Deseret News
- How religious freedom’s PR crisis affects the Equality Act debate – A recent survey found that 44% of U.S. adults believe their rights are threatened by religious liberty claims
- Healthcare in America is failing the people who need it most. It’s time for change – The U.S. would do well to follow the lead of other developed nations and begin working to envision and create its own unique iteration of universal health care.
- The untold story of President Nelson’s selection of counselors – President Nelson noted that “upon my demise, he (Oaks) is the next president of the church. “That’s the kindest thing I could do to the church and for him … to give that exposure.”
- Bill restricting governor, mayor, health officials’ emergency powers is nearly through Utah Legislature – The bill has been the subject of heavy negotiation between House and Senate leadership, as well as Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah Department of Health.
- Vaccine eligibility drops to 50 and older as Salt Lake, other counties move to moderate risk – All Utahns 50 and older, as well as those with some less severe medical conditions, will be able to start scheduling COVID-19 vaccination shots Monday.
- Sen. Mitt Romney backs effort to slow down ‘massively misdirected’ COVID-19 relief bill – The Utah Republican also plans to introduce a number of amendments to the bill, including one that would direct billions of dollars to state and local government to only those that need pandemic-related assistance.
- Protests at person’s home off-limits as Legislature restricts demonstrators – HB291 would make “targeted residential picketing” — a protest “specifically directed or focused toward a residence, or one or more occupants of the residence” — a class B misdemeanor, which is punishable under Utah law by up to six months in jail or fines of up to $1,000.
Salt Lake Tribune
- LGBTQ students at BYU light up the ‘Y’ in rainbow colors – The event was meant to mark the anniversary of when the university clarified that same-sex romantic behavior was “not compatible” with its rules.
- Activist arrested while livestreaming SLC homeless encampment cleanup – A Hopi activist who works with Salt Lake City’s unsheltered population was taken into custody Thursday night in an arrest that he livestreamed online.
- Gov. Spencer Cox says Utahns age 50 and over can sign up for COVID-19 vaccine – The expansion will mean 700,000 more Utahns now can be vaccinated, “a huge addition to eligibility.
- Push for in-person classes gains final OK in Utah Legislature – The proposal would push colleges and universities to hold a certain number of in-person classes this fall.
- Government’s use of facial recognition software regulated under bill headed to governor – There’s currently nothing in Utah code that limits the use of facial recognition technology, though it’s routinely used to identify criminals and prevent fraud.
- Salt Lake County leaders denounce councilman’s ‘culture wars’ comments, affirm commitment to diversity – Salt Lake County Council member David Alvord took to Facebook to claim the “left” wants a world filled with people with the same “light brown” skin tone who are all bisexual, but also neither male nor female.
Other
- Salt Lake County, five others to move to “moderate” transmission phase (KSL) – Nearly a year after COVID-19 first arrived in Utah, six counties in the state, including the state’s most populated, Salt Lake County.
- How Utah plans to ensure underrepresented groups can get COVID-19 vaccine (KSL) – Utah leaders launched a new “vaccine distribution road map” to ensure all groups within the state have access to the COVID-19 vaccine as the state continues to expand parameters regarding who qualifies to receive it.
- Forget COVID-19? CDC offers tips on surviving zombie apocalypse (FOX 13) – In case the walking dead take over the planet, the CDC advises those still alive prepare as they would for a “real emergency,” which is kind of the point of the entire post.
- IN FOCUS Discussion: Should Dixie State University change its name? (ABC4) – Some background on why the name change was before the legislature and arguments for and against.
COVID Corner
- Texas Gov. Abbott blames Covid spread on immigrants, criticizes Biden’s ‘Neanderthal’ comment (CNBC) – Abbott claimed the Biden administration has been “releasing immigrants in South Texas that have been exposing Texans to Covid.”
- Popular Drug Does Not Alleviate Mild Covid-19 Symptoms, Study Finds (New York Times) – Ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasitic worms, has been prescribed widely during the coronavirus pandemic, but rigorous data has been lacking.
- These countries had a higher risk of death from COVID-19 than others (Deseret News) – Countries that have a high population of overweight people saw a higher risk of death associated with the novel coronavirus.
- COVID-19 does something to your immune system (Deseret News) – Scientists recently said the novel coronavirus creates a reaction in your immune system that is hard to recover from.
- States shift to vaccinate those in their 50s against Covid-19 as supply expands (CNN) – “When you’re talking about some states moving on to vaccinating people over 50, that’s a positive sign that they have saturated the previous priority group and are expanding — so that’s all good news and that will happen very rapidly and naturally with the expansion of supply chain as well.”
- Covid tongue? Why new Covid-19 symptoms keep popping up. (Vox) – Scientists say they still have more to learn about the symptoms of Covid-19 infections, long Covid, and the new variants.
