Deseret News
- Mitt Romney says Chinese students welcome — if they’re not here to steal American technology – “I would welcome an influx of people from Asian nations to come to our country because I know they would create a stronger economy for us. It’s just a reality. America is going to shrink unless we have some legal immigration.”
- Education Department clears way for $1.3 billion in student debt forgiven for disabled Americans – The Biden administration has now canceled $2.3 billion in student loans, little more than 0.01% in the nation’s total college debt
- Former BYU students join lawsuit challenging religious schools’ access to federal funds – A federal lawsuit filed Monday argues that some religiously affiliated schools should lose access to government funds over policies on LGBTQ rights
- County GOP volunteer at center of bullying allegations says he wasn’t given ‘fair process’ – He said he began hearing rumors against himself in January, but did not learn of the specific allegations until last week. Salt Lake County Councilwoman Laurie Stringham said during Tuesday’s County Council meeting that after a first incident was reported in September “following the appropriate process,” the harassment didn’t stop.
Salt Lake Tribune
- Judge rules the LDS Church didn’t meddle in Utah death penalty case – The judge also rejected the argument that Doug Lovell’s public defender didn’t do his job during a 2015 trial.
- The lavish life of ‘Real Housewives’ star Jen Shah was funded by fraud, federal authorities allege – She and her assistant/partner allegedly generated and sold “lists of innocent individuals for other members of their scheme to repeatedly scam.”
- Former editor of Salt Lake City Weekly sues, says the newspaper owes him thousands in unpaid wages – Enrique Limón says he wasn’t paid for several stories he wrote for the alternative publication.
- Utah Jazz eventually make their way to Memphis after first charter flight is damaged by flock of birds – The team’s Wednesday afternoon flight had to return to Salt Lake City after an engine was shut down
- Latter-day Saint youths soon can return to Utah temples to perform baptisms for the dead – All 15 operating temples in the Beehive State — along with dozens of others — will reopen their baptistries next month.
Other
- Virtual driver’s license? Pilot program to start in Utah (ABC4) – According to the Driver License Division, Utah’s mobile driver’s license will be the first in the nation and “will incorporate the industry standards established for privacy, security, interoperability, and authenticity.”
- Utah Food for Families to distribute food boxes every Tuesday (ABC4) – Officials say over 500 boxes were distributed in 2 hours yesterday. The boxes were packed with fresh meats, milk, yogurt, cheese, potatoes, vegetables and fruit.
- Utah Federation of Republican Women issues statement on ‘ignored’ sexual harassment claims (KUTV) – UFRW says they are “deeply disappointed and saddened to hear of the harassment and abuse that was aimed at Republican women in the 2020 election cycle; both candidates and campaign professionals.”
- 2 BYU mental health studies show how stress before age 5 impacts children as they grow up (KSL) – Traumatic childhood events may shape girls’ delinquency behaviors and parenting practices by fathers, according to two new mental health studies from Brigham Young University.
COVID Corner
- Lifting mask mandates so soon will make someone look foolish in the end (Deseret News) – Either all those politicians who thought they could negotiate matters of science, or all those health officials warning of another surge – or the wide swath of American people who can’t make even the smallest of sacrifices for public health.
- Salt Lake County senior centers, closed for COVID-19, set to reopen in April (Deseret News) – Services put in place after the centers were shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago will still be offered.
- COVID-19 variant identified in Britain found on Utah Navajo Nation (KUTV) – The person who tested positive for the variant on the Navajo Nation had been fully vaccinated.
- Canceled, duplicate appointments could be clogging up vaccine scheduling in Logan (KUTV) – Some residents around Logan say they had a hard time scheduling second dose appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Bear River Health Department says the appointments are there, it just might not look like it.
- 2021 Tour of Utah, normally a jammed day in Park City, canceled based on coronavirus worries (Park Record) – The decision is more evidence that the economic impact of pandemic will stretch well into 2021.
- French President Macron under pressure to lock down as Covid-19 hospitalizations soar (CNN) – Today, more than 28,000 people are being treated in hospital for Covid-19 in France, including 5,072 in intensive care units (ICU), according to French health ministry data. It’s the first time since April last year that ICU patient numbers have surpassed 5,000.
- Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines may block infection as well as disease (Science News) – Studies suggest fully vaccinated people pose a low risk for transmitting the coronavirus
- Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine safe and effective in children as young as 12, say companies (Washington Post) – The vaccine was 100 percent effective at preventing symptomatic illness within the trial and it triggered immune responses that were even more robust than those seen in young adults
- At least 19 states report rise in Covid hospitalizations (NBC) – Amid growing concern over a fourth wave, states from New York to Washington are now reporting a rise in hospitalizations. Many of the infections are being seen in young people.
