illegal immigrants, will open new detention center (FOX News)

GOP 'scratches heads' over McCarthy victory (Associated Press)

Hillary: I'm Unlike the 'Truly Well Off' (Daily Beast)

Hillary Clinton stumbles on money questions (MSNBC)

Jindal addresses religious, political conference (New Orleans Advocate)

Iowa GOP selects establishment candidate to replace Rep. Latham (FOX News)

McCarthy sides against Export-Import Bank (Financial Times)

Nation's best job growth trims Texas unemployment to 5.1 percent (Dallas Morning News)

Wise Words

Being Humble
"When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it." ~Bernard Baily Quote Garden

Lighter Side

More Poor than Soccer
"President Obama's approval rating in the U.S. is at its lowest point ever, 41 percent. After hearing this, the president said, 'When did I become less popular in this country than soccer? How did that happen?'" Conan O'Brien Political Humor

June 23, 2014
Bizarre, Crazy, Silly, Unknown Holidays & Observances

Stone= Pearl      Flower= Rose

Baby Boomer's Recognition Day

*Let It Go Day

*Pink Flamingo Day (Lawn Ornaments)

*Public Service Day

*SAT Math Day

*International Widows' Day

Carpenter Ant Awareness Week: 22-28 (Last Full Week)
Fish Are Friends, Not Food! Week: 22-28 Link  (Last Week)
Lightning Safety Awareness Week: 22-28 Link  (Last Full Week)
National Mosquito Control Awareness Week: 22-28 Link  (Always on the week that has 26th)
Watermelon Seed Spitting Week: 26-29 (Last Weekend Thurs. to Sun.)
*National Prevention of Eye Injuries Awareness: 27 -7/4
Water Ski Days: 28-29 (Last Full Weekend)