Deseret News
- Religious disaffiliation is rising. Is there a path back to the fold? – What’s driving religiously unaffiliated Americans away from organized religion? And what can bring them back?
- We can’t talk about shootings without tackling our void in values – Change will only be brought about when the values of acceptance, understanding, self-control, empathy and valuing the differences in others become part of the moral fabric of our society.
- Salt Lake County mayor in ‘wait-and-see’ mode on continuing mask mandate – ‘What I don’t want to do is stir things up,’ Mayor Jenny Wilson says.
- National surveys suggest Americans are having less sex. Here’s why — or if — it matters to the future – A U professor says there’s not a long enough timeline on the available data, which “should lead us to hold on a second before we make pronouncements about the death of sex.”
- You’re vaccinated. So can you travel for spring break? – The “CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19,” the agency suggests on its website.
- Salt Lake family seeking asylum has been in its own type of quarantine for three years – Vicky Chavez is suing U.S. immigration officials, along with three other women in Ohio, Texas and Virginia.
- Mitt Romney: Science, not teachers unions, should dictate schools reopening – The data is in — k-12 schools are not super-spreaders. Schools that can re-open safely should do so.
- Striped vs. solid crosswalk lines: Knowing the difference could save you a ticket – A crosswalk that has a pattern of wide striped lines running from curb to curb — like a ladder — is a designated school crosswalk. According to state law, a motorist must wait for a pedestrian to walk all the way across the street to the opposite sidewalk before proceeding, whether school is in session or not.
Salt Lake Tribune
- Utah’s statewide mask mandate will end April 10 after Gov. Spencer Cox signed pandemic ‘endgame’ bill – He vetoed a proposal that would add new requirements for issuing public health orders pertaining to schools.
- Utah ranch for ‘troubled teens’ could lose its license for subjecting kids to forced labor, ‘repetitive walking’ – Sorenson’s Ranch School must retrain its staff and abide by state rules or close.
- Quoting Brigham Young, James Huntsman sues LDS Church, seeks to recover millions in tithing – Federal fraud case — which quotes Brigham Young — claims Utah-based faith misled members to solicit money for charitable work but instead used it for commercial purposes, points to $100 billion reserve fund.
- The Salt Lake Tribune is pioneering one path forward for local news. See its playbook here – In 2019, The Tribune became the country’s first nonprofit metro news organization.
- A look into Utah’s sheriffs last-ditch — and misleading — campaign to get bail reform repealed – Utah’s sheriffs launched an aggressive last-ditch campaign, publicizing dangerous people they say were let loose because of a flawed bail reform law.
- Burgess Owens got campaign donations from Capitol riot suspect – The Kentucky man said he didn’t commit any acts of violence.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vetoes controversial social media legislation – The issue is almost sure to return to the Legislature next year.
- Utah health, human services agencies to merge next year – The move has caused consternation among some Utahns concerned that public health could lose stature if it doesn’t have its own agency.
Other
- As COVID-19 vaccinations open up to all Utah adults, Salt Lake County doesn’t want you ‘vaccine shopping’ (KSL) – “The problem that it creates for us is many of those individuals who are ‘shopping’ do not cancel their appointment.”
- SL County Council to consider new mask mandate ahead of COVID-19 ‘endgame’ bill (FOX 13) – Mayor Wilson urged people to still wear masks in public until health experts say it is safe to remove them and when the state reaches a herd immunity through vaccination.
- Taylor Swift, Utah theme park drop lawsuits over ‘Evermore’ trademark (FOX 13) – “As a resolution of both lawsuits, the parties will drop and dismiss their respective suits without monetary settlement.”
- Doctors warn against waiting to get COVID-19 Vaccine (FOX 13) – It is becoming a race between the new COVID-19 variants and the vaccine.
- Ogden School District to become first in Utah to offer International Baccalaureate to all grades starting in fall (Standard Examiner) – The district will now move on to the next step in taking IB to Mount Ogden Junior High School and T.O. Smith Elementary School.
COVID Corner
- AstraZeneca used ‘outdated and potentially misleading data’ that overstated the effectiveness of its vaccine, independent panel says (Washington Post) – The data “they chose to release was the most favorable for the study as opposed to the most recent and most complete. Decisions like this are what erode public trust in the scientific process.”
- AstraZeneca revises Covid vaccine data with lower efficacy rate after accuracy questions (CNBC) – The company now says its vaccine is 76% effective in protecting against symptomatic cases of virus. A release issued on Monday reported a symptomatic efficacy rate of 79%.
- Former Trump vaccine czar fired over substantiated sexual harassment claim (Ars Technica) – Moncef Slaoui has been fired from his position as chair of a biomedical company’s board of directors after an internal investigation substantiated allegations of sexual harassment against him.
- The do’s and don’ts after getting vaccinated for COVID-19 (WXYZ)
- We Must Start Planning For a Permanent Pandemic (Bloomberg) – With coronavirus mutations pitted against vaccinations in a global arms race, we may never go back to normal.
- Why is the AstraZeneca vaccine linked to blood clots? Scientists may have found the answer (Deseret News) – AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine “could trigger an autoimmune disorder causing blood to clot in the brain” in a tiny percentage of recipients.
- These COVID-19 symptoms could cause a ‘really serious problem’ for people (Deseret News) – About 85% of those with long-COVID-19 face long-term symptoms, including neurologic symptoms.
- Wait, are they making a COVID-19 vaccine pill? (Deseret News) – The company Oravax announced this week that it is working on a COVID-19 vaccine that would be swallowed by pill without the need for an injection.