Ten Things You Need to Know for Monday – March 23, 2015
Bryan Schott
Happy Monday!.
It begins – Ted Cruz announces his 2016 presidential campaign. Why is Dave Hansen helping to take down Governor Herbert? Corroon running unopposed for another term as Chairman of Utah's Democratic Party.
Countdown:
Days to the 2015 Utah municipal primary elections – 144
Days to the 2015 election – 228
Days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus (tentative) – 304
Days to the opening day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – 311
Days to the 2016 Utah presidential primary – 466
Days until the 2016 presidential election – 599
Monday's top-10 headlines:
Ted Cruz makes it official by announcing he is running for president in 2016 [Wall Street Journal].
Dave Hansen talks about why he is helping Jonathan Johnson run for governor against Gary Herbert in 2016 [National Journal].
Peter Corroon is running unopposed for another term as head of Utah's Democratic Party [Utah Policy].
Gov. Herbert signs a bill allowing officials to opt out of performing same-sex marriages [Fox 13].
Hundreds of Utahns have contacted the governor's office in opposition to a bill bringing back the firing squad as a means of execution. Gov. Herbert says he's leaning toward signing the measure [Associated Press].
Some are worried the controversies surrounding the Utah Transit Authority salaries might hurt efforts to get Utah voters to decide whether to raise sales taxes to fund mass transit [Tribune].
Utah's unemployment rate holds steady while the state added more than 12,000 jobs last month [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
While Utah continues to add jobs, the number of people looking to fill them has remained steady over the past two years [Tribune].
A new analysis says the number of Utahns on food stamps is declining, just not as fast as some would expect [Tribune].
Utah's new non-discrimination law provides penalties while others passed by individual cities do not [Tribune].
On this day in history:
1775 – In a speech supporting the arming of the Virginia militia, Patrick Henry declared, "Give me liberty or give me death."
1933 – The German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers.
1983 – President Ronald Reagan proposed the "Star Wars" missile defense system.
1983 – Barney Clark, the world's first recipient of a permanent artificial heart, died in a Salt Lake City hospital.
1989 – Dick Clark retired from hosting "American Bandstand" after 33 years.
2010 – President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.