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What You Need to Know About Utah Politics Today – January 16, 2014

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Utahns don’t want to continue Swallow investigation. Utah GOP won’t launch their own petition drive against “Count My Vote.” Delta Air Lines to expand in Utah.

 

Countdown:

  • 11 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature
  • 56 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
  • 159 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections
  • 292 days to the 2014 midterm elections
  • 655 days to the 2015 elections
  • 720 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
  • 1026 days to the 2016 presidential election

Today’s Utah news highlights:

  • A new poll shows most Utahns don’t favor continuing the House investigation into John Swallow now that he has resigned [Tribune].
  • The Utah GOP will not move forward with a planned counter-petition to “Count My Vote” [Utah Policy].
  • Backers of “Count My Vote” say it’s unclear whether changes to the caucus system enacted by lawmakers would be enough for them to end their petition drive [Deseret News].
  • Attorney General Sean Reyes is set to name the outside counsel to assist in the state’s defense of Amendment 3 [Deseret News].
  • It looks like it’s now a race to the Supreme Court between Utah and Oklahoma over same-sex marriage [Deseret News].
  • Delta Air Lines announces plans to expand at Salt Lake City International Airport [Deseret News].
  • The Alpine School District approves a measure to make searching student lockers easier [Tribune].
  • Advocates say the case of a Utah teenager battling cancer who was cut off from Medicaid is a perfect example of why the state should not wait on accepting money to expand the program [Tribune].
  • Rep. Jacob Anderegg wants to allow clergy to refuse to perform a same-sex wedding if they object to the practice [Standard-Examiner].
  • Former Governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is tapped to chair the Atlantic Council, replacing former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft in the post [Tribune].
  • Sen. Daniel Thatcher is pushing legislation to change Utah’s “three strikes” law on theft [Tribune].
  • A group launches a lawsuit against the Alta ski resort over their ban on snowboarders [KSL].

On this day in history:

  • The 18th Amendment, which prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages, went into effect in 1920.
  • Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower formally assumed control of the Allied forces in 1944.
  • The White House announced Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
  • President Barack Obama made his pitch for the economic stimulus to help end the recession in 2009.