Utah will accept Medicaid expansion. Herbert says he’s open to civil unions for same-sex couples. Becker slams state leaders over air quality.
 Countdown:
- 3 days until the start of the 2014 Legislature
- 48 days until the final day of the 2014 Legislature
- 151 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections
- 284 days to the 2014 midterm elections
- 647 days to the 2015 elections
- 712 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses
- 1018 days to the 2016 presidential election
Today’s Utah news highlights:
- Gov. Gary Herbert says the state will accept some form of Medicaid expansion from the federal government [Tribune].
- Gov. Herbert says he while he will continue to defend Amendment 3 in the courts, he would be open to exploring the idea of civil unions for same-sex couples [Tribune].
- Traditional marriage advocates announce legislation designed to protect religious freedom [Deseret News].
- Fact-checking the LDS Church’s video claiming Utah’s existing liquor laws don’t need any further changes [City Weekly].
- The LDS Church wields big influence on Utah’s Capitol Hill, especially when it comes to liquor policy [Standard-Examiner].
- Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker comes out swinging on air quality, saying the state is an “obstacle” to efforts toward reducing pollution [Tribune].
- It sure looks like House Speaker Becky Lockhart is readying a challenge to Gov. Herbert in 2016 [Tribune].
- Rep. Paul Ray wants to crack down on electronic cigarettes [Deseret News].
- New Census numbers show more people are moving into Utah than are moving away [Tribune].
- New West Valley City Police Chief Lee Russo holds a public meeting with residents [Tribune].
- Russo and Provo Police Chief John King are working to end the use of racial profiling in their departments [KSL].
- Utah ranks last in providing breakfast to low-income students in public schools [Tribune].
On this day in history:
- Gold was discovered at Sutter’s mill in California in 1848.
- The first Boy Scout group was organized in England in 1908.
- The Russian city of St. Petersberg was renamed Leningrad in 1924.
- Winston Churchill died in London at the age of 90 in 1965.
- Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida’s electric chair in 1989.
- Retired Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall passed away in 1993.
- The prosecution in the O.J. Simpson murder trial gave their opening statement in 1995.
- The Department of Homeland Security became a cabinet department in 2003.
