How to Sound Smart About Utah Politics – June 3, 2014

Agents raid the homes of John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff. Utahns react to carbon cutting plan. Lee isn’t moving to the political middle ahead of 2016.

Countdown:

  • 21 days to Utah’s 2014 primary election
  • 154 days until the 2014 midterm elections
  • 237 days to the opening day of the 2015 legislature
  • 518 days until the 2015 elections
  • 594 days to the 2016 Iowa Caucuses (tentative)
  • 892 days until the 2016 presidential election

Tuesday’s top Utah political news stories:

  • Law enforcement agents execute search warrants on the homes of John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff [Tribune, Deseret News].
  • Utah officials react to a plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants by 30% [Tribune].
  • Sen. Mike Lee is not moderating his politics in order to avoid an intra-party challenger in 2016 [Utah Policy].
  • Salt Lake City Councilman Kyle LaMalfa says he’s not totally behind Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker’s plan to cut funding for fireworks to reduce pollution [Tribune].
  • The Jordan School District is fighting an effort by South Jordan residents to split and form a separate school district [Tribune].
  • A new poll says Utahns think immigration reform will benefit the state’s economy [Deseret News, Tribune].
  • A massive soccer complex near the Jordan River is finally starting to take shape [Tribune].

On this day in history:

  • 1621 – The Dutch West India Company received a charter for New Netherlands, which is present-day New York City.
  • 1861 – Stephen Douglas, U.S. politician, died.
  • 1937 – The Duke of Windsor married American divorcee Wallis Simpson, for whom he had abdicated the British throne.
  • 1965 – Astronaut Edward White became the first American to walk in space, during the flight of Gemini 4.
  • 1989 – Chinese troops began a sweep of Beijing to crush pro-democracy demonstrations.
  • 1989 – Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died.
  • 2008 – Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination.