There are 53 days until the Utah Republican Presidential Caucuses and primary elections, 186 days until the 2012 election and 269 days until the start of the 2013 legislative session.

Democrat Peter Cooke calls on Gov. Gary Herbert to fire UDOT Director John Njord and pay the legal fees of an employee who was wrongly fired by the agency [Tribune].

The finance chair for Dan Liljenquist's U.S. Senate campaign resigns after he was sued by the SEC for improprieties in a hedge fund he manages [Tribune].

4th District Congressional candidate Mia Love might get a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa [ABC 4].

Is Utah County losing influence on Capitol Hill? [Utah Policy]

Gov. Herbert appoints Cody Stewart, a former lobbyist for the oil and gas industry, as his energy adviser [Tribune, Deseret News].

Herbert also names former Speaker of the House and Congressional candidate Dave Clark to the Dixie State College Board of Trustees [Tribune, Deseret News].

A judge's ruling puts Salt Lake City's efforts to establish a new taxi cab service at Salt Lake International Airport on hold for now [Tribune]. 

Rosemary Cundiff takes the reigns as the state's new GRAMA ombudsman [Tribune, Deseret News]. 

The committee tasked with deciding whether Utah should pursue another Olympic Games is delaying their recommendation until they can put their decision in the best possible light [Deseret News]. 

Make sure you check out our weekly video podcast wrapping up the big stories in politics. This week - Avengers assemble! [Utah Policy]