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Ten Things You Need to Know for Friday – January 9, 2015

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Obama to propose free community college tuition. Barbara Boxer to retire. Plan to convert buses in Utah from diesel to natural gas has wide support.

Countdown:

  • Days until the opening day of the 2015 Utah Legislature – 17
  • Days to the final day of the 2015 Utah Legislature – 62
  • Days to the 2015 Utah municipal primary elections – 214
  • Days to the 2015 election – 298
  • Days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus (tentative) – 374
  • Days until the 2016 presidential election – 669

Friday’s top-10 headlines:

  1. President Barack Obama is set to unveil a plan to make community college “tuition free” for students in an effort to boost the number of Americans with a college education [Washington Post]
  2. California Senator Barbara Boxer announces she will retire and not run for re-election in 2016 [Los Angeles Times].
  3. The House of Representatives is poised to approve the Keystone XL pipeline [The Hill].
  4. A proposal to convert buses from diesel to natural gas has widespread support among Utahns [Utah Policy].
  5. Incoming Rep. Norm Thurston wants to make it legal for Utahns to carry weapons on public transit [Tribune].
  6. Bob Bernick says there’s an effort afoot to delay SB 54 until after the 2016 election, which would have the effect of saving Mike Lee’s re-election bid [Utah Policy].
  7. The State School Board begins work on updating the state’s science education standards [Tribune].
  8. The Salt Lake County Health Board approves a ban on wood burning during voluntary air action days [Deseret News, Tribune].
  9. A new study by the Salt Lake County Health Department shows the liquid used in e-cigarettes often contains more or less nicotine than what is shown on their labels [Tribune, Deseret News].
  10. Boston will bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The selection means Salt Lake City will likely not bid to host the 2026 Winter Games [ESPN].

On this day in history:

  • 1788 – Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
  • 1861 – Mississippi seceded from the Union.
  • 1987 – The White House released a memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan in January 1986 that showed a definite link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.
  • 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone.