Good Friday morning from Salt Lake City. Today is the 81st day of the year. There are 282 days remaining in 2017.
Democrats will filibuster Gorsuch, threatening a Senate blow-up. Herbert signs .05 DUI law, but will ask Legislature to fix it. House GOP in disarray over repealing Obamacare. Committee faces no-win decision on homeless shelter site.
The clock:
- 5 days until the last day Governor Gary Herbert can sign or veto bills (3/29/2017)
- 57 days until the Utah Republican State Convention (5/20/2017)
- 85 days until the Utah Democratic State Convention at Weber State University (6/17/2017)
- 228 days until the 2017 municipal elections (11/7/2017)
- 304 days until the opening day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (1/22/2018)
- 349 days until the final day of the 2018 Utah Legislature (3/8/2018)
- 592 days until the 2018 midterm elections (11/6/2018)
- 1,320 days until the 2020 presidential election (11/3/2020)
Today’s featured stories
- Senate Dems will filibuster Gorsuch, daring GOP to blow up Senate (Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Time).
- Republicans still in circular firing squad on Obamcare repeal bill. Trump tells GOP it’s now or never, demanding vote (New York Times, Washington Post). Wall Street Journal calls Freedom Caucus the Freedom-From-Reality Caucus).
- Webb says phooey on those who obsess over state’s image – let Utah be Utah (Utah Policy).
- Bernick – still too much church influence on liquor laws (Utah Policy).
- Herbert signs .05 DUI bill (Utah Policy).
- Homeless site committee faces gut-wrenching task in choosing county resource center site (Deseret News).
- Terrorists have killed one Utahn and wounded four others in attacks exactly a year apart (Deseret News).
- Business leaders Scott Anderson says 2017 Legislature served Utah well (Deseret News).
On this day in history:
- 1664 – Theologian and colonist Roger Williams is granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island.
- 1832 – Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith is beaten, tarred and feathered in Ohio.
- 1925 – KSL-AM in Salt Lake City begins radio transmissions.
- 1953 – U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1958 – Elvis Presley joins the Army.
- 1989 – Exxon Valdez runs aground and leaks 11 million gallons of crude oil in Alaska’s Prince William Sound.