Deseret News
- Woman aims to help ‘invisible population’ of single moms weather the pandemic – Freedom for Resilient Women created by Utah law school grad when COVID-19 surged last spring.
- My search for a better chicken – People are more aware how their poultry is processed, and food industry now provides options that tout a more humane way to consume. But do those labels really deliver what they promise?
- Some Utah Republicans sign petition to censure Mitt Romney over vote to convict Trump – Utah GOP says it’s not looking to the past or to be punitive, won’t censure either Senator.
- With 3⁄4 of Salt Lake office workers working remotely, what will future workplaces look like? – Weber State University sociology professor Marjukka Ollilainen, whose expertise includes the sociology of work and organizations notes there are significant benefits to remote work and she believes more employers and employees will choose the flexibility of remote work to a much larger degree in the post-pandemic future.
- Does cleaning up, closing homeless camps do any good when new camps just pop up elsewhere? – The longtime practice has recently come under fire, spurring formation of new advocacy groups and prompting changes.
- Yes, there are insects you want to visit your outdoor living space – Rep. Ashlee Matthews, D-West Jordan, aims to establish a three-year pilot program in Utah that will boost pollinator awareness and provide financial incentives for property owners to plant pollinator-friendly foliage to encourage bees, butterflies and even pollinating beetles to hang around.
- Who more than party their country loved – Unchecked partisanship inevitably destabilizes a republic. Lincoln’s example can steady the country
- Biden reestablishes White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships – The office has existed in various forms for the past 20 years
- Utah has dropped its gun permit law: Will it be status quo or the Wild West? – Without a concealed carry permit requirement, will gun owners still take training classes? What about the hundreds of permit revocations, denials?
Salt Lake Tribune
- Mitt Romney accused of being ‘deep state’ agent in proposed censure motion – The motion says Romney failed to “represent the average conservative Utah Republican voter” and “misrepresented himself as a Republican,” when he ran for office. The Utah Republican Party’s top leaders are not behind this effort.
- Robert Gehrke: A Utah nurse is on the mend, finally a dramatic COVID-19 story with a happy ending – On Jan. 20, Jill Holker got a double-lung transplant and is on the road to recovery — although after such an intensive surgery, it could be a long one.
- State lawmakers looking to form Utah Lake Authority to restore polluted waters – Sponsor says the bill has nothing to do with an artificial island city proposed for the lake that’s still in the works.
- Despite a rosy budget picture, lawmakers have more requests for spending than cash available – Public education and social services are chewing up most of the extra revenue.
- Inspired by her daughters, Utah lawmaker will keep fighting to update how consent is taught in schools – HB 177 is currently stuck in committee.
- Landlord group opposes translating renter information for minority tenants – Communities of color are harder hit by eviction, but Utah Apartment Association director says Utah is “an English-only state.”
- Actor, advocate Misha Osherovich on how the ‘troubled-teen’ industry affects families – In KUER interview, Osherovich offers advice to parents who need help.
Other
- Vaccine appointments ‘immediately available’ for Salt Lake County seniors 70+ (KUTV) – The Salt Lake County Health Department is offering additional appointments for people over the age of 70 after receiving additional doses of the vaccine this week.
- 5 bars, clubs shut down by Salt Lake County Health Department for violating COVID-19 order (KUTV) – The locations that received the notices on Saturday are: Echo, Karma, the establishment at 60 West Market Street (formerly known as the New Yorker), Lake Effect, and Twist. Echo, Lake Effect, and Twist have previously received written warnings
- Salt Lake City Int’l Airport sends ‘Delta Tower’ tumbling (FOX 13) – At over 80 feet tall, the Delta Tower — known officially as the “terminal two ramp control tower” — was built in 1990. It is one of the last remaining structures from the original airport.
- Utah GOP rejects Mitt Romney censure: ‘There is power in our differences’ (Washington Times) – The party issued a statement Monday taking some thinly-veiled shots at other state parties and defending both Mr. Romney’s vote and the acquittal vote by Utah’s other Republican senator, Mike Lee.
- Here & there: Letter to my son on love (St. George News) – Hot love. Companionship love. Crusty love. And every kind of love and loss in between.
COVID Corner
- Utah reports fewer than 500 new cases of COVID-19 (Salt Lake Tribune) – That is the first time that’s happened since early September.
- All COVID-19 particles could fit in a Coke can. Here’s what that means (Deseret News) – “It’s astonishing to think that all the trouble, the disruption, the hardship and the loss of life that has resulted over the last year could constitute just a few mouthfuls of what would undoubtedly be the worst beverage in history.”
- Study: COVID-19 symptoms can be discovered by wearable devices (Deseret News) – The study — called the Warrior Watch Study — found that wearable devices can detect heart rate variability, which can signal COVID-19 infection seven days before patients are officially diagnosed through a nasal swab. The wearable devices can identify other symptoms as well.
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Covid-19 controversy, explained (CNN) – Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is at the center of an escalating controversy over deaths in nursing homes, how they were counted and how they handled requests for that data.
- Blue Shield vows to dramatically speed up California vaccine distribution with new plan (Los Angeles Times) – Blue Shield of California will create an algorithm to determine where to allocate COVID-19 vaccines statewide with the goal of being able to administer 3 million shots a week by March 1.
- Florida official overseeing pandemic strategy resigns (The Hill) – Jared Moskowitz, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, said that he will resign from his position, as he wants to spend more time with his family.
- Israel’s vaccine rollout shows signs of success (CBS News) – Just over four months ago, Israel’s COVID-19 outbreak was one of the worst on earth, and the country entered a strict lockdown. Then, the Israeli government struck a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for enough doses to inoculate every Israeli adult by the end of March.
- COVID-19 cases are dropping in US, but not because of vaccinations (Yahoo! News) – They are attributing shrinking virus cases to Americans adhering to COVID-19 restrictions. They are reporting that mask-wearing, social distancing and travel reduction are the main contributing factors.
- WHO grants emergency use listing for Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine (Politico) – The WHO listing will apply to the share of the vaccine that will be distributed mainly to low- and middle-income countries. The producers will be the Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca-SKBio of Korea.
- If double-masking is hurting your ears, try these tips to relieve the pain (Washington Post) – One favorite approache to relieving the ache is to wear a paper surgical mask with ear loops and layer a cloth mask that ties behind the head on top.
- U.K. reports high vaccine participation, but some hesitancy among nursing home staff, minorities (Washington Post) – Britain’s fast-running coronavirus vaccination campaign appears to have hit its early target, offering a first dose to 15 million elderly people and health-care workers by Monday, as the government promised.
- Covid-19: Storm Forces Closure of Vaccination Sites Across U.S. (New York Times) – The winter storm stretching across much of the country is disrupting the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Clinics have closed and shipments have been stalled as snow and ice grounded flights and made highways dangerously slick.
- Report: South Africa Asks Indian Maker Of AstraZeneca Vaccine To Take Back One Million Doses (Forbes) – Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, has emerged as a key supplier of the AstraZeneca shot around the world.
- India’s dramatic fall in virus cases leaves experts stumped (AP) – When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in India, there were fears it would sink the fragile health system of the world’s second-most populous country. But infections began to plummet in September, and now the country is reporting about 11,000 new cases a day, compared to a peak of nearly 100,000, leaving experts perplexed.
