Good Monday morning from Salt Lake City. There are 355 days left in 2016.
Donald Trump bemoans the reduction of concussions in the NFL. Utahns support keeping those on the terror watch list from buying guns. Sen. Mike Lee quietly builds clout in Washington.
The clock:
- 14 days to the opening day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (1/25/2016)
- 21 days to the 2016 Iowa Caucus – (2/1/2016)
- 29 days to the 2016 New Hampshire Primary – (2/9/2016)
- 59 days to the final day of the 2016 Utah Legislature – (3/10/2016)
- 71 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic caucus meetings (3/22/2016)
- 103 days to the Utah Republican and Democratic State Conventions (4/23/2016)
- 169 days to the 2016 Utah primary election – (6/28/2016)
- 302 days until the 2016 presidential election – (11/8/2016)
Monday’s top-10 headlines:
- President Barack Obama delivers his final State of the Union address on Tuesday [New York Times, Roll Call].
- Donald Trump is apparently a fan of concussions and traumatic brain injuries. The GOP frontrunner bemoans the outlawing of helmet-to-helmet hits in the NFL, saying the game has gone “soft” like the rest of the country [Washington Post].
- An overwhelming number of Utahns say they would support legislation to keep suspected terrorists from buying guns [Utah Policy].
- Sen. Mike Lee has quietly become of the most influential dealmakers in the U.S. Senate [Politico].
- Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams is requesting jail time for former Rep. Justin Miller when he is sentenced for communication fraud on Monday [Tribune].
- The number of guns purchased in Utah last year was the highest since 2012 [Tribune].
- Michael Clara claims he was fired by the Utah Transit Authority for telling executives they were violating federal safety regulations, which his superiors ignored ahead of November’s vote on Prop. 1 to avoid bad public relations [Tribune].
- Utah State Superintendent Brad Smith is taking a 90-day medical leave of absence [Deseret News, Tribune].
- The recent snowstorms have helped Utah’s drought situation, but state water officials say we’re not out of trouble yet [KUER].
- Farewell to Ziggy Stardust and the Goblin King. Rock and roll icon David Bowie dies at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer [CNN, Time].
On this day in history:
- 1785 – The Continental Congress convened in New York City.
- 1861 – Alabama seceded from the United States.
- 1935 – Aviator Amelia Earhart completed the first solo flight ever made between the Hawaiian Islands and the American mainland.
- 1949 – Los Angeles noted a record-setting snowfall when a storm dumped more than a foot of snow on the area.
- 1964 – U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report saying smoking may be hazardous to one’s health.
