Lee delivers the Tea Party response to the State of the Union. Salt Lake County could see water rationing this summer. Dueling marriage rallies at the Utah Capitol.
Â
Countdown:
- 43 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
- 146 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections
- 279 days to the 2014 midterm elections
- 642 days to the 2015 elections
- 707 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
- 1013 days to the 2016 presidential election
Today’s Utah news highlights:
- Sen. Mike Lee hits “inequality” in the Tea Party’s response to the State of the Union Address [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
- Salt Lake County Council Chair Michael Jensen says he expects dry conditions to lead to water rationing this summer [Tribune].
- Groups on both sides of the marriage equality issue hold rallies at the State Capitol [Tribune, Deseret News].
- The Utah House GOP steps up their battle to wrest control of public lands from the federal government [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
- USTAR officials respond to a legislative audit that called into question a number of claims made by the organization [Tribune].
- Legislators begin tackling Utah’s education budgets [Deseret News].
- Air quality activists give “report cards” to Utah’s lawmakers [Tribune].
- It looks like the House and Senate are at odds over possibly removing the “Zion Curtain” from restaurants [Standard-Examiner].
- Sen. Deidre Henderson wants to enable political parties to move their conventions away from the same weekend as the LDS Church’s General Conference [Daily Herald].
- Rep. Marie Poulson tackles “revenge porn” in proposed legislation [Standard-Examiner].
- The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control may crack down on the use of educational liquor permits [Tribune].
- A number of groups are joining forces to figure out how best to manage the Wasatch canyons [Deseret News].
On this day in history:
- Henry Clay introduced the Compromise of 1850, which admitted California into the Union as a free state, to the Senate in 1850.
- Kansas became the 34th state in 1861.
- President George W. Bush labeled Iraq, Iran and North Korea the “axis of evil” during his State of the Union address in 2002.
- The Illinois Senate voted to remove Gov. Rod Bladojevich from office in 2009.