Ten Things You Need to Know for Wednesday – April 15, 2015

Good Wednesday morning. It's Tax Day 2015!

Former Gov. Norm Bangerter dies following a stroke. Most Utahns think lawmakers will find a compromise on Medicaid expansion before the July deadline. An outside group is spending $200,000 on ads supporting Sen. Mike Lee.

Countdown:

• Days to the 2015 Utah municipal primary elections – 118
• Days to the 2015 election – 202
• Days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus (tentative) – 279
• Days to the opening day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – 286
• Days to the 2016 New Hampshire Primary – 287
• Days to the 2016 Utah presidential primary – 441
• Days until the 2016 presidential election – 574

Wednesday's top-10 headlines:

1. Former Utah Governor Norm Bangerter dies following a stroke. He was 82. [Utah Policy, Deseret News, Tribune].
2. The latest UtahPolicy.com survey finds most Utahns think lawmakers will come up with a compromise on Medicaid expansion before the July 31 deadline [Utah Policy].
3. Citizens United is spending $200,000 on ads supporting Sen. Mike Lee [Tribune].
4. Salt Lake City leaders want to put a proposed sales tax hike before voters in November [Deseret News, Tribune].
5. Sen. Orrin Hatch says the IRS should find ways to spend its money more wisely in order to serve taxpayers better [The Hill].
6. Rep. Jason Chaffetz says the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency should step down following revelations employees engaged in parties with prostitutes while stationed overseas [Associated Press].
7. Neil Ashdown, Sen. Lee's Chief of Staff, resigns a few months after taking the position [Deseret News].
8. Utah college students will pay more in fees next year to cover non-academic costs [Tribune].
9. Gas prices in Utah climb above the national average [Deseret News].
10. It's tax day. Here are some freebies you can take advantage of today [Bloomberg].

On this day in history:

• 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln died after he was shot the night before at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as his successor.
• 1912 – The luxury liner Titanic sank in the northern Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg.
• 1947 – Jackie Robinson became the first black major league baseball player when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• 2013 – Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260.