Countdown: There are 75 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature, 223 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections, 356 days until the 2014 midterm elections and 783 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses.
- Legislative investigators issue three more subpoenas in their probe of Attorney General John Swallow, including one to accused fraudster Jeremy Johnson [Tribune].
- Former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff denies a report he discussed the legality of processing online poker payments through a Utah bank [Tribune].
- Tim Lawson, a business associate of Shurtleff, was the cause of much concern in the A.G.’s office while Shurtleff was in charge [Tribune].
- Gov. Gary Herbert’s staff is busy preparing his 2014 budget proposal [KUTV].
- A number of bills addressing elections and ethics are being readied for the 2014 session [Utah Policy].
- Lawmakers are considering how to deal with Utah’s alternative high schools under the state’s school grading system [Tribune].
- Legislators plan to spend some time in late January considering ways to help homeless youths [Deseret News].
- Sen. Aaron Osmond plans to propose an expansion of a University of Utah reading program for K-3 students [Standard-Examiner].
- Sen. Steve Urquhart says Utah should consider giving a small scholarship to high school students who complete a college math course [Standard-Examiner].
- Sen. Todd Weiler wants to change parental rights when one parent is accused of murdering the other [Standard-Examiner].
- Weiler also wants courts to weigh whether parents have deliberately exposed children to harmful material, such as pornography, when considering custody cases [Standard-Examiner].
- Candidates and rumored candidates are already ramping up ahead of the 2014 election [Utah Policy].
- Davis County officials are considering slapping some regulations on e-cigarettes [Tribune].
- UTOPIA holds a series of secret meetings with city officials to brief them on future plans for the fiber optic network [Standard-Examiner].