Archive

How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics – May 16, 2014

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Reyes could be held in contempt of court over gay adoptions. UTA installing video cameras on buses and trains. Utah’s cost of living is flat, but don’t get too comfortable.

 

Countdown:

  • 39 days until Utah’s 2014 primary elections
  • 172 days to the 2014 midterm elections
  • 255 days to the start of the 2015 Utah Legislature
  • 536 days to the 2015 elections
  • 612 days until the 2016 Iowa Caucuses (tentative)
  • 907 days to the 2016 presidential election

Friday’s Utah political news highlights:

  • A judge has ordered Attorney General Sean Reyes to explain why the state is blocking same-sex couples who were married after Amendment 3 was ruled unconstitutional from adopting children. If his answer is deemed insufficient, he could be held in contempt of court [Tribune, Deseret News].
  • A report says the Sundance Film Festival generated more than $85 million for Utah last year [Deseret News].
  • The Utah Transit Authority is spending $2.5 million to install video cameras on all of their trains and buses [Tribune].
  • Utah’s cost of living did not jump very much last month, but experts say higher gasoline and utility costs are on the horizon [Tribune].
  • The Lake Powell ferry is waiting for replacement parts to be manufactured, pushing the expected opening of this year’s season back to July [Tribune].
  • Sen. Aaron Osmond is exploring legislation to have Utah ditch daylight saving time [Daily Herald].
  • Bob Bernick says the woes of the Salt Lake Tribune come down to one thing – money [Utah Policy].

On this day in history:

  • 1868 – The U.S. Senate failed by one vote to convict President Andrew Johnson on the first of 11 articles of impeachment against him.
  • 1929 – The first Academy Awards were presented during a banquet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
  • 1990 – Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. died at age 64.
  • 1990 – Jim Henson, creator of the “Muppets,” died at the age of 53.
  • 2001 – Former FBI agent Robert Hanssen was indicted on charges of spying for Russia.
  • 2005 – Newsweek magazine retracted a story that claimed investigators had found evidence that the Quran was desecrated by interrogators at the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay.