Democrats lose three seats they thought they had won. Chaffetz named chair of the Oversight Committee. Utah has $2.8 billion in bond debt.
[Editor's Note: Due to a problem with our bulk e-mail service, our daily newsletter did not go out as usual on Tuesday morning. We apologize for any inconvenience.]
Countdown:
- Days until the opening day of the 2015 Utah Legislature – 68
- Days to the final day of the 2015 Utah Legislature – 113
- Days to the 2015 Utah municipal primary elections – 265
- Days to the 2015 election – 349
- Days to the 2016 Iowa Caucuses (tentative) – 425
- Days until the 2016 presidential election – 720
Wednesday's top-10 headlines:
- Utah Democrats lose three House seats they thought they had won on election night [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
- Rep. Jason Chaffetz is named chair of the high-profile Government Oversight Committee while Rep. Rob Bishop takes over the House Natural Resources Committee [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune, ABC 4].
- A judge may split the cases against John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff into separate prosecutions [Tribune, Deseret News].
- Utah lawmakers are grappling with $2.8 billion in bond debt and its impact on the state budget [Utah Policy].
- Utah's alcohol consumption is on the the rise while an audit shows high turnover rates and low morale at state liquor stores [Deseret News, Tribune, Daily Herald].
- Utah's schools are set to see lower growth over the next few years [Tribune].
- The House passes Rep. Chris Stewart's bill that makes changes to the EPA's science advisory board [Tribune].
- The U.S. Senate fails to pass a bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline [Time].
- The Utah Highway Patrol vows to strictly enforce the new 70 mph speed limit on Wasatch Front freeways [Tribune].
- Mitt Romney speaks at BYU [Deseret News, Tribune].
On this day in history:
- 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
- 1919 – The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles.
- 1985 – President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time as they began a summit in Geneva.
- 1998 – Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr laid out his evidence against President Bill Clinton during a daylong appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.